IRL: /NASCAR-CT: Guest Flagmen at Texas Motor Speedway

TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND BOXING’S "BUTTERBEAN" TO THROW GREEN FLAGS

FORT WORTH-DALLAS (June 8, 1999) – One man has dedicated his life to fighting crime. For the other, it would be a crime for him not to be fighting. Both will be in the flagstand this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Texas Attorney General John Cornyn will drop the green flag on the Saturday night, June 12 Longhorn 500 Presented by MCI WorldCom. Cornyn, who will be making his first visit to Texas Motor Speedway, says he is excited to be taking part in the Pep Boys Indy Racing League event.

"I am truly looking forward to this weekend," said Cornyn. "This will be my first Indy Car race and what better place to see it than in Texas. It will be an honor for me to throw the green flag to start the Saturday race."

Friday night, June 11 will be a busy one for boxing’s Eric "Butterbean" Esch. Before stepping into the ring at The Speedway Club for the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, he will throw the green flag to start the Pronto Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event.

"I’m really excited to get to start the Pronto Auto Parts 400," said Esch. "Being from Alabama, I’ve been around racing my whole life. Years ago at Talladega Davey Allison sat on top of our motorhome watching his father Bobby race. After I start the race, I’ll head to The Speedway Club to take care of business there. I hope starting the race takes longer than knocking out my opponent."

"We thought it would be fun to have a fan favorite like Butterbean start our race," said Pronto Auto Parts president Ron Pyle. "We’re excited to be sponsoring the NASCAR trucks at Texas again this year and pleased to be hosting the evening of boxing at The Speedway Club following our race. It’s going to be quite an evening for Pronto."

This will be the first of two visits to Texas by the trucks and Indy Cars. The two series will be paired again in October for a second Texas race weekend.

"Both of these series have done quite well in Texas," said speedway general manager Eddie Gossage. "The fan support has been great. We have the largest truck crowds and the second largest Indy Car crowds at our races. Fans won’t be disappointed – they’re going to see some great racing this week."

Tickets for the Longhorn 500 Presented by MCI WorldCom, Pronto Auto Parts 400, and Bud Qualifying Night are available by calling the Texas Motor Speedway ticket hotline at (817) 215-8500, going online at www.texasmotorspeedway.com, or through local TicketMaster outlets.