Speedway Motorsports officials, in recognition of exemplary performance and exceptional service on behalf of and its world-class facilities, recognized the 2025 recipients for the company’s O. Bruton Smith Award, Promoter of the Year, Speedway of the Year and the Acceleration Award. Announcements were made during a company-wide town hall meeting this week as the industry-leading company wraps up a successful year hosting entertainment and motorsports events across the country.

Dover Motor Speedway’s Jim Hosfelt earned the 2025 O. Bruton Smith Award, while Bristol Motor Speedway President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell received Promoter of the Year honors. Las Vegas Motor Speedway was named Speedway of the Year award and Sonoma Raceway earned the fourth annual Acceleration Award.

“At Speedway Motorsports, our goal is to exceed expectations in sports and entertainment by delivering unforgettable moments at every touchpoint,” said Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports. “That mission is only possible because of the passion, dedication and effort our teams across the country bring to their work each day. It’s a privilege to celebrate the leaders and teammates across our footprint whose commitment fuels our momentum and helps transform every event into a truly remarkable experience for our fans.”

Bruton Smith Award

Dover Motor Speedway Vice President of Safety and Security, Jim Hosfelt, received the 2025 O. Bruton Smith Award.

Established 13 years ago to recognize one employee annually across all of Speedway Motorsports and its subsidiaries, the recipient of this prestigious award is someone who exhibits Speedway Motorsports’ founder O. Bruton Smith’s traits: character, enthusiasm, drive, a heart for helping others, respect and appreciation for team members, vision and determination. It is the company’s highest honor.

Hosfelt joined Dover Motor Speedway in 2014 to oversee the day-to-day security and event-time public safety at the facility. Shortly after Speedway Motorsports acquired Dover in 2021, Hosfelt added the title of Director of Safety and Security for Speedway Motorsports, working as a liaison for NASCAR and federal agencies at events across the company’s portfolio of properties.

Prior to his speedway tenure, the Cumberland, Md. native spent 25 years in law enforcement with the Dover Police Department, where he retired as Chief of Police.

Away from the track, Hosfelt serves as a coordinator for food distribution events conducted by the speedway with the Food Bank of Delaware. An Air Force veteran and graduate of the FBI National Academy, he was elected to seats on Dover City Council (2015-2017) and Kent County Levy Court (2017-2019).

“The contributions Jim makes, the relationships he has across the sport, thankfully it’s a low profile thing, but (public safety) is one of the most important things we do,” said Speedway Motorsports Chief Operating Officer Mike Burch. “We talk about ‘safe, clean and comfortable.’ He’s invaluable to making sure our fans from across the nation are safe when they come to our race tracks.”

“When we finished the transaction to acquire Dover Motorsports, we had no idea what an amazing fit our teams would be,” Smith added. “Jim, specifically, is just remarkable – how he is able to be everywhere and always deliver so professionally. It’s really impressive and he’s made a tremendous impact on our company.”

H.A. Humpy Wheeler Promoter of the Year

Recognized for his team’s effort around the Speedway Classic partnership with Major League Baseball and continued success in NASCAR and other secondary events, Bristol Motor Speedway President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell was named H.A. Humpy Wheeler Promoter of the Year for 2025. The annual award, named in honor of the legendary promoter who passed away in August, is chosen by the selection committee and given to the Speedway Motorsports general manager who best displayed the creativity, innovation, leadership and execution that are fundamental to Speedway Motorsports’ way of doing business.

A first-of-its-kind event in baseball, the Speedway Classic saw the highest ticket sales for a single event in the history of Major League Baseball with over 91,000 tickets sold.

“Humpy was known as the PT Barnum of motorsports,” Smith said. “He inspired a lot of people to think outside the box. To name Jerry as this year’s promoter is very fitting as he’s done a great job in leading the team to phenomenal success this year. Bristol has a reputation where people aren’t going to question if something like building a baseball stadium inside a race track can happen – they know it can.”

Speedway of the Year

Las Vegas Motor Speedway received Speedway of the Year recognition, edging out 10 state-of-the-art Speedway Motorsports entertainment complexes to earn top honors 11 of the last 14 years. The award was presented to LVMS President Patrick Lindsay, who replaced the facility’s longtime head Chris Powell upon his retirement earlier this year. The award recognizes the Speedway Motorsports facility with the best overall performance during 2025 in such aspects as fan friendliness, attendance, financial performance, sponsor relations and creativity.

