NASCAR set to expand racing monopoly

UPDATE #2 Looks like NASCAR is inching closer to maybe buying the NHRA – John Force and his daughter look to be the point men for the NHRA/NASCAR connection. After parading John Force around Daytona like a puppet during the Daytona 500 weekend, Saturday they did likewise with his daughter Ashley at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She met with the NASCAR media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday morning before the NASCAR Busch Series race.

02/18/07 The success of the last years TV show Driving Force http://www.aetv.com/drivingforce/index.jsp reportedly caused quite a stir at SMI's corporate headquarters. That was when CEO Bruton Smith was initially rumored to be looking to acquire the NHRA. It's looking closer to being a done deal.

02/16/07 Is NASCAR about to extend its control of USA motorsports in a very big way? Sure it will be disguised as a Bruton Smith deal, but will have NASCAR fingerprints all over it when NASCAR business partner Smith completes his purchases of the NHRA? We hear that it's getting close and it would explain why the AutoWeek NASCAR Racing Guide just out included the NHRA but no other racing series. It would also explain why the NHRA's biggest star John Force is all over Daytona this week and is appearing on NASCAR exclusive TV shows gushing out all sorts of niceties about how great NASCAR is. NHRA is right behind NASCAR in popularity in the USA.