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PAST TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY NEWS/RUMORS

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No Countdown of Laps at Texas? huh? Texas Motor Speedway's president Eddie Gossage is upset over NASCAR officials not allowing the speedway to count down the laps on the two infield scoring towers. Other NASCAR events have the towers count upward as each lap is completed. Gossage thought it was better this weekend to count down, so the fans would see how many laps remained in the Dickies 500. Gossage said NASCAR president Mike Helton refused to allow the change. "He said it would be confusing to the fans and to the scoring officials," Gossage said. "But you watch. Come the Daytona 500 next year, [NASCAR] will do it and have a press conference saying it was their idea."(Dallas Morning News)(11-7-2005)
Ferko attends race at Texas: Francis Ferko, the man who sued NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation to bring a second Nextel Cup race to Texas Motor Speedway, arrived at the track six hours before the green flag dropped. Joe Luse, a 26-year-old fan from The Colony, read Ferko's story a few weeks ago in The Dallas Morning News and invited him to sit with his family for the race. "I read he didn't have tickets and thought if there was one person who should be at this race, it was him," Luse said. Ferko accepted the offer and was walking around the pits with Luse hours before Sunday's race. "I'm excited that it's finally here," said Ferko, wearing his Mark Martin cap and jacket. "It's pretty cool to be here and see all these fans." Ferko rode in Greg Biffle's truck as part of prerace introductions because he made a donation to Speedway Children's Charities. Ferko then sat up in the grandstands to watch the action. (Dallas Morning News)(11-7-2005)
No Attention for Ferko at TMS for race date: Texas Motor Speedway will not call attention this weekend to the man who sued NASCAR that resulted in Texas’ second race date. Francis Ferko filed the lawsuit in February of 2002 on behalf of shareholders of Speedway Motorsports seeking two race dates per season. Track president Eddie Gossage said; "What he (Ferko) did obviously paved the way for this race in so many ways but we have that relationship with NASCAR that we’ve got to maintain and so it just wouldn’t be appropriate and I would hope he understands that. What do you do if you’re us? You’re between a rock and a hard place. I empathize with Mr. Ferko’s position but I also know that it just wouldn’t be appropriate to NASCAR." Gossage noted this is not part of the settlement. "I’ve never had that conversation with anybody at NASCAR…that’s just how I was raised. NASCAR isn’t trying to tweak us and we’re not trying to tweak them and to do so they would take it as affront and we don’t want to do that. We’re incredible appreciative to Mr. Ferko for doing what he did, we really are, and it would be a great thing for the fans to shower their appreciation on him but we just can’t do that."(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(11-4-2005)
Start time at Texas changed, 40 minutes later: NASCAR has changed the starting time of Sunday's inaugural Dickies 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race to 3:50pm/et, 40 minutes later than originally announced. The move from the original start time of 3:10pm/et should prove beneficial to both race fans attending the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway as well as those watching the national telecast on NBC. The slightly later start time will ensure that the Dickies 500 marks the first time in the nine-year history of Texas Motor Speedway that a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race will run under the lights at the 1.5-mile oval."It is only fitting that the Chase race with the largest purse, largest attendance and largest market has its overall ambience enhanced by the final, dramatic laps being run under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway," Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. "Our fans have always wanted to watch a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race under the lights here, so I guess the Dickies 500 will serve as a trial run for the sort of night-time spectacle you can expect at a facility such as this. Someday I'd love to start and finish a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at 'The Great American Speedway' under the lights."
Also, the later start will allow viewers to shift from one of America's most popular sports to a highly anticipated episode of one of its most popular shows. The Dickies 500 telecast will be immediately followed by a rare live episode of the highly acclaimed drama, "West Wing."
"With the Dickies 500 being the eighth of 10 races in the Chase and a heck of a battle going on for the championship, this race should have a large national appeal for viewers," Gossage said. "And we are extremely pleased that our television partner NBC appreciates the magnitude of this race from such a major market and pairing it with one of their most popular and highly acclaimed shows, 'West Wing'." The new green flag time will not alter the start time of the "Coca-Cola Zero Pre-Race Extravaganza," which will begin as originally scheduled at 12:00pm/et. The green-flag times for the other feature races of the weekend - Friday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Silverado 350k (9:25pm/et, SPEED) and Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series O'Reilly Challenge (2:20pm/et, TNT) - will remain as scheduled.(TMS PR)(11-1-2005)
Dickies 500 Purse Richest in Chase History: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage announced that the inaugural Dickies 500 on Sunday, Nov. 6 will have a purse in excess of $6.8 million, making it the richest payout in the two-year history of the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. The official purse totals $6,815,880 and eclipses the previous purse high for a Chase race by nearly $1 million, which was held by Atlanta Motor Speedway at $5,889,437 for this weekend's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500. The Dickies 500 purse, in which the winner will collect $424,350 plus any additional posted awards and contingencies, also is the fourth largest for the entire 36-race NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. The awards posted for the Dickies 500 trails only the Daytona 500, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and Texas' April NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race, the Samsung/RadioShack 500.
In addition to the record-setting Dickies 500 purse, $1,150,720 will be awarded in the Nov. 5 O'Reilly Challenge NASCAR Busch Series race and $543,771 in the Nov. 4 Silverado 350k NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. Tickets are available for all Dickies 500 race week events. Tickets may be purchased daily at the speedway ticket office, by calling (817) 215-8500, online 24 hours a day at texasmotorspeedway.com and at Ticketmaster locations.(TMS PR)(10-31-2005)
National Anthem at Texas: Country superstar Sara Evans will sing "God Bless Texas," the National Anthem and some of her own songs during the Coca-Cola Zero Pre-Race Extravaganza prior to the Dickies 500. Evans' newest CD, Real Fine Place, was released Oct. 4 and A Real Fine Place to Start has been #1 on the Billboard country singles charts for two weeks. It marks her fourth single at No. 1, joining previous #1 singles Suds In The Bucket, Born to Fly and No Place That Far. An opportunity to take a look at her career, new CD, affinity to NASCAR and singing in front of 200,000, one of if not the largest crowd of her career. Evans is tentatively scheduled for a media opportunity in the deadline media center room on Sunday (Nov. 6) from 12:30-1 p.m. Contact: TMS Public Relations, 817-215-8520.(10-30-2005)
Texas/Martinsville Date Swap in 2006? UPDATE 2: NASCAR executives are reported to be interested in persuading Texas Motor Speedway to swap its April 9, 2006, Cup weekend with Martinsville's April 2 date, in order to keep the Texas race from going head-to-head against the Masters. However, Texas has already started selling tickets for the April 9 race.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-18-2005)
UPDATE: NASCAR officials have approached Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage about a possible date swap for the 2006 Samsung/RadioShack 500 Nextel Cup weekend. The race in Fort Worth currently is scheduled for April 9, one week after the series visits Martinsville Speedway. Gossage said Fox Network officials would like TMS and Martinsville to swap dates, taking TMS out of a battle for viewers against the Masters -- one of golf's biggest tournaments. "They want to maximize TV ratings [for TMS], and that's a compliment," Gossage said. "But I do want to caution people -- do not move any reservations. It's an ongoing discussion." Gossage said a decision should be announced in "a week or two." In any event, individual tickets for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 and the IRL IndyCar Series Bombardier 500 night race in June will go on sale at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(10-20-2005)
UPDATE 2: Following discussions with NASCAR over the past few weeks about the feasibility of moving up the April date of the 2006 Samsung/RadioShack 500 race weekend, Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage confirmed today that the event will remain in its previously announced weekend slot of April 6-9. NASCAR, along with television partner FOX, was considering the possibility of the Samsung/RadioShack 500 being moved to Sunday, April 2 so the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race would not have to go head-to-head with the final round of the Masters, golf's marquee event. The move, which would have involved switching dates with Martinsville Speedway, would have further bolstered the television audience for an event that routinely is one of the top rated in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season, but all agreed there were multiple considerations and obstacles that could not be overcome at this juncture. "We discussed the possibility of moving the race date in the best interest of the sport, but ultimately both Texas Motor Speedway and NASCAR decided that we did not want to inconvenience the tens of thousands fans that have already made hotel reservations, airline reservations and bought tickets to the Samsung/RadioShack 500," Gossage said. "The fans always come first, and we will run the Samsung/RadioShack 500 on Sunday, April 9, 2006, as originally announced." The spring event in 2006 will mark the 10th running of the Samsung/RadioShack 500 and seventh of 36 races on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule. Race times will be announced at a later date when available. (TMS PR)(10-21-2005)
Texas Motor Speedway Purchases Frontstretch Tickets For Fans: Texas Motor Speedway has purchased back 620 frontstretch tickets from corporations for the Nov. 6 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Dickies 500 and will make them available to fans. Companies regularly purchase blocks of tickets in advance but do not always use the full allotment. Texas Motor Speedway has purchased back the unused tickets to sell to the general public. The available tickets will go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 9 a.m. at the speedway ticket office, online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com , by calling the ticket hotline at (817) 215-8500, or at participating Ticketmaster locations. The green flag drops for the Dickies 500 at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6. Tickets are still available for the NASCAR Busch Series O'Reilly Challenge (Nov. 5) and the Craftsman Truck Series Silverado 350k (Nov. 4) as well as Albertsons Qualifying Days (Nov. 3-4).(TMS)(10-12-2005)
Texas Motor Speedway a Staging Area for FEMA: Texas Motor Speedway will serve as a staging ground for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which could house as many as 600 supply trucks in far north Fort Worth until they are called to aid in the recovery from Hurricane Rita, speedway president Eddie Gossage said. TMS will also open its kitchens to help FEMA prepare food, Gossage said, and FEMA personnel will have access to restrooms and shower facilties on speedway grounds. Gossage said TMS was contacted as a possible site to be used in various capacities after Hurricane Katrina. FEMA called again Wednesday. "They called and said they'd like to use our acreage and parking lots," Gossage said. "The more we talked, the more we realized we could supply even more. They love the fact that it's right on the Interstate [35], so as soon as it passes they can be on their way."(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(9-23-2005)
Gossage has plans for a book on TMS: Because 2006 will be Texas Motor Speedway's 10th season, president Eddie Gossage said TMS plans to publish a coffee table book celebrating the track's most memorable moments. "We want the people who made history here to write it," he said. "I think that would make it more meaningful to fans." For example, Gossage wants Dale Earnhardt Jr. to write about his first Busch and Cup wins coming at Texas. He wants Arie Luyendyk to write about that infamous moment in Victory Lane when A.J. Foyt slapped him to the ground. And Gossage hopes Kenny Brack will want to write about his terrifying crash. The book's probable release is Christmas 2006, after the completion of TMS' 10th season.(Dallas Morning News)(8-26-2005)
Buying Beer/Wine at Texas allowed: Governor Rick Perry has signed into law the "Fan Choice" legislation that will allow fans, for the first time in the nine-year history of Texas Motor Speedway, to purchase beer and wine in the grandstand concourse during major race weekends. As a result of this landmark legislation, Texas Motor Speedway becomes the first sports facility in the state to serve beer and wine as well as continue its "fan friendly" policy of permitting fans to bring their own coolers with alcoholic beverages into the facility. Texas Motor Speedway had the option to sell beer and wine or allow the fans to bring their own after passage of a local option election in 2000, and speedway president Eddie Gossage favored the option that most benefited the fan. Passage of SB 1331, authored by State Senator Jane Nelson of Lewisville and carried in the House by State Representative Mary Denny of Flower Mound, now allows the fans a choice, which is in line with every other major motorsports facility in the United States. The bill authorizes the granting of temporary beer and wine permits to be issued during major event weekends such as NASCAR or Indy Racing League races, and would also apply during practice and qualifying days of those specific weekends. The change only affects sales in the grandstand area, and will not apply to the infield, luxury suites or the Speedway Club.
The legislation includes responsible drinking provisions that will make Texas Motor Speedway unique among the motorsports industry. Those provisions include:
Ų Sales will be terminated after 75% of the laps in the feature race are complete or not later than one hour prior to the conclusion of non-race events such as practice and qualifying
Ų Only two drinks at a time may be served to a single customer
Ų No more than 50% of the concession areas may sell alcoholic beverages
Ų Alcoholic beverages may not be sold in factory-sealed containers.
