‘A pioneer, a visionary, and a true original,’ HMS owner Rick Hendrick on the sudden demise of legendary Race track owner Bruton Smith
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Rick Hendrick and Bruton Smith
The NASCAR community woke up to sad news Wednesday as they were eagerly waiting for the Cup race weekend’s return from the Mid-Season break in Nashville Superspeedway. The legendary race promotor and Track owner Bruton Smith passed away at the age of 95. The Speedway Motorsports owner, the organization that operates more than 11 tracks including the likes of Sonoma, Bristol, Dover, and Charlotte, has been among the prominent face in NASCAR’s growth into the racing giant it is now.
He has staged races for other organizations including the NHRA and the Indy racing series on his circuits over his decades of commitment to NASCAR. In addition to being a successful businessman, the 2016 Class of Hall of Famer was also a philanthropist who focused on helping underprivileged children. Through his Speedway Motorsports Charity initiatives, he raised millions of dollars for the cause, and his son Marcus Smith will carry on his legacy.
Rick Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports one of the prominent and most dominating teams of the 20th century, has been one of the modern-day figures in NASCAR’s development and a Hall of Famer himself, same as Bruton Smith, has come forth expressing his thoughts on the death of the legend. In the press release, the team put out following the announcement of Smith’s death, Hendrick calls Bruton a legend and visionariness NASCAR going to miss.
Find out what Rick Hendrick said
Rick Hendrick acknowledged that Bruton Smith was a pioneer, a visionary, and a true original of NASCAR who was never afraid of taking chances. He pointed out that this will surely seal his spot of smith among the greatest promotors and innovators in the history of motorsports. He added that though they have competed against each other he without a doubt calls him a friend with an admirable legacy.
“A pioneer, a visionary, and a true original, never afraid to take a chance, Bruton will go down as one of the greatest promotors and innovators in the history of motorsports. I have tremendous admiration for the legacy he carved out in both racing and the car business. Even though we occasionally competed, I was always happy to call Bruton a friend,” Rick Hendrick said.
Rick Hendrick went on to say that Bruton was someone you wanted at your side as he was a tough guy who never backs from a fight and said that Bruton was someone who was incredibly dedicated to giving back to the community as he points out Speedway Children Charities.
“He was someone you wanted on your side because he was tough as nails and never backed down from a fight, At the same time, Bruton was incredibly generous and dedicated much of his life to giving back. The impact of Speedway Children Charities and his countless acts of kindness cannot possibly be measured,” Rick Hendrick added.
Rick Hendrick went on to say that being brought up on a farm both of them are kind of similar in the passion they share for racing and acknowledged that the support given by Smith when he announced his team’s entry in 1983 is something he will never take for granted as he was there whole day in support of him and the team.
“Bruton and I both grew up on farms, and we shared a passion for racing and for the car business. In 1983, I held a press conference at City Chevrolet (in Charlotte, North Carolina) to announce a new NASCAR team that would become Hendrick Motorsports. He was there that day, and his support was something I never took for granted,” says Rick Hendrick.
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Justin P Joy
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