브루튼 스미스, NASCAR의 오랜 고정물이자 전국적으로 자동차 경주 행사를 구축하고 홍보한 명예의 전당 헌액자, 수요일 나이에 사망 95 자연적인 원인, 에 따르면 a statement from track operating company Speedway Motorsports.
Marcus Smith, his son and president of the company his father led for decades, said on social media, “While we mourn the passing of my father, we also rejoice for the life he lived and for the amazing legacy he left to inspire us all.”
Born Ollen Bruton Smith in 1927, the North Carolinian worked as a track promoter before making his mark designing and building Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval now known for annually hosting NASCAR’s longest race at 600 miles in length. The track’s first 600-miler was held at its 그랜드 오프닝 에 1960.
“I learned from my own experience that when people go to an event — like a big race — they may know who won the race, but all the other stuff they don’t remember,” Smith once said, 진술에 따르면. “I want to put something on so regardless who won the race, it will be a memorable experience. We’re here to entertain fans, and I want them to go home with a memory that will last forever.”
Smith was a key figure during NASCAR’s expansion in the 1990s as the sport began to transition away from a Southeast-driven sport to one with more of a national focus. He oversaw the creation of speedways in new markets such as Dallas-Fort Worth, and races at upgraded facilities spanning from Sonoma, 캘리포니아, and Las Vegas eastward to Loudon, 뉴햄프셔, and Dover, 델라웨어, would often comprise a large bulk of NASCAR’s yearly schedule.
Smith was named as the oldest CEO to make the 재산 500 list in 2012, heading several companies well into his 80s.
He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2016 for his contributions to the sport.
“NASCAR has lost one of its true pioneers, visionaries and innovators,” Hall Executive Director Winston Kelley 성명에서 말했다. “Bruton’s legacy and incredible accomplishments in and contributions to NASCAR will forever remain in our minds, our archives, at the cathedrals of speed he built and celebrated at the NASCAR Hall of Fame forever.”
Smith is survived by his four children and seven grandchildren.