The change in law took effect immediately upon the Governor's signature. The next step in the process is obtaining the necessary permits from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, handled through the commission's field office in Denton.(Texas Motor Speedway)(6-2-2005)
Texas expects a sellout for November race: Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage said tickets for the Dickies 500 on Nov. 6. are selling faster than any previous TMS event. "The question is not whether we will sell out, but when will it occur," Gossage said. "We're in great shape. There's so much excitement about this event. It's kind of like a grand opening all over again for us." The November NASCAR weekend, which includes a Busch and Craftsman Truck race, includes the second Nextel Cup race TMS officials have long wanted. The Dickies 500 is the eighth of the 10 Chase races.(Dallas Morning News)(5-20-2005)
Bruton Looking to Buy Track and Move Date: Bruton Smith [SMI, owns Atlanta, Bristol, Las Vegas, Lowe's MS, Texas and Infineons] said he's trying to purchase another speedway that has a Nextel Cup event so he can transfer that Cup date to his Las Vegas track: "I work on that every week. It's very difficult, but it's a no-brainer that the entertainment capital of the world should have two Cup races."(Dallas Morning News)(4-29-2005)
Nov. Texas go one sale May 6th: Individual tickets for the November NASCAR weekend at TMS go on sale May 6 at 9 a.m. Fans can purchase tickets to the Silverado 350 Craftsman Truck Series race on Nov. 4, the O'Reilly Challenge Busch race Nov. 5 and Dickies 500 Nextel Cup race Nov. 6.(Dallas Morning News)(4-29-2005)
Bill would OK beer sales in grandstands at Texas: Senate Bill 1331, sponsored by [Texas] state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, was passed by the Business and Commerce Committee on Thursday. The bill is headed to the Texas Senate floor would allow beer and wine sales for the grandstands at Texas Motor Speedway. Beer sellers would be allowed -- with limitations -- to obtain temporary wine and beer retailer's permits for NASCAR and Indy-car events at the speedway. The permits would be limited to those events. Alcohol sales, to be restricted to half of the concessions area, would cease after 75% of the laps in a race were complete. Sales of sealed containers would be prohibited. SB 1331, which can still be changed by lawmakers, would take effect after Sept. 1 -- in plenty of time for the speedway's NASCAR Nextel Cup weekend in early November. The bill would not affect policies regarding beer brought to the speedway in coolers, state officials said. Coolers are permitted in any place that has a wine and beer retail permit, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(4-16-2005)
Texas Motor Speedway Salutes the Great American Hero: One of the nation's largest sports crowds gathered for Sunday's Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway will honor 500 returning soldiers from Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the "The Great American Speedway Salutes the Great American Hero" celebration. After the troops are assembled on the frontstretch of the speedway, Lt. General Thomas Metz, the commander of the U.S. Army's III Corps in Iraq, will formally welcome the soldiers back to the United States after their service in Iraq. Texas Governor Rick Perry also will address the soldiers. The emotional ceremony will begin at 11:50am/et and be among the highlights of the pre-race activities. Texas Motor Speedway will host the soldiers for one of the most prestigious races in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. The speedway has constructed a special grandstand in Turn 3 exclusively for the soldiers, who will also be provided food and beverages during their day. Soldiers from six Fort Hood, Texas units will participate. The units include the 1st Calvary Division, 13th Corp Support Command, 3rd Signal Brigade, 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, 89th Military Police Brigade and HHC, III Corps. Soldiers from the Army Reserve and the Texas Army National Guard, both based in Fort Worth, Texas, also will participate. Following the ceremony, 100 soldiers will remain on the frontstretch to assist in the presentation of the United States and Texas flags. The 4th Infantry Division Band will perform in a concert prior to the ceremony and will play during the exit of the troops to their grandstand seats. A flyover by AH-64 Apache helicopters will close the ceremony.(TMS)(4-15-2005)
Actor to promote recycling cell phones at Texas: Actor Richard Karn, who played Al in the sitcom Home Improvement and is the host of Family Feud, will take part in Sunday's prerace activities to inform fans about RadioShack's cellphone recycling program. The proceeds from recycled phones go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.(Dallas Morning News)(4-15-2005)
Tickets Available for Sunday's race at Texas: Texas Motor Speedway corporate sponsors are stepping up one final time and making 218 more prime frontstretch tickets available for Sunday's Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race. The tickets, which offer excellent viewing locations along the frontstretch, will be available for sale to the public beginning at 9 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday, April 13th. The tickets will be available at the speedway ticket office, by calling (817) 215-8500, online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com and at Ticketmaster locations. There will be a 20-ticket purchase limit on this special allocation. Corporate sponsors noticed the demand for the initial 322 seats they made available to the general public two weeks ago, and came through with another small but valuable allotment for race fans. For those fans that may not be fortunate to secure any of the 218 seats for the perennially sold-out event, there are also less than 1,000 backstretch seats still available.(TMS)(4-13-2005)
Aikman to be be co-Grand Marshal at Texas: Dallas Cowboys three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Troy Aikman [owner of Hall of Fame Racing Cup team], highly acclaimed comedian George Lopez and former American Idol finalist and rising country star Josh Gracin headline the pre-race festivities scheduled for the April 17 Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Aikman and Lopez will team up as Grand Marshals to deliver a truly historic and unique "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines" command to start the Samsung/RadioShack 500. In a salute to NASCAR's ongoing diversity initiatives, Texas Motor Speedway will have Aikman and Lopez alternate back and forth in English and Spanish, respectively, with each word of the command.
Joining Aikman and Lopez in an honorary role will be Peter Skarzynski, Samsung's senior vice president of wireless terminals sales and marketing. He will serve as the Honorary Starter for the Samsung/RadioShack 500. Skarzynski, who joined Samsung in its Dallas headquarters in 1997, has led the effort to establish Samsung as an industry leader, launching some of the first integrated camera phones and multimedia devices in North America.
Gracin will perform the National Anthem prior to the start of the Samsung/RadioShack 500. He was a finalist on American Idol2 and his career has taken off since his national debut on the hit FOX television show.
Also getting an opportunity to sing the National Anthem will be Kerry Harvick, who will have the honor prior to Saturday's O'Reilly's 300 NASCAR Busch Series race. Harvick, a native of Commanche, Texas and cousin of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup star Kevin Harvick, has produced her debut single, "Cowgirls," and her debut album is scheduled for release this fall. She also wrote the song, "Til Nothing Comes Between Us," which became a hit for John Michael Montgomery.
Also joining in the Samsung/RadioShack 500 pre-race festivities will be actor Richard Karn, best known for his role as Tim Allen's sidekick Al in the former ABC television's hit sitcom Home Improvement. Karn, who currently hosts the television game show Family Feud, will be on stage to inform NASCAR fans about the Call2Recycle program. The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation's cell phone recycling program is available at RadioShack locations nationwide and proceeds are contributed to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.(Texas Motor Speedway)(4-11-2005)
Frontstretch Ticket Allocation Moves In Eight Minutes: It took race fans a mere eight minutes Thursday morning to purchase the special allocation of 322 frontstretch grandstand tickets for the April 17 Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Texas Motor Speedway's corporate partners returned the 322 tickets so that race fans would have the opportunity to purchase the prime seat locations. The tickets went on sale at 9 a.m. Central Time and were spoken for by 9:08 a.m. Central Time. For those fans still yearning to attend the April 14-17 race weekend, there still remain opportunities to secure a seat. A very limited amount of 2005 Texas Motor Speedway season tickets are still available. Season tickets offer fans the same frontstretch seat for the entire race season. Individual race backstretch tickets are also on sale for the Samsung/RadioShack 500. A giant video screen for backstretch patrons will keep them up-to-date with action around the speedway including pit stops. Frontstretch tickets are also on sale for The Dallas Morning News Qualifying Day on Friday, April 15 featuring practice and qualifying for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and the Crown Royal International Race of Champions. Tickets for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 weekend are on sale daily at the speedway ticket office, by calling the hotline at (817) 215-8500, online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com and at Ticketmaster locations.(TMS)(4-1-2005)
UPS partners up with Bristol and Texas: UPS announced that it has entered into a new partnership with Speedway Motorsports, Inc., (SMI) to become an exclusive track sponsor of Bristol Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. This new partnership is introduced on the heels of an earlier announcement in regards to UPS’s new relationships with California Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. The addition of Bristol and Texas to the UPS family of race tracks that has also included Daytona International Speedway since 2001 provides UPS with a presence at a variety of geographic locations visited by the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Beyond branding presence at the tracks, UPS will coordinate both outbound and inbound shipments, including ticket packages and merchandise for vendor concessions.(UPS Racing)(4-1-2005)
Texas Tix Available: The generosity of Texas Motor Speedway corporate partners has resulted in 322 prime frontstretch tickets for the April 17 Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race becoming available for sale to the public beginning at 10:00am/et on Thursday, March 31st. The tickets will be available at the speedway ticket office, by calling (817) 215-8500, online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com and at Ticketmaster locations. There will be a 20-ticket purchase limit on the specially released frontstretch allocation. A very limited number of 2005 season tickets are also still available. Season-ticket holders also receive complimentary tickets to Fandango4, the exclusive season ticket-holder party on Thursday evening, April 14. Pit passes for the April and November NASCAR weekends, if available, are available only to season ticket holders.(Texas Motor Speedway)(3-30-2005)
Texas Pulls Marketing Proposal off table: Texas Motor Speedway on Tuesday withdrew a marketing proposal for the city to spend about $500,000 to promote races and other local events. The proposal, publicly discussed at City Hall last month, would have teamed the speedway with the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau to market races -- and Fort Worth -- over the next 20 years. "We took the opportunity off the table," TMS President Eddie Gossage said. "As we continued to talk to the city, they wanted more and more and more. We simply couldn't provide them with what they wanted," he said. "It wasn't a good business deal."(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(3-23-2005)
Big Screens at Texas: Everything is bigger and better in Texas, including the view for fans at Texas Motor Speedway's races in 2005. Fans watching this season's two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races from the grandstands will catch all of the racing action live on four big screens. And, what a view it will be from the backstretch! Fans sitting in those seats will now have an up close view of all the action with a huge state-of-the-art big screen measuring 16 x 24 feet, allowing fans to see pit stop action along with racing coverage around the entire speedway. Instant replays of critical portions of the races will be shown on the screens. In addition, Texas Motor Speedway will place screens measuring 13 ½ x 18 feet in Turn One and Turn Four as well as one on the front stretch at the start/finish line near Victory Lane measuring 20 x 27 feet. Tickets for the April 17 Samsung/RadioShack 500 race weekend are available seven days a week at the speedway ticket office, by calling (817) 215-8500, online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com. Season tickets are also still available. Individual race tickets for the November 6 Dickies 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series inaugural event go on sale May 6.(TMS PR)(2-25-2005)
France Jr. plans visit to Texas: NASCAR vice chairman Bill France Jr. is planning a visit to Texas Motor Speedway in 2005, the track's first season to play host to two Nextel Cup Series races. "I haven't been there for a while, and I want to check on the traffic," France joked outside the NASCAR hauler Sunday morning. France said he was more likely to make the trip to Fort Worth for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 in April than for the inaugural Dickies 500 in November. NASCAR granted TMS its long-sought second Cup date in May, when a federal lawsuit filed by Speedway Motorsports Inc. shareholder Francis Ferko of Plano was settled out of court. "Texas makes things happen," said France, son of NASCAR founder Bill France and father of NASCAR chairman/CEO Brian France. "For us not to be there doesn't make a lot of sense. How many times we've got to be there is a little different. But comparing it to the Rockingham [N.C.] market area and every other way of measuring a facility, there's no issue there. No comparison." SMI chairman O. Bruton Smith purchased the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham as part of the lawsuit settlement. The Rock no longer is on the Cup schedule. France said he had no personal ax to grind with Smith, who, along with TMS president Eddie Gossage, charged that NASCAR had reneged on "the promise" of a second Cup date as early as the summer of 1996. That led to Ferko's lawsuit.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(2-21-2005)
Texas wants city to kick in some $$ and tax kick back: Officials at the Texas Motor Speedway, which is getting its second Nextel Cup race this year, want the city of Fort Worth to contribute about $500,000 to help with marketing. "The Cup race is good for one year," said Tom Krampitz, the speedway's director of government relations and general counsel. "Another race in 2006 depends on us selling out the speedway in 2005." He said local fans typically pack the stadium for the first big Nextel Cup Series race, which this year is the Samsung/RadioShack 500 on April 17. They won't necessarily return for the Nov. 6 Dickie's 500 race, he said. Krampitz presented the proposal Tuesday to a City Council committee, which endorsed and forwarded the proposal to the full council for consideration. The 20-year promotional proposal would team up the speedway and the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote both races - and Fort Worth - with financial help from the city. Krampitz said the speedway has committed to spending $2.8 million on marketing efforts this year. Speedway officials want the city to contribute additional funds by kicking back most of the sales and hotel taxes generated by the second race each year. Speedway officials estimated that about $300,000 would be generated in sales taxes and about $200,000 from the hotel tax this year. The proposal seeks a rebate of 100 percent of those taxes for the first five years, and 90 percent for the next five years. For the final 10 years of the agreement, the city would kick back 70 percent of the sales and hotel taxes generated.(Fort Worth Star Telegram/AP)(2-9-2005)
Victory Lane Express back at Texas: Back by popular demand, the Victory Lane Express bus service from Fort Worth to Texas Motor Speedway will provide race fans with economical roundtrip service for the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series races again in 2005. This is the second year the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (the "T") has provided the service. The Victory Lane Express will offer fans roundtrip transportation from the Tarrant County Community College Northwest Campus to the speedway for just $10 per person. Drop off and pickup at the speedway will be in the facility's bus lot located adjacent to Highway 114 that allows for expedited service. Departures from the college will begin at 9:00am on race days with the first return trip scheduled 30 minutes after each race.(TMS PR)(1-18-2005)
2nd Texas race to end under the lights? UPDATE: NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway officials are talking to NBC about a late-afternoon start for the Nov. 6 Dickies 500 Nextel Cup race so the event would end under the lights. The race probably would start between 3 and 4 p.m. The last third of the event would be run in darkness and lead into NBC's prime-time Sunday night lineup. The 334-lap Cup races at TMS take about 3 ½ hours.(Dallas Morning News)(1-7-2005)
UPDATE: Fans attending the inaugural November 6 Dickies 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway will see both a day and night race. Daylight savings time ends the weekend prior to the Dickies 500. NBC coverage of the race will begin at 2:00pm/ct [3:00pm/et] with green flag at approximately 2:20pm/ct. That will put the last part of the race under the lights at Texas. "It's very unique and we love the idea," said speedway president Eddie Gossage. "We've always said it would be great to have a night Cup race at Texas, but I never dreamed we'd have a race that was both day and night. I think it will be something fun for the fans." Texas will also retain its traditional two-day qualifying format for both NASCAR weekends. Texas Motor Speedway Season Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets for the Dickies 500 will go on sale May 6.(TMS PR)(1-13-2005)
Texas to reconstruct tunnel: A $1.5 million construction project has begun on roadways around the south tunnel infield entrance at Texas Motor Speedway in an effort to improve traffic flow on speedway grounds and to expedite traffic on nearby public roads. The south tunnel is the first of several improvement projects planned for the speedway. "The south tunnel project is something we've wanted to do for several years," said speedway president Eddie Gossage. "Heavy vehicular traffic around the tunnel combined with heavy pedestrian traffic makes it a tough situation for everyone. The new design, which includes an elevated roadway and pedestrian walkway, will hopefully cut down on the majority of the traffic problems we experience in that area at race time. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Tony Stewart even helped give us some suggestions." All inbound traffic on Allison Avenue with credentials for the infield may drive directly into and out of the south tunnel as before. The biggest changes are with cross traffic traveling on the inner ring road, Lone Star Circle. Vehicles traveling either direction on Lone Star Circle past the south tunnel entrance will drive over Allison Avenue on an elevated roadway. Vehicles attempting to enter the infield off of Lone Star Circle will have new entrances into the south tunnel. Those driving from the east/Turn 2 side of the speedway will find a south tunnel entrance road prior to Allison Ave. Those driving from the west/Turn 1 side of the speedway will drive onto the elevated roadway over Allison and take an exit ramp down into the tunnel entrance.