“It’s not easy to grow on an already fantastic performance,” Smith said. “Patrick has carried the torch well and it’s great to have his leadership. It’s a huge effort because everything that happens — from corporate sales to operations and logistics — this team has done a great job and delivered every time.”

Acceleration Award

For the second year in a row, Sonoma Raceway was honored with the Acceleration Award, which recognizes a Speedway Motorsports subsidiary for significant year-over-year gains across multiple performance measures. The award was accepted by Sonoma Raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Flynn.

Sonoma Raceway delivered a strong performance in 2025, driven by growing track rental activity in the raceway’s premium Turn 11 facility, along with strategic cost-efficiency initiatives that enhanced operations across the property while maintaining a high-quality fan experience.

“We had multiple speedways that made significant improvements, but we had one that really outdid themselves year-over-year,” Burch said. “They continue to bolster the fan experience, drive down expenses and find new ways to use the speedway to serve their clients.”

SMLLC PR

(CNN) — Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina and his two children died after a small private jet crashed shortly after takeoff in North Carolina on Thursday, in a disaster which killed a total of seven people.

Biffle, who is considered one of NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers with 19 wins, was thought to be taking his family to visit creator and motorsports streamer Garrett Mitchell.

Biffle was a licensed pilot, but it’s not yet clear who was flying the aircraft. According to the Associated Press, the Cessna C550 crashed while trying to return and land at the Statesville Regional Airport, where it had departed shortly before on Thursday morning.

Dennis Dutton and his son Jack, as well as longtime NASCAR community member Craig Wadsworth, were identified as the other passengers, according to a joint statement from the families of those killed.

The tragedy is the latest in a growing number of aviation disasters which have rocked the motorsports community over the years, as well as the world of professional sports as a whole.

Davey Allison

Davey Allison was another NASCAR driver who lost his life during an aviation crash in 1993.

The 1992 Daytona 500 winner and son of racing legend Bobby Allison was piloting a helicopter when it crashed at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

According to AP, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report attributed the incident to the pilot’s inexperience, with the moment shocking the entire motorsport community.

Alan Kulwicki

Earlier in the same year, NASCAR’s 1986 Rookie of the Year Alan Kulwicki had died after a small jet he was in crashed on approach to an airport in Tennessee.

Kulwicki died alongside three others, including two sponsorship executives and the pilot. According to AP, the NTSB ruled the pilot had failed to clear the engine inlet of ice.

The Wisconsin native had previously won the 1992 driver’s championship in dramatic style, beating Bill Elliott (who survived an aviation scare) in what was the closest title race in history.

Motorsports history

The motorsport world has since numerous other aviation tragedies.

In 2004, 10 people connected to Hendrick Motorsports were killed when a plane headed for Martinsville Speedway crashed into a mountain due to foggy conditions.

Then in 2019, nine-time NASCAR champion and NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Mike Stefanik died in a plane crash.

According to Connecticut State Police, an Aerolite 103, single-engine, single-seat plane took off with Stefanik on board from Riconn Airport just over the state line in Rhode Island. Police say the ultralight plane, while turning back toward the airfield, crashed into a wooded area adjacent to the airport in Sterling, Connecticut.

Kobe Bryant

More recently, NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in 2020.

The crash occurred about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles and killed all nine people aboard.

The passengers were heading from Orange County to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a youth basketball game in which Bryant was to coach and Gianna and two others aboard were to play.

Bryant’s death sparked an outpouring of emotional tributes, with his legacy touching all four corners of the world.

Emiliano Sala

In 2019, the soccer world was brought to a halt after the death of Emiliano Sala.

Sala and a pilot were traveling from France to Wales after Welsh club Cardiff City had agreed to sign the striker from French side Nantes. The soccer star had said farewell to his former teammates just before the plane crashed in the English Channel on January 21.

Sala’s body was recovered from the wreckage on February 6, 2019, after a private search for the missing player and the pilot was commissioned by his family.

