Gossage Says No Political Speeches At NRA 500
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - As race fans began to arrive in their motor homes and campers at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend in anticipation of Saturday's NASCAR race, the title sponsor, the National Rifle Association, remained a hot topic off the track.
Last month the gun rights advocate organization signed on to sponsor of the race at a time when it's campaigning against gun-control initiatives in Washington.
Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said the sponsorship is about business not politics.
"Saturday night no one is going to force any NRA literature in your hands. No one is going to be making political speeches or anything like that," he said. "It's going to be a race. We are going to have a winner and have a lot of fun, and that's going to be the extent of it."
While some have criticized NASCAR - accusing it of entering the political gun debate, the NRA has been praised by many race fans.
Tom Crum of Dallas was out with his family Sunday at the track setting up his camper.
Crum said he thinks NASCAR and the NRA are perfect partners.
"Frankly the fact that they sponsored the race I went out of bought two life memberships for both my daughters," said Crum, who was already a NRA member.
Crum's daughters are three and five-years-old.
"We probably have the two youngest NRA members out at the speedway," he added.
The Texas Motor Speedway says more than 92% of the feedback about the NRA sponsorship has been positive and only two complaints have come from people who have attended a race.
