|
05/16/24 10:29:00
Printable Page
05/16 22:27 CDT Eddie Gossage, the longtime head of Texas Motor Speedway, dies
at 65
Eddie Gossage, the longtime head of Texas Motor Speedway, dies at 65
By The Associated Press
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) --- Eddie Gossage, the longtime head of Texas Motor Speedway
and an old-school promoter mentored by stock car racing pioneers, has died at
the age of 65, Speedway Motorsports announced Thursday night.
"Today we have lost one of the world's biggest race fans," Speedway Motorsports
President and CEO Marcus Smith said. "From his legendary promotions to the
lasting relationships he developed throughout the sports and entertainment
industries, Eddie Gossage meant so much to the world of motorsports."
No further details were provided by Speedway Motorsports.
Gossage had stepped down three years ago after 25 years as president of the
Texas speedway. In all, he had spent 32 years working for SMI. He learned the
art of selling tickets, packing grandstands and turning races into spectacles
from company founder Bruton Smith and longtime executive Humpy Wheeler.
He was a young public relations director at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1992
when, during a news conference to promote NASCAR's first nighttime All-Star
race, one of his stunts literally set Smith's hair on fire. When Smith threw
the giant light switch rigged by Gossage to highlight the Charlotte speedway's
new lighting system, sparks flew.
"I thought I was headed for the unemployment line for sure," Gossage once
recalled. "But for some reason, Bruton kept me around, and it wasn't long after
that he gave me an opportunity I could have only dreamed of."
When Smith began buying land in North Texas, he sent Gossage from Charlotte to
Fort Worth in 1995 to oversee the project as general manager. The speedway
opened two years later for its first NASCAR race and became one of the premier
entertainment facilities in the country and a centerpiece of the Speedway
Motorsports portfolio.
The 1,500-acre complex includes a 1.5-mile superspeedway, 194 luxury suites, 76
condominiums, a nine-story Speedway Club, office space and the 11,000-seat
Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track.
When he announced his retirement in 2021, Gossage said his approach sometimes
borrowed from boxing promoters Bob Arum and Don King --- and that his ideas
were sometimes outrageous --- but his intentions were always for the best
interest of the fans, the racing and the speedway.
"Some people took the way I promote as ego, wanting to be part of the story.
That's not it," Gossage said. "It has been my greatest thrill serving our fans
all these years. Literally millions and millions of fans have come through the
gates at Texas Motor Speedway."
Gossage was also a fierce supporter of the IndyCar Series, which until this
season was on the Texas schedule every year since the track opened in 1997.
Texas hosted the season opener during the pandemic in 2020 and later a
doubleheader as IndyCar has struggled to find ovals for its schedule.
"Eddie Gossage was a giant in the motorsports industry," IndyCar President Jay
Frye said in a statement late Thursday. "His endless creativity, flair and
dedication to the fan experience at Texas Motor Speedway raised the bar for
racetracks across America. ... Our races at TMS always were among the most
highly anticipated weekends on the schedule, both for the incredible on-track
action and the memorable promotions Eddie turned from ideas into reality. Eddie
will be missed, and we extend our sympathies to his family and friends."
Gossage once joked he was "far too young and pretty to retire" and would find
something else to do next. Smith called Gossage "one of the best promoters
ever" and said one of Gossage's mantra's remains will forever ring true within
the company.
"Eddie has always said, ?If we don't make a big deal out of it, no one else
will, either.' And he's right," he said.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete. Smith said survivors include Gossage's
wife, Melinda, a daughter, son and three grandchildren.
"Eddie Gossage was a trailblazer, promoter and innovator at a time when
attracting attention was critical as Speedway Motorsports expanded NASCAR into
the Lone Star State," said Texas Motor Speedway general manager Mark Faber.
"Each day I come to work, I see the impact he had throughout our property.
Eddie laid a foundation for success to build upon for generations to come and
made Texas Motor Speedway a showplace of which Texans will always be proud."
___
AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
|