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November 9, 2009

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Fans can still bring beer to Texas Motor Speedway

Tuesday, May 23, 2000 | 2:53 a.m.

Speedway general manager Eddie Gossage said Tuesday the track will not make any changes in its policy. He cited a survey in which 75 percent of the fans said they wanted alcohol allowed but not sold at the track.

"It's a runaway and our long-term decision is based on this survey," Gossage said. "Race fans are unique; they like to carry their coolers to the races. Many believe it's almost their constitutional right."

A county election in February gave the speedway the option to sell alcohol on the premises. Texas law, however, would have prevented fans from bringing their own beer into the speedway if it was also sold there.

Coolers could have still been allowed, but the process of inspecting the contents would have been cumbersome.

By not selling beer during NASCAR and Indy car racing weekends, Gossage said the speedway is forgoing an annual profit of about $3 million. Some of those races draw more than 200,000 fans.

The option remains, however, for Texas Motor Speedway to sell beer for non-racing events, such as concerts in which coolers are not traditionally allowed.

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