NASCAR Suicide: Man Kills Self With Gun At NRA Sprint Cup Race

A man committed suicide using a gun at the National Rifle Association-sponsored NASCAR race in Texas late on Saturday, local authorities said.

NASCAR Suicide

What was supposed to be a fun, heartbeat-racing event at the infield of Texas Motor Speedway at Fort Worth turned bloody as a Texas man, Kirk Franklin, killed himself during the NASCAR 500 Sprint Cup race.

According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office, the 42-year-old man from Saginaw, Texas used a gun to shoot himself at the head and died at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Daniel Segura, the spokesperson for Fort Worth Police Department, said that Franklin allegedly had a heated argument with some other onlookers during the race before the said incident took place.

Track spokesperson, Mike Zizzo, shared that the incident may have happened "in or around a pickup truck" but later online police report revealed that Franklin’s body was found at the back seat of a truck.

Before this incident, the NRA was already involved in a controversy regarding title sponsorship of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race. This will only add to the difficulties they’re facing. What’s worse, it has always been well-known that the Texas law doesn’t allow firearms at the race tracks. As to why and how Franklin got in with the gun in his possession in the first place remains a wonder.