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Talladega boss wants to ban 14 fans nationwide

Group was banned from Alabama track after hurling objects on Sunday

Image: Gordon
Andy Lyons / Getty Images
Fans throw beer cans on to the track after Jeff Gordon won the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday.
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msnbc.com news services
updated 2:51 a.m. ET May 3, 2007

A day after banning 14 unruly fans forever from his track, Talladega Superspeedway president Grant Lynch said he will try to prevent those people from ever being able to go to a NASCAR race — anywhere, anytime — according to an ESPN report.

"I'm going to be notifying all my fellow track presidents across NASCAR of the people we've banned to see if they'll also [participate in the ban]," Lynch said. "They'll make their own decisions, but I expect great participation from the [International Speedway Corp.] tracks."

Lynch told ESPN that he will talk to Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz and Lowe's Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler. NASCAR races will be held there in coming weeks.

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"Certainly you can refuse to sell tickets to basically anyone you want to," Lynch said. "The law I'm checking into [is] can we notify them they're no longer allowed on track property, and what legal means can we take if they choose to be."

Talladega permanently banned 14 fans from buying tickets at the speedway following their arrests Sunday for throwing objects on the track after Jeff Gordon’s victory in the Aaron’s 499.

The fans were charged with disorderly conduct Sunday and posted bond at the track’s jail facilities, Talladega County Sheriff Jerry Studdard said. Track officials can’t prevent the 14 fans from buying tickets through a third party.

A number of fans began throwing beer cans after Gordon won the race under caution, passing the late Dale Earnhardt — a Talladega favorite — in career wins.

Talladega officials had issued warnings before the race that fans caught throwing objects over the fence separating the grandstands from the track would be arrested.

Superspeedway president Grant Lynch said identifying other fans who threw objects was harder than he had imagined.

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“At a baseball game where everybody is sitting down, it’s easy to see someone stand up and throw an object onto the field,” Lynch said. “I was looking at a section that probably had 300 people in it, and they were all standing up, waving their arms and their caps, and I couldn’t pinpoint where any of the objects were coming from.”

Track officials added security following a similar incident after Gordon’s victory in 2004, and said they will review Sunday’s incident to see if more changes are needed.

Fans are allowed to bring small coolers into the track, and also can buy canned beverages at concession stands.

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