All pedestrian traffic crossing east and west will also be sent up and over Allison Avenue. Fans can enter the south tunnel utilizing a new pedestrian walkway located adjacent to The Speedway Club. Fans on foot will also find a new walkway just east of the interchange leading them to a new grandstand entrance located above the south tunnel. In addition to the south tunnel, the speedway plans to widen many pedestrian walkways including the sidewalks adjacent to backstretch parking as well as the walkway along the souvenir midway on the frontstretch. All projects are scheduled for completion prior to the April 14-17 Samsung/RadioShack 500 race week.(Texas Motor Speedway PR)(12-13-2004)

TMS Tree Lit: The holiday tree for the city of Fort Worth is illuminated in its downtown location. Texas Motor Speedway and Speedway Children's Charities - Texas Chapter donated the speedway's 65-foot Douglas Fir tree to the city for display when the former tree sponsors were not able to raise funds for this season. The tree, located in Sundance Square, will be lit through the holiday season.
(Texas Motor Speedway image).
$475,000 to be Distributed at Texas MS: Speedway Children's Charities will be distributing a record $475,000 to 159 charities benefiting children from Tarrant, Dallas, Denton and Collin counties. The annual grant ceremony will take place in front of the 65-foot Christmas tree in Sundance Square on Friday, Nov. 26 at 5:20pm. Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and his wife Rosie will participate in the ceremony which includes a "sneak peek" lighting of the Christmas tree scheduled for 5:25 p.m. Texas Motor Speedway and Speedway Children's Charities donated the Douglas Fir tree to the city of Fort Worth to serve as the official tree for the city's holiday season. The grant ceremony is scheduled to end just before 6 p.m. All attending charities, including many children, will then proceed to a special VIP viewing area at Main and 6th Street to watch the Starbucks Parade of Lights.(TMS PR)(11-30-2004)
Texas Tree Lighting: Speedway Children's Charities will distribute a record $475,000 to the local charities during its annual grant ceremony on Friday, Nov. 26. The event will be held in conjunction with Fort Worth's "Home for the Holidays" celebration that includes the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in Sundance Square and the Starbucks Parade of Lights presented by Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. Texas Motor Speedway and Speedway Children's Charities donated the 65-foot Christmas tree to the city of Fort Worth. The Speedway Children's Charities ceremony will begin at 5:20 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 26, with a special "sneak peak" lighting of the tree at Sundance Square in Fort Worth. At 6:15 p.m., the 22nd Annual Starbucks Parade of Lights presented by Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. will kick off Fort Worth's holiday celebration with more than 100 illuminated parade entries. The parade steps off from Weatherford Street between Henderson and Throckmorton Streets. At the conclusion of the grant ceremony, the tree will go dark until the parade ends. At that time, approximately 7:45 p.m., Santa will be on hand to re-light the tree that will remain lit until January 5, 2005.(TMS PR)(11-24-2004)
2005 Texas Tix go onsale Saturday: Individual race tickets for 2005 April and June events at Texas Motor Speedway go on sale this Saturday morning, Nov. 6, at 9:00am. But, fans are already lining up outside the Gate 4 and 5 ticket windows. Glen Kadlacek from Riesel, Texas, was the first to arrive at 3:45am. Thursday morning, just over 53 hours prior to tickets going on sale. This year tickets will be sold at the Gate 4 and 5 ticket windows along the frontstretch of the superspeedway. (In years past, the event was held at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track box office.) There is a 20-ticket limit per purchase in effect for fans acquiring tickets in person. Individual tickets for November 2005 race events go on sale May 6, 2005 Fans may also purchase individual tickets Saturday by calling the speedway ticket hotline at (817) 215-8500, going online to www.texasmotorspeedway.com , or at participating Ticketmaster locations. Following Saturday, fans purchasing tickets in person can do so in the main ticket office.(TMS PR)(11-5-2004)
[Texas] Settlement Costs SMI: Speedway Motorsports Inc. today reported an 11% increase in third-quarter revenue to $71 million but a net loss of $4.5 million, or 10 cents per diluted share. The loss compares with earnings of $1.9 million, or 4 cents per diluted share, in the same period last year. SMI said the results include an after-tax charge of $7.2 million, or 16 cents per share, related to a legal settlement with NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. over a shareholder suit. Without the charge SMI earned $2.7 million, or 6 cents per diluted share, up from $1.85 million, or 4 cents per share, in last year's quarter. The Charlotte Business Journal reports that analysts had, on average, expected the company to earn 5 cents per share. SMI operates tracks in Bristol, Tenn., Atlanta, Charlotte, Fort Worth, Texas, Las Vegas and Sonoma, Calif.(NASCAR Scene)(11-3-2004)
TMS's Gossage to be honored: Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage will be honored along with Gale Sayers, Bill Parcells, David Robinson, Jerry Jones and others at the 39th Annual Dallas All Sports Association [DASA]banquet on Sept. 24. The annual banquet honors those exhibiting excellence in athletics, character and citizenship from both college and professional sports. Gossage was selected by the organization to receive its "Motor Sports Award" for 2004. The award, which was established by DASA in 2000, is given each year to the person in motorsports who has been a significant influence or factor for Texas Motor Speedway. Gossage was chosen by the DASA selection committee this year for his efforts to secure a second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race for Texas. The speedway was finally awarded the second date in May of this year. Other notable recipients for this year's event include former Dallas Cowboys [and Eagles] standout Herschel Walker, Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops and starting OU quarterback Jason White. Past recipients of the Texas Motor Speedway Award are: 1999 IRL IndyCar Series Champion Greg Ray of Plano, Texas (2000); World of Outlaws sprint car series founder Ted Johnson of Allen, Texas (2001); Team Texas High Performance Diving School owner Mike Starr (2002); and two-time IRL IndyCar Series Champion and Texas race winner Sam Hornish Jr. (2003). Proceeds for the evening, which will also include a silent auction, are returned to the community in the form of scholarships for deserving young men and women. The event will be 6-9 p.m. in the Fairmont Hotel Ballroom, 1717 Akard Street, in downtown Dallas. For tickets and more information, contact Bob Melton at (972) 868-1518.(TMS PR)(9-18-2004)
2nd Texas Cup race sponsor to be announced UPDATE The Dickies 500: Texas Motor Speedway officials will announce the title sponsor for the Nov. 6, 2005 Nextel Cup race at a news conference Tuesday in downtown Fort Worth, TX.(Dallas Morning News)(9-10-2004)
UPDATE: Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co., maker of famous Dickies Workwear, will be title sponsor of the new fall NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway, it was announced today. The inaugural Dickies 500 will be on Sunday, November 6, 2005. "We are pleased to welcome Dickies to our family of sponsors," said speedway president Eddie Gossage. "Their logo is recognized in every corner of the world, yet they're based right here in Fort Worth, Texas. You can't ask for a better combination. They'll be a great promotional partner and we are looking forward to a long-term relationship with them."
