AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The top executive at Texas Motor Speedway is frustrated with Formula One's decision to hold the United States Grand Prix at Austin on the same weekend his track hosts all three of NASCAR's national series.
Speaking Tuesday, Eddie Gossage said the scheduling change was "arrogant."
"I absolutely think it's foolish," said Gossage, the track's president and general manager. "It's a shot fired by Formula One at NASCAR. I can't say I was surprised because (F1 CEO) Bernie Ecclestone does a lot of foolish things. The thing he unfortunately doesn't recognize is there is an 800-pound gorilla when it comes to major American motor sports. The 800-pound gorilla is NASCAR."
Texas Motor Speedway will host the NASCAR Sprint Cup's AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 2, the same day F1 will hold its only event in the United States this year.
"Any time you cut something into two pieces, whether it's 50-50, 60-40 or 99-1, it doesn't matter who's got the 99 and who's got the 1, it's less than 100 percent," Gossage said. "It's just not smart. There's 52 weeks in the year. But that was the only weekend that Formula One could make it work in Austin, Texas. Give me a break."