2025 O. Bruton Smith Awards: Speedway Motorsports Honors Promoter, Speedway of the Year, and Innovation
The engines have cooled, and the grandstands are quiet, but for the team at Speedway Motorsports, the work never truly stops. As the 2025 season officially comes to a close, the industry giant took a moment to pause and recognize the men and women who keep the gears turning behind the scenes.
In a company-wide town hall that felt less like a corporate meeting and more like a family reunion, Speedway Motorsports leadership handed out its most prestigious hardware. It was a day to celebrate the grit, creativity, and sheer determination that define the sport. From the high banks of Bristol to the safety command centers in Dover, the winners of the O. Bruton Smith Award, Promoter of the Year, Speedway of the Year, and Acceleration Award represent the absolute best of the business.
A Salute to Safety: The O. Bruton Smith Award
There is perhaps no greater honor within the company than the award bearing its founder’s name. The O. Bruton Smith Award isn’t just about performance metrics. It’s about character. It’s for the person who embodies the drive, enthusiasm, and heart that Bruton Smith used to build an empire.
This year, that honor went to Jim Hosfelt, the Vice President of Safety and Security at Dover Motor Speedway. If you know race day, you know that safety and security are the invisible foundations of the entire experience.
When fans walk through the gates, they expect to be safe. It’s a massive responsibility, and Hosfelt has shouldered it with a quiet, professional intensity since joining the Monster Mile in 2014.
Hosfelt’s Stint With Dover Motor Speedway
Hosfelt isn’t your average security executive. He’s a Cumberland, Maryland native who spent a quarter-century in law enforcement, retiring as the Chief of Police for the Dover Police Department. He’s an Air Force veteran and a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
When Speedway Motorsports acquired Dover in 2021, they quickly realized they had a star on their hands. Hosfelt didn’t just manage Dover. He stepped up as the Director of Safety and Security for the entire company, acting as the critical link between the tracks, NASCAR, and federal agencies.
Speedway Motorsports COO Mike Burch put it best when he noted that while Hosfelt’s work is often low-profile, it is arguably the most vital thing the company does. Ensuring families can come to a race, feel safe, and go home with happy memories is a heavy burden, and Hosfelt carries it with grace.
Channeling a Legend: Promoter of the Year
The H.A. Humpy Wheeler Promoter of the Year award is special. Humpy was the P.T. Barnum of stock car racing, a man who believed that if you weren’t thinking big, you weren’t thinking at all.
Jerry Caldwell, the President and General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, proved he has that same wild spark of creativity in 2025. Caldwell took home the hardware after pulling off one of the most audacious crossovers in sports history: The Speedway Classic.
Turning “The Last Great Colosseum” into a baseball diamond sounded crazy on paper. But Caldwell and his team didn’t just make it work. They made history. The event shattered records, selling over 91,000 tickets, the highest single-event sales figure in Major League Baseball history.
It was a massive swing that connected for a home run, proving that Bristol isn’t just a race track; it’s a global entertainment destination. Marcus Smith noted that Humpy Wheeler himself would have loved the ambition behind building a stadium inside a speedway.
The Gold Standard: Las Vegas Wins Speedway of the Year
Consistency is the hardest thing to achieve in the sports business, yet Las Vegas Motor Speedway makes it look routine. For the 11th time in 14 years, the Las Vegas team took home the Speedway of the Year award. This year was unique for the Vegas crew.
They navigated a significant leadership transition as longtime boss Chris Powell retired, passing the baton to Patrick Lindsay. Usually, a changing of the guard leads to a momentary dip in momentum, not in Vegas. Under Lindsay’s leadership, the track continued its dominance, excelling in attendance, fan friendliness, and financial performance.
To edge out 10 other world-class facilities is no small feat. It requires firing on all cylinders from corporate sales to operations. The fact that Las Vegas continues to hoard this trophy speaks volumes about the culture of excellence embedded in that team.
Gaining Momentum: The Acceleration Award
For the second year running, Sonoma Raceway claimed the Acceleration Award. This recognition is all about year-over-year growth, taking what you have and making it significantly better. Accepted by GM Brian Flynn, the award highlighted Sonoma’s impressive strides in 2025.
The raceway has turned its Turn 11 facility into a hub of activity, driving up track rentals and finding new ways to monetize the beautiful California property. It wasn’t just about making more money, though. It was about smart operations. The team implemented cost-efficiency measures that streamlined the business without sacrificing the fan experience.
Final Thoughts
As 2025 closes, these awards serve as a reminder that while the cars are the stars on Sunday, it’s the people working on Monday morning who keep the sport alive and thriving. Cheers to many more years of success.
