Apr 30, 2007

Kentucky Speedway's Lawsuit Laughable

Heaven knows that Racing Rap has been critical of NASCAR over the years. This column has taken the organization to task on issues like driver safety, concern for the average fan and, most recently, the fumbling start of the Car of Tomorrow. But when it comes to the suit filed by Kentucky Speedway, a NASCAR have-not, against NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation (ISC), we are solidly on the side of the sanctioning body. 

If you haven't been following this story, Kentucky Speedway, a track some 50 miles or so from Louisville, has, in the past, sought to host a NASCAR Nextel Cup race. NASCAR said no, so the officials at Kentucky Speedway decided to file an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and ISC claiming that NASCAR and ISC represented an illegal monopoly. At first, all Kentucky Speedway wanted was to be granted a Nextel Cup date. But it subsequently decided that what it really wanted was for the Federal government to divorce NASCAR from ISC, and for ISC to divest a substantial number of its tracks around the country.

To which we say, baloney!

Certainly there is no question that ISC tracks, which are controlled by Bill France and his family, get what many say is preferential treatment in the awarding of key NASCAR race dates. Why shouldn't they? The France family, dating back decades, built NASCAR into the behemoth that it is today. We have nothing against the folks at Kentucky Speedway, but just because you build a good facility doesn't mean you have a legal right to stage a Nextel Cup race. Let's face it, if I built a baseball stadium in Field of Dreams, Iowa, that doesn't mean that I deserve to own a Major League Baseball team. And it also doesn't mean that if MLB declines my request for my team to join the National League that the Feds should break up Major League Baseball. 

This being The Land of the Free, if I built my stadium, I could field my own baseball team, start playing other baseball teams, and create my own league. The fact is, this is happening all over the country in the stick-and-ball sports such as baseball, hockey and basketball. And a lot of good people are creating jobs and making a lot of money this way. In just that same manner, Kentucky Speedway could combine with other tracks and other promoters to create its own racing series. 

Love it or hate it, NASCAR and ISC have prospered because of the good ideas and hard work of the France family and the thousands of employees who have worked for its various affiliated entities over the years. That's the American way, and we don't criticize NASCAR for its success -- we applaud it.

To the folks at Kentucky Speedway, we say: build a better mousetrap. There's room for innovative racing out there. If you build a great series, they will come.