Our Leadership

Founder of Speedway Motorsports

O. Bruton Smith had trailblazing careers in motorsports, philanthropy and automotive retail as the founder, executive chairman and patriarch of Speedway Motorsports, Sonic Automotive and Speedway Children’s Charities.

Born March 2, 1927, Smith was the youngest of nine children and grew up on a modest farm in Oakboro, North Carolina. As a member of the Greatest Generation, Smith learned the value of hard work early in life. With an inspiring determination and relentless optimism, Smith built a business empire through the automotive and motorsports industries and left a legacy to inspire generations of his family, friends and colleagues.

“My parents taught us what work was all about,” Smith said in 2008. “As I look back, that was a gift, even though I certainly didn’t think so at the time. A lot of people don’t have that gift because they didn’t grow up working. But if you are on a family farm, that’s what you do. Everything is hard work.”

Smith founded Speedway Motorsports by consolidating his motorsports holdings in December 1994, and in February 1995, he made it the first motorsports company to trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Today the company owns and operates 11 motorsports entertainment facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway and Kentucky Speedway.

Speedway Motorsports also owns and operates subsidiaries SMI Properties, U.S. Legend Cars International, Performance Racing Network and zMAX Micro Lubricants.

In January of 1997, Smith founded Sonic Automotive and took it public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:SAH) in November of the same year. In just a few years, Smith grew Sonic into one of the nation’s largest automotive retailers. Sonic Automotive is now a Fortune 300 company with over 160 retail dealerships in over 23 states, representing 25 automotive brands.

In 2014, Smith’s passion for automotive retail continued with the creation of EchoPark Automotive. A subsidiary of Sonic Automotive, EchoPark Automotive is the company’s high growth segment rooted in providing high quality pre-owned vehicles, while delivering a world-class guest experience. The company currently operates over 40 EchoPark Automotive locations nationwide.

Smith’s first job outside the family farm came at age 12 when he went to work at a local saw mill. Two days after graduating from Oakboro High School, Smith took a job in a hosiery mill, before he eventually made a purchase that would lead him to two successful business careers.

“I bought a race car for $700. The whole idea at that time was that I was going to be a race car driver,” Smith once explained. “I learned to drive, but that career didn’t last long.” Smith’s mother had other ideas and prayed to a higher authority. “She started fighting dirty,” laughed Smith in a 2005 interview with Motorsport.com. “You can’t fight your mom and God, so I stopped driving.”

Smith sold his first car, a 1939 Buick sedan, for a small profit and continued to sell cars from his mother’s front yard. The young entrepreneur also promoted his first race before he was 18 years old.

“There was a whole lot of unrest with the drivers and car owners at that time,” Smith continued. “We had a meeting and I was unlucky enough to be appointed a committee of one to promote a race. I had never done that, but I promoted a race in Midland, North Carolina, and I made a little bit of money, so I thought I’d try it again.”

In his early 20s, Smith’s career as promoter and car salesman took a turn when he was drafted by the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Smith served two years stateside as a paratrooper, then returned to selling cars and promoting auto races featuring the burgeoning National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Through a rough era for the sport, Smith was one of the first professional promoters to pay good purses, tend to the needs of the fans and find unique ways to promote events at speedways he leased around North Carolina.

“I'm a frustrated builder who had a knack for promoting races and it’s been fun to always try and push the sport to greater heights for the fans,” Smith told the Associated Press in 2015.

In 1959, he partnered with NASCAR driver Curtis Turner and built his first permanent motorsports facility, Charlotte Motor Speedway. The track opened in June 1960 with a 600-mile race, the longest ever in NASCAR’s history.

In the years that followed, Smith found success opening several automotive dealerships. Opened in 1966, his first dealership was Frontier Ford in Rockford, Ill, where he married and started a family. While growing his automotive business, Smith’s passion for auto racing never wavered.

“I love the racing business. I want to contribute more and more,” Smith said in 2015. “You hear us preach about ‘fan friendly.’ I think that is a driver for me to just do more things. I enjoy the contributions I’ve been able to make to the sport.”

Under Smith’s innovative direction, Speedway Motorsports facilities were the first in racing to add condominiums, fine-dining Speedway Clubs, superspeedway lighting and giant high-definition video screens.

“When you think about the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bristol, and tracks like New Hampshire and Sonoma and Atlanta, he’s been the best,” 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee and fellow automobile dealer Roger Penske told NASCAR.com in 2016. “There’s no question. He set the bar.”

