Brian France Almost Got It

NASCAR CEO Brian France recently spoke with the Indianapolis Star, and was asked about NASCAR's relationship with the IRL:

Q: Is IndyCar a friend or foe to NASCAR?
A: We consider it a friend. We can’t win when other people lose. We would prefer to see a healthy IndyCar Series. I know we’ll help them significantly by moving to NBC and the NBC Sports Network. We’ll give a lot of visibility to that network and that in turn will be good for them. Our hope is that they will get stronger because we run at a number of the same venues and if they can contribute to those venues that need all kinds of capital and improvements, (that) would be a win for us.

Excellent point. That's the kind of talk from someone who understands how your league can benefit by building up the sport and...oh, wait...

Q: Are you willing to pair a Sprint Cup or Nationwide Series race with an IndyCar race at the same track on the same weekend?
A: No. Nationwide is significantly ahead of the Indy Racing League in terms of its television ratings and attendance and everything else with the exception, obviously, of the Indy 500. We wouldn’t want to mix that. They have to stand on their own, and we have to stand on our own.

There's a reason nepotism doesn't always work.
Read more at IndyStar.com.