Roy Halladay

Pitcher Roy Halladay, who won two Cy Young Awards and more than 200 Major League Baseball games during a stellar career, died in a plane crash off the Florida coast in 2017.

Halladay, 40, was the only person on the two-seater plane that crashed just off New Port Richey on the Gulf coast north of the Tampa Bay area.

The single-engine plane, an Icon A5, crashed in very shallow water and was found upside down.

Halladay had done several aerial maneuvers in his plane and had drugs in his system when he lost control and crashed, according to the NTSB.

Halladay pitched parts of 16 seasons in the major leagues, the first 12 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He won the Cy Young for the Blue Jays in 2003, when he went 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA and led the American League with nine complete games. He was elected posthumously to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Payne Stewart

In 1999, one of the world’s most recognizable golfers died when his private plane lost cabin pressure, an incident which killed all four passengers and both pilots.

Stewart was a three-time major winner and was the reigning US Open champion when he died.

The plane eventually crashed in South Dakota but had been flying on auto-pilot for a while with everyone on board either unconscious or already dead, according to AP.

Stewart was 42 at the time, but his legacy still lives on through an annual award presented by the PGA Tour to a golfer who shows the former champion’s spirit.

Roberto Clemente

On New Year’s Eve in 1972, Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente died after a plane crashed on takeoff from Puerto Rico.

Clemente was bringing emergency aid to Nicaragua after an earthquake had hit the country.

The Baseball Hall of Famer led the Pirates to two World Series titles during an illustrious career, where he was named a 15-time All-Star and the 1966 NL MVP.

According to AP, the plane Clemente was on was poorly maintained and overloaded.

Munich Air disaster

In 1958, a disaster rocked arguably the most famous club in world soccer, Manchester United.

The squad – dubbed the “Busby Babes” – was the back-to-back English champion and well positioned for a hat-trick of titles.

But after United returned home from knocking Red Star Belgrade out of the European Cup, the team’s plane crashed on its third attempt to take off after re-fueling in Germany.

A total of 23 people were killed in the crash, including eight Manchester United players.

The Red Devils went on to rebuild the team, led by survivors including manager Matt Busby and club legend Bobby Charlton. The tragedy is still remembered every year on February 6.

Chapecoense

Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense also suffered a tragedy in 2016 after a plane carrying the team crashed.

Players, coaches and invited guests from the team were on board the charter flight, when it crashed in Rionegro, near Medellín. Seventy-one people were killed and six survived.

Among the victims were around 20 journalists on the way to cover what was supposed to be a heartwarming chapter in a Cinderella story for a team of unlikely champions. The soccer club, which had risen the ranks in Brazilian soccer and has a devoted national fanbase, was set to play in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana finals.

Hundreds of heartbroken fans gathered at Arena Conda in the team’s hometown of Chapeco, Brazil, to mourn their loss.

Figure skaters

Earlier this year, several members of US Figure Skating were killed in midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter.

No one survived the incident and a total of 28 members of the US figure skating community were killed, including a married pair of skating champions, two young skaters and their mothers.

The multigenerational loss evoked painful memories of the 1961 plane crash that killed 73 people – including all 18 members of the US figure skating team headed to the world figure skating championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. That disaster killed not just elite athletes but also their coaches, leaving seismic voids in US figure skating for generations to come.

Marshall University football team

In November 1970, a chartered Southern Airways plane crashed while trying to land in West Virginia.

The crash killed all 75 people on board, including the Marshall University football team and its coaching staff.

In 2006, a film called We Are Marshall depicted how the team rebuilt itself following the tragedy which shocked the US.

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Nascimento Motorsports, a championship winning race team in Northern California, has announced the Jr. Late Model Combine to take place at Madera Speedway on January 23-24, 2026. Drivers ages 10-16 years old are invited to apply for consideration for the combine. On-track action on the one-third mile asphalt speedway includes Legends testing on Friday January 23 and Jr. Late Model testing on Saturday January 24.

The combine features driver coaching and evaluation from Nascimento Motorsports. The weekend also includes media, marketing, crew, and spotter modules. Drivers and their families will have opportunities to learn from sponsorship and media pros and from championship winning drivers and crew chiefs.

