The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 41

ft The Charlotte Observer I charlotteobservercom 0 0 1 Bruton Smith was a dirt track promoter In 1959 -4 77! PIN 4 4 14r 2 4 'le 4r 1 SPECIAL SECTION 5 PM TODA Charlotte Motor Speedvvay's first race was rocky rowdy and so full of historic characters that David Poole wanted us to remember it BY DAVID POOLE AND PETER ST ONGE pstongechatiotteobservercom The story begins the way a good stock-car racing story should with a duel This one itwolves press conferences two of them on the same spring day 50 years ago Each is covered by a different Charlotte newspaper Each brings news of the first asphalt superspeedway for our growing region One announced by driver and magazine cover boy Curtis Turner is a 15-mile oval on NC 49 that would seat 45000 and cost $750000 The other announced by a young dirt track promoter named Bruton Smith' is bigger a million track in Pinevillethat would seat 75000 and include a football field Neither promoter as it turns out has the money to build his track Both will grudgingly realize they need each other especially in the year that follows when the building of Charlotte's big speedway will endure three snowstorms a stubborn slab of granite and perhaps not at all surprisingly a little gunplay It is the story of how NASCAR was built here not with grandeur but by ordinary men with ordinary goals to make something a little faster a little bigger a little more profitable And all of it comes with one question: How would David Poole have told it? SEE FIRST RACE 14C A 11 Curtis Turner and Smith were rivals then collaborators la Sunday May 24 2009 13C The Charlotte Observer I charlotteobservencom 0 0 Sunday May 24 2009 13C 1 ir '7777'27- 7117 "-4-7 LT: A 4 'n lrli': -ft i -0 4' 'A I ----t 'I i 'S r-1 i''' ----i'- 1: I 1 'h ft til os 11 6 4 I k' -4 i -4 -4 4' -7 't 7 I A I 9''' 1- ii my 2 'i itie -x-11 4114 tz 151 -A 'A okt1111c214044 ri (1 0 r' 1 04 11I A i 44 groi 1 01 0 r) As 1 i 0 i 1141 Kt VII 1 1101 I 0 04k 0 I 747 a 1 Ag'4 I I I li1 0 44 i 01 4 veti I) 4" ----t A r- or r4' 4'') '441 eb l' r4 '1 t' 4 4 '''r 1'74 4 1 't 1 7:4 -1 1 4 lt441011k -4 kr' 4 1 '11 '--4 'r 'r4 '-C041a'u4 i' i'''''' Nw-- -0 -1 soltp41-1