"We already know that NASCAR events reach our customers, and now we're kicking it up a notch with the Dickies 500," said Bob Scott, senior vice president of marketing and merchandising for Williamson-Dickie. "So many fans and crew members wear Dickies at tracks around the country that we're called 'the unofficial clothing brand of NASCAR,' which makes the Dickies 500 the perfect titled event for us." RadioShack and Samsung also renewed a multi-year agreement to continue sponsoring the April NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Texas. Like Dickies, RadioShack is based in Fort Worth, TX.(TMS PR - not on the site yet)(9-14-2004)
Texas Looking for a sponsor for 2nd race: Title rights sponsorship negotiations for the second NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway are well under way, assuring the Lone Star 500 will be renamed before its inaugural running on Nov. 6, 2005. TMS president Eddie Gossage said he has met with three clients, with a fourth interested party scheduled for talks in the next 10 days. Gossage is seeking at least a three-year deal, and preferably five years.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(8-5-2004)
Texas Lawsuit Approved: The U.S. District Court for eastern Texas has approved the settlement agreement between International Speedway Corp. and shareholders of Speedway Motorsports, clearing the way for the sale of North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham. The agreement was announced in May, but was pending the final approval from the court before it could be officially finalized. The agreement settles a suit filed in February 2002 by SMI shareholder Francis Ferko and later joined by Rusty Vaughan. In May, NASCAR announced it would give a second Nextel Cup date to Texas Motor Speedway in 2005 after ISC sold the Rockingham track to SMI for $100.4 million.(ThatsRacin.com)(7-2-2004)

TMS looks to sell naming rights: The Texas Motor Speedway is planning to sell naming rights for the Fort Worth track and for a second NASCAR race that is scheduled to begin next year. Because of NASCAR's large and loyal fan base, the Speedway expects corporations to burn rubber in their hurry to sponsor events. After all, NASCAR is the nation's fastest growing sport and the second-most watched on television. Aside from the cup race, Texas Motor Speedway is also selling naming rights to other events during race week. Because of its large and loyal fan base, the Speedway hopes to sell the naming rights of the track for more than $35 million for a decade-long deal. If they can pull that off, that would be 40 percent greater than what the Texas Rangers got for renaming their stadium Ameriquest Field in Arlington. It's also equivalent to the $35 million, 10-year deal Charlotte Motor Speedway received from Lowe's Companies Inc. for naming rights. "I sure couldn't see us doing it for less," said Eddie Gossage, president of the Speedway. "Every year we average about a million people for auto races. Attendance is probably going to go up 40 percent next year with the extra races. That's a big jump." While motor sports has the reputation of already being advertising saturated because of the signage at the tracks and on the decal-coated cars, naming rights are still relatively new for the industry. Only three tracks have sold naming rights so far. Aside from renaming the track, Speedway officials also want to sell the new NASCAR race. Naming rights for the original Nextel Cup race was sold to Samsung/Radio Shack 500 in 2001 for an undisclosed amount. Experts say the title sponsorships usually range from six-to-seven figures.(Dallas Morning News)(5-21-2004)
Texas Deer Hunters not happy: The one constituency apparently overlooked by NASCAR when it awarded Texas Motor Speedway its new fall Nextel Cup race date is the state's deer hunters. TMS president Eddie Gossage said that shortly after NASCAR announced that TMS would host its inaugural fall Cup Series race on Nov. 6, 2005, the complaints started rolling in. "We've gotten about a dozen e-mails from fans who can't believe we had a date put on the opening [weekend] of deer season," Gossage said. "They're extremely passionate about the opening of deer season. But as we've proven over the last eight years, we don't have much to say about dates. You don't have a choice when you deal with NASCAR because it's like fitting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. It's not like we said, 'We want to be on the schedule at the start of deer season.' It was, 'Do you want this date? Yes, we do.' And we're glad to have Nov. 6."(Fort Worth Star Telegram), ya think Rockingham would take the date back?(5-20-2004)
Martinsville bought by ISC, Rockingham sold to SMI by ISC: International Speedway Corporation [ISC] announced the following: The Company will acquire the assets of Martinsville Speedway, which hosts two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events annually, for $192 million. The acquisition will be funded by $100.4 million in proceeds from the sale of the assets of North Carolina Speedway, which currently hosts one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event annually, and $91.6 million in cash. Speedway Motorsports, Inc. [SMI] will purchase North Carolina for $100.4 million, as per the terms of a settlement agreement in the Ferko/Vaughn litigation filed with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division. The Settlement Agreement releases ISC and NASCAR from all claims related to the litigation. The released claims include, but are not limited to, allegations or assertions with respect to the awarding and/or sanctioning of races, the effect of the common control of NASCAR and ISC residing in the France Family Group, and the market power either individually or jointly of NASCAR and ISC. Separately, the Company received NASCAR's approval for the realignment of several NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races within its portfolio beginning in 2005. The net result is the addition of a second Cup event for Phoenix International Raceway and the reduction of Darlington Raceway's event schedule by one Cup date. ISC also intends for Nazareth Speedway's NASCAR Busch and IRL IndyCar events to be realigned to other facilities within its portfolio and will cease major motorsport event operations at the facility after completion of the track's 2004 events. Martinsville Acquisition and Ferko/Vaughn Settlement The acquisition of Martinsville and the sale of North Carolina will happen in a series of transactions that will essentially occur simultaneously. Martinsville is privately owned, and the France family, which controls in excess of 60% of the combined voting interest of ISC, indirectly owns 50% of Martinsville. The addition of an incremental NASCAR NEXTEL Cup date resulting from the Transactions was integral to the Company's decision to settle the Ferko/Vaughn litigation through the sale of North Carolina. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, SMI will purchase North Carolina for $100.4 million in cash. The sale of North Carolina is expected to close following the satisfaction of conditions as provided in the North Carolina Asset Purchase Agreement and the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement is subject to Court approval, which the Company anticipates receiving within the next 30 to 45 days. The purchase prices for the assets of both facilities are subject to certain non-material adjustments and prorations at closing, and both are expected to close within the next 30 to 45 days in ISC's third quarter. ISC expects to record an approximate $36 million after-tax gain, or $0.68 per diluted share, from the sale of North Carolina and will reflect the facility's operations as discontinued in the Company's financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles Significant Realignment Initiatives Announced for 2005 NASCAR has approved ISC's proposal for the realignment of several NEXTEL Cup dates, including races at Phoenix, Darlington and California Speedway. Commented John R. Saunders, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ISC. "In addition, race fans in the Southwest will have another opportunity to experience the excitement of live NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing. We will install lighting at Phoenix in order for the facility's 2005 spring race to finish under the lights during east coast prime time, typically a time of day with larger television audiences. Also, by realigning Nazareth's Busch and IRL events to other facilities in our portfolio, we believe we can successfully grow these events over the long term at a quicker rate than in their current venue. As such, we are presently working with the various sanctioning bodies involved." ISC will record a non-cash pre-tax charge of approximately $13 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, to reflect the impairment of Nazareth's long-lived assets.(ISC PR)(5-14-2004)
So who is Francis Ferko: see a article at Francis Ferko: The man behind the NASCAR suit by Terry Blount of the Dallas Morning News.(4-30-2004)
SAFER at Texas by June: Installation of the new Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers is slated to begin the week of May 10 at Texas Motor Speedway. The project is scheduled to take two to three weeks and will be completed in time for the June 12 Bombardier 500k Indy Racing League IndyCar Series event. Approximately 6,300 linear feet will be installed around portions of the 1.5-mile track at a cost of approximately $1.7 million to complete. The work will be done at night to avoid conflicts with the speedway's full schedule of on track events.(TMS PR)(4-27-2004)
TMS getting 2nd race in 2005: Texas Motor Speedway will have its long-awaited second NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race in 2005. The Fort Worth racetrack will be granted two races per season as part of a settlement of Francis Ferko's lawsuit against NASCAR, sources told the Star-Telegram on Tuesday. Ferko, of Plano, filed the suit in February 2002 on behalf of shareholders of Speedway Motorsports, the company that built and operates TMS. An announcement could be made next month, though sources said the settlement probably won't be declared final until the summer. NASCAR usually unveils its schedule in August or September. TMS President Eddie Gossage declined to comment. Calls to NASCAR and its attorney, Alan B. Vickery, weren't returned. Ferko attorney Samuel A. Cherry Jr. said last month that settlement negotiations were under way. The second date, which sources said will probably be in early November during the 10-race "Chase for the Championship," is the key piece of an agreement that keeps the Cup schedule at 36 races and involves four other facilities: Phoenix International Raceway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway and North Carolina Speedway.
• Darlington, owned by lawsuit co-defendant International Speedway Corp., loses one of its two dates and will hold its race the day before Mother's Day, traditionally an open weekend for the Cup Series.
• North Carolina, an ISC track that was pared to one race this season, will lose its remaining February date.
• Phoenix, another ISC racetrack, will also have two Cup dates -- in February (North Carolina's race) and November (Darlington's second date). Phoenix and TMS will be two of 14 facilities with two races in 2005.
• Atlanta, a sister track of TMS in Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports empire, will keep its two dates, but the spring race will be pushed later into March in an attempt to ease weather concerns.
NASCAR and ISC are owned by the France family of Daytona Beach, Fla., and are accused by Ferko of violating federal antitrust laws. Ferko also claims that NASCAR breached "express" and "implied" contracts with the "promise" of a second date for TMS.
"We've heard our name mentioned in relation with a second Nextel Cup race for almost two years now, yet we have not heard anything official from anyone," Phoenix raceway President Bryan Sperber said Tuesday. "If it did happen, we would be ecstatic and would certainly do our best to represent NASCAR as best we could."
Darlington, in rural South Carolina, and North Carolina Speedway, in the small town of Rockingham, surfaced in reports last month as speedways that could be affected by the lawsuit. Their small markets and relatively limited seating capacities (combined 120,113) ultimately cost the two traditional NASCAR tracks.
"What we're going through now is not a great deal different than what the NFL, the NBA and certainly the NHL went through: the nationalization of the sport," said H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, and president and chief operating officer of Speedway Motorsports. "There are forces at work outside of racing -- sponsors or TV -- that want those bigger numbers, and you can't get bigger numbers without bigger markets. It's going to be very difficult economically if you don't have 100,000 seats. You might be able to get along for a while, but with the way purses have escalated, you're going to have to have those seats."
TMS has them. Track officials estimated that more than 200,000 fans attended the April 4 Cup race, the Samsung/RadioShack 500, which drew a 5.6 rating and a 13 share for Fox Sports. Those numbers are an attractive fit for the Chase for the Championship, the sprint for the Nextel Cup title over the final 10 races of the season. ISC racetracks will host the final three races this season (Phoenix, Nov. 7; Darlington, Nov. 14; Homestead-Miami Speedway, Nov. 21). Atlanta, on Oct. 31, is the only Speedway Motorsports track in the final five. Next season, Phoenix and Miami will host the final two, preceded by Atlanta and Texas.
"I think a place like this ought to have two races for sure," Cup driver Rusty Wallace said last month during a test session at TMS. "There are some tracks that have got two races that sure can afford to go back to one. When you come to a place like this, it's exciting because they fill the grandstands up. It's great."
Tracking the lawsuit
Five racetracks stand to be affected by the settlement of the Francis Ferko lawsuit against NASCAR.
• Texas Motor Speedway: Gets second Nextel Cup date, probably in early November.
• Phoenix International Raceway: Gets second date, probably in early February.
• Atlanta Motor Speedway: Keeps two dates, with first moving later into March.
• Darlington Raceway: Loses one of two races; the remaining race moves to Mother's Day weekend.
• North Carolina Speedway: Loses only remaining Cup date.(Fort Worth Star Telegram - need to register or see story at ThatsRacin.com)(4-21-2004)
TMS officials lower attendance estimate: Texas Motor Speedway officials changed the estimated attendance for Sunday's Samsung/RadioShack 500 from 216,000 to 205,000. Some reporters have questioned the accuracy of the track's attendance figures. The facility has 158,500 seats. TMS officials say 25,000 infield tickets were sold. TMS also has two levels of luxury suites above the frontstretch, extending from Turn 4 to Turn 1. A nine-story Speedway Club building sits outside Turn 1, and the 10-story Lone Star Tower condominium is outside Turn 2. Whatever the figure, every seat is filled and every infield camper spot taken for the Cup race. The Busch race on Saturday is one of the top-attended series events of the season (estimated at 108,000), and the Nextel Cup qualifying/IROC crowd on Friday was estimated at 60,000 – more than some Cup races get at Darlington and Rockingham.(Dallas Morning News)(4-9-2004)
Sponsor Contract up for Texas...but: Sunday's race was the last under a three-year deal with Samsung/RadioShack, but TMS president Eddie Gossage said negotiations are under way to renew. "Barring something stunning, I don't have any reason to believe they won't come back," said Gossage, who added that officials of Fort Worth-based RadioShack have an "exclusive period" of approximately two months to get a new deal done.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(4-8-2004)
8 is Enough? NASCAR Nextel Cup has run eight races at Texas Motor Speedway, and there have been eight different winners.(4-5-2004)
Really? 216,000? 200,000? more like 175,000ish, still a whole lot of people HOWEVER: saw Ben Blake's take on Texas attendence and thought folks would enjoy it: ......there is this matter of attendance figures, which most of us believe are wildly inflated. The accepted figure for Sunday's race was 200,000 customers, which is not possible. The track has 155,000 seats, give or take a couple thousand, and can accommodate 12,000 in suites. Figure also 10,000 or so in buses and campgrounds and infield. That adds up to about 175,000, give or take a couple thousand. Yet, news outlets routinely report a mob of 210,000, a figure swallowed whole. Yes, 175,000 is pretty impressive, but to round it up to the nearest hundred thousand -- and for outlets such as the eminently scrupulous Dallas Morning News to gulp it down -- is not credible. It also may not be legal, as the SEC looks carefully at such statements by public corporations, such as Speedway Motorsports, operator of the Texas track.(Speed Channel)
AND from ThatsRacin.com's David Poole: Everything is bigger in Texas, including crowd estimates. The track said there were 216,000 people at Sunday's race at a track with about 157,000 seats. Does that mean 59,000 people got in free? I mean, yes, the media center was crowded. But come on!
