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Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Names Track, Promoter & Smith Award Winners
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Speedway Motorsports, Inc. officials have named Las Vegas Motor Speedway Senior Vice President of Operations David Stetzer as the O. Bruton Smith Award recipient for 2015. In addition, Texas Motor Speedway earned Track of the Year honors, while Bristol Motor Speedway General Manager Jerry Caldwell was recognized as Promoter of the Year.
“All of our Speedway Motorsports facilities pride themselves on being the best entertainment venues in the world,” said Marcus Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports. “We are fortunate to have innovative leaders who continue to drive our company forward and push their respective speedways to be the very best in the entertainment industry. We are proud to celebrate David and Jerry’s accomplishments and to recognize the staff at Texas Motor Speedway for their success this year.”
O. Bruton Smith Award
Annually presented to one employee across all of Speedway Motorsports and its subsidiaries, this prestigious award recognizes someone who exhibits the traits that define Speedway Motorsports Executive Chairman and Founder O. Bruton Smith: character, enthusiasm, drive, a heart for helping others, respect and appreciation for team members, vision and determination.
Stetzer joined the Speedway Motorsports family as an intern at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1989 while attending Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He was hired full-time that summer as the track rental coordinator. Stetzer was later promoted to general manager of U.S. Legend Cars International before moving to Las Vegas in 1999 to assume the role of short track racing manager at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 2003, he was promoted to head the speedway’s Operations Department, and has since assumed the title of senior vice president of operations.
Track of the Year
Texas Motor Speedway was chosen as Track of the Year from among the eight Speedway Motorsports facilities. The award is presented annually for best overall performance in aspects such as fan friendliness, attendance, financial performance, sponsor relations and creativity.
In 2015, Texas Motor Speedway hosted an action-packed entertainment lineup including two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, plus NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series events and a Verizon IndyCar Series race and the Red Bull Air Race. “The Great American Speedway” created successful corporate sales and consumer marketing campaigns attracting hundreds of thousands of race fans and continued to be a pacesetter with fan amenities such as “Big Hoss,” the world’s largest high-definition LED screen, and an enhanced kids’ zone and fan zone.
Promoter of the Year
The Promoter of the Year award is presented by Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith to the general manager who best displayed the creativity, innovation, leadership, planning and execution that are fundamental to the company’s success.
Jerry Caldwell was honored for outstanding achievement promoting both of Bristol Motor Speedway’s 2015 NASCAR event weeks, plus events in Nashville with Dale Jr., Regan Smith and Old Crow Medicine Show to promote the Food City 500’s new April race date and the Steven Tyler concert that revved up the August Night Race.
Caldwell also spearheaded efforts to promote the 2016 “Battle at Bristol” between Virginia Tech and Tennessee, billed as college football’s biggest game ever. In addition, Caldwell announced plans for Colossus, the world’s largest outdoor, permanent, center-hung digital display, currently under construction and scheduled to make its debut in April.
“All of our Speedway Motorsports facilities pride themselves on being the best entertainment venues in the world,” said Marcus Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports. “We are fortunate to have innovative leaders who continue to drive our company forward and push their respective speedways to be the very best in the entertainment industry. We are proud to celebrate David and Jerry’s accomplishments and to recognize the staff at Texas Motor Speedway for their success this year.”
O. Bruton Smith Award
Annually presented to one employee across all of Speedway Motorsports and its subsidiaries, this prestigious award recognizes someone who exhibits the traits that define Speedway Motorsports Executive Chairman and Founder O. Bruton Smith: character, enthusiasm, drive, a heart for helping others, respect and appreciation for team members, vision and determination.
Stetzer joined the Speedway Motorsports family as an intern at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1989 while attending Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He was hired full-time that summer as the track rental coordinator. Stetzer was later promoted to general manager of U.S. Legend Cars International before moving to Las Vegas in 1999 to assume the role of short track racing manager at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 2003, he was promoted to head the speedway’s Operations Department, and has since assumed the title of senior vice president of operations.
Track of the Year
Texas Motor Speedway was chosen as Track of the Year from among the eight Speedway Motorsports facilities. The award is presented annually for best overall performance in aspects such as fan friendliness, attendance, financial performance, sponsor relations and creativity.
In 2015, Texas Motor Speedway hosted an action-packed entertainment lineup including two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, plus NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series events and a Verizon IndyCar Series race and the Red Bull Air Race. “The Great American Speedway” created successful corporate sales and consumer marketing campaigns attracting hundreds of thousands of race fans and continued to be a pacesetter with fan amenities such as “Big Hoss,” the world’s largest high-definition LED screen, and an enhanced kids’ zone and fan zone.
Promoter of the Year
The Promoter of the Year award is presented by Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith to the general manager who best displayed the creativity, innovation, leadership, planning and execution that are fundamental to the company’s success.
Jerry Caldwell was honored for outstanding achievement promoting both of Bristol Motor Speedway’s 2015 NASCAR event weeks, plus events in Nashville with Dale Jr., Regan Smith and Old Crow Medicine Show to promote the Food City 500’s new April race date and the Steven Tyler concert that revved up the August Night Race.
Caldwell also spearheaded efforts to promote the 2016 “Battle at Bristol” between Virginia Tech and Tennessee, billed as college football’s biggest game ever. In addition, Caldwell announced plans for Colossus, the world’s largest outdoor, permanent, center-hung digital display, currently under construction and scheduled to make its debut in April.
