NASCAR made some headlines this week after announcing their agreement with the National Rifle Association to sponsor a race at Texas Motor Speedway in April amid the league's efforts to support and bring attention to the victims of the Newtown shooting this season.
One point that has come up in regards to the race, the victims and the sponsor, has been the customary firing of six-shooters filled with blanks for the winner of the event, which is tradition at the track. According to ESPN.com, Texas Motor Speedway track president Eddie Gossage has already began thinking about the potential conflict and that he would be willing to alter it for the race in light of the events,
The April 13 race is set to go at Texas Motor Speedway for a Sprint Cup event that will be sponsored by the National Rifle Association, the first time the group has made a deal with the top racing circuit. The NRA previously sponsored a Nationwide event in 2011. The new race is called the NRA 500 and Gossage said he will meet with team owners to discuss the tradition.
"I want to be sensitive to the teams and their sponsors and didn't want to place anybody in a potentially compromising position," Gossage told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "Shooting those blanks in Victory Lane, that's all in good fun. But I want to make sure we don't step on somebody's toes and make somebody uncomfortable. It could be a sponsor on the driver's uniform or something like that just because this race has the very direct connection to the NRA."
Gossage mentioned that no one had any reservations about the tradition in the past and that opinions on guns will not be something that drivers will be asked about before the June IndyCar race or November Cup race, which also will be at the Speedway but are not connected to the NRA.
"If a driver ever says, 'don't give those to me,' OK, fine," Gossage said. "Usually, they're hollering at me from inside the car, 'Eddie, bring me my hat and the guns! Let's go!'
Many tracks have special traditions, including drinking the milt in victory land for Indy and others. Gossage said that the response to the race has been "overwhelmingly positive" since most people in Texas are pro-gun anyway. The main issue stems from the tension between the NRA and the US government on how to properly respond to the tragedy in Newtown, with the NRA calling for more guns and less regulations, while the White House is asking for modest changes.
"It's a big part of the celebration, one of the things that makes us here unusual. It's kind of our sip of milk in Victory Lane or the green jacket of Augusta. I think they'd rather do that than get the check."
Gossage also added that he has already declined to appear on national shows that say the sponsorship is a political message.
"I might as well go ahead and hit myself in the head with a hammer because they're not going to be very objective," he said. "This is a sports marketing proposition. It's not a political platform, and none of us intend for it to be. It's a sponsor."
NASCAR officially responded to the race sponsorship on Monday in a statement:
"Race entitlement partnerships are agreements directly between the track and the sponsor. NASCAR reserves the right to approve or disapprove those sponsorships. The race sponsor for Texas Motor Speedway's April event falls within the guidelines for approval for that event," the statement read.
The race comes at a prime time for NASCAR, as Danica Patrick helped bring even more attention on the sport after her historic performance at Daytona when she became the first woman to lead laps and win the pole at the event.
