NCAAF

Texas Motor Speedway hopes to lure Texas-Oklahoma or maybe Texas-Texas A&M

Erick Smith
USA TODAY Sports
A general view of the track at Texas Motor Speedway.

The overwhelming success of the Tennessee-Virginia Tech game at Bristol Motor Speedway has given encouragement to other NASCAR tracks hoping to lure college football games.

Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage has his sights set on having Oklahoma and Texas move its annual showdown in the Cotton Bowl about 40 miles northwest to his track.

“It really gets me excited,” Gossage told SEC Country when reflecting on the game he attended in Bristol. “And I would hope it causes the athletic directors at schools like Texas and Oklahoma to get a little excited as well and realize that they could do something truly special. To me, Bristol just gave proof positive that the concept is legitimate, has legs, and is something that more colleges should consider doing."

Gossage said he approached the schools with his pitch in 2002. Oklahoma showed interest. Texas did not. But the spectacle we saw on the second weekend of the season make the possibility more of a reality.

Battle at Bristol's unique nature made for success for all who attended

“It’s not something you would do often, but for these special games, whether it’s a national championship game or – in our case, in this market – Texas-Oklahoma, the Red River Rivalry, those kind of special events is what I think might best suit this concept,” Gossage said.

Bristol set a record with 156,990 fans. The larger scale at Texas Motor Speedway could provide the opportunity to have 200,000 people, Gossage said.

Should the matchup between Oklahoma and Texas not pan out, the lucrative benefit of the game - Tennessee and Virginia Tech both pocketed $4 million - could be provide the impetus to the renew of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry that has gone dormant since 2011 when the Aggies moved to the SEC.

“I think everybody that lives in Texas would love to see them play again. It’s a crime they don’t,” Gossage said. “That would be a perfect game for us, because that’s a special one. That was one you always looked forward to. Maybe to revive it, something like this would help.”

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