Marcus Smith to head SMI, Lowe’s Motor Speedway
By Kenny Bruce - Assistant Managing Editor
Thursday, June 05, 2008
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SCENE ON THE CIRCUIT
Marcus Smith, the son of Speedway Motorsports Inc. founder Bruton Smith, has been named president and chief operating officer of SMI as well as president and general manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Smith, 35, takes over for longtime LMS promoter and SMI president H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, who announced his retirement May 21.
“This sport is in my blood,” said Smith, who brokered the naming-rights deal between Charlotte Motor Speedway and Lowe’s Cos. Inc. prior to the start of the 1999 season. “I’m going to bring the same passion to work each day that the race fans bring to the track every week. I’m competitive, and I want to be sure we’re doing everything we can to provide a fantastic motorsports experience to our fans.”
Since 2004, Smith had served as director and executive vice president of national sales and marketing for SMI. In that position, he oversaw each of the 10 motorsports-related groups held by SMI, including seven race tracks hosting a total of 12 Sprint Cup races, Performance Racing Network, 600 Racing and SMI Properties.
The promotion was announced May 28 following approval by the SMI board of directors.
“Marcus has been training for this opportunity throughout his professional career,” Bruton Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports, said. “He’s come up through the ranks at Charlotte, proven his business savvy with our most recognizable sponsors and handled our sanction negotiations with NASCAR.
“But the thing that’s made Marcus a success, and will continue to do so, is that in his heart, he’s a race fan. He never loses sight of the fact that our customers are the key to everything we do and he always wants to put our fans first.”
Additionally, SMI has promoted Bill Brooks to vice chairman. He will remain in his role as chief financial officer and treasurer for the group.
“We’ve got the best management team in all of sports, and I look forward to working closely with them as we move forward,” Marcus Smith said. “We’ve got a lot more to accomplish this year, and 2009 will be even better as we celebrate the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.”
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