No word from Alltel: Car owner [#2,#12,#77] Roger Penske said he has not had any conversations with Alltel officials since the recent announcement Verizon will buy Alltel, a deal that could force Penske to find another sponsor. NASCAR officials indicate that Verizon won't be able to replace Alltel as sponsor for Ryan Newman's car. Only wireless companies already in the sport were allowed to remain when Nextel, which later became Sprint, took over as series sponsor. Penske says he hasn't needed to talk with Alltel officials until the company decides how the new version will be branded. If the Alltel brand goes away, so, it appears, will the sponsorship.(Roanoke Times)(6-16-2008)