Bruton Smith tickled by NASCAR Hall selection, positive reaction

CONCORD, N.C. — In his first public comments since being voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Bruton Smith on Sunday night said he was surprised and honored to be selected.

Smith, sitting in the owner's suite as the Coca-Cola 600 took the green flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway, told a small group of reporters he had all but given up hope of being chosen for the Hall.

"I had not thought anything about it, quite honestly," he said. "I think I gave up on it at least a year or two years ago. It's amazing the reaction about this, and I think that's very special."

Smith hasn't made any public appearances since his selection was announced Wednesday, but said he feels "fine." He sat in a high-top chair wearing his trademark sunglasses, peering out over the speedway he built.

"It's finally happened," he said. "It seems like all the family and a lot of the employees seem to be very happy about it. So if they are, you know I am."

Asked what Smith viewed as his biggest contribution to racing, the executive chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc. cracked, "You might say the $4 billion I've invested over the years in this sport probably had a lot to do with that.

"We've invested an awful lot of money building these speedways, redoing them, tearing them down, redoing them," he continued. "So it's been a huge financial effort to do all of that."

One reporter told Smith about NASCAR chairman Brian France speaking up for the oft-brash figure in the Hall of Fame voting meeting. Smith said that was "quite nice of him."

"I appreciate it," Smith said. "Brian and I get along very well, you know? So it was awfully nice of him to be complimentary."

Smith, 88, said he was tickled by congratulatory billboards on nearby I-85 and the large logo on the infield grass that said "Bruton Smith: Class of 2016." He called it "awesome" and seemed to be in quite a good mood.

"Great day, weather wonderful weather, couldn't be better," he said. "Big day, big crowd. You know, when you've got weather like this and a big crowd, people get to thinking we know what we're doing."

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PHOTOS: 2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class