# O. Bruton Smith

> Ollen Bruton Smith (1927-2022) founded Sonic Automotive and Speedway Motorsports, combining automotive retail with race promotion and track ownership. Raised on a farm near Oakboro, North Carolina, he helped build Charlotte Motor Speedway, regained control after its financial collapse, developed spectator amenities including trackside homes and superspeedway lighting, and founded Speedway Children’s Charities. He entered the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2016.

- **Role:** Deceased (2022); founder and former executive chairman of Sonic Automotive and Speedway Motorsports
- **Organizations:** Sonic Automotive, Speedway Motorsports, Speedway Children’s Charities, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Frontier Ford, Town & Country Ford, National Stock Car Racing Association
- **From:** Oakboro, North Carolina, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Known for:** Founder and founding chairman and CEO of Sonic Automotive., Built Charlotte Motor Speedway with Curtis Turner and regained control by 1975., Took Speedway Motorsports public in 1995 and Sonic Automotive public in 1997.

## Career timeline

- **1927** — Born near Oakboro, North Carolina, on March 2.
- **1949** — Running the National Stock Car Racing Association, a competitor to NASCAR.
- **1950s** — Served two years stateside in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper.
- **1954** — Promoted racing at the Charlotte Fairgrounds.
- **1959** — Began building Charlotte Motor Speedway with Curtis Turner.
- **1960** — Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted the first World 600 on June 19.
- **1961** — The speedway entered bankruptcy reorganization.
- **1962** — Left the speedway and pursued other business ventures.
- **1966** — Opened Frontier Ford in Rockford, Illinois.
- **1975** — Regained majority ownership and operational control of Charlotte Motor Speedway; hired Humpy Wheeler.
- **1982** — Founded Speedway Children’s Charities.
- **1984** — Charlotte built 40 year-round condominiums above turn one.
- **1988** — Smith Tower opened at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- **1990** — Acquired Atlanta Motor Speedway.
- **1992** — Charlotte installed permanent lights for modern superspeedway night racing.
- **1995** — Speedway Motorsports began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
- **1996** — Speedway Motorsports acquired Bristol and Sonoma.
- **1997** — Texas Motor Speedway opened; Sonic Automotive launched publicly in November.
- **2006** — Inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.
- **2007** — Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
- **2011** — Charlotte unveiled a 16,000-square-foot high-definition video screen.
- **2015** — Moved from Sonic Automotive CEO to executive chairman.
- **2016** — Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 23.
- **2022** — Died June 22 in Charlotte at age 95.

## Achievements

- Founder and founding chairman and CEO of Sonic Automotive.
- Built Charlotte Motor Speedway with Curtis Turner and regained control by 1975.
- Took Speedway Motorsports public in 1995 and Sonic Automotive public in 1997.
- Oversaw Charlotte’s 1984 trackside condominiums and 1992 modern superspeedway night-racing installation.
- NASCAR Hall of Fame, class of 2016.
- International Motorsports Hall of Fame, 2007.
- National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame, 2006.
- Founded Speedway Children’s Charities in 1982; the continuing organization reported nearly $80 million in cumulative grants through 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Sonic Automotive commemorated what would have been its founder’s 99th birthday with a tribute to his life and showroom-based working style.
- **2022-06** — Smith died on June 22; Sonic Automotive published a statement from his son David the following day.

## Links

- Website: https://www.speedwaymotorsports.com/leadership/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bruton-smith
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23