AND II the reason for the above comments? an AP notes report: An estimated 216,000 fans attended the race, the eighth straight sellout at TMS. Only once race has drawn less than 200,000, when about 187,000 showed up for a Monday rain makeup two years ago.(4-6-2004)
HOWEVER: a quick glance at the TMS Site: Track Specs, show the following:
Permanent Grandstand Seating: 154,861
Infield Capacity: approx. 53,000
Total Estimated Capacity: 204,861
Front straightaway grandstand: 66 rows, 121,861 capacity
Back straight grandstand: 35 rows, 33,000 capacity
PSL seats: 36,000 with armrests
Luxury Suites: 194 with seating for 13,192
Handicapped Seating: Row 28 at portal entrance -- 1,595 handicapped seats available.(TMS Site)(4-6-2004)
Sad News: A 42-year-old Houston man was found dead of apparent natural causes in his trailer on the Texas Motor Speedway campgrounds Sunday morning, an official said. Johnny Hill probably died from complications stemming from pneumonia, a spokesman with the Denton County Sheriff's Department said. Hill's friends found his body in the trailer about 9:30am/et Sunday.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(4-5-2004)
Nice Crowd: The Texas welcome for Samsung/Radio Shack 500 practice/qualifying runs was noted by a couple of drivers. Pole sitter Bobby Labonte said there were as many people in the stands as there are at some events on the circuit. A TMS official estimated the attendance at 60,000.(Dallas Morning News)(4-3-2004)
Texas Pre-Race to be Patriotic: The most spectacular patriotic salutes in the history of Texas Motor Speedway will highlight three days of pre-race celebrations for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 race week events. The pre-race ceremonies for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race on Sunday will include flyovers from three branches of the armed forces. Fans will also witness the famed U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, the 82nd Airborne "All American" Chorus in concert and "The Flag Story" featuring more than 100 soldiers from The 3rd U.S. Infantry dressed in period uniforms and in ceremonial dress blues carrying 50 state and six territorial flags.
Saturday's pre-race ceremonies for the O'Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series race will include Gordon R. England, Secretary of the Navy, the Golden Knights parachute team and a pair of fly-bys. Friday's ceremonies prior to Bud Pole Qualifying on O'Reilly Qualifying Day will include a fly-by and the U.S. Army Color Guard.
Fans in attendance at the largest sports events in Texas will witness flyovers by four FA-18 Hornet aircraft of the VFA 201 Hunters based at the Naval Air Station Fort Worth, a quartet of T-38 planes based out of Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls [Jayski was stationed there in 1982] and four AH-64 Apache helicopters from the 1-149th Aviation Regiment from Houston.
The 82nd Airborne Division "All American" Chorus from Fort Bragg, N.C. will perform a 30-minute set at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on the pre-race stage that will include patriotic, military and popular music. The Chorus will also perform "Deep In the Heart of Texas" and will accompany Kellie Coffey singing the National Anthem. England's visit to "The Great American Speedway" will include a pit visit with Casey Atwood, driver of the Navy Chevrolet Busch Series team, on Saturday.
Military participation in pre-race ceremonies include:
FRIDAY, APRIL 2 - O'REILLY QUALIFYING DAY
U.S. Army Color Guard, Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, TX
U.S. Air Force T-38s flyover, Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls, TX
SATURDAY, APRIL 3 - O'REILLY 300
U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute jump team, Fort Bragg, NC
Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England
U.S. Army Apache helicopters flyover, 1-149th Aviation Regiment, Houston, TX
U.S. Army Color Guard, 504th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Hood, TX
U.S. Navy FA-18 Hornets flyover, VFA 201 Hunters, Naval Air Station, Fort Worth, TX
SUNDAY, APRIL 4 - SAMSUNG/RADIOSHACK 500
U.S. Army "All American" Chorus, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC
"The Flag Story," U.S. Army Military District of Washington, Fort Myer, VA
U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute jump team, Fort Bragg, NC
U.S. Army Apache helicopters flyover, 1-149th Aviation Regiment, Houston, TX
U.S. Air Force T-38s flyover, Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls, TX
U.S. Navy FA-18 Hornets flyover, VFA 201 Hunters, Naval Air Station, Fort Worth, TX.(TMS PR)(4-1-2004)
'The Rock' the Texas Grand Marshall: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has solidified his position as both a World Wrestling Entertainment champ and one of Hollywood's leading men. He's now preparing for a part he's never played - that of Grand Marshal for the April 4 Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. As Grand Marshal, Johnson will get to say some of the most famous words in auto racing -- "Gentlemen, start your engines." Born in San Francisco and raised in Hawaii, Johnson became a third-generation professional wrestler, following the WWE careers of his father, Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather, Samoan High Chief Peter Maivia. Johnson shined as a high school All-American and as a star defensive lineman for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He had a brief career in the Canadian Football league and after a shoulder injury turned to the world of wrestling. "The People's Champion" has gone on to set a record as the six-time World Wrestling Entertainment Champion. Johnson will next be seen starring in the MGM remake of WALKING TALL which co-stars Johnny Knoxville and Neal McDonough. He will play the role of sheriff 'Chris Vaughn' who comes back to his hometown after serving in the Army, only to find it corrupted. This version, inspired by the original 'Buford Pusser' story, is about one man's fight to stand up to injustice and save both his family and town that he loves so dearly. WALKING TALL hits theaters April 2.(TMS PR)(3-30-2004)
Texas size purse for Texas race: More than $8 million will be up for grabs during the four days of racing April 1-4 at Texas Motor Speedway. The Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race on Sunday, April 4, will offer a purse of $6,767,841, an increase of $720,082 from 2003. The winner is likely to receive more than a half-million dollars. The O'Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday, April 3, is offering $1,343,933, an increase of $59,441 from last year. "Texas Motor Speedway hosts two of the largest events in NASCAR with our Busch and Nextel Cup races each and every year," said speedway general manager Eddie Gossage. "The drivers in both series realize this is one of the premier events each year, and that has been demonstrated by how many drivers are testing here this month. They also recognize that the Samsung/RadioShack 500 purse is the third-largest of the NASCAR season." The inaugural Cup Series race at Texas in 1997, offered a purse of $3,802,255 and has continued to grow steadily. The NASCAR Busch Series event, which offered $783,150 in prize money back in 1997, has also consistently provided one of the biggest series paydays of the year.For ticket information for all events at Texas Motor Speedway, contact the ticket hotline at (817) 215-8500 or go online to www.texasmotorspeedway.com.(TMS PR)(3-30-2004)
Texas Gov to wave green flag: Texas Governor Rick Perry will serve as honorary starter for the April 4 Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Perry will climb into the starter stand above the frontstretch to wave the green flag, officially signaling the start of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race. Perry's predecessor, President George W. Bush, also served as honorary starter for the race back in 1999. "We are happy to have Governor Perry be part of the Samsung/RadioShack 500," said speedway general manager Eddie Gossage. "It's only fitting that the Governor of Texas be part of the largest single-day sporting event in the state."(TMS PR)(3-30-2004)
National Anthem at Texas: Kellie Coffey, the Academy of Country Music's reigning Top New Female Vocalist, will perform the National Anthem for the Samsung/RadioShack 500. Most recently, Coffey, of Moore, Oklahoma, a small town just outside of Oklahoma City, has been on the road with country music superstars Kenny Chesney and George Strait. Her debut album, "When You Lie Next to Me," entered Billboard's Top Country Album Chart at number five. The BNA Records Nashville recording artist will also perform for race fans at 6 p.m. Saturday evening in downtown Fort Worth at the annual Chevy Thunder Days in Sundance Square.(TMS PR)(3-30-2004)
2nd Texas Race for All-Star Race Trade? Bruton Smith is reported to be on the verge of getting NASCAR to agree to grant him a long-awaited second Nextel Cup date at Texas Motor Speedway, through the purchase of North Carolina Speedway, according to sources. But then it gets complicated, according to those sources. In turn NASCAR wants Smith to let Richmond International Raceway take the May all-star race from Smith's Lowe's Motor Speedway. For that, Smith wants a second Cup date for his Las Vegas track. If all that happens, Darlington Raceway could lose one of its two Cup races. Smith has considerable support at the moment, from teams and sponsors and TV networks, for his Las Vegas pitch.(Winston Salem Journal)(3-26-2004)
Darlington AND Rockingham to lose races? Alternating ONE racedate? Texas and Vegas get the dates? UPDATE 2 Darlington expects to get two dates in 2005:
Settlement negotiations in a lawsuit over a second Nextel Cup date for Texas Motor Speedway have potentially major ramifications for two tracks in the Carolinas, The Observer has learned. A source close to talks in a suit against NASCAR by two Speedway Motorsports Inc. [SMI] shareholders said Monday a settlement could result in International Speedway Corp. selling both North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham and Darlington Raceway to SMI. If such a deal were made, two of three remaining Cup dates from Rockingham and Darlington would move – one to Texas Motor Speedway and the other to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, giving those SMI-owned tracks two dates each per season. The other date would alternate between Rockingham and Darlington, with the Nextel Cup, Busch and Truck series racing at Rockingham one year then at Darlington the next [so much for lights and SAFER]. "I am aware of the (settlement) talks," SMI chairman Bruton Smith said Monday. "I think that they have been going on for about two months, and they're further down the road than they ever have been. But there will have to be a written agreement among all of the attorneys before there's any done deal." Smith said that in his mind any settlement of the suit would have to include a second Cup date for Texas. "That's certainly the key to it, that's why it was filed," he said.(more at ThatsRacin.com), see past news about this on my lawsuit page.(3-23-2004)
UPDATE: After attracting the largest crowd in the 45-year history of Darlington Raceway's spring Nextel Cup event, track officials are feeling good about their chances of keeping two races for 2005. How good? "I feel confident we'll host two races next year. Frankly, I can't see it any other way," raceway president Andrew Gurtis said Tuesday. "As the promoter at Darlington Raceway, look at the last two races we've had here. We've had a sellout for the Mountain Dew Southern 500, and a record crowd for the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. We have two strong sponsors on our Cup races, and great racing. Things are just stacking up." But sources have indicated to The Post and Courier that the millions of dollars ISC has spent to add the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier and a lighting system at Darlington guarantee that the Pee Dee track will have at least one annual event on the Nextel Cup schedule.(Chareslton Post and Courier)
BUT Could a settlement be imminent in the battle to bring a second Nextel Cup race to Texas Motor Speedway? According to several media outlets, yes. But spokesmen for the opposing camps said they are simply following court orders in a mediation process. According to The Associated Press, Samuel Cherry, the attorney for a TMS shareholder who sued NASCAR over its refusal to award a second event, said Tuesday that progress is being made in settlement talks. Cherry said the plaintiffs and NASCAR have agreed not to discuss specifics of the 2-year-old suit. Spokespersons from both racing entities contend that no settlement is about to materialize. "(The suit) is based on the false presumption that NASCAR promised Texas Motor Speedway a second date, which NASCAR did not," NASCAR vice president of communications Jim Hunter said. "No settlement has been reached, to my knowledge." Lauri Wilks, Hunter's counterpart at SMI didn't know anything more. "Not as far as I know," Wilks said. "I don't have an official word of anything." Apparently, there is no agreement -- at least not in written form -- on the table. "Obviously, as everyone knows, it's in the best interest of the sport to put this thing behind us," Hunter said. "We're not at liberty to discuss any of the particulars. There is no timeline. In the meantime, we've got to get on with the business of running the races."(in part from the Daytona Beach News Journal/AP)(3-24-2004)
SAFER to be installed at Texas this summer: Texas Motor Speedway will install the new Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers this summer in an effort to improve driver safety. "This is step in the right direction where safety is concerned," said speedway general manager Eddie Gossage. "The safety of both our drivers and fans is always our number one priority and we will take every possible precaution to ensure that. "We are currently wrapping up a $400,000 upgrade to our crash fence. We have reinforced the existing fence on the outside crash wall and have constructed a new 10-foot fence on top of the inner crash wall." The speedway's parent company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. has placed Wes Harris, SMI vice president of development, in charge of the project. Exact dates for the installation have yet to be determined. The steel tube and foam SAFER barrier was developed by the University of Nebraska, the Indy Racing League and NASCAR. John Rohde, associate professor of civil engineering for the University of Nebraska, met with speedway officials in late January to do a site survey. "The meeting went quite well," said Gossage. "We are all on the same page here. We want to do all we can to improve safety in an inherently dangerous sport."(TMS PR)(3-23-2004)
Texas Tire Monster II - The Sequel: It's back!!! The newest sleekest version of the Texas Tire Monster is about to be unveiled for the 2004 season at Texas Motor Speedway. Rising out of a creative idea, sketches and drawings on paper, and some remarkable ingenuity, Texas Tire Monster II is about to lay some rubber on the 1.5-mile super speedway in preparation for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 weekend, April 1-4. The original Monster was the brainchild of speedway president and general manager Eddie Gossage, who wanted to find a way to work rubber into the speedway asphalt and drew a rough sketch of a trailer with multiple tires on it.
