NASCAR’s biggest fan Bruton Smith to enter Hall of Fame

The man who had the vision and the passion to transform a bucolic cow pasture in far north Fort Worth into “The Great American Speedway” 20 years ago now is 88 years old. To the title of executive chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., O. Bruton Smith recently added the tag of cancer survivor.

Since May, Smith silently has waged a battle against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer that attacks the body’s immune system. Given Smith’s reluctance to discuss anything negative, the “Big C” likely will not be mentioned when he delivers his acceptance speech Friday night upon induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Expect those remarks largely to be unscripted, maybe R-rated.

“He is so good off the cuff,” said Marcus Smith, Bruton’s son and president/chief executive officer of SMI. “He’s got so many stories. … if he were here right now he would probably share a story even I haven’t heard yet because he just has so much history in this sport. All the people that are in the Hall of Fame now, he’s worked with them. All the people that are potential Hall of Fame candidates, he’s worked with them. He promoted his first race when he was 17 years old and worked hard to make a living out of it but also have fun at it. And he’s doing this because he’s the biggest race fan out there.”

In addition to Smith, the Hall’s Class of 2016 includes four drivers counted among NASCAR’s 50 Greatest in 1998: two-time Sprint Cup champion Terry Labonte of Corpus Christi; 1970 Grand National champion Bobby Isaac of Catawba, N.C.; six-time Modified champion Jerry Cook of Rome, N.Y., and Curtis Turner, the “Babe Ruth of stock car racing” who partnered with Smith to build Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 in-between his off-track escapades.

A native of rural Oakboro, N.C., Smith’s early racing endeavors included operating the National Stock Car Racing Association — an early competitor to NASCAR — as well as building CMS. The latter became the foundation of SMI, which owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Texas Motor Speedway. Smith’s empire plays host to 12 Cup events, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and several other high-profile motorsports activities.

Smith and his innovative staff introduced a list of amenities to both his NASCAR and NHRA facilities, including VIP suites, a country club-style restaurant, enclosed clubhouse seating, expansive campground upgrades, and contemporary corporate hospitality and condominium units. The idea of living in a condo overlooking a racetrack became a running joke in 1984 for former late-night comedian David Letterman, but it was Smith who ultimately delivered the punch line.

“That guy … I remember Bruton calling me one day and saying, ‘I want you to buy a condo at the track [CMS],’ ” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “I said, ‘Bruton, if I buy a condo, it’s going to be over the ocean somewhere and not at the racetrack.’ And about two years later I paid more to get one. So, what I’ve learned about Bruton is his mind is racing all the time. He’s done so much for this sport and is so brave to step out and try things that never have been tried before. It’s past time for him to go into the Hall.”

Smith’s philanthropic activities are highlighted by Speedway Children’s Charities, founded in 1982 as a memoriam and legacy to his son, Bruton Cameron Smith, who passed away at a young age. The nonprofit organization has grown to include chapters at each of the eight SMI facilities and has distributed more than $46 million to charities serving children.

Smith shook up the sport during its runaway growth period when he took SMI public in 1995 to become the first motorsports company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. That was the same year Smith selected North Texas as the site for what has become TMS. Beginning with the official groundbreaking ceremony in April 1995, Smith demonstrated that his Texas palace of speed would redefine the idea of business as usual. Ground was broken via a carefully orchestrated explosion as native Texans Terry and Bobby Labonte and a young Jeff Gordon stared in amazement.

“We did the traditional shovel thing, too,” said TMS president/general manager Eddie Gossage, borrowing that day from his public relations repertoire at CMS. “But we do things differently as a company and that was one of the things we made clear.”

Gossage said Smith continues to impact him daily.

“Clearly, outside of my parents, he’s the most influential person in my life and I owe so much to him,” Gossage said. “You constantly learn from him. He’s 88 years old and the life lessons you pick up from being around someone like him are invaluable. I’ve learned so much about business and how to be a man, a leader, a father, a husband — all those things. How to be a better person.

“In 27 years, he’s never told me to do one thing. He suggests or encourages, but never has said, ‘Do this.’ That leaves you with a tremendous amount of dignity. He is a great man.”

Marcus Smith said TMS occupies a unique place in his father’s empire as the only speedway other than Charlotte he was able to build from scratch.

“He’s very, very proud of Texas Motor Speedway,” said Marcus Smith, 42. “It’s just a tremendous example of his vision and a lot of lessons he’s learned over time — some mistakes, some victories and they all kind of showed up at Texas Motor Speedway in a way that still blows people away today when they come to visit.”

Smith’s appearance at the HOF Friday night will be his first during a week that began with another SMI innovation, the 34th annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. Historically a participant during several stops on previous tours, Smith reportedly has been saving his strength as he recuperates from his battle against cancer.

“We’re thrilled to report that doctors have pronounced him cancer-free in early December, sure did,” Marcus Smith said. “So now he’s very thankful. We said a lot of prayers, had a lot of family time together, and we’re just really thankful that he’s been able to make it through that roller coaster.”

Ed Clark, president/GM at SMI’s Atlanta Motor Speedway, said Smith is like a second father to him.

“We all love Bruton and we care about him,” said Clark, who has worked with Smith for 23 years. “He’s our leader and there was concern. But if I was putting money on anybody to beat cancer, it’d be Bruton.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 8:21 PM with the headline "NASCAR’s biggest fan Bruton Smith to enter Hall of Fame."