What’s at stake? The top performing driver will earn a fully paid race weekend in the 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model Series on national TV at Madera Speedway. Second prize is a half-priced race weekend. The third best driver earns a fully paid Legends race weekend.

51FIFTY Jr. Late Models has been the proving ground for many of the top young stock car drivers in the nation including 2025 XFINITY Series champion Jesse Love, two-time ARCA Menards Series, West champion Sean Hingorani, ARCA West winners such as Tanner and Tyler Reif, and Madera Short Track Shootout winners Kyle Keller and Ethan Nascimento among many others. Jr. Late Models utilize the GM 602 crate engine producing approximately 350 horsepower before being restricted for junior competition. An 8” Hoosier 970 tire controls the pace and adds additional challenges as well.

Event details and registration can be found at www.NascimentoMotorsports.comQuestions can be directed to Eric Nascimento at (209) 993-6457

Madera Speedway PR

Maurizio Leschiutta is set to step down as Lamborghini’s head of motorsport at the end of the calendar year.

Leschiutta (pictured above) will depart the Italian manufacturer after a short stint. He was originally appointed in mid-January to succeed Giorgio Sanna and oversee its GT and prototype efforts (although the SC63 program was paused after its partial season campaign in IMSA GTP), following his time spent at BMW working as project leader for its M Hybrid V8 LMDh program.

Rouven Mohr, the chief technical officer at Lamborghini, will assume the role of head of motorsport once again until the position is filled.

“During his tenure, Maurizio made a significant contribution to the sporting success of Lamborghini Squadra Corse during the 2025 season,” a statement from Lamborghini read. “Among the highlights, the team celebrated a historic overall victory in the 24 Hours of Spa, achieved together with Grasser Racing Team and Lamborghini factory drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper.

“Beyond on-track success, Leschiutta also led the development of the new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 and Temerario Super Trofeo cars. These important projects will see their respective debuts at the 12 Hours of Sebring in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in 2026, and in the European, North American and Asian Super Trofeo championships starting in 2027, respectively.

“Lamborghini would like to sincerely thank Maurizio Leschiutta for the commitment, professionalism and dedication shown during his year with Lamborghini Squadra Corse. Lamborghini wishes him all the best for his future professional endeavors.”

The SCCA Foundation is embarking on an initiative in an effort to guarantee that future generations will be able to enjoy the thrill of amateur motorsports. That’s why Bob Crawford, chairman of SCCA’s Board of Directors (BoD), announced the appointment of Clay Turner as the new SCCA Foundation Executive Director. He and Foundation Chairman Jeff Jacobs are now charged with driving the non-profit’s bold mission of making opportunities in amateur motorsports accessible to all, now and for generations to come.

Turner, a 25-year member of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and current member of SCCA’s BoD, brings extensive leadership experience and business acumen to this pivotal role, as well as a deep passion for motorsports. A seasoned competitor, he was elected to SCCA’s 13-member BoD in 2021 as the Area 8 representative after previously holding several leadership positions at SCCA’s Regional level.

“SCCA Foundation can play a larger role in preserving, protecting and expanding amateur motorsports,” Turner said. “We envision a vibrant future–one where the thrill of competition, the spirit of community, and the legacy of excellence are passed on to the next generation of drivers, volunteers and leaders. As a Club, SCCA is uniquely positioned to pass along a legacy of excellence built by racing legends, ensuring the thrill of competition and spirit of community continues to inspire future generations to experience the rush of auto racing competition.”

Created in 1986, SCCA Foundation’s original signatories included Paul Newman, Carl Haas and former ACCUS-FIA President Nick Craw. As an SCCA support organization, the non-profit Foundation has nearly four decades of service to the Club through its education, training and development efforts.

For more information or to support the Foundation’s endeavors, visit sccafoundation.org.

For more on the SCCA, visit scca.com.

Hendrick Motorsports disaster (2004)

Alan Kulwicki (1993)

Davey Allison (1993)

Curtis Turner (1970)

Mike Stefanik (2019)

Ted Christopher (2017)

Richie Panch (1985)

Non-fatal crashes

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2019)

Jack Roush (2002, 2010)

Rick Hendrick (2011)

Bill Elliott (1987)