Texas Governor Rick Perry and Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief issued state and city proclamations, respectively, to Texas Motor Speedway officials Thursday in a public ceremony in Sundance Square to officially kick off the speedway’s 2010 race season and acknowledge its importance as an economic engine both locally and statewide. With the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend beginning today at Texas Motor Speedway, Governor Perry and Mayor Moncrief honored Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith and speedway president Eddie Gossage for their efforts to make the speedway a viable economic force for the state since it opened in 1997. Mayor Moncrief presented Gossage with the City of Fort Worth proclamation while Smith accepted the state proclamation from Governor Perry as both government officials declared it race week locally and statewide.
Smith and Gossage were praised for the economic impact of the NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway, which generate approximately $75 million in economic benefit regionally and are annually the largest-attended, single-day sporting events in the state of Texas. In its 13 years of existence, Texas Motor Speedway has brought to Fort Worth and surrounding areas the economic impact of hosting 46 Super Bowls. Joining the dignitaries were NASCAR drivers and native Texans Bobby Labonte and Colin Braun. Labonte, the 2000 Sprint Cup Series champion from Corpus Christi, and Braun, the rising Nationwide Series star from Ovalo, drove the dignitaries in style as each got behind the wheel of a NASCAR-themed Molly The Trolley. The trolleys featured oversized rear spoilers that read “Follow Me To The Samsung Mobile 500,” waist-up images of NASCAR superstars Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the windows, window netting decals on the driver’s side windows and some tire rub decals on the side of the vehicles.
Labonte and Braun presented the governor and mayor with event-decaled race helmets signed by them and then Gossage let the event finish with a bang. He handed Governor Perry and Mayor Moncrief Turnbull 45 Colt-style revolvers that Sunday’s Samsung Mobile 500 race winner will fire in Victory Lane to celebrate his win in true Texas fashion. Governor Perry and Mayor Moncrief gave the six shooters a solid test run as they emptied out the chamber of blanks by firing them into the air to conclude the ceremony. Thursday’s festivities was just part of the effort by the city of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau to show their appreciation for the race fans that will be visiting for the Samsung Mobile 500 weekend. The city is doing their part to provide a Texas-sized greeting to race fans by featuring “Welcome Race Fans” signage across the Fort Worth area and downtown hotels will provide welcome ribbons and buttons.
Labonte enjoys returning to his home state track and this weekend he is being backed by one of the most visible and influential Texans in the state. The Perry re-election campaign committee is sponsoring Labonte’s #71 TRG Motorsports Sprint Cup Series car for the Samsung Mobile 500. Tickets for the Samsung Mobile 500 race week, featuring the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 and Nationwide Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, are available by calling the speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.(TMS)(4-16-2010)