“His mind is racing all the time; he’s done so much for the sport,” said Rick Hendrick, an auto dealer and fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer, in a 2016 interview with NASCAR.com. “He’s so brave to step out and try things that have never been tried before. He helped build this sport.”

Following a 2021 victory at zMAX Dragway, John Force dedicated the win to Smith.

“I love this guy and everything he’s done for our sport,” said the 16-time NHRA champion. “I’m excited I get to send this trophy home to somebody I love---a guy who built our sport.”

“I learned from my own experience that when people go to an event – like a big race – they may know who won the race, but all the other stuff they don’t remember,” Smith once said. “I want to put something on so regardless who won the race, it will be a memorable experience. We’re here to entertain fans, and I want them to go home with a memory that will last forever.”

A true entrepreneur at heart, Smith had a passion for growing people and business. His love of the automobile and racing businesses drove him to continually build and expand, all while taking care of his family and co-workers.

Among his accolades, Smith was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s 2016 class. In 2007, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and he became a member of the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

Even with his many accomplishments in motorsports, Smith often commented that the auto retail business was his first love and maintained his primary office at his Town & Country Ford dealership in Charlotte throughout his distinguished career.

“You have trophies, you have championships, you have wins, but friends are what really make the difference,” fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Darrell Waltrip said about Smith in 2019. “Bruton Smith has been one of my heroes since I started racing in NASCAR in 1972.”

In addition to his business interests, Smith founded Speedway Children's Charities in 1982 as a memoriam and legacy to his son, Bruton Cameron Smith, who passed away at a very young age. Given his experience, Smith became passionate about wanting to help children in need and Speedway Children’s Charities was created to focus on serving communities surrounding Speedway Motorsports race tracks. Speedway Children’s Charities chapters work with organizations to identify and resolve pressing issues ranging from learning disabilities and broken homes to hunger and childhood cancer.

Through 2025, Speedway Children’s Charities has distributed nearly $80 million to local organizations across the country that improve the quality of life for children in need.

Smith passed away from natural causes in 2022 at the age of 95.

Marcus G. Smith became a director of Speedway Motorsports in 2004 and was named President of the company in 2008. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2015 and currently serves the company as President and CEO.

Mr. Smith served as Chief Operating Officer from May 2008 to February 2015 and as Executive Vice President of National Sales and Marketing from 2004 to 2008. He was appointed President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008.

Mr. Smith joined the company in 1996 as a sales associate at Charlotte Motor Speedway and was named Manager of New Business Development in 1999.

The son of Speedway Motorsports founder O. Bruton Smith, Marcus Smith grew up in the motorsports and automotive business, interned in several departments at Charlotte Motor Speedway and successfully led national sales and marketing before moving to administration.

A co-owner and director of Speedway Motorsports, David Smith was elected as Chief Executive Officer of Sonic Automotive Inc. in September 2018 and Chairman of the Board in July 2022. Prior to his election as CEO, Mr. Smith served as Sonic’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Strategic Officer from March 2018 to September 2018, as Sonic’s Vice Chairman from March 2013 to March 2018 and as an Executive Vice President of Sonic from October 2008 to March 2013. He has been a director of Sonic since October 2008 and has served in Sonic’s organization since 1998 in a variety of areas, including corporate development, corporate strategy and dealership management.

A co-owner and director of Speedway Motorsports, Scott Smith has been a director of Sonic Automotive Inc. since July 2022. Previously, Mr. Smith served as Sonic’s Chief Executive Officer from July 2015 to September 2018, as Sonic’s President and Chief Strategic Officer from March 2007 to July 2015, and as Sonic’s Vice Chairman and Chief Strategic Officer from October 2002 to March 2007. Mr. Smith was also previously a director of Sonic from its organization in January 1997 until September 2018.

Jerry Caldwell is President and General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. Caldwell joined Bristol in 1997 and spent 13 years working for the iconic speedway in various positions within the Corporate Sales and Marketing Department.

Caldwell, a graduate of King University, was promoted to General Manager in December of 2012. He assumed the role of President in January of 2022.

As General Manager of SMI Properties (souvenirs), U.S. Legend Cars (grassroots race cars) and zMAX (micro-lubricants), Dan Chittock manages production and sales for three separate subsidiaries of Speedway Motorsports.

Chittock joined SMI Properties in 2008 on the shipping desk before advancing to manage warehouse operations and trackside souvenir sales. In 2017, he transitioned to overseeing the zMAX brand and in 2021 led both companies. In 2025, Chittock assumed additional management of U.S. Legend Cars and INEX, the sanctioning body for the grassroots racing series. Chittock is a graduate of Grove City College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

Mark Faber joined Speedway Motorsports as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Texas Motor Speedway in August of 2022. Faber spent 17 years as an event entertainment executive with AEG, last serving as Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. His background also includes employment with the Orange Bowl, Dallas Cowboys, Learfield Sports and Host Communications.

