Firing six-shooters with blanks will "remain a part of the Texas Motor Speedway Victory Lane celebration" for the April 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series NRA 500, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. TMS President Eddie Gossage last month said that he planned to "meet with some Cup owners to see whether they or their sponsors opposed having the six-shooters as part of the celebration because of a potential conflict with the NRA's involvement." Gossage said that he would consider altering the tradition "if some were opposed." But he has "since reconsidered." Gossage: "The more thought I gave to it, the more I realized that it is purely a celebration." He added, "As a result, I decided we would go through our normal Victory Lane celebration, including the Cowboy Boot Trophy, the cowboy hat and the six-shooters. It is my decision, and I'm sure it will be fine" (ESPN.com, 4/3).
TAKING A GANDER: The AP's Stephen Hawkins notes St. Paul-based national outdoors retailer Gander Mountain yesterday said that it "will sponsor" Clint Bowyer's car for the NRA 500 with a "paint scheme that includes the words: 'With Rights Comes Responsibility; Secure Your Firearms.'" Gander Mountain's partnership with Bowyer is part of an "initiative the company is also launching in its stores and through newspaper ads in markets where its stores are located." Gander Mountain Exec VP/Marketing Steve Uline said, "The fact that the NRA was on that (race) was not by any means the deciding factor" (AP, 4/4).