"The Texas Tire Monster is another example of the tremendous talent and creativity we have here at Texas Motor Speedway," Gossage said. "There really seems to be nothing our Operations crew can't do. A lot of time and effort was put into building the original Tire Monster and the new and improved version as well. It is a tremendous asset to have this piece of equipment in making our track race ready."
In the speedway operations department, David Cantwell and Tim Altom took the crude renderings and came up with a design, which they developed into reality last year. Cantwell and co-worker David Wilson went to work building the Monster from scrap metal, pieces of old trailers, a little of this, and a little of that. The device hit the road prior to the Samsung/RadioShack 500 last year, laying down rubber on the speedway. But, like all research and development, there was a better way to be found. "We had to find a way to make the tires have better wear, make the Monster transportable, and create a separate transport axle," Cantwell said. "Now, all 12 wheels are on independent suspensions with the exact same weight on each tire. Each tire has 6 ½ degree toe in and out, and we can adjust each one individually. That has made the biggest difference in getting better wear on the tires." Texas Tire Monster II consists of 12 Goodyear Eagle tires as well as the separate transport axle and weighs 5,500 pounds. The new version of the Monster is longer and more narrow and features, as is tradition in motorsports, a rear hood for decal display. Building the original Tire Monster and the sequel has been a task of ingenuity and determination for Cantwell and Wilson. "The whole project has been one of creativity," Cantwell said. "We had to design and make all the working parts, including the pivots for the shocks, the tire arms, and we even made an upright band saw out of hand tools so we could work on the sheet metal." Texas Tire Monster II will be rolling out on the speedway surface soon to begin logging some miles and working some fresh rubber into the grooves. But Cantwell is already thinking about what is next. "I have an idea of how the third generation and even fourth generation Tire Monster should look and what we need on it."
With just the final touches to be added, Texas Tire Monster II has work to do getting the asphalt ready for Texas Motor Speedway's biggest weekend of the year. The NASCAR Busch Series O'Reilly 300 is Saturday, April 3, followed by the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Samsung/RadioShack 500 on Sunday, April 4. In addition, the Texas Motor Speedway will host the Crown Royal IROC Series on Friday night, April 2. For ticket information, contact the speedway ticket hotline at 817-215-8500 or go online to www.texasmotorspeedway.com(TMS PR)(2-27-2004)
Last Race at the Rock? this weekend? UPDATE: North Carolina Speedway general manager Chris Browning said Saturday that no one from NASCAR or International Speedway Corporation has approached him regarding the possibility of moving the track's date to another venue, or selling the track and its date to Speedway Motorsports. Rumors have surfaced throughout the week that this weekend's Subway 400 could be the last race at the gritty 1.017-mile oval. Browning disagrees, saying that NASCAR and ISC understand the challenges of their February race date, and feels confident Rockingham would get the chance to prove their worth with a more favorable date. Browning is confident that the Nextel Cup Series will be racing in North Carolina's sand hills in 2005. "There's been nothing said internally, so I chalk it up to a good rumor," Browning continued. "For 10 years, we were supposed to lose a date, and it's just now happened." Some have speculated that ISC plans to sell the track to Bruton Smith, owner of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., who would then move the date to one of his tracks, likely Texas Motor Speedway. Shareholders of SMI are currently suing NASCAR, claiming NASCAR officials have failed to follow through with a promise to award Texas Motor Speedway a second Cup date. Subsequently, speculation has arisen that the lawsuit could be settled by selling Rockingham to Smith. "The Bruton rumors are just rumors," Browning said. "There is no indication of truth." Browning said ticket sales are already higher than they were for this event last year, due in part to Dale Earnhardt's Jr.'s victory in the Daytona 500, but that the Subway 400 won't sell out. Browning said track officials are working diligently to book events at the track, such as rodeos, car shows and racing events for other series such as ASA and ARCA. They're also open to the idea of installing lights.(in part from NASCAR.com)(2-21-2004)
UPDATE: Bob Dilner reported on Speed News that word has it that the race this weekend at Rockingham/North Carolina Speedway will be the last Cup race held there, with rumors having the date going to either Phoenix or Texas.(Speed Channel's Speed News - NASCAR Edition) and on Speed's NASCAR: Victory Lane, John Roberts said it was a done deal, but unofficial as NASCAR has not made an announcement yet....he also mentioned Las Vegas as a candiate for the race date.(2-22-2004)
Gossage Promoted: Speedway Motorsports announced on Thursday that Eddie Gossage has been promoted to president at Texas Motor Speedway. Gossage has served as the executive vice president and general manager of the track since 1995. "Eddie has done an outstanding job bringing Texas Motor Speedway from nothing more than an idea to one of the top sports facilities in the world," said O. Bruton Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports. "There is a big difference between a race organizer and a race promoter. Eddie is a true promoter who understands the urgency and effort required to be successful." Before moving to Texas, Gossage served as vice president of public relations at Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1989 to 1995. He previously worked at Miller Brewing Company in its motorsports public relations program and served in various public relations and managerial capacities at two other NASCAR-sanctioned speedways. "It has been an honor to lead Texas Motor Speedway since the very beginning," said Gossage. "Bruton Smith and the board of directors have allowed us to assemble a tremendous staff and we have worked hard to earn the support of the race fans, drivers, teams, sponsors and sanctioning bodies. The leadership, counsel and friendship with Bruton Smith makes this promotion even more meaningful."(ThatsRacin.com)(2-19-2004)
2nd Texas Date Close? NASCAR's Brian France appears closer to granting a second Cup date to Bruton Smith's Texas track, according to sources. But the anti-trust part of the lawsuit against NASCAR may be a major stumbling block in any settlement. And the high-dollar attorneys involved on both sides may have backed both NASCAR and the man who launched the suit, stockholder Francis Ferko, into a corner where any settlement may not be as easy as simply giving Texas that second race weekend. Attorneys' fees have become a major issue, particularly for NASCAR. According to one unconfirmed source, NASCAR may spend well over $100 million defending itself. It is unclear if the Ferko side is working for payment contingency on a settlement. Two months ago it appeared a settlement was beginning to take form, possibly in the shape of a sale of North Carolina Speedway at Rockingham by the France family to Smith's Speedway Motorsports, with the understanding that Cup date could be moved to the Fort Worth track in 2005. Now it appears all those attorneys may not be willing to fade quietly into the night.(Winston Salem Journal)(2-13-2004)
SAFER at Texas soon? Officials from the University of Nebraska will be in town this week to take the first steps in fitting Texas Motor Speedway with soft walls. While all Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) facilities are scheduled to have soft walls installed before the 2005 season, there is no specific date when the fans at TMS can expect to see them.(Sheveport Times)(1-29-2004)
Texas Tree Lighting Ceremony: The Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC) Texas Chapter set yet another record this year, raising $425,000 earmarked for 152 children’s charities in Tarrant, Dallas, Denton and Collin Counties. The SCC will present the checks at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Tuesday evening, December 2 at The Speedway Club. The presentation of awards and checks to the grant recipients will be held in The Speedway Club Grand Ballroom. Special entertainment from the Youth Orchestra of Fort Worth will kick off the evening at 5:45 p.m. with the official program slated for a 6 p.m. start. The opening ceremonies will include the traditional lighting of the 40-foot Christmas tree located in front of The Speedway Club. Also on hand for the evening will be NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver David Starr, 1999 Indy Racing League champion Greg Ray, the Aaron’s Dream Team, the first all-female NASCAR pit crew, and everybody‘s favorite man in red, Santa Claus. The event will be hosted by SCC board members Scott Murray and Pam Minick. Following the tree lighting ceremony, the special SCC grants and awards will be presented.(see more at the TMS Site)(12-2-2003)
TMS's Lone Star Tower Featured on Michael Holigan's "Your New House": Dallas-area homebuilder Michael Holigan is the new owner of a Lone Star Tower condominium at Texas Motor Speedway. Viewers across the country will get a glimpse of the two bedroom/two bath unit as Holigan renovates it in a special five-part series for his nationally syndicated show "Your New House." "We're going to take a great space and make it even better," said Holigan. "We plan to turn this unit into an entertainment center for our friends and clients to enjoy and watch the great races at Texas Motor Speedway." The exact air dates for the five-part series is yet to be determined, but it will most likely run in late January or early February. Holigan plans to begin the renovations in December with construction being completed in January. "I'd like to say it would start and be completed in December -- but you know how those builders are," laughed Holigan. "It really is a great project and we're very excited to get started. As always, we're working with top companies to provide a first-class look to the unit. It will have Kohler faucets and fixtures, Wood Mode cabinets and one of our local companies, DalTile, will provide all of the ceramic tile for the project." "Your New House" began in 1994 and currently airs in more than 130 markets across the U.S. Holigan announced earlier this month that he will field a NASCAR Busch Series team for 15 races in 2004. The team will be based locally in Fort Worth. The #50 Enzyte Chevrolet will be driven by Texas native David Starr who will also be competing full time once again in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series [#75 Chevy]. Lone Star Tower houses 76 luxury condominiums and nearly 100,000 square-feet of office space.(Texas Motor Speedway PR)(11-25-2003)
(SCC) Texas Chapter sets another record: The Speedway Children's Charities (SCC) Texas Chapter set yet another record this year, raising $425,000 earmarked for 152 children's charities in Tarrant, Dallas, Denton and Collin Counties. The SCC will present the checks at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Tuesday evening, December 2 at The Speedway Club. The number of grant recipients rose to 152 organizations from 131 last year. Grants this year will help provide numerous services including medical care and prescriptions for low income children, therapeutic playground equipment, behavioral therapy for children with autism, training for child advocate volunteers, after school programs, summer camp for children with HIV/AIDS and muscular dystrophy, child safety seat programs and more. SCC Texas Chapter holds several fundraising events each year including a gala, poker run and a "Laps for Charity" event that gives individuals the opportunity to drive their own vehicle on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. Since the inception of the SCC Texas Chapter in 1997, $2.3 million has been raised for charitable children's organizations. The presentation of awards and checks to the grant recipients will be held in The Speedway Club Grand Ballroom. Special entertainment from the Youth Orchestra of Fort Worth will kick off the evening at 5:45 p.m. with the official program slated for a 6 p.m. start. The opening ceremonies will include the traditional lighting of the 40-foot Christmas tree located in front of The Speedway Club. Also on hand for the evening will be NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver David Starr, 1999 Indy Racing League champion Greg Ray, the Aaron's Dream Team, the first all-female NASCAR pit crew, and everybody's favorite man in red, Santa Claus. The event will be hosted by SCC board members Scott Murray and Pam Minick. Following the tree lighting ceremony, the special SCC grants and awards will be presented.(TMS PR)(11-21-2003)
Get on the Bus at Texas: The Fort Worth Transportation Authority and Texas Motor Speedway announced new bus service for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 weekend in 2004. The new "Victory Lane Express" will be available to fans for the O'Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday, April 3, 2004 and the Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race on Sunday, April 4, 2004. Fans will park at a remote location and ride the Victory Lane Express busses to the speedway. All Victory Lane Express passengers will be dropped off and picked up in the speedway's bus parking area located just off SH 114 and Allison Ave on the south side of the speedway. The remote pick up location and cost of the service is yet to be determined. For more information, call the Track at (817) 215-8600.(TMS PR)(11-18-2003)
Texas Camping: Reserved camping for the Texas Motor Speedway 2004 individual race weekends will go on sale Monday, November 17 at 9:00am. Tens of thousands of race fans traditionally fill the 4,700 reserved camping spots in the Workhorse Custom Chassis Campgrounds located outside of Turn 3 and 2004 is expected to be just as big.
Lone Star Circle Reserved includes 2,200 reserved spots closest to Turn 3. The individual race week/weekend prices are $200 for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Samsung/RadioShack 500 and $150 per weekend for both the Bombardier 500k and Chevy 500k Indy Racing League IndyCar Series events. Spaces are still available in this area for $300 for the season.