A graduate of the University of Kansas, Faber obtained degrees in political science and history and earned a masters in business administration.

Jessica Fickenscher was named Executive Vice President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2026. In her role, she oversees day-to-day operations for Charlotte Motor Speedway, including its nationally recognized calendar of motorsports and entertainment events.

Fickenscher’s latest appointment marks the continuation of her remarkable journey with Speedway Motorsports, which began as an intern at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1997. Over three decades, she has worked throughout the organization and touched nearly every facet of the fan experience, most recently serving as Chief Experience Officer for Speedway Motorsports and Executive Director of North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Brian Flynn joined Speedway Motorsports as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sonoma Raceway in August of 2023. From 2009 until 2018, Flynn served as CEO of Petty Holdings LLC, which included RPDE and Petty Enterprises where Flynn served as president of the NASCAR race team from 2000-2005. From 2018 to 2023, Flynn served as CEO of Marty Snider and Associates, a video production company based in Charlotte that specialized in marketing, commercial and public relations projects for clients such as NBC Sports, Smithfield Foods and FedEx.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Flynn was a two-sport varsity athlete in football and baseball and is a member of the Penn Baseball Hall of Fame.

Currently serving as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Nashville Superspeedway, Matt Greci relocated from Charlotte to Nashville shortly after Speedway Motorsports acquired the property in 2021. Prior to that, Greci spent nearly 16 years at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he began his career as a sales department intern, then joined the speedway full-time as the track rental and suite coordinator for corporate sales.

Greci moved to the events department in 2008, working his way from events manager to vice president of events in charge of production at zMAX Dragway, The Dirt Track and the superspeedway. He was named CMS Employee of the Year in 2013 and received the company’s highest honor, the O. Bruton Smith Award in 2018. Greci earned a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management from Wingate University.

Gerry Horn has served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Performance Racing Network since July of 2018. Horn has been with PRN for more than 20 years, joining the network as director of sales in 2002.

Horn served as the Director of Sponsorship for the Charlotte Hornets from 1992 to 2000. He earned a BA from the University of Rhode Island and completed his graduate studies in communications and advertising at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
 

Brandon Hutchison was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Manager of EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) in November of 2018. Hutchison joined EPS as a Public Relations intern in March of 1995 and was hired as a Track Rental Coordinator by the speedway four months later.

Hutchison also served as the Director of Events and the Vice President of Events before he was promoted to Assistant General Manager in September of 2014. A native of Georgia, Hutchison grew up in Lawrenceville. He graduated in 1995 with a BS in communications arts from Georgia Southern University.

Patrick Lindsey joined Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) in March 2025 as Senior Vice President and General Manager. A seasoned sports executive with nearly 20 years of experience in sports management and event operations, he previously served as Executive Director of the Shriners Children’s Open PGA TOUR event in Las Vegas, where he oversaw tournament operations, secured top players, and elevated the event’s community impact. Lindsey also spent nine years with the PGA TOUR, gaining extensive industry expertise.

A native of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, he is a graduate of UNC Greensboro and holds an MBA from St. Thomas University. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Kristyn, and their two sons, Wesley and Caleb.

David McGrath joined New Hampshire Motor Speedway in November of 2011 as the speedway’s Director of Advertising and Promotions. After serving as Vice President of Marketing and Promotions and Vice President of Corporate Sales, McGrath was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Manager in October of 2015.

Born and raised in Marlborough, Massachusetts, McGrath is a graduate of Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colorado, where he received a BA in speech communications and a minor in English.

As General Manager of the Ten Tenths Motor Club, Graham Smith manages sales and operations for the world’s newest destination for luxury and high performance automotive enthusiasts. Located at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Ten Tenths Motor Club includes a state-of-the-art 1.7 mile circuit and a 20,000 square-foot Clubhouse for corporate events and hospitality. Smith assumed his current position in 2025 after previous roles with the company as Vice President of OEM Partnerships and Managing Director of U.S. Legend Cars International. The grandson of company founder Bruton Smith and son of CEO Marcus Smith, Graham also worked in operations and corporate sales at Charlotte Motor Speedway and graduated from Furman University.

Presently serving as President and General Manager of Dover Motor Speedway, Tatoian was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Dover Motorsports, Inc., and President of Dover International Speedway before Speedway Motorsports bought the company in 2022.

