O. Bruton Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., was among the 25 finalists for the NASCAR Hall of Fame that were announced Wednesday. Texas Motor Speedway is one of eight tracks owned and operated by Smith.
"We are so proud that our boss, Bruton Smith, has been nominated to be considered for the NASCAR Hall of Fame," TMS president Eddie Gossage said in a statement. "He deserves to be honored in the Hall. He has been one of the people to lead our sport from a small regional promotion to an international force. I also know the many occasions he has quietly helped employees, crew members and drivers that came across hard times in their lives. Most of all, Bruton has helped the fans by leading the way with modern facilities and major-league promotion."
SMI also owns and operates Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The tracks play host to 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, 17 NASCAR Nationwide or Camping World Truck Series races, and other high-profile motorsports events. Smith also founded Speedway Children's Charities in 1984.
To see the rest of the finalists for the Class of 2014, click here.
