Arguments heard in Ohio US court on NASCAR lawsuit

[July 31, 2009]  CINCINNATI (AP) -- An attorney has told a federal appeals court that NASCAR has unfair control over which tracks get the top races.

The lawyer representing the Kentucky Speedway's former owners argued Thursday that it is a classic case of anti-competitive illegal conduct.

Three 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges in Cincinnati heard arguments from both sides on an effort to revive an antitrust lawsuit stemming from the Kentucky Speedway's desire to land a Sprint Cup race.

A NASCAR attorney calls the claim a result of impatience to get a valuable premium race.

The speedway is some 40 miles south of Cincinnati. Its owners filed the antitrust action against NASCAR and the International Speedway Corp. in 2005. A judge ruled last year that they failed to prove there was any illegal monopoly.

[Associated Press; By DAN SEWELL]

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