As the market reacts favorably to racing's growth and toward the move to minimize competition within the industry, the stock price goes up. That means more money with which to go track shopping. Ill. France already owns half of Martinsville. Put those three in the ISC camp, add in its plans in the Kansas City, Chicago, Denver and New York markets and stack those up with the nine Cup tracks the new ISC will already own, and you've got 16 potential tracks under one tent. But let ISC and Penske issue a platitude-laced statement about how this week's merger is all about growing their businesses and the sport, and the skeptics lap it up like kitties at a milk dish.
Nobody thinks that's what's happening here.
At least, nobody is willing to say that. Not out loud. Good luck getting somebody to say that into a tape recorder. Perhaps the bottom line to all of this is that the deal announced this week hasn't really changed anything. The merger just formalizes what was already in place, while considerably fattening Penske's wallet.