​As I've written before, nobody throws a party like Texas Motor Speedway grand poobah Eddie Gossage.

He added to his legacy again Tuesday night at Gilley's south of downtown Dallas, unveiling his track's 2012 schedule with a party featuring Kurt Busch, Kyle Petty, Matt Kenseth, sword swallowers, stilt-walkers, Stoney LaRue and more hot women than you'd could shake your a stick at.

Oh yeah, and a customized new song from Foreigner.

Bottom line: NASCAR will arrive at Fort Worth for the Samsung Mobile 500 April 12-14 and for the AAA Texas 500 November 1-4, sandwiched around the IRL Firestone Twin 275s June 7-9.

Also among the featured attractions next year ...

More >>

​We've got the Mavericks dancers, the Cowboys cheerleaders and now -- starting today -- tryouts to be one of Texas Motor Speedway's Great American Sweethearts.

Like drivers of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TMS is on the chase this summer, searching for the newest member of the Great American Sweethearts to join Becky, Brittany and Stephanie for the Nov. 3-6 AAA Texas 500 weekend and the entire 2012 race season.

Beginning today through Friday, Aug. 19, TMS will accept applications to become the fourth Sweetheart. Details can be found here.

The grand-prize winner will receive an $8,000 contract with TMS, two-year modeling contract with The Campbell Agency of Dallas and suite tickets to each of the major race weekends in Fort Worth.

Said TMS grand poobah Eddie Gossage, "'The Great American Sweethearts have given our 'No Limits' campaign that began last August the attitude that it's needed and adding a fourth member will only enhance that in 2012. NASCAR fans have come to recognize Becky, Brittany and Stephanie and this opportunity will serve as a life-changing experience for one lucky winner."

More >>

​The bad news: Tony Stewart had a pit-road collision, was dinged for speeding and ran out of gas during Saturday night's Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The good news: Somehow he still managed to finish 12th.

The better news: I had very little to do with any part of it.

Yes, I was an honorary pit crew member on Stewart's No. 14 car, but my duties were limited to things like waving his pit-road "stop here" sign and fetching tires from the Goodyear trailer.

After Stewart was penalized for speeding into pit road, he ran out of gas on the last lap, fading from third to 12th place as he crossed the finish line.

On his team's radio he blared: "Sorry boys, I fucked us again."

More >>

​As you guys have probably figured out, I'm not a big fan of NASCAR the sport. But I dig NASCAR the scene.

During this weekend's annual spring visit to Fort Worth -- capped by Saturday night's Samsung Mobile 500 -- there will be female roller derby, pig races, white trash, blue collars, red necks, more than 500,000 fans and, out on the track, cars swappin' paint at close to 200 mph.

Amazingly, there's only one ringmaster orchestrating the whole circus -- a P.T. Barnum who recently almost died from cancer. Whether you like fast cars or TMS' thousands of fast women, you've got to appreciate the marketing genius of Eddie Gossage, who's the subject of this week's Observer cover story.

More >>

​10. NASCAR fans are loyal and rabid and ... strange. I asked a guy who he was rooting for before Sunday's Daytona 500 here in Florida and his answer: "Dodge." Imagine NFL fans picking their favorite team based on whether they wore Nike or Reebok or Under Armour.

9. All the yellow cautions - a record 16 - were fascinating, yet frustrating. Time and again a car would get out to a nice lead, only to have somebody behind him wreck and then be bunched back together at the re-start. Seems to me somehow the lead needs to stay in place upon re-start, but I guess that'd be almost impossible to replicate each time?

8. Best Daytona T-shirt: "Beer for Boobs. 1 for 2 Special."

7. The line to get a photo taken in front of Dale Earnhardt's statue was an hour long. I kid you not.

6. Brad Paisley was the pre-game musical act. Never really got him but from my seat in Turn 1 I was definitely in the minority.

More >>

Wild weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

I saw girls in checkered-flag bikinis, monkeys selling programs, a rare pit-crew substitution and even a NASCAR fight.

Delicious.

​Your bucket list should never include kicking the bucket.

An 87-year-old World War II Navy vet was being honored for his generous blood donations out at Texas Motor Speedway over the weekend when an accident on the track resulted in his death.

Don Krusemark was a passenger in a corvette -- part of the Texas Driving Experience -- at TMS when the professional driver apparently lost control of the high-speed car and crashed into the wall, killing him.

More >>

​For those of you - both of you - not consumed by Cowboys-Eagles this weekend, NASCAR comes to town in the form of the Dickie's 500 Sunday at.Texas Motor Speedway.

Driving. Racing. Wreckin'. Watching. Drinking. Eating.

Bowling?

It's the events surrounding the race that actually make NASCAR more circus than sport. The fun kicks off tonight at 7, in fact, with the Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament at Main Event in Grapevine.

The tournament, benefiting Speedway Charities, has drawn one of the most eclectic mixes of celebrity soup I've seen in a long time.

More >>

In its 15-year history, I'll betcha a nickel no one this side of The Pigskin Poet has written more positive words about The Ticket than me. And, still today, when the station has boffo ratings or cool events, I won't shy away from tooting its triumphant horn.

So when Ticket groupies try to pigeon hole me as Public Enemy No. 1, I find it amusing. Even entertaining.

It's the NASCAR fans that have the legit beef with me. (I admit, I only notice the sport when I get to trek into Texas Motor Speedway's infield or when there's a colossal wreck like last weekend.) And looks like a loose lug nut named Jeff Meyer is championing their cause.

In a post at his redneck racin' site frontstretch.com, Meyer takes umbrage with my recent Dallas Observer column claiming revealing that NASCAR drivers aren't athletes any more than sitting is athletic. (Read Meyer's entire missive and you'll learn that he's merely resuming a creepy stalking of me that started back in 2004. Yikes.)

"obscure journalist." Um, obviously not.

"the only wit he does possess is in his name." Heard it.

"idiot." Guilty.

"still obsessed with the bounty of naked women at NASCAR." Double guilty.

"ignorant ass." Maybe, but you're missing the point.

As Pulp Fiction's Jules Winnfield so eloquently said, "Well, allow me to retort" ...

More >>

Today in the 5 o'clock hour 105.3 The Fan will announce a new five-year contract extending its exclusive partnership as the official radio home of NASCAR and Texas Motor Speedway through 2013.

As part of the new agreement, The Fan will broadcast live all seven major racing events held annually at TMS. I'm not admitting NASCAR drivers are athletes, mind you, but theirs is indeed a sport. A very popular sport. The Fan will also broadcast NASCAR races throughout its Sprint Cup Series.

While the fledgling station struggles to garner meaty ratings, it continues to assemble an impressive sports lineup. Along with NASCAR, The Fan is also home to weekday Texas Rangers games and - coming very very soon - the ...

More >>