By A.C. Guillermo
Ever since I stepped in that Clydesdale poop on the Sebring grid, things have not been going my way. My daughter was planning on attending Duke, but it looks like it will be Daytona Community College instead, thanks to Henri Zogaib. Unless she gets a golf scholarship, or Henri finds that sack full of money I gave him to invest, it is not looking good. Even my part-time job polishing motorcycles for a friend of mine has fallen through.
As I sit here in the Watkins Glen Media Center writing this column, I can’t help but think you just don’t know who to trust these days.
And speaking of trust, I got this rather angry phone call during my radio show (2-4 am on WZQU Ormond Beach, 1850 AM). This idiot, foaming at the mouth, was yelling that NASCAR should be sued for antitrust violations. Something about how they control what tracks get what races, control the sanctioning bodies, control television, and even pay teams to run in one series and NOT in another series. Is that ridiculous or what?
So I got on Wiki and checked up on antitrust laws. It seems there are three main elements to fair competition violations, which I can easily prove do not apply to the NASCARization of road racing, or any other aspect of motor racing.
1. Practices that restrict free trading and competition. In the spirit of fair play, Kevin, you can go back to the ALMS. Please! See how easy that was?! Any team in NASCAR road racing is free to race wherever they want. We are not responsible for what happens to them after that, however.
2. Abusive behavior by a firm dominating the market. Of course that doesn’t apply to NASCAR. They are far from dominating the market. They still don’t own every track, yet. Abusive? While the ISC Security Department has that word on their shields, it is NOT the policy of NASCAR from a business standpoint. They are a friendly, open and honest company always willing to help anyone in the road racing community see the light.
3. Mergers and acquisitions that hinder the competitive process. That is why NASCAR doesn’t want to acquire the ALMS. We feel sorry for them. In fact, they want them to survive so Jim and Roger have something to make fun of at staff meetings.
I guess I ruffled a few feathers about NASCAR taking over Sebring and Road Atlanta next year (they don’t want Mosport because its too hard to learn to speak Canadian). As mentioned above, NASCAR believes in fair competition, so instead of taking over Sebring and Road Atlanta, NASCAR will just wait for Darwin to finish the job, if you know what I mean.
So if you going to call my radio show, please don’t waste my precious air time with this anti-competition nonsense. I am happy to talk about how Scott Pruett freed those journalists held in North Korea, or why the Riley DP is the most technically advanced prototype in the world, or how the Rolex Series has record crowds everywhere it races, or whether Enzyte really works. But please, stop the antitrust questions. And no mention of all those empty grandstands at NASCAR races, either.
With another successful NASCAR Grand-Am season nearing an end, stay tuned for some very interesting news from your favorite motorsports journalist.
AC
Tags: antitrust, Clydesdale poop, Daytona Community College, Duke University, Henri Zogaib, Mosport, NASCAR, Road Atlanta, Rolex, Scott Pruett, Sebring, Watkins Glen
I was listening to your broadcast on short wave radio, then the batteries went dead on old “Edison”
Well then I was really bored and found a “Popular Mechanics” magazine out in the two seater. Boy are those DP cars so advanced! That may be the next kit-car I build between crop seasons. Any ways one of my corn field butts up to that track MossPort.
I was sure I saw some Nafcar folks looking around, you can tell them folks, cause the belt line of their pants is way up past their stomachs and the short ties.They tried to walk the track, but instead got out these golf carts and they were not out long. The track must have been too fast for them. Then they got back in their big Chevy Caprice with Pontiac decals and drove off. Later they were spotted outside Hooters in downtown Bowmanville.