The Bruton way
LOUDON, New Hampshire – Eddie Gossage instantly recognized the voice on the other end of the telephone.
"What you doing for your fans today?" the voice asked.
It was Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith.
This is how Smith likes to open up nearly every phone conversation with Gossage, the general manager of his Texas Motor Speedway.
"Bruton makes a point of reminding me that all of us involved in this sport – the track employees, the race teams, the sponsors, the drivers and the media – we all work for the fans," said Gossage.
Racing may be in the blood that flows through Smith's veins, but it's the fans that control his heart.
It's no coincidence then that of the 22 tracks NASCAR's Sprint Cup series visits each year, the seven that Smith owns rank among the best on the tour.
From day spas in the infield to making sure all the seats in the grandstands are tightened to professionally cleaned restrooms where every toilet works, everything has to be done right. And to make sure it is, the 81-year old billionaire has assembled a team of players to run his empire that's centered around the seven (soon to be eight) racetracks he owns.
Stretching from northern California to New Hampshire, site of Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Smith provides sporting experiences second to none.
"He has a high level of expectation," said Ed Clark, general manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway. "He identifies with the fans; he's a fan himself. He attends every race at every track his company runs."
The Bruton way
SMI employees call it being "Brutonized."
Smith isn't just about the small things. When one of his SMI properties undergoes a change, often it's a huge project, like the recent reconfiguration at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which not only changed the layout of the track, but introduced a new innovation – the "Neon Garage," which offers race fans unique access to the garage area unlike any other track.
At Las Vegas, fans, standing on a second-floor balcony, can literally look down through a windowed ceiling into the garage as teams work on their cars. When they’re done with that, they can check out a concert, eat a gourmet meal or head to the day spa for a massage.
The dramatic changes at LVMS were the result of a plan Smith had in the back of his mind when he purchased the track from its original owners nearly 10 years ago.
"When he acquired this track, he had a vision that it had to be on a level of the great hotels in the city – like the Bellagio and the Venetian," said Chris Powell, general manger at LVMS.
Instead of the facility being seen as only a race track that hosted events a few times a year, Smith envisioned LVMS as a facility that could be used year round, especially given the climate in the area.
A newly redesigned infield media center, which includes the spa, is open year-round. Its large rooms that on race weekends are filled with media professionals, play host to corporate meetings when there's no racing at the track.
"We're in the entertainment business and sports entertainment business," said Powell. "We have to constantly be thinking ahead.
"Speedways don't get rebuilt. It's not like we can just build a new one next door, like they're doing at Yankee Stadium. We have to keep the facilities fresh and as new as possible. Bruton challenges us to look at it with fresh eyes every day, not like the guy who is here 52 weeks a year."
That means your track is constantly changing, says Gossage.
At the Texas track, Gossage uses focus groups to keep tabs on the changing mood and attitudes of the local fan.
He and his staff assemble groups from across a wide array of demographics from all over the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area, separating them by whether they've been to the track once, never been there or are season ticket holders.
"We sit on the other side of the glass and listen to everything they have to say," said Gossage. "They tell us everything. What's important, what's not important.
"We work hard in planning everything we do. It may look like a lot of what we do is just shooting from the hip, but we work hard."
That attitude is shared at other SMI tracks – Smith owns tracks in Charlotte, Atlanta, Bristol, Tenn., Dallas-Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, Sonoma, Calif., and Loudon, N.H.; he's also purchased a track near Cincinnati – where each general manager is given a high level of autonomy to run his facility to suit the local environment.
The result is that each track takes on its own unique personality, yet there's still a sense that they all belong to the same family, just like the names suggest. All of Smith's tracks go by the moniker "Motor Speedway."
That feeling of being one big family is the real secret behind why Smith's facilities always end up on a list of fan favorites.
According to Gossage, the organization reflects the man himself. The public's perception of Smith is 180 degrees off of who he really is, says Gossage.
"He comes across as the tough in your face, cutthroat businessman," said Gossage. "And while he is an aggressive businessman, I sometimes wonder how we get anything done because we're laughing at each other."
Gossage speaks of a kind and gentle man with a great sense of humor
"He's just got this great wisdom that comes from his life experiences," said Gossage. "Sometimes I forget, and I know he'll not like my saying this, that he's the guy I work for.
"He'd rather I say ‘work with’."
Clark likes to tell the story about the late night phone call he got from Smith after a tornado ripped through his Atlanta race track in July, 2005.
"He asked me how bad it was," said Clark. "When I asked him what he was talking about, I thought he was joking, figuring that he knew we had some heavy storms in the area.
"Just knowing Bruton's sense of humor. That was my first reaction."
The following morning, before sun up, Clark said Smith had developers at the track to survey the extensive damage that was in the millions of dollars. Ironically, it was the same group of developers who had been to the track the previous day to discuss plans for extensive changes to the facility.
By ten o'clock that morning, plans were already underway to rebuild.
Smith's sole desire was that it be a better facility after the storm.
"It is," said Clark.
New properties
Smith's company recently acquired two new properties – the renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway, though the deal for Kentucky hasn't been finalized.
Previously owned by the Bahre brothers, NHMS had long been considered a cash cow within the industry. Comparatively, little was spent annually to promote its two NASCAR Cup events while the brothers hosted sellout after sellout, making each race the two largest sporting events in New England.
The track, opened in 1990, hasn't been upgraded since and it cries out for Smith's touch.
Despite paying over $350 million to purchase the facility, Smith has plans to put even more money into it, adding fan amenities more in line with other SMI tracks.
"Bruton understands spending money to make money, but in the right place, and if you've got the right people put in place and give them the right tools," said Clark.
Jerry Gappens, who Smith transferred from Lowe's Motor Speedway to run New Hampshire, points out that working with Smith always means that everything's a white piece of paper when he starts.
"There's nothing out of the question," said Gappans, now the general manager at NHMS. "This will be a first-class facility. Anything's possible."
Few expect the changes in New Hampshire to be as spectacular as the massive changes Smith made to his Bristol facility, which included literally moving a mountain to make room for more parking. However, fans should be prepared for some major changes at the facility.
Smith has had engineers and architects working for months on proposed plans for the facility, including reconfiguration of the current facility, flip-flopping the track (making the front straight the back straight) like Smith did in Atlanta.
"The bottom line is to make it better for the fans," said Gappans, echoing the SMI mantra. "To turn it into a showplace."
Gappans says he'll rely heavily on advice and guidance from his mentor Gossage, whom Smith jokingly likes to refer to as Gappan's "older brother."
"There's a tremendous level of interaction between each one of us," said Gappans. "That's why I walk into this situation knowing how exciting it will all turn out."
"With Bruton, you always know that things will be better at the end."
