NASCAR world reacts to Bruton Smith’s death. Few ‘made a bigger impact to help the sport grow’

Bruton Smith, the founder and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., died Wednesday at the age of 95. Smith owned a cluster of race tracks, including Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord.

His death prompted many reactions from those in the racing community, including fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip.

Waltrip, a three-time Cup Series champion, said he was heartbroken at Smith’s passing and that “he helped me in so many ways, he was an icon in the sport he loved.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. lauded Bruton’s contribution to stock car racing, saying that “his ambitious vision created growth and opportunities that I am forever thankful for.”

NASCAR chairman Jim France delivered a statement on Smith’s passing.

He said that Smith “built his race tracks employing a simple philosophy: Give race fans memories they will cherish for a lifetime.” He credited Smith with helping grow NASCAR into the preeminent spectator sport.

Richard Petty, the Chairman of Petty GMS, said that Smith was “more than a track owner and promoter. He was a pioneer of our sport and instrumental in building it to what it is today.”

NASCAR brand manager Jay Pennell said there were “few in NASCAR that made a bigger impact to help the sport grow” than Smith.

He called him an “innovator, a savvy businessman, a showman, a member of the (NASCAR Hall of Fame) and a family man.”

J. Douglas Boles, the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said he looked up to Smith as a promoter. The two met in 2019 at the Texas Motor Speedway and Boles said he was thrilled and thanked Smith for setting the example for promoters.

Longtime NASCAR driver and former Fox NASCAR reporter Kenny Wallace also offered his condolences, saying that Smith “forced all the race tracks to up their game. (Smith) invented the beautiful facilities in NASCAR.”

This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 5:22 PM.

Varun Shankar

The Charlotte Observer

Varun Shankar is a junior at the University of Maryland who’s interning with The Charlotte Observer’s sports section for the summer. He’s a sports editor and reporter for Maryland’s student newspaper, The Diamondback, and a high school sports writer for The Washington Post.