No "Old Kentucky Home” For Cup Racing

January 8, 2008

By Brian Watkins

Brian Watkins

Kentucky Speedway was dealt a legal blow Monday when Judge William Bertelsman ruled against the track in its antitrust lawsuit against International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and NASCAR. While it’s no big surprise that NASCAR prevailed in the lawsuit (barring a successful appeal by Kentucky Speedway) it was a bit of a surprise to have a ruling announced; as one was not officially expected until after the case went to trial in March.

The findings of the court are clearly a positive turn of events for NASCAR which now avoids an ongoing legal battle that could have potentially cost the motorsports giant $6 million in legal costs in addition to over $10 million already spent defending their choice to not run Cup races at the Sparta, Kentucky venue. While there is obviously no love lost between NASCAR and Kentucky Speedway, both the Craftsman Truck series and Nationwide Series have races scheduled at the track for the 2008 season and both parties have indicated that the #2 and #3 NASCAR series will continue to race in the Bluegrass in upcoming seasons.

Not being a lawyer or anymore familiar with the case than press releases and news reports allow, I can’t speak to the merits of either party’s complaint. I can however say that I’m at once disappointed and relieved at the outcome. I’m disappointed because I spend a lot of time in Kentucky and I know the positive impact a Cup race in Sparta would have. The influx of people and their wallets would certainly be felt across the region for months before and months after.

Adding Kentucky to the “permanent” schedule would spur development in the area and allow economic development. I also have an appreciation for the speedway and their community support. Two summers ago when my two oldest boys were in daycare, they took a field trip to Kentucky Speedway that included not only a foot tour of the pit and garage area, but perhaps one of the coolest things a kid could experience a “hot lap” in their school bus. While I’m sure the pace was well below anything you or I would enjoy, the kids talked for a long time about ‘racing” around the track in the bus. I thought it was an “above and beyond” kind of treat for the kids.

On the other hand, part of me is relieved to not have to worry about how adding another race at an independent track would affect the current schedule or schedules in the future. It will be interesting enough to see how recent track purchases will impact races at Las Vegas, Texas and Dover in seasons to come. I’m sure many Texans eagerly await a schedule change as their fall race coincides with the opening day of deer season. While scheduling a race on opening day was either an oversight or unavoidable, I’m sure a race that doesn’t conflict with deer season will be a welcome relief for many Texas hunters.

So what will the latest chapter in the Kentucky Speedway lawsuit hold? Lawyers for the track have said that they’ll appeal the judge’s decision; so while many things have changed for the ’08 season, the Kentucky / NASCAR courtroom drama may not be one of them.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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