Local Look: Texas

Events: Dickies 500, O'Reilly Challenge, Silverado 350

Local newspapers covering: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Miami Herald

Ferko wishes he hadn't filed suit

The deal: Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that Francis Ferko's reward comes this weekend, the Dickies 500. But the race Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway has been known as the Francis Ferko 500 before it was even placed on the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule.

ALSO •   NASCAR.COM News Wire •   Complete Race Coverage

Ferko won this race in a settlement from the lawsuit he filed against NASCAR almost four years ago. He was a Plano resident, married and the father of two when his case first made headlines in February 2002.

Things are different now. Ferko has a new job and lives in Atlanta. He and his wife, Shari, are headed toward divorce. Their son, Anthony, committed suicide nine months after the lawsuit was filed.

"My life has changed quite a bit because of the lawsuit," Ferko told the paper. "There have been some massive effects.

"Knowing what I know now, I definitely would not have pursued it," he said. "The loss of your son is just devastating. I never expected those kinds of unattended consequences to occur."

Why we care: The suit hit U.S. District Court in Sherman on Feb. 13, 2002. Ferko said stories the case generated created a difficult work environment.

"The person that I reported to, every time there was an article in the newspaper, was running around the place with the article," he said. "That attention is something that corporations don't like."

He was let go, but the food-safety expert wasn't out of work long, landing a job in Atlanta in June 2002. He was joined in August by his wife. In November, his son took his own life.

Ferko said Anthony, 20, was troubled by his home life. He left behind a 6-month-old son, Alex, who became more of a priority for Ferko than the suit against NASCAR. The Ferkos re-established Texas residence in December 2002 in an attempt to gain full custody of Alex. A Denton County court awarded that to Alex's maternal grandparents, though the Ferkos have custody two days a week.

Ferko, 51, returns to the Metroplex once or twice a month. But he said if the lawsuit hadn't been filed, he wouldn't have lost his job and Anthony might be alive.

Ford weekend back on track at Miami

Kurt Busch practices at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

The deal: Cammy Clark of the Miami Herald says Homestead-Miami Speedway was a busy place earlier this week, with several NASCAR drivers, including defending Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch and veteran Mark Martin, testing Cup and Busch cars while crews worked on repairing damage to the garage suites suffered during Hurricane Wilma.

Crews also worked on replanting hundreds of uprooted trees along Speedway Boulevard, the main thoroughfare from the Florida Turnpike to the track.

Why we care: The track surface sustained no damage during the storm. Busch said with a little more aging, it could become one of the best tracks on the circuit.

Speedway spokesman Phil de Montmollin said all off-track events in conjunction with Ford Championship Weekend will be held, including the Ford Racefest at the Las Olas Riverfront in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 17 and the Homestead Mainstreet SpeedFest in Homestead on Nov. 19.

Early birds primed for Nextel Cup event

The deal: Gordon Dickson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says by the time the green flag drops on Sunday's Dickies 500, Bill Black will have spent more than a week away from home. Black , who lives in Justin just a few miles from the Texas Motor Speedway, set up camp last week. He was among hundreds of people who began lining up just outside the track about two weeks ago to ensure themselves a good spot for the Speedway's inaugural fall race.

"I had to get out of the house somehow," joked Black. The retiree added that his wife would be joining him soon.

ALSO •   Book your last-minute travel to Texas

Speedway officials, meanwhile have spent the last few weeks sprucing up the grounds and buying enough supplies to handle the 300,000 fans who are expected to pass through the gates. Track officials have waited a bit longer for the Nextel Cup race.

"We've been waiting nine years for this week," general manager Eddie Gossage said.

Why we care: The track previously hosted a Nextel Cup race each spring, but was awarded a second race after a lawsuit brought by a fan was settled. The Dickies 500 is the third-to-last race of the year, and will go a long way toward determining a 2005 Nextel Cup champion.