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The 1995-1996 WSCTA-WSCA Dispute was a series of political and financial clashes between the World Stock Car Teams' Alliance (WSCTA) and the World Stock Car Association (WSCA) over financial and regulations disputes for the 1997 season. The dispute began as a debate over the provisional system in place since 1988, and evolved into a series of clashes over finances and balance of competition. The dispute reached its peak in the weeks after the 1995 WSCC Championship Weekend, when the associated teams announced they would break away from the series and form a competitor. The threat of losing the series' biggest teams and drivers was enough to bring the WSCA to the negotiating table, and a deal was hammered out over the offseason and announced prior to the 1996 Icebreaker Sweepstakes

Introductions and Prehistory[edit | edit source]

The origins of the dispute can be traced back to the mid-to-late 1980's and early 1990's after the WSCA introduced a provisional system to the series in 1986. Though aimed at allowing higher-budget teams to make the grid even in the event of a poor qualifying lap, the system often resulted in lower-budget teams that would normally be parked for the weekend making the grid, often to the detriment of a funded, established entry. While financial protections were a major concern of the teams (due to the increasing budgetary requirements of the series, which was growing more global), the provisional system was the primary focus of their ire.

In mid-1995, ten teams - Allen Becker Motorsports, Everton Racing, Hasegawa Autosport, Henderson Engineering, McLellan Race Team, Parsonsport, Rhys Morrison Racing, Scuderia Benedetti, Stafford Race Engineering, and Thompson Race Team - formed the World Stock Car Teams' Alliance (WSCTA) to negotiate with the WSCA as a unified body. These teams represented over half of the grid, and had become the dominant forces in the series since the Olivanti Motorsports scandal.

WSCTA's Objections[edit | edit source]

The twelve WSCTA teams objected to the continuation of the provisional system, arguing that the clear gamesmanship being played by some teams made the system irrelevant; Amos Thompson went further and called the system "counterproductive". Though the WSCA announced plans to overhaul the system - floating the idea of making provisional use mandatory instead of voluntary - the teams declared they would "categorically oppose any system which utilizes a provisional entry". Jack Crawford believed that a compromise with the teams was possible, but by the 1995 Lime Rock Grand Prix, negotiations had pushed the two sides further apart.

Threat of a Breakaway Series[edit | edit source]

The teams, led by the "Big Four" (Benedetti, Parsonsport, Stafford, and Thompson), met in New Jersey during the championship weekend, where they unanimously decided to withdraw from the series in 1997 (their entries for 1996 already locked in) and form a competitor series. They cited two factors in their decision: the first was the provisional system, and the second was the lack of financial protection for teams, given the increasingly global reach of the series and the increasing demands on engineering budgets. They declared their intention to WSCA leadership after the championship banquet.

With talks at a standstill, the twelve teams held a press conference at the Thompson Race Team's headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, where they announced their intent to form a breakaway series beginning in 1997 if the provisional system remained in place after 1996. After a brief threat of legal action against the teams, the WSCA offered to discuss the matter with the WSCTA again. The WSCTA was split on the issue, with the majority of the teams wanting to negotiate. Jack Crawford publicly stated that he believed there was a path to reconciliation and expressed confidence that it would happen during the offseason.

Further Complications[edit | edit source]

Further complicating the matter was the emergence of a new competitor series, the American Stock Car Tour, which had previously announced that they would begin sanctioning championships in 1997. The series began openly courting disaffected WSCC teams, promising guaranteed grid spots and announcing that provisionals would not be included in the series. Series officials further played on some teams' discontentment with the more global focus, citing its smaller schedule located solely in the continental United States. Of the WSCTA teams, Henderson Engineering was reportedly the closest to jumping ship (which they would do a few years later).

Atlanta Motor Speedway's announcement in early 1996 that it would not be renewing its contract with the World Stock Car Championship further complicated matters. The track had already announced a major reconfiguration project, and with it leaving the schedule in the midst of the uncertainty, it left the Atlanta market without a race for the first time since 1965. The prospect of losing a race in one of the largest cities in the South sent series officials reeling, forcing them to scramble for a new location.

It was later reported that the WSCTA teams walked out of a meeting with series officials on January 9, 1996; upon being informed that they would have no input on the rules until they were entered into the series for 1997, the teams elected to walk out.

Agreement[edit | edit source]

By the end of January, hopes for a reconciliation between the WSCTA and WSCA were high; the two sides had agreed to meet at the beginning of February, the week before winter testing began in Phoenix. The WSCA announced it was willing to completely remove the provisional program provided the teams would agree to an alternative. While two teams - later revealed to be Henderson Engineering and Alen Becker Motorsports - initially objected to the idea of an Independent's Trophy, they eventually agreed when the series officials announced that the charter system would lock them into every race, minus the four crown jewels. The agreement was signed for six years, starting in 1997. Notably, the agreement did not require the signatory teams to agree to compete for the duration of the six years.

Charter System[edit | edit source]

Main article: Chartered team

Creation of the Independent's Trophy[edit | edit source]

Main article: Independent's Trophy