| | | | | | | | | | Lowe's Motor Speedway | The Beast of the Southeast |
| | Charlotte, NC In 1959, Lowe’s Motor Speedway was designed and built by O. Bruton Smith, a race promoter and car dealer. Smith partnered with the late Curtis Turner, one of stock car racing’s early stars, to build the 1.5 mile superspeedway and on June 19, 1960, the first World 600 was held there.
Just a year later, the track fell into Chapter 11 reorganization, but emerged eventually in spite of lagging ticket sales. In 1962, Smith left to pursue business interests in Texas and Illinois, but returned in 1975 as majority stockholder. Smith regained control of daily operations and hired current president H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler as general manager. The pair began to work on needed improvements and expansion, and over the years, have added thousands of grandstand seats and built luxury suites.
In 1984, Lowe’s Motor Speedway built 40 condominiums above turn one, becoming the only sports facility in the America to offer year-round living accommodations.
In 1988, Smith Tower was opened. The135,000-square-foot, seven-story facility houses the corporate offices, ticket office, gift shop, leased office space, as well as an exclusive dining and entertainment facility called The Speedway Club.
A new lighting system was installed in 1992, enabling the complex to become the first modern superspeedway to host night auto racing. The $1.7 million, 1,200 fixture lighting system - which uses mirrors to simulate daylight without glare, shadows or light poles - was developed by MUSCO Lighting of Oskaloosa, Iowa.
In 1994, Smith and Wheeler added a 20,000-square-foot NEXTEL Cup garage area.
The 1.5-mile superspeedway is host to three Cup Series events, two Busch Series races and a Craftsman Truck Series event. The Fast Track High Performance Driving School and The Richard Petty Driving Experience also use the track throughout the year.
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