Charlotte Motor Speedway

When Charlotte Motor Speedway opened in June 1960, the track built by Bruton Smith and Curtis Turner became a cornerstone in the decade that launched NASCAR's superspeedway era. Stock car racing's first paved 1.5-mile track immediately grabbed the motorsports world's attention with the young sport's longest event—a 600-mile race. And the track never left the spotlight, despite struggling through several years of bankruptcy. After regaining control of his beloved track in 1975, Smith, along ...