Texas Motor Speedway interested in hosting college football game

Nearly 160,000 people watched Tennessee beat Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 10th, and the success of that event has other tracks interested in their own installment.

Eddie Gossage, President of the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, thinks his track should be the next in line to host such a spectacle.

"It really gets me excited," Gossage told Kyle Tucker of SEC Country. "I would hope it causes the athletic directors at schools like Texas and Oklahoma to get a little excited as well and realize 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."

Both Tennessee and Virginia Tech were each paid $4 million for their participation in the event, and 5.8 million people witnessed the spectacle live on television. While Texas and Oklahoma would be a natural Big 12 rivalry game, the tradition of the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl makes it unlikely that matchup would ever move venues. The dream contest for Gossage would be a return of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry that has been on hold since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012.

"I think everybody that lives in Texas would love to see them play again. It's a crime they don't," he 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."

With the Texas Motor Speedway seating over 200,000 people, an event hosted there would shatter the mark from Bristol earlier this season. It's something the Texas-based Gossage would expect from his state.

"You can make it whatever size you want," Gossage said. "Remember, in Texas, you gotta do things big. Bigger than anybody else. I look at the crowd at Bristol, which was spectacular and a massive achievement, but I wouldn't be interested in doing it unless we're going to be bigger. So it's how big do the schools want it? How much would they want to beat the record by?"