NASCAR Hall of Famer Bruton Smith passes away

Bruton Smith, who helped grow the NASCAR fan experience at his tracks with visionary ideas, died Wednesday from natural causes. He was 95.

Smith founded the company that is Speedway Motorsports and owns nine tracks that host Cup races, including Nashville Superspeedway, which hosts the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series this weekend.

“For me, Bruton Smith passing away is like Bill France Sr. or Bill France Jr. passing away,” NBC Sports analyst Kyle Petty said Wednesday. “It’s the connection to the very, very beginning of the sport, a connection to guys who had a dream and a vision and believed in what NASCAR and auto racing could become. They put it all out there.

“It’s sad for me to see that generation go. We could sit down and talk with them and hear those stories, and now they’re gone.

“I think most race fans believe he owned Charlotte Motor Speedway and went head-to-head with Bill France, but he was so much more. He went back to the 1940s when he promoted races. The majority of fans see him as the titan of Charlotte and what he did in Texas and building speedways, but he was more than that. He was a pillar of the sport and part of the foundation.”

Smith’s tracks, which included Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, among others, used the slogan “fans first” in providing unique experiences for fans, whether it was special pre-race shows, mammoth video boards, or special food in the concession stands. He also added lights to Charlotte, making it the first 1.5-mile track to run races at night, something that has become common.

“I’ve told people before that he doesn’t do things to get awards,” Marcus Smith, Burton’s son, said of his father in January 2016. “He doesn’t really relish