Texas Motor Speedway makes a last-minute change to tradition, and it was the right thing to do


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When Dale Earnhardt Jr. was inducted in the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame a few days ago, he told the audience he hoped to win the AAA Texas 500 at Texas so he could fire off the celebratory six shooters in Victory Lane.

"We've been kind of close here to winning over the last several years," Earnhardt Jr. said, according to USA Today. "And I'd be walking after I'm done with NASCAR by Victory Lane and you the guy who won the race shooting the damn guns--and I want to shoot those guns so bad before I leave here."

Dale Jr.'s hopes of another Texas win were cut short after his car experienced mechanical issues and the race was eventually won by another veteran driver, Kevin Harvick.

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However, the 41-year-old Harvick didn't hold the traditional pistols in victory lane out of respect for the 26 people who lost their lives Sunday morning in a church shooting outside of San Antonio.

"In light of what happened, it was the respectful thing to do," said track president Eddie Gossage, according to the Star-Telegram.

The six shooter celebration at Texas has been a part of the track's culture since it opened in 1997.

So, instead of firing off the guns in victory lane, Harvick conducted an interview with his son, Kaleen, who told his father that he did a "Good Job."

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