In NASCAR, few entities have shaped the sport like Speedway Motorsports. This powerhouse owns 11 premier tracks, from Bristol Motor Speedway to Sonoma Raceway. These venues always try to turn races into unforgettable memories with fan-friendly upgrades. The company’s push for innovations, like dirt weekends at Bristol and the revival of historic sites, adds real edge to the series, drawing in new fans while honoring the past of the sport.

Marcus Smith’s father had a vision. And that spirit has helped his son continue to innovate, like with the idea of a roof above Bristol Motor Speedway. It’s initiatives like these that keep tracks up to date, at a time when NASCAR is in a transition. Ultimately, it all comes down to his father’s legacy, which paved the way for future generations.

A son’s pride in a founder’s footprint

In a recent Racing America’s Instagram post, Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith opened up about the towering figure who built it all: his father, Bruton Smith. “You know, I’m really proud of my dad and everything that he was able to build in his lifetime,” Marcus shared. “And, you know, it’s not just the physical buildings, but the people that he brought together, the companies that he built, and the kind of way that he did things. It was in a really amazing way.”

Marcus’s heartfelt words celebrate his father, Bruton’s, 66-year mark in NASCAR. His legacy is rooted in founding Speedway Motorsports in 1959 and partnering with NASCAR driver Curtis Turner to develop Charlotte Speedway, which was opened in 1960.

Bruton’s humble journey started in Oakboro, North Carolina, where he hustled through car sales and short-track promotions before betting big on stock cars. Facing bankruptcy at Charlotte just a year in, he bounced back by taking control in the 1970s, buying tracks like Atlanta in 1990 and Las Vegas in 1998.

Bruton’s never-give-up mentality paid off big time. Speedway Motorsports invested billions of dollars in superspeedways, night racing lights, and fan perks, which changed the old, boring fan experience to a new, next-level adventure. Bruton’s legacy was cemented when his name was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2016, all while being involved in various rivalries. Now, Marcus Smith is honoring his legacy by reviving spots like North Wilkesboro in 2023, which hosted its first Cup race in 27 years. This initiative echoes Bruton’s knack for bold revamps and experiments that boost local communities and fan attendance.

That grit showed in Bruton’s unrealized dreams, too, like eyeing a Myrtle Beach track to tap tourist crowds. As Marcus Smith recalled on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, “It wasn’t my idea, but it was my dad’s idea… he had a couple of things that he was working on to possibly put a racetrack in Myrtle Beach. And, you know, racetracks in destination markets are really helpful. You know, think about Las Vegas, Sonoma.”

Though this dream is not fulfilled yet, Smith gets the essence of his father’s way of thinking, which helped him come up with an innovative idea like putting a roof over Bristol Motor Speedway for year-round events. And now Smith, being the CEO, knows how hard it is to run a company and to think innovatively in a way that resonates with the fans and fulfills them, too, which his father did for over half a century.

“And he’s just he was a small-town farm boy from Oakboro, North Carolina, and had an amazing persistence and positivity,” Marcus added. “There was no challenge that he didn’t mind… persistence and a good attitude kind of conquered a lot of those challenges.” It’s a quiet vow to Bruton’s never-give-up attitude that is motivating Marcus to follow in his father’s footsteps.

As Marcus carries that torch, echoes of old boardroom battles resurface, reminding us how fiercely independent SMI has stayed amid the NASCAR lawsuit.

NASCAR eyes Speedway Motorsports Inc. buyout

The ongoing antitrust suit between NASCAR and 23XI and Frontrow Motorsports uncovers a picture of what might have been. Filed last October by teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, the case is about NASCAR’s monopoly on the sport, like its 2019 quick buy of International Speedway Corporation. The 2019 acquisition of International Speedway Corporation brought a dozen-plus ISC tracks under NASCAR’s control, including Daytona, which squeezes out rivals by locking venues into exclusive Cup deals.

As Page Six of the initial lawsuit reads, “This acquisition gave NASCAR full control over 13 of the country’s premier racetracks, including Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.” Now, court documents highlight a wild internal note: NASCAR once also tried to grab Speedway Motorsports, too, eyeing a full grip on the schedule.

This reveal comes from a table in the filing, listing ‘Lock Up SM’ under actions for Speedway Motorsports. With the company tied to a media cash debt, the sanctioning body tried to acquire it under controversial circumstances. The news was revealed during an injunction hearing,  underscoring claims that such grabs kill competition, as a new series will not be able to get enough ovals without Speedway Motorsports’ 11 tracks, like Charlotte Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

Bruton faced such a dilemma as well over the years. He sued NASCAR over race dates and feuded with the France family, but always held Speedway Motorsports’ line. The document lacks a full backstory, but it fits a pattern: NASCAR owns 12 of 28 Cup tracks now, leaving independents like SMI to fight for scraps.

For Marcus Smith, his decision to take SMI private in 2019 dodged such threats, letting the family control those tracks. It spotlights the core idea that innovation thrives when tracks stay free, even though the threat of mergers looms large.