The need for more speed

ddie Gossage talks fondly about his “monster.”  Laid out on 1,500 peaceful acres of Denton County, Texas Motor Speedway is a monster. The track itself is 1.5 miles of asphalt and cement circular hell just 58 feet wide. “Eight Texas Stadiums could fit inside our oval,” Gossage is quick to brag. When every seat is filled, including the grandstand, luxury suites, condominium seating and infield capacity, 212,470 people can watch race cars roar by at speeds in excess of 200 mph.

Ever since Texas Motor Speedway burst onto the national racing scene in 1997, fans have been flocking to the track. It hosts races and events year-round, but there are three main weekends that really get racing fans revved up. The festivities begin with the Samsung 500 NASCAR Sprint Series race in the spring, followed by the Bombardier Learjet 550k race in the summer for the fast IndyCars.

The year concludes in November with one of the most popular races at the Speedway, the Dickies 500 NASCAR Sprint Series race, which is part of a 10-race playoff system NASCAR calls “The Chase for the Cup” (or simply “the Chase” for those in-the-know).

Driving southwest of Denton on I-35W, the green fields stretch for miles. Green grass, green trees, green bushes. It’s all very… green. And then, out of nowhere, there it is: the anti-green and we say that affectionately: Texas Motor Speedway, a giant concrete oasis set serenely in a field of (what else?) green grass. Rising up around the 1.5-mile track is a grandstand two-thirds of a mile long that can hold up to 120,000 cheering spectators. A nine-story, $30 million glass building juts into the light blue sky just above Turn One, housing luxury condominiums, a chandelier-filled Texas Grand Ballroom, and a health club and spa. Just behind the mammoth racing complex is a quiet, peaceful lake. On race days, vibrations from the racetrack reverberate through the ground, beneath the fans in the stands and the luxury condos, creating ripples on the lake surface.

The real draw here, however, is the asphalt oasis. Texas Motor Speedway is a refuge for people who prefer loud motors, burnt rubber, multicolored race cars and plush aluminum stadium seating over a relaxing day of fishing. They are out to get the ultimate adrenaline rush, hypnotized by 3,500-pound blurs of flat sheet metal and steel tubing flying around the track at speeds in excess of 200 mph.

The best seats at Texas Motor Speedway offer the full sensory experience, which means you sit as close as possible to the track. When cars zoom past, the grandstand seats vibrate. A quick gust of wind from a pack of cars sends big Texas hair flying in every direction. The engine noise is constant, reaching a deafening roar as the cars go by, lessening to a sharp whir as the drivers complete the rest of the track. The speed can make it hard to see each vehicle clearly during the race, creating an edgy abstract painting of bright colors blurring into one another. The smell of charred tire rubber competes frequently with the smell of nachos wafting from a generous portion in a nearby spectator’s hands. It is, as they say, a feast for the senses, and that’s only one lap. Each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is at least 300 laps!

“It’s thrilling to watch two or three drivers battle it out for the same piece of real estate,” says Gossage, excitement palpable in his voice. “Who has the guts, nerve and skill to jump into that tiny space?”
NASCAR is the star in the spring with the O’Reilly 300 and the Samsung 500. The O’Reilly 300 is part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, which is to NASCAR what the minor AAA league is to Major League Baseball. Essentially, Nationwide Series drivers are working their way up to NASCAR’s big show, the Sprint Series. The IndyCars come to town for the Bombardier Learjet 550k in the summer.

he IndyCars are smaller, more aerodynamic, and faster than those used in NASCAR, usually averaging more than 220 mph compared to the 180 mph average speed of NASCAR races. The Speedway finishes the year with a bang, on Nov. 5-8, by hosting the Dickies 500, one of the last races of the NASCAR season with big implications on who will win the Chase. 

Gossage thinks proudly of his concrete and asphalt masterpiece and reflects on his personal love affair with racing.  “When I was a teenager in Nashville, my younger brother was a big Evil Knievel fan. He begged me to drive him to the local racetrack to watch Knievel make a big jump,” Gossage recalled. “We had to sit through all the races, and that’s when I fell in love [with racing].”

Gossage is well known for his creative promotions. Number one, the track is BYOB. Spectators are allowed to bring their own coolers of refreshments. To go behind the scenes of the race, special headsets called scanners are available for rent, allowing listeners to eavesdrop on communications between the drivers and their pit crews. (Sample scanner exchange: Driver: “Car feels loose in Turn One.” Pit crew chief: “Could be air pressure. Next pit stop scheduled in 50 more laps.” Driver: “It’s too loose. I’m coming in [to the pits].” Pit crew chief: “OK. We’ll change the front tires, too.”) A scanner can listen to more than one driver by switching to different channels.

Going to a race at the Speedway is a weekend affair for dedicated fans who bring campers and RVs from all over the country. Gossage brought Texas-style tailgating to the Speedway, offering more than 1,000 camping sites and two separate camping areas called Tent City. Prior to the race, the Midway offers 2 miles of displays, merchandise and activities for amusement. Simulators give fans a taste of driving a race car; professional driving schools offer a ride around the track—at full speed—with a professional driver. “It’s a carnival, festival atmosphere,” Gossage says. “And it’s all free before you even get in the gates.” Once inside, the Speedway treats fans to a pre-race show featuring a concert and celebrity guests.

Texas isn’t the only state going wild over NASCAR. The sport claims more than 75 million fans and NASCAR is now the second most popular sport in the U.S. in television ratings, second only to the National Football League. With endearing, down-home personalities like Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport’s most popular driver, saying things like, “I cried a little bit in the race car on the way to the checkered flag. Well, maybe not cried, but at least my eyes watered up,” what’s not to like?

 Like Earnhardt, Gossage feels others will be bitten by the racing bug if they just give it a shot. “Just come [to a race] one time, and you’ll be hooked,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what you do, whether you are a ditch digger or a neurosurgeon, we’ve got something that suits you.”

by jordan bostic