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NASCAR president Mike Helton: New ownership consortium not a threat

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NASCAR president Mike Helton said Friday that NASCAR's governance isn't threatened by the recent formation of the Race Team Alliance, according to the Boston Globe.

It was the organization's first public comment since the formation of the RTA, an economic consortium among NASCAR's nine most powerful teams designed to form a more efficient business model. 

Helton said there's no animosity on the part of NASCAR towards the owners and termed NASCAR's leadership a "benevolent dictatorship."

More from the report:

Rob Kaufmann, a Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner who was appointed as the RTA’s first chairman, said the alliance was purely driven by the group’s attempt to rein in the spiraling operating costs for Sprint Cup owners.

"We also take very seriously our ability to make decisions in this sport, in the garage area, for the race tracks, and the other partners that we’ve got because we’ve all worked together for a long time to make a great product," Helton said.

The nine teams that came together to form the RTA are Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports.

The formation of the RTA came as NASCAR is preparing to enter into a new 10-year, $8.2 billion television contract that begins next year.

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