NASCAR Hall of Fame Finalist 5th Class - Bruton Smith - Executive/Promoter
SEE ALSO: Complete List Of Finalists - Includes Official NASCAR Bio's and Pictures
(b.
3/3/27)
Hometown: Oakboro, N.C.
O. Bruton Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway
Motorsports Inc., bought his first race car at the age of 17 and a year
later promoted his first stock car race in Midland, N.C. Smith’s
early endeavors included operating the National Stock Car Racing
Association – seen as an early competitor to NASCAR – and
building Charlotte Motor Speedway.
CMS became the foundation of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which currently
owns eight NASCAR tracks hosting 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, the
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and additional high-profile motorsports
activities.
Smith took SMI public in 1995 to become the first motorsports company to be
traded at the New York Stock Exchange. Smith founded Sonic Automotive, a
group of several hundred auto dealerships across the United States.
Smith is active in child-related causes with his philanthropic foundation
Speedway Children’s Charities. He was inducted into the North
Carolina Business Hall of Fame and National Motorsports Press
Association’s Hall of Fame, both in 2006; and the International
Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007.