Man Shoots, Kills Himself At NRA 500 NASCAR Race
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The incident happened after a verbal altercation at Texas Motor Speedway. (JaseMan/Creative Commons)
Kirk Franklin, 42, of Saginaw, Texas, committed suicide late in the NRA 500 Sprint Cup race. The Fort Worth Police Department said Franklin's body was found in the back seat of a truck in the infield campgrounds. Franklin was pronounced dead at 10:48 p.m. Saturday night.
The sponsorship of the race came under scrutiny when it was announced in March. The NRA has been at the center of the nationwide gun control debate because of highly-publicized incidents of gun violence like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) wrote to FOX, asking that the race not be shown on TV, but it was broadcast as scheduled.
The NRA has had a long-standing relationship with NASCAR, having contributed more than $500,000 to the Texas Chapter of the Speedway Children's Charities.
Read the full story at FOX Sports here. Find more Neon Tommy stories on the NRA here.
