Hoosier Tires prep at a WOO race (c) Getty Images

A U.S. District Court judge in Pittsburgh has dismissed a 2-year-old antitrust lawsuit by Specialty Tires of America Inc. (STA) against Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. and World Racing Group Inc., saying STA did not demonstrate it had sustained injury due to antitrust activities. STA sued Hoosier in October 2007, alleging Hoosier was using its monopoly power in the dirt oval track market to eliminate competition for the sale of racing tires.  MMI’s Cary Agajanian, a board member of World Racing Group, called the ruling “an extremely beneficial and important decision in motorsports in all of America.” Cary added, “It was most heartening that the court fully understood and set forth in its opinion the significance of the rights of a sanctioning body to make reasoned and fair rules and enforce those rules. The court pointed out several other areas that are properly and legally controlled by sanctioning bodies such as motors, transmissions, chassis construction, etc. Who better than the people that operate the sport to decide what is safe to both competitors and fans, to create parity and close competition, and have economical and efficient operations?”