By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
As part of its effort to recognize the success across its premier motorsports facilities, Speedway Motorsports, Inc. officials have named Vice President of Operations and Development Stephen Swift as the O. Bruton Smith Award recipient for 2016.
The award was officially announced Wednesday, but was presented to Swift at the just completed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week in Las Vegas.
Swift was the architect behind the repaving and redesign of the Kentucky Speedway racing surface that was competed prior to the 2016 season.
“It was pretty exciting” Swift told the Tribune while in Las Vegas last week. “We started out looking at that, knowing we had to do something because of the weepers and the water issues that we had. We started working with (Kentucky Speedway General Manager) Mark (Simendinger) and trying to come up with something different that just going back to the status quo.”
The charge from SMI CEO Marcus Smith was to try to figure out how to put together a racetrack that would cause some difference in the mile-and-a-half racing.
They achieved that by making Kentucky Speedway in Sparta the only mile-and-a-half oval on the circuit that is not symmetrical in its turns.
Increased banking in Turns 1 and 2 created a slingshot effect that sent drivers into turn three at a high rate of speed and tested the skills of drivers wanting to maintain speed and get through the turn safely.
“The main key was braking,” Swift said. “With the turn three being as treacherous as it was already, we kind of gave them the initiative to hit the brakes. Those who did not learn to hit the brakes, tended to hit the wall.”
Swift’s primary role is to oversee development at all of the facilities.
“I also look over capital expenditures and work with all of our general managers to figure out how best to maintain our facilities and keep them running to the expectations of Marcus and Bruton Smith,” Swift said. “Our goal is to make everything look shiny and new every time the fans show up.”
The O. Bruton Smith Award is presented annually to one employee across all of Speedway Motorsports and its subsidiaries. The 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.
Swift said the award means a lot because it is recognition from his peers and sometimes he has to make tough decisions that are not always popular.”
“You go to these tracks and get to work with each of these guys and to get the recognition is very humbling,” Swift said. “You’re either a hero or a zero, there’s no in-between.”
Swift lives in the Bristol, Tennessee area, and worked as general contractor after graduation from college with a degree in construction engineering. He started working for SMI 12 year ago, after working as a contractor at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“They asked me to come work for them and I’ve been with them ever since,” Swift said. “The company itself is family run and it’s really impressive how you are looked upon as one large family.”
Jerry Caldwell of Bristol Motor Speedway was recognized as SMI’s promoter of the year. Bristol Motor Speedway completed the sweep of the SMI awards by being recognized as track of the year.
“The dedicated crew members at our Speedway Motorsports facilities come to work with a mission to exceed expectations in every way,” said Marcus Smith. “We are blessed with innovative thinkers who have helped establish our state-of-the-art facilities as cutting-edge, globally acclaimed destinations. We are proud to celebrate Steve and Jerry’s accomplishments and to recognize the entire crew at Bristol Motor Speedway for their achievements.
Closer to home, Senior Director of Business Development Dan Stewart was named salesman of the year for Kentucky Speedway while attending the events in Las Vegas .
Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger said it’s fun for him to see guys with such a close connection to his home track get awards.
“I’m proud of Steve and I’m proud of Dan Stewart,” Simendinger said. “The only thing better is for me to win an award and since that’s not going to happen, they are my second choice. That’s what we are trying to build every single day and for these guys to get recognized like that it just makes me feel good about what we are doing.”
Swift said it’s it’s important to understand that everyone at SMI plays an important role.
“We always make jokes that Dan and the sales guys make all the money for the tracks and as long as they keep making it, we’ll keep spending it,” Swift said. “That’s a very good relationship to have, but in order to do that we’ve got to build things and keep them prepared and up to speed so they can sell and keep the sponsors happy.”
Swift credits the drivers for not just putting on a spectacular show every week, but also for being relatable and accessible to the fans.
“The uniqueness of motorsports is that the drivers are athletes, but they are not some Greek gods that you see in other sports,” Swift said. “They drive cars and they are really good at driving cars, but the awesome part about our sport is that everybody drives a car every day. Not everybody plays football, basketball or baseball, but everybody gets in a car and drives, so there is a connection there.”
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com