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Bruton Smith, a major promoter and track manager and a pioneer in auto racing, died at age 95, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports Inc. announced Wednesday afternoon. Smith, a native of Oakboro, North Carolina, was born on March 3, 1927.
Smith was executive chairman of Speedway Motorsports, which owns and operates auto racing speedways nationwide. He was named executive chairman in 2015 after serving as chairman and chief executive officer of SMI since 1995. He was succeeded as CEO of SMI by his son, Marcus Smith.
SMI’s ownership includes 11 racing facilities that currently host 15 NASCAR Cup Series events in 2022, including four of the series’ 10 playoff races.
Bruton Smith, one of the richest people in the United States, according to Forbes magazine, was known for its auto racing empire but also owned and operated auto dealerships across the country under Sonic Automotive, launched in November 1997.
Smith began promoting dirt track racing in North Carolina at the age of 18. In 1949, he headed the National Stock Car Racing Association, a Georgia-based racing sanctioning body that rivaled NASCAR, which Bill France Sr. founded in 1948.
France and NASCAR won that game, while the NSCRA faded. But Smith returned to the sport in 1959, joining driver Curtis Turner to build Charlotte Motor Speedway after he and Turner announced separate plans to build circuits in the Charlotte area. The cost of constructing the track was well over budget, and Smith eventually lost control of the speedway in bankruptcy proceedings.
After building a successful chain of auto dealerships, Smith returned to NASCAR in the mid-1970s and bought enough shares of CMS stock to regain control of the speedway. He and former track president HA “Humpy” Wheeler turned the track, which is actually located in Concord, NC, into an auto racing palace, adding massive grandstands, condominiums, and other innovations unheard of in racing circles at the time. The track was the first major speedway to host night races.
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Smith took control of several other race tracks, including Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and founded Speedway Motorsports, Inc. to run the facilities. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995.
For much of his auto racing career, Smith was at odds with first Bill France Sr. and later Bill France Jr., who followed his father to the NASCAR presidency. They argued over race dates, race purses, the expansion of the Sprint Cup Series, and other topics over the years.
Smith was also instrumental in philanthropic endeavors, founding Speedway Children’s Charities in 1982. According to that organization’s website, Smith wanted to help children in need and was moved to start the group as a legacy for Bruton Cameron Smith, a son who died young. †
Although he struggled with numerous health problems in his eighties, Smith remained deeply involved in the business of his auto companies and highways, often stating that he would never retire. He often appeared at press conferences and at speedway media centers in the final years of his life to verbally spar with reporters and offer praise or criticism to NASCAR officials.
Smith was inducted into NASCAR’s 2016 Hall of Fame class. Smith led the vote with 68 percent of the votes cast; ironically, Turner was also elected that year.
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“It will be truly an honor to be remembered in the Hall of Fame along with the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Glen Wood, Junior Johnson, Darrell Waltrip and so many others who have helped build this sport,” said Smith in a released statement. by Charlotte Motor Speedway when he learned that he had been wiretapped in May 2015. “That’s what I’ve tried to do all my life. I’m a frustrated builder who had a knack for promoting races, and it was fun always trying to push the sport to greater heights for the fans.”
A few days later, sitting in the owner’s suite as the Coca-Cola 600 took the green flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Smith told a small group of reporters that he had given up hope of being selected for the Hall.
“I hadn’t thought about it, to be honest,” he said. “I think I gave up on it at least a year or two years ago. It’s amazing the response to this, and I think that’s really special.”
In 2006, Smith was also inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame. In 2007 he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Contributions: Jeff Gluck
