Texas Motor Speedway: Difference between revisions

{{See also|Bruton Smith|Eddie Gossage}}

With the rising success of [[Speedway Motorsports]], owned by businessman [[Bruton Smith]], intended to build a major racetrack west of the [[Mississippi River]] with the rise of popularity in stock car racing. Smith employed the help of then Vice President of Public Relations at the [[Charlotte Motor Speedway]], [[Eddie Gossage]], to find a suitable location for the track. Three primary markets were decided on by Bruton: [[Las Vegas]], the [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]], and [[St. Louis]]. In Las Vegas, the duo found out that local businessman [[Ralph Engelstad]] was scouting the same land as the duo; under the orders of Smith, the two stopped scouting Las Vegas to let Engelstad scout the land that later became the [[Las Vegas Motor Speedway]].<ref name=":82">{{cite podcast |title=28 - Eddie Gossage - Deep In the Heart of Texas |website=Life In The Fast Lane |publisher=[[Spotify]] |date=August 17, 2023 |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Mg0XBi5bpthleb3vAKVPa?si=Es0HnvCIR4m82Prge10W_A |time=59:18 |access-date=August 20, 2023 |last=Gonzalez |first=Pedro}}</ref> By November 18, 1994, the ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]'' reported that Smith and Gossage had made their final choices in either of the two remaining places.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Roland S. |last2=Smith |first2=Jack Z. |date=November 18, 1994 |title=Speedway decision nears finish line |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-speedway-decisi/130901186/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=August 30, 2023 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-speedway-decisi/130901199/ 9A] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> In St. Louis, the duo saw numerous pieces of land that were flooded, and scratched off St. Louis. In Dallas–Fort Worth, the duo met businessman [[Ross Perot Jr.]] and flew in Perot's helicopter to scout a piece of land that was owned by Perot. The land impressed the duo,<ref name=":82"/> and by November 30, the ''Star-Telegram'' reported that the two were planning to build a 150,000-capacity speedway at a cost of around $75,000,000 (adjusted for inflation, ${{Inflation|index=USD|value=75,000,000|start_year=1994|fmt=c}}).<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Roland S. |last2=Sullivan |first2=Kristin N. |date=November 30, 1994 |title=Smith expected to have inside track for big race |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-smith-expected/130914548/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=September 2, 2023 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=17A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-smith-expected/130914562/ 21A] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> Originally, the speedway was set to have a capacity of 70,000 seats. However, the capacity quickly grew in the initial planning stages; when Bruton requested that 5,000 seats be added, Gossage obliged. According to Gossage, "the next day he’d put in a change order for 5,000 more seats. And then a few days or a week later, he’d say, ‘Do you think you could sell 80 (thousand)?’ I’d say, ‘Oh, piece of cake.' And then one day I looked and we were at 155,000 seats and I told Bruton we’ve got to stop doing this."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bonkowski |first=Jerry |date=November 30, 2023 |title='Overcommitted' Racing Super Promoter Eddie Gossage Never Mailed It In |url=https://www.autoweek.com/racing/indycar/a45997253/super-promoter-gossage-never-mailed-it-in/ |access-date=January 18, 2024 |website=[[Autoweek]]}}</ref>

Groundbreaking on the track took place on April 11, 1995.<ref name=":73">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Roland S. |date=April 12, 1995 |title=Speedway is off to a bang-up start |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-speedway-is-off/127877247/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=August 30, 2023 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-speedway-is-off/127877263/ 15A] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> Gossage was later asked to run the track in late May, which he accepted.<ref name=":72">{{Cite news |last=Mulhurn |first=Mike |date=April 6, 1997 |title=OPENING UP: Smith's Texas lieutenants ready for show to begin |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-opening-up-smith/130152277/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=August 30, 2023 |work=[[Winston-Salem Journal]] |pages=C6 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> According to the duo, the track was inspired by previous tracks Smith owned, with Smith wanting to incorporate the best ideas from those tracks and combine them into the construction of Texas Motor Speedway.<ref>{{cite podcast |title=28 - Eddie Gossage - Deep In the Heart of Texas |website=Life In The Fast Lane |publisher=[[Spotify]] |date=August 17, 2023 |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Mg0XBi5bpthleb3vAKVPa?si=Es0HnvCIR4m82Prge10W_A |time=1:09:09 |access-date=August 20, 2023 |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Pedro}}</ref> The speedway initially implemented a dual-banked surface to accompany both [[NASCAR]] and [[open-wheel racing]]; a higher bank of 24 degrees meant to accommodate stock cars, and a lower bank of 8 degrees to accommodate open-wheel cars. In addition, for open-wheel races, a temporary wall was planned to be implemented each time an open-wheel series raced in order to reduce speeds.<ref name=":734">{{Cite news |last=Smith. |first=Jack Z. |date=April 21, 1996 |title=Developer says speedway will be the Ritz of racing |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-developer-says/138904884/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=January 20, 2024 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-developer-says/138904908/ 29A] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> The plan met skepticism from open-wheel personalities such as Cary Agajanian<ref name=":739">{{Cite news |last=Sturbin |first=John |date=May 26, 1996 |title=Dual-bank plan fuels skepticism |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-dual-bank-plan/139199645/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=January 21, 2024 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=22C |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> and [[Jimmy Vasser]] over the feasibility of such a system.<ref name=":738">{{Cite news |last=Sturbin |first=John |date=September 12, 1996 |title=Motorsports Report |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-motorsports-rep/139200463/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=January 21, 2024 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=19D |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> By June 1996, Agajanian reported that the speedway had ditched plans to make a temporary wall, instead deciding to paint a line where the change in banking was.<ref name=":737">{{Cite news |last=Sturbin |first=John |date=June 3, 1996 |title=Debate gears up on speedway's dual-banking concept |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-debate-gears-up/139199756/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=January 21, 2024 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=7D |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> On August 3, the track officially opened to the public for the first time, holding a charity "open-house" event.<ref name=":7315">{{Cite news |last=Mahlberg |first=Bob |date=August 4, 1996 |title=Charity event at speedway gives 38,000 fans test drive |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-charity-event-a/139288335/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=January 21, 2024 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-charity-event-a/139288365/ 11A] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> Eventual NASCAR races were announced in July 1996,<ref name=":742">{{Cite news |last=Sturbin |first=John |date=July 12, 1996 |title=Green flag drops on Texas 500 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-green-flag-drop/130958439/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=August 30, 2023 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=1D, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-green-flag-drop/130958598/ 6D] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> and IndyCar races were announced the next month on August 7, with the IndyCar race to be run at night, the first IndyCar race to be run at night.<ref name=":742"/><ref name=":743">{{Cite news |last=Sturbin |first=John |date=August 8, 1996 |title=An Indy night shirt |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-an-indy-night-s/139200208/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=January 21, 2024 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |pages=1D, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-an-indy-night-s/139200230/ 7D] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>