Victory Circle Reserved encompasses 2,500 sites adjacent to and east of Lone Star Circle Reserved sites. The individual race week/weekend prices are $150 for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Samsung/RadioShack 500 and $50 per weekend for both the Bombardier 500k and Chevy 500k Indy Racing League IndyCar Series events.
There are also two areas on the east side for tent campers. Unreserved tent sites are approximately 10' x 15'. The individual race week/weekend prices for all events is $75 in the Lone Star Circle Tent City and $50 in the Victory Circle Tent City. No generators are allowed in the tent camping areas.
Available reserved campground services include:
* 24-hour security
* Dump stations near all camping areas
* Mobile trucks circulating through the camping areas collecting waste and replenishing water supplies (for a nominal fee)
* Emergency repairs for RVs available (for a nominal fee)
* Convenient "shower tram" service to the shower area
A limited number of unreserved camping sites will be available on the west side of the speedway sold on a first-come, first-serve basis during the Samsung/RadioShack 500 race week only. For camping reservations and more information, please contact the speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or visit the speedway website at texasmotorspeedway.com for diagrams and regulations.(TMS PR)(11-15-2003)
Texas Tops in Vote: A [NBC] television-network sponsored poll conducted during last Sunday's race at Phoenix indicated that fans think Texas Motor Speedway should be the next track to be awarded a second Cup race. Forty-four percent of voters liked Texas. Kansas Speedway was third with 17 percent of the votes. In between was Las Vegas, which attracted 27 percent. A poll conducted in July by ThatsRacin.com also made Texas the voters' choice. Kansas finished second in that poll.(KC Star)(11-7-2003)
Texas Tix on sale Sat: Tickets to 2004 individual races at Texas Motor Speedway go on sale Saturday, October 25 at 9:00am/ct. The good news for fans is that individual ticket prices for the six major events in the NASCAR Nextel Cup, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series and the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series will remain unchanged from 2003. Tickets can be purchased in person at the speedway or by calling (817) 215-8500 from 9:00am to 5:00pm/ct on Saturday and 12:00noon to 5:00pm/ct on Sunday. Tickets will also be available online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com or at Ticketmaster locations after 9:00am/ct on Saturday. Additional ticket-selling stations will be set up at the Dirt Track parking lot Saturday with a 20-ticket limit per purchase in effect for fans acquiring tickets in person. Season tickets for 2004 at the “Home of the Brave” are currently on sale and include the same frontstretch seat to every major event along with a ticket to Fandango3, the season-ticket only party on Thursday, April 1 during the Samsung/RadioShack 500 week. Fandango3 will feature Nextel Cup stars Michael Waltrip, Ken Schrader, FOX Sports’ Mike Joy and many special guests.(TMS PR)(10-24-2003)
Texas to Announce 2004 Race Schedule, no 2nd Cup date: Texas Motor Speedway officials are expected to announce their 2004 race schedule next week. The pending lawsuit over a second TMS race makes a 2nd race impossible, at least for the moment. TMS is expected to continue with its early spring date for the Cup and Busch race, either the last weekend of March or the first weekend of April. TMS also will continue to have two IRL races and two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events.(Dallas Morning News)(8-7-2003)
Ticket Specials at Texas this weekend: for the Truck/IRL Weekend:
• Qualifying day: Free tickets for Thursday's qualifying can be picked up at participating Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores, Kroger stores and Chevrolet dealerships.
• Family Four Pack: Four grandstand tickets to either race, four hot dogs, four Keebler snacks and four Cokes for only $79, a savings of $113. Must take coupon, available at Albertsons, and register receipts or UPC codes from any two (2) Keebler or Cheez-It products (8 oz. or larger) to TMS ticket office in advance or at Gate 5 day of the race. Limit one per customer. List of participating Albertsons locations at www.texasmotorspeedway.com
• Sonic Speedway Special: Coupons for two tickets to the Bombardier 500k and two IRL hats for $49 (a savings of $99) at Sonic Drive-Ins. Present coupon at TMS ticket office to purchase tickets in advance or at Gate 5 on race day.
• Pit pass: Available for $60, they provide garage access Thursday-Saturday. Must be accompanied by a grandstand ticket to that day's event. Must be 18 or older.(info at www.texasmotorspeedway.com)(6-3-2003)
Driver's Don't Like New Caution Lights: The warning-light system that Texas Motor Speedway imbedded in its asphalt to warn drivers of cautions failed its first test Sunday. Some drivers said the lights are impossible to see in bright sunlight. "With a cloud cover, you can see them, but I didn't even know they were on today," rookie Jamie McMurray said. "For the Indy Racing League guys, especially at night, I hope it works for them. I think at night with those guys doing 230 mph around here, I think I'd want it to look like a runway out there," Jeff Gordon said. "During the day . . . I hope they didn't spend a lot on it. I never even saw them."(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(3-31-2003)
Astronauts part of pre-race show: Astronauts Rob Behnken, Jim Reilly and Doug Hurley will appear during prerace ceremonies for Sunday's Samsung/Radio Shack 500. The astronauts are attending the race thanking citizens for their efforts in the recovery of the space shuttle Columbia. The trio will hand out miniature American flags to drivers during introductions.(NASCAR.com)(3-29-2003)
Ferko to make an appearance? Francis Ferko, the mystery man in a potentially historic lawsuit against NASCAR, has never made a public appearance since filing the case a little over a year ago, but the Plano, Texas, businessman could make an appearance here this weekend. Track owner Bruton Smith, who insisted he has never met Ferko and doesn't even know if Ferko has season tickets to Texas Motor Speedway, said it is possible that Ferko could be here and willing to discuss the case. "He's my hero," Smith said. "I haven't met him, but I like him." The suit argues that NASCAR should give Smith a second Winston Cup tour date here, much as the sanctioning body gave its sister company, the International Speedway Corp., tour dates at California Speedway, Chicago-lands Speedway, Kansas Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Lawyers for Ferko say they would also ask for a financial award to make up for the missing Cup races.(Winston Salem Journal), see my Lawsuit page for past news(3-29-2003)
Texas Security: The war in Iraq hasn't caused Texas Motor Speedway officials to stiffen security this weekend, spokeswoman Sadona Winfrey said. However, race fans should expect the track's law enforcement complement to search their coolers and possibly cars, as has been standard practice since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Get to the speedway early in case of traffic queues, Winfrey advised. Dozens of local, county and state law enforcement officials, in addition to orange-vested private track security personnel, were seen during race qualifying Friday. U.S. military helicopters buzzed overhead Thursday. "This place is as safe as it could be for a venue this size," Winfrey said. "Fans should just expect to enjoy the action."(Dallas Morning News - may need to register to view))(3-29-2003)
Plans revealed for Texas motorsports hall: Plans were announced Friday for the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame to be located at Texas Motor Speedway. The hall will honor the best performers in Texas racing, including stock cars and other forms of auto racing. The initial class will be inducted in January. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, a Texas resident, entered the room in the cockpit of the restored car that Art Cross drove to a second-place finish at Indianapolis in 1953. "When I grew up, this was the type of car I dreamed of driving," Rutherford said.(ThatsRacin.com/AP)(3-29-2003)
Bradshaw's Daughter to sing National Anthem at Busch race: the daughter of FOX NFL Sunday host Terry Bradshaw will perform the national anthem. Fifteen-year-old Rachel Bradshaw will sing the "Star Spangled Banner" before her father's FitzBradshaw Racing will roll off two teams this Saturday. Kerry Earnhardt will drive the #12 Chevy, and Jimmy Spencer will pilot the #82 Chevy for the team this week.(Fox Sports)(3-28-2003)
Military and Patriotic Themes at Texas: Various branches of the United States military will be represented in numerous ways throughout the Samsung/RadioShack 500 race week at Texas Motor Speedway. Saturday's pre-race activities will feature the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team as well as a flyover by four AT-38s from Shepherd Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX. The Civil Air Patrol will provide the color guard on Saturday. On Sunday, fans will be entertained by the 31-member 77th Army Band, the Pride of Fort Sill (Oklahoma). The band will provide music for driver introductions as well as perform the National Anthem. Four Apache helicopters from the 244th Aviation Brigade from Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, are scheduled to flyover prior to driver introductions that day with a B-1 bomber from Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, making a pass following the singing of God Bless America. Four F-16s from the Arkansas Air National Guard will fly over the speedway at the conclusion of the National Anthem. Military personnel will take part in driver introductions and the U.S. Army Golden Knights will parachute into the speedway following driver introductions. The Fort Hood NCO Academy will provide the color guard on Sunday. The O'Reilly 300 and Samsung/RadioShack 500 will be broadcast on Armed Forces radio and television. The United States Air Force is sponsoring the O'Reilly World of Outlaws events at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. The United States Air Force Showdown will be held Friday and Saturday nights, March 28-29. The USAF will also be holding a recruiting drive on Friday at the speedway and will have a large interactive display, including an F-16, located outside of Gate 7. Winston Cup drivers Todd Bodine will be in the #54 National Guard Ford, Jerry Nadeau in the #01 U.S. Army Pontiac and Ricky Rudd will carry the U.S. Air Force as an associate sponsor on the #21 Motorcraft Ford. Busch Series driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. will be driving the #25 Ford sponsored by the U.S. Marines. The first 100,000 fans arriving Sunday for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 will also receive a miniature American flag, courtesy of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse.(TMS PR)(3-28-2003)
New Caution Lights at Texas: In a continued commitment to improve driver safety, Texas Motor Speedway and System Electric Inc. of Fort Worth has developed and installed a unique new caution light system. The Warning Emergency System (WES) caution lights are imbedded in the asphalt at the base of the retaining walls in the speedway's four turns. The WES lights are available for use in this weekend's Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race and the O'Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series race should NASCAR choose to use them. The initial application installed WES lights in eight different locations around Texas Motor Speedway. Four sets of WES lights are located in turns one and two while an additional four sets are located in turns three and four. The WES light system supplements the speedway's existing caution light system. The WES lights are similar to airport runway lights. Each location provides a 15- foot long strip of LED lights that are six inches wide. Each 15-foot section includes a total of 180 LED lights. Should the WES lights prove successful, it is possible to install the lights all the way around the speedway surface. Further development may also allow them to be installed along the inside apron of the turns. Developing the WES lights were Dwayne Lyons, Electrical Engineer for System Electric; Wes Harris, Vice President of Development for Speedway Motorsports Inc.; Jim Stufflebeam, Director of Development for Texas Motor Speedway; and Mat Stolley, Director of Operations for Texas Motor Speedway.(TMS PR)(3-26-2003)
UPDATE: NASCAR Winston Cup series director John Darby gave the go-ahead Thursday afternoon for a new system of on-track caution lights to be used this weekend at the Texas track. The lights, developed and installed by the track and System Electric Inc. of Fort Worth, are called the Warning Emergency System. Eight strips of yellow lights, 15 feet in length, are embedded in the asphalt at the base of the outside walls in the track's turns - four at each end of the track. Each strip has 180 lights that flash whenever the track's existing caution lights come on. "In the turns the drivers are focusing on the race track ahead of them," said Eddie Gossage, general manager of the Texas track. "Since the WES lights are embedded into the asphalt surface, our tests indicate the drivers will see them easier. We believe it will give them quicker notification of a problem on the track somewhere." Darby looked at the lights Thursday afternoon. "From what we can tell at this point, the lights are not located in an area where they would be an obstruction to the race cars," he said. "That was our primary concern."(ThatsRacin.com)(3-27-2003)
More seats in the works at Texas: Indianapolis Motor Speedway has more than 250,000 permanent seats and usually has crowds exceeding 300,000, dwarfing the 154,861 grandstand seats and crowds of 220,000 at Texas Motor Speedway. But TMS was built with expansion in mind with a 33,000-seat backstretch that could be constructed to match the 121,861-seat frontstretch that includes 194 luxury suites. The empty area in turns 2 and 3 also can be filled in to form a bowl. Total potential capacity: 400,000. "I don't know that it's pie in the sky. It is possible, but it requires mass transit and things of that nature," TMS executive vice president and general manager Eddie Gossage said. "Indianapolis can park only a handful of cars on their grounds. They've made it work with mass transit and shuttles and parking in people's yards -- all kinds of things. It works very well for them, so it just proves that it can be done." Gossage said he has spoken with officials at the Fort Worth Transportation Authority -- known as the T -- about busing and a possible rail line, which he compared to the Trinity Railway Express that stops at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Temporary grandstands, which have been erected for previous Winston Cup races, aren't in the speedway's future, Gossage said.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(3-27-2003)
Texas Naming rights: Following in the footsteps of Speedway Motorsports facilities in Concord, NC, and Sonoma, CA, the naming rights for Texas Motor Speedway are for sale. The former Charlotte Motor Speedway sold its naming rights to Lowe's, the home improvement company, for $35 million over 10 years in 1999, and Sears Point Raceway is now Infineon Raceway after the semiconductor manufacturer agreed to a 10-year, $34.6 million deal last year. TMS is seeking a similar agreement, but no timetable has been set. The money would help TMS meet its budget, which would help the track keep ticket prices low and parking free for fans.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(3-27-2003)
Trak Vak at Texas: Speedway officials and fans alike are hoping for sunny skies for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 race week at Texas Motor Speedway. But, if inclement weather intervenes, speedway officials are ready with a revolutionary track-drying vehicle, Trak Vak. Trak Vak, invented by Garland resident George Carter, will make its debut for this weeks Samsung/RadioShack 500 events. Trak Vak is a venture of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Trak Vak, Inc. Trak Vak utilizes the ability to remove water from damp speedway surfaces.. The dually truck chassis features a 27-horsepower motor powering a large vacuum with 12 pickup points located behind the vehicle's tires that remove moisture and deposit it in a 600-gallon holding tank. The diesel-powered Trak Vak is designed to operate at 60 mph, allowing quicker removal of moisture. "Our theory is to pick up as much water as possible," said Trak Vak inventor Carter. "Jet blowers attempt to evaporate the water from the speedway surface, our goal is to actually remove the water."
