A Nascar suicide occurred during Saturday's NRA 500 Sprint Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway of Fort Worth, Texas. According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, 42-year-old Kirk Franklin shot himself in the head in the infield near the middle of the backstretch.
The Nascar suicide occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. According to Reuters, a police report described that Franklin's body was found in the backseat of a truck.
A shocking incident, witnesses say Franklin was involved in an altercation with fellow spectators moments before the Nascar suicide. What's more, Police spokesman Corporal Tracey Knight suspects alcohol may be a possible factor to the incident. Thankfully, no other spectator was in danger when the gun discharged.
Texas law prohibits firearms brought in by fans within the Texas Motor Speedway. The Nascar suicide raises further debates about the event security's law enforcement as well as America's gun laws as a whole.
Saturday's NRA 500 Sprint Cup race was a Texas-held Nascar event sponsored by the National Rifle Association.
The NRA has become a polarizing organization under intense scrutiny following a series of mass shootings including the December incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which took the lives of twenty children and six adults.
Last month, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy raised objections following the signed sponsorship deal between the NRA and Nascar, reported the Telegraph.
"It would be imprudent for NASCAR to step into such a heated political debate and take sides in this debate by allowing the NRA the title role in the race," said Murphy.
Responding to Senator Murphy, Nascar spokesperson David Higdon released a statement on Friday, clarifying Nascar does not hold any position on the gun rights debate.
"Our fans, racing teams and industry partners come from all walks of life and thus have varying points of views and opinions. As a sport, we are in the business of bringing people together for entertainment, not political debate."
A sensitive matter, should Nascar stick to its guns and defend its partnership with the NRA as a nonpolitical one? Is the Nascar suicide during the NRA 500 too high profile for Nascar to continue its association with the NRA? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