Before his career in motorsports, Tatoian served as the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner at Victory Sports Group LLC and as the Chief Operating Officer at United Sports Ventures, Inc. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in public relations and marketing.

In 2024, Greg Walter was named President of Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he currently leads external affairs across federal, state, regional and local levels for both Charlotte Motor Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Walter has been part of Speedway Motorsports since 1999, initially as Vice President of Sales for Atlanta Motor Speedway before serving as Vice President of Business Development at the corporate level. Walter was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Manager at Charlotte in October of 2018. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in journalism.

J. Cary Tharrington IV serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Speedway Motorsports. Tharrington has been the company’s Chief of Legal Office since April of 2016.

Tharrington joined Speedway Motorsports as General Counsel in January of 2006. He graduated with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and received his J.D. from Campbell University.

Mike Burch is Speedway Motorsports’ Chief Operating Officer, a title he has held since January of 2022. Burch, who joined Speedway Motorsports in 2003, previously served as Chief Strategy Officer, and, prior, as Senior Vice President of National Sales and Marketing and as Manager of Business Development.

Burch earned undergraduate degrees in Economics and Management & Society at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in sport management from Georgia Southern University.

Cynthia Jacobson is Speedway Motorsports’ Executive Vice President of Human Resources, overseeing all human resources, benefits and payroll functions across all divisions in the company. A Speedway Motorsports employee since 1997, Jacobson was named EVP in 2020, after previously serving as Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

Jacobson is a graduate of The College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Geoff Ulrich has served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Speedway Motorsports since January of 2015. Ulrich oversees the brand strategy, positioning, creative, social, and consumer sales strategies for each of Speedway Motorsports’ properties.

Previously, Ulrich was the company’s Vice President of Partnerships from the time he joined Speedway Motorsports in June of 2013. He graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in marketing.

As Speedway Motorsports’ Chief Commercial Officer, Kevin Camper oversees sales leaders at each speedway and the Performance Racing Network to maximize corporate sales revenue, sponsorship, new business development and retention.

A graduate of Liberty University, Camper’s professional experience includes consumer ticketing and corporate sales roles with the Texas Rangers and Professional Bull Riders Association and leadership positions in ticketing and corporate sales at Speedway Motorsports’ Texas Motor Speedway.

In 2011, Camper was named senior vice president of sales and marketing for Las Vegas Motor Speedway and promoted to Speedway Motorsports’ Chief Sales Officer in 2019. In 2021, Camper received the O. Bruton Smith Award, the highest individual honor given to a Speedway Motorsports team member.

Scott Cooper has served as the Senior Vice President of Communications for Speedway Motorsports since 2020. Cooper began his career with the company as Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Senior Manager of Promotions and Media Relations in 1999, before being promoted to the title of Director of Marketing and Public Relations in 2004.

Cooper was named Charlotte’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications in 2007.  Prior to his career in motorsports, Cooper worked in local television in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte.  He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in journalism.

Michael Hodge has served as Chief Financial Officer of Speedway Motorsports and Sonic Financial Corporation since April 2023. He also has served as a Vice President of Sonic Financial Corporation since 2016 and as a director of Sonic Automotive since February 2022.

Prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Hodge served as Executive Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Assistant Treasurer of Speedway Motorsports beginning in December 2020. He has held various finance and accounting positions with Speedway Motorsports since joining the company in 2006.

Before joining Speedway Motorsports, Mr. Hodge worked in Deloitte’s audit and assurance practice. He is a certified public accountant in the State of North Carolina and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Jason Bowling has served as the Senior Vice President – Consumer Ticket Operations since August of 2014. Bowling oversees all consumer experience data and platforms including: CRM, ticketing, email and mobile applications.

Bowling began his career with the company as Texas Motor Speedway’s Credentials Coordinator in 1999, before being promoted to Director of Ticket Operations in 2004. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in sports management.

Jonathan Brady is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Speedway Motorsports, a role in which he has served the company managing information technology systems since 2008.

Brady joined Speedway Motorsports as the Director of Information Technology in 2003. Previously, Brady served in the U.S. Air Force working in munitions and communications technology from 1993-2002.

Steve Swift is the Senior Vice President of Operations and Development, a role in which he has served since 2019 overseeing construction projects and capital expenditures across all company properties and standardizing best practice operational procedures.

Swift joined Speedway Motorsports in 2004 as a Senior Construction Manager, served as Vice President of Operations and Development at Kentucky Speedway in 2011 and was named Vice President of Operations and Development at the corporate level in 2015. Swift graduated from East Tennessee State University with a degree in construction engineering technology.