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Encyclopedia > Bruton Smith

Ollen Bruton Smith (born 1927 in Oakboro, North Carolina) is a promoter and owner/CEO of NASCAR track owner Speedway Motorsports, Inc. The billionaire was ranked #207 on the Forbes 400 list with an estimated worth of $1.5 billion in 2005,[1] and fell to #278 (worth an estimated $1.4 billion) in 2006. [2] He is divorced with four children. He was inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007. Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Oakboro is a town located in Stanly County, North Carolina. ... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ... Jeff Burton (99), Elliott Sadler (38), Ricky Rudd (21), Dale Jarrett (88), Sterling Marlin (40), Jimmie Johnson (48), and Casey Mears (41) practice for the 2004 Daytona 500 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... Speedway Motorsports, Inc. ... The Forbes 400 or 400 Richest Americans (est. ... The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer. ...

Contents

Background

Bruton Smith watched his first race as an eight year old.[1][3] He bought his first race car at 17.[3][4] He began promoting stock car event as an 18 year old at Midland, North Carolina.[3][4] He claims that he beat NASCAR legends Buck Baker and Joe Weatherly.[3][4] He quit racing because his mother wanted him to quit. [4][3] The town of Midland is located in southern Cabarrus County in North Carolina, in the south-central portion of the state, in the region known as the Piedmont. ... The Legend Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. ... Joe Weatherly (May 29, 1922 - January 19, 1964) was a two-time NASCAR championship driver. ...


Businesses owned

Speedway Motorsports

Smith built Charlotte Motor Speedway (now Lowe's Motor Speedway) in 1959 for $1.5 million, [4] with financing from his wealthy brother-in-law.[3] Well-known racer Curtis Turner helped with promoting the track.[3] Smith went bankrupt two years later. [1] A court-appointed trustee ran the track with Smith's unpaid help until Smith regained control in a couple of years. [4] Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a speedway in Concord, North Carolina, north of Charlotte. ... Curtis Turner (born April 12, 1924 in Floyd, Virginia - died October 14, 1970) was an early NASCAR driver. ...


He later founded Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI), which owns six NASCAR tracks that host eleven NASCAR events. [1] Speedway Motorsports owns Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. [5] He shook up the motorsports world in 1995 when he took the company public and traded it at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). [5] SMI was the first motorsports company traded at the NYSE. [6] Smith is the current chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports. Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a speedway in Concord, North Carolina, north of Charlotte. ... Atlanta Motor Speedway is a superspeedway in Hampton, Georgia, USA, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. ... Grandstand in 2007 Scoring pilon in August 2007 Sign proclaiming the track the Worlds Fastest Half-Mile in 2007 Bristol Motor Speedway, originally known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track located in Bristol, Tennessee. ... Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills. ... Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located at 7000 Las Vegas Boulevard North in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a 1,200 acre (4. ... Texas Motor Speedway is a superspeedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas -- the portion located in Denton County, Texas. ... The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), nicknamed the Big Board, is a New York City-based stock exchange. ... “Chief executive” redirects here. ...


Lowes Motor Speedway Controversy

A big controversy broke out in September/October 2007 when Smith was revealing plans to build a drag racing strip on land close to Lowes Motor Speedway. Many residents near the speedway in the city of Concord, NC opposed this move, stating that it would cause excessive noise and traffic. The city of Concord then changed the zoning around the track, essentially preventing him from being able to build the drag strip. On October 2, 2007, Smith demanded that the Speedway and his surrounding land be unannexed from the city of Concord or he would shut down Lowes Motor Speedway, taking hundreds of millions of dollars away from Concord and businesses surrounding it, and move it to a different plot of land within the city of Charlotte, NC. He said that he would be able to finish such a project with $350 million and 11 months. At that time the city council reversed it's decision under pressure from both the mayor and NC Gov. Easley.[7] Drag racing is a sport in which cars race down a track with a set distance as fast as possible. ... Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a superspeedway in Concord, North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte. ... Concord is a city located in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other places or people named Charlotte, see American metropolises, Charlotte, North Carolina is the countrys second biggest banking center. ...


Car dealerships

Smith founded Sonic Automotive, a group of 200 car dealerships across the United States. [4] Sonic Automotive, Inc. ...


Minor league baseball

Smith was a part-owner of the Kannapolis Intimidators minor league baseball team with Dale Earnhardt until Dale Earnhardt's unexpected death at the 2001 Daytona 500. The Kannapolis Intimidators is a minor league baseball team in Kannapolis, North Carolina. ... For the organization which many minor leagues belong to, see Minor League Baseball Part of the History of baseball series. ... This article is about the elder Dale Earnhardt. ... The accident in the final turn of 2001s Daytona 500, where Earnhardt lost his life Dale Earnhardt was a NASCAR driver whose death on February 18, 2001 led to controversy over its causes and the degrees of responsibility of those involved. ...


Philanthropy

Smith supports child-related causes with his charity Speedway Children's Charities. [1] He pledged $50 million for a monorail project near the original Charlotte Speedway (the site of NASCAR's first race). [1] The monorail was part of Charlotte's successful bid to secure the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The monorail would connect the Hall of Fame to Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is owned by Smith's SMI. [8] for the current NASCAR track, see Lowes Motor Speedway. ... NASCAR has committed itself to building a Hall of Fame at some location in the southern or midwestern United States. ...


Criticism

Smith purchased half interest in North Wilkesboro Speedway with Bob Bahre in 1996. The owner cited the Speedway's age and lack of modern amenities when they transferred its two Winston Cup events to Bahre's New Hampshire International Speedway and Smith's Texas Motor Speedway. North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short track which held races in NASCARs top three series from NASCARs inception in 1949 until its closure in 1996. ... The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is NASCARs top racing series. ... New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1. ... Texas Motor Speedway is a superspeedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas -- the portion located in Denton County, Texas. ...


Awards

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer. ...

Additional reading

is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f #207 Ollen Bruton Smith. Forbes. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  2. ^ #278 Ollen Bruton Smith. Forbes (September 21, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Bruton Smith on Racing's Past, Present & Future (interview with Bruton Smith); May 6, 2005; Retrieved October 5, 2007
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Jeff Wolf (June 5, 2005). Bruton Smith makes motorsports his playground. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  5. ^ a b Jim Dunn (April 26, 2007). Bruton Smith pioneered the art of race promotion. The Birmingham News . Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  6. ^ a b Bruton Smith. International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
  7. ^ http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/303156.html
  8. ^ Smith proposes monorail in N.C. Hall of Fame push. USA Today (May 24, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  9. ^ Bruton Smith worthy of Hall honors. Charlotte Observer (January 21, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 156th day of the year (157th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Las Vegas Review-Journal, also known as The R-J, is published in Las Vegas, Nevada. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The Birmingham News is a the daily newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, and the largest newspaper in Alabama. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Charlotte Observer, serving Charlotte, North Carolina, is the oldest daily newspaper in the United States (other newspapers, such as The New York Times began circulation before The Observer but were not daily). ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

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