A federal judge has "dismissed a lawsuit" brought on by Verizon IndyCar team Panther Racing, which claimed it lost a $13.1M sponsorship with the Army National Guard "because of bid-rigging and other improprieties," according to Scott Olson of the INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL. Panther Racing in February '14 "sued Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, IndyCar and others after losing the sponsorship." Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis "dismissed the suit on March 25." Rahal Letterman "sought the Army National Guard sponsorship" in fall '13, but Panther Racing "appealed to the U.S. Government Accountability Office to keep the contract it had held" since '08. The GAO "denied Panther’s appeal, leading to the lawsuit." Panther Racing’s suit, which sought "unspecified damages, accused IndyCar of breach of contract, contending Panther had exclusive rights to provide Fan Village access and benefits to the Army National Guard, which was a requirement of the contract." Pratt in her ruling said that the "facts show that the Army National Guard chose not to be a sponsor" of Panther Racing for the '14 IndyCar season. She noted that Panther Racing’s argument that it "had exclusive rights to provide sponsorship benefits to the Army National Guard in 2014 'defies common sense'” (IBJ.com, 4/3).