"When inclement weather interferes with racing, our goal is to get the race cars back on the speedway as quickly as possible for our fans," said speedway general manager Eddie Gossage. "We are excited about the potential of Trak Vak, although we would prefer that it never leaves the pit area all race week." Trak Vak is a prototype introductory project with a long-range goal of producing a fleet of such vehicles that would be in attendance at all Speedway Motorsports, Inc. events. Carter is a professional inventor and race fan. Among his patented inventions is the Laser Tag game.. Much as Laser Tag has changed the entertainment business, Trak Vak may do the same for motorsports.(TMS PR), last I heard of this was in Feb 2000, see my Past News 2-9-2000 section, neither link in the story works any longer.(3-27-2003)
American Flags To Wave In Unision During Pre-Race Fans attending the Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race on Sunday, March 30 at Texas Motor Speedway will have the opportunity to participate in the pre-race activities while helping to honor the American Spirit. The first 100,000 fans inside the gates will receive a miniature American flag courtesy of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse. During the pre-race activities fans will be encouraged to wave the flags in unison during the performance of God Bless America. The Derailers, recording artists for Sony Music Entertainment Inc. on their Lucky Dog Label, will perform the song.(TMS PR)(3-26-2003)
Free Internet Access at Texas: Texas Motor Speedway, in cooperation with Outback Telecom, will be offering complimentary wireless broadband Internet service to campers in the Workhorse Custom Chassis Infield Campground for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 week. Broadband Internet access will be available to a portion of the infield campground but will require an 802.11b (WiFi) enabled laptop or personal digital assistant (PDA) to access the network.. The WiFi device is available at most electronic retailers including RadioShack and a limited number will be available for sale at the Outback Telecom booth located in the infield.. For more information send an e-mail to raceisp@outbackwireless.com or call (972) 691-8009.(TMS PR)(3-26-2003)
New Caution Lights at Texas: In a continued commitment to improve driver safety, Texas Motor Speedway and System Electric Inc. of Fort Worth has developed and installed a unique new caution light system. The Warning Emergency System (WES) caution lights are imbedded in the asphalt at the base of the retaining walls in the speedway's four turns. The WES lights are available for use in this weekend's Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race and the O'Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series race should NASCAR choose to use them. The initial application installed WES lights in eight different locations around Texas Motor Speedway. Four sets of WES lights are located in turns one and two while an additional four sets are located in turns three and four. The WES light system supplements the speedway's existing caution light system. The WES lights are similar to airport runway lights. Each location provides a 15- foot long strip of LED lights that are six inches wide. Each 15-foot section includes a total of 180 LED lights. Should the WES lights prove successful, it is possible to install the lights all the way around the speedway surface. Further development may also allow them to be installed along the inside apron of the turns. Developing the WES lights were Dwayne Lyons, Electrical Engineer for System Electric; Wes Harris, Vice President of Development for Speedway Motorsports Inc.; Jim Stufflebeam, Director of Development for Texas Motor Speedway; and Mat Stolley, Director of Operations for Texas Motor Speedway.(TMS PR)(3-26-2003)
Recycling Program Launch at Texas, win Dale Jr stuff and help out: NASCAR fans have an opportunity to support the environment, as well as their favorite driver, during the Samsung/RadioShack 500 race week at Texas Motor Speedway. Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, Texas Motor Speedway and the National Association of PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) are launching :Rev It Up & Recycle," a new program designed to encourage race fans to recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Various methods for collecting plastic bottles and cans will be available throughout race weekend, including the use of 30 highly visible, NASCAR-themed kiosks along the main concourse and nine large recycling trailers located throughout the camping areas.. Crews will also be collecting cans and bottles from the grandstands following the Samsung/RadioShack 500. The multi-faceted program, which kicks off March 27, encourages campers to recycle for the chance to win Dale Earnhardt, Jr. merchandise and a VIP meet-and-greet with Earnhardt prior to the March 30 Samsung/RadioShack 500. A percentage of the recycling proceeds will go to the Texas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities.(more info at the TMS site)(3-26-2003)
Security at Texas: Fans attending this weekend's RPM Week-Texas activities should allow extra time when entering the gates at Texas Motor Speedway. Security personnel will be inspecting all bags and coolers brought into the speedway. The speedway implemented extra security measures at all races since September 11, 2001.(TMS PR)
AND On March 18, the eve of war, the Federal Aviation Administration imposed seven temporary flight restrictions, including a ban on all aircraft -- blimps, banner-towing planes -- above and three nautical miles around entertainment parks, like Disneyland, as well as sports stadiums or "major motor speedway" events that draw 30,000 fans or more. Helicopters will be allowed to transport race participants to and from Alliance Airport. The FAA ban authorizes certain aircraft to defend the airspace above the speedway if necessary, but it does not detail what aircraft that would be. Should an emergency occur during the race, Krey said authorities would implement an evacuation plan that has been in place since the track's opening and has been updated every year.(Fort Worth Star Telegram)(3-26-2003)
Total Awards Increased at Texas: Texas Motor Speedway, which offers the NASCAR Winston Cup Series' third-largest purse, has increased the total posted awards for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 and the O'Reilly 300 NASCAR Busch Series again this year. More than $7.3 million will be up for grabs during the four days of racing. The Samsung/RadioShack 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race on Sunday, March 30, passed the $6 million mark, jumping to a record $6,047,759 in prize money -- up more than $560,000 from the $5,487,422 awarded in 2002. The Saturday, March 29, O'Reilly 300, traditionally one of the richest races on the NASCAR Busch Series, is offering $ 1,284,492 -- up from $1,197,691 last year.(Texas Motor Speedway PR)(3-24-2003)
Not NASCAR but: The United States Air Force and Texas Motor Speedway announced the sponsorship of the O'Reilly World of Outlaws event, the United States Air Force Showdown, March 28-29 at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. In addition to the race sponsorship, the USAF will also have a presence throughout race weekend with a large display outside Gate 7 of the superspeedway that includes a full-size F16. Those interested in joining the Air Force can attend a special event hosted by the USAF in the Star-Telegram Hospitality Village on Friday, March 28 from 1 p.m - 5 p.m.(Texas Motor Speedway PR)(3-24-2003)
TMS official sponsors: Texas Motor Speedway announced Compass Bank as the "Official Bank" of Texas Motor Speedway. Race fans will also benefit from the newly announced relationship. Compass will be providing a free (no service charge) ATM location in the souvenir row at Texas in March. Compass will also have kiosks on the main concourse during race week where fans can receive special Texas Motor Speedway items for opening a new checking account.
AND The speedway announced Sonic Drive-In [a Jayski Fave] as the "Official Drive-In" of Texas Motor Speedway. The speedway will be working with Sonic on race promotions as well as participating in events such as grand openings. It was also announced that Simple Green is the "Official Cleaner" of Texas Motor Speedway. The all-purpose, non-toxic cleaning product is used for a variety of cleaning jobs at the speedway.(Texas Motor Speedway PR)(3-24-2003)
Not NASCAR but pretty interesting for local TX racers: Terry Dickerson can't think of a better way to open the season than with a big event. And he can't think of a bigger racing event in Texas to be associated with than the upcoming NASCAR Winston Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. So Dickerson, the promoter at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas, has come up with a one-of-a-kind promotion. On Lone Star's opening night Saturday, he will offer 24 drivers the chance to be part of the big weekend at TMS – even if it is in a support race for a support race. The top 24 finishers in Saturday's IMCA modified feature race at Lone Star will race in an IMCA support event for the O'Reilly World of Outlaws at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track on March 28-29. The Winston Cup race will be held at TMS on March 30.(Dallas Morning News - may need to register to read)(3-22-2003)
Texas Scoring Tower Almost Done: Less than two months ago, the scoring tower located inside Turn Three at Texas Motor Speedway fell during high winds. On Thursday, work on building a new tower now located inside Turn Four is scheduled to be completed. A crane will raise the "topper" for the tower at approximately 9 a.m., weather permitting. Crews will attach the giant end piece in place to complete the tower. The estimated cost of building the new tower was approximately $250,000, and Thursday's fitting of the top piece will complete the construction in time for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Samsung/RadioShack 500 race weekend March 27-30.(TMS PR)(3-21-2003)
Texas Testing this week and an announcement: on Wednesday, March 19th, there will be a special announcement regarding the upcoming Samsung/RadioShack 500 and O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. Teams have also scheduled final test sessions in preparation for Texas race week. Teams are scheduled for testing Monday-Wednesday, March 17-19. Drivers scheduled are as follows:
Monday, March 17 - Busch Series:. Stanton Barrett. Tuesday and Wednesday, March 18 and 19:
Winston Cup Drivers: #2-Rusty Wallace, #5-Terry Labonte, #29-Kevin Harvick, #30-Jeff Green, #83-Kerry Earnhardt, #88-Dale Jarrett, #75?-David Starr.
Busch Series Drivers: Troy Cline, Mike Wallace, Stanton Barrett, Kevin Grubb, Lance Norick.(TMS PR)(3-17-2003)
The Rock race to Texas? The talk of Realignment 2004 and Beyond is weekly fodder for the gristmill as the tour visits the venues that make up the 2003 schedule. Darlington Raceway was a target to lose a date well before France dropped his date moving bomb in mid-January. While the history likely goes back at least 10 or more years, the talk seems to ebb and flow, but with Realignment 2004 on the table the talk was raised to a whole new level. Sources told teamfordracing.com during the Rockingham, NC race weekend that North Carolina Speedway was likely to loose a date, with Texas Motor Speedway the destination for the race as the France family works towards getting the Francis Ferko anti-trust/collusion trial settled; and that Darlington was rock solid with two dates for 2004. That talk seems to be a little more solid, or at least the Darlington aspect of that talk, as this weekend NASCAR men are spinning the virtues of two dates here in 2004. Taking the talk closer reality are claims by Darlington track officials to teamfordracing.com, this morning, that they are “very close” to extending their deal with the Dodge Dealers for sponsorship of this race beyond 2003, or when the current sponsorship contract is set to conclude. Darlington has a deal with Pepsi Co’s Mountain Dew product to sponsor the Southern 500, Darlington’s fall date, through 2004.(Ford Racing)(3-16-2003)
400 Texas Tix Available: Fans still looking for a ticket to the sold-out Samsung/RadioShack 500 will now have one last chance. A block of approximately 400 tickets allotted to Fort Sill, Oklahoma has been released due to the recent deployment of troops. The tickets will go on sale Friday, March 14 at 9:00 a.m. The tickets are only available through the speedway ticket office and may be purchased at the ticket counter or by calling (817) 215-8500. In addition to the release of block tickets from Fort Sill, only 200 season tickets, ranging in price from $214-$360, remain for the 2003 season. Race fans can purchase three great weekends of racing and see not only the NASCAR Winston Cup race, but also two Indy Racing League events, a NASCAR Busch Series race and two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races for less than they will pay for the one Winston Cup ticket to the ticket brokers. Season ticket holders also receive complimentary admission to Fandango2 on Thursday night, March 27 in the speedway frontstretch gr