Eddie Gossage, iconic racing promoter & former Texas Motor Speedway president, dies at 65

INDIANAPOLIS – William Edgar “Eddie” Gossage, 65, died Thursday, Speedway Motorsports announced. Gossage spent 25 years as the president of Texas Motor Speedway, a position he stepped down from in 2021, but was best known for his larger than life personality during his 30-plus years as a racing promoter.

"I’m stunned. Still trying to process," Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles said in a post on X. "Eddie Gossage was a promoter icon to me. We had a tremendous relationship & he was always there to support me along the way. Reading the text messages he often would send me and I am so thankful for our friendship."

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Gossage was born October 15, 1958, in Nashville to parents Howell Lee Gossage and Martha Lucile Gossage; he had an older brother, Jeff, and a younger brother, Craig.

Although Gossage grew up aspiring to be a professional football player, he shifted his focus toward journalism and public relations just before enrolling at Middle Tennessee State in 1976. Eddie’s first job in racing came when he was hired by Nashville International Raceway in 1980 as its PR director.

Before rising to vice president of PR for Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gossage held executive roles at Bristol International Raceway (now Bristol Motor Speedway) and Miller Brewing Company’s motorsports PR department. However, Gossage made his biggest impact yet while at Charlotte, as he was one of the driving forces behind the aptly named “One Hot Night” promotion of NASCAR’s 1992 All-Star event.

Gossage’s promotional flare and prominence only grew when he partnered with Burton Smith to create the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth in the mid-90s. The venue officially opened in 1996, starting Gossage’s quarter-century tenure as its president, but the first race was held in early 1997. With the race came controversy, as six-hour traffic jams made the journey into the venue difficult, and drivers aired numerous complaints about the track’s design.

Yet Gossage didn’t let that break his spirit. The next year, Gossage launched what was perhaps his most infamous promotion when he headed the mass production of T-shirts that read “Shut Up And Drive,” to combat the complaints of the previous year.

While the complaints didn’t cease in 1998, and the race itself featured a major pileup, Gossage’s promotion was a success in terms of ticket sales. Texas Motor Speedway reportedly drew more than 200,000 fans that day, the largest single-day event in state history at the time.

“When I built Texas Motor Speedway, I had plenty of architects, accountants and attorneys, but what I really needed was promotion, that’s where Eddie came in," Smith said in the news release at Gossage's retirement. "They say, ‘Everything’s bigger in Texas,’ and I needed a big personality. Eddie’s become a shrewd businessman over the years, but he’s remained a publicist at heart, and he never forgot what the entertainment business is about -- having fun."

As technology continued to progress with the advent of the 21st century, Gossage took full advantage, unveiling the world’s largest HD LED video board at Texas Motor Speedway in 2014. Promoted as “Big Hoss,” the screen spanned 218 feet wide and 94.6 feet tall.

Gossage was a strong supporter of holding IndyCar races at TMS, though the series is not currently racing there.

“In these 25 years, it’s hung by a narrow thread on a number of occasions, but I’ve really fought hard for (IndyCar) on the inside of the company. And I’ve stuck my neck out there a number of times," Gossage told IndyStar when he retired. "It’s important to me we have it, but it’s also gotta make business sense. We’ve been able to make it work (financially), sometimes really well, and sometimes just well enough, but it’s very, very tough, and that’s frustrating. I think the level of competition, the quality of the drivers and the quality of the equipment is just exceptional.”

When Gossage retired in 2021, he had worked for Speedway Motorsports for 32 years. Gossage took more of a back seat when it came to public appearances during his last three years of life, but he kept a consistent presence on social media before his last post April 21.

Gossage was diagnosed with cancer in late 2008, but beat the illness in 2010. Media outlets are reporting that his death may have been due to a recurrence in cancer, but Speedway Motorsports did not provide such details.

Gossage’s legacy will live on through his wife, Melinda, his daughter, Jessica, his son, Dustin, his daughter-in-law Lauren and his grandchildren, Lyra, Evelyn and Oliver. IndyStar has not been provided funeral arrangements at this time.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Eddie Gossage, iconic racing promoter, ex-TMS president, dies at 65