An association of U.S.-based racing sanctioning bodies is asking to get involved in the Kentucky Speedway antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. The Automobile Competition Committee for the United States has asked to file a legal brief in support of NASCAR and ISC because the case involves how sanctioning bodies determine the tracks that get races. The association is made up of NASCAR, the Indy Racing League, the International Motor Sports Association, the National Hot Rod Association, Champ Car, the United States Auto Club, the Sports Car Club of America and the France-family controlled Grand American Road Racing Association. Kentucky Speedway has asked for the France family to sell off either its sanctioning body NASCAR (which it owns as a private company) or track-operator ISC (which it owns the majority of voting publicly-traded stock). It also has asked for NASCAR to develop objective factors to determine which tracks get races. NASCAR and ISC deny the speedway’s claims that they conspire to keep non-ISC tracks, such as Kentucky Speedway, from obtaining Nextel Cup races. Because NASCAR has a point system that requires drivers to compete in all Cup events, Kentucky Speedway argues that it cannot hold a stock-car race that could attract top NASCAR talent. Kentucky Speedway has asked the court to deny the organization from being allowed to file a legal brief in support of NASCAR and ISC. It argues that because the lawyers and firms representing ACCUS have done work for ISC and NASCAR, that the filing is just a way for NASCAR and ISC to go beyond the court-ordered limits on the number of pages it can use to make its argument. The case is scheduled to go to trial in March in U.S. District Court in Covington, Ky. NASCAR and ISC have filed a motion (which has been sealed) for summary judgment. A hearing date has not been set.(SceneDaily.com)(8-17-2007)
