NASCAR can buy IndyCar

A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Brian Carroccio makes some good points in his article "Is NASCAR the only viable savior for IndyCar?" about how NASCAR buying IndyCar would be good for IndyCar and have some benefits for NASCAR. However, he fails to address the primary reason that it will never happen. NASCAR needs to be able to point the U.S. Congress in the direction of a competitor in order to avoid Anti-Trust violations. Especially now that NASCAR owns sports car racing. Much like ISC needs to be able to point to SMI (especially after buying out Penske tracks years ago), NASCAR needs to be able to point at IndyCar and say, "SEE, there is competition in the marketplace." Otherwise, NASCAR faces interference from Congress. The best thing for NASCAR is to have an IndyCar series to point to as a competitor, but to have that competitor be as weak as possible. Which is exactly what IndyCar is today. Tim Hubbel, Turlock, California

Dear Tim, While that may be true in normal business, not in sports. The NFL is a football monopoly. The NBA is a basketball monopoly. MLB is a baseball monopoly. So too can NASCAR be the auto racing monopoly in the USA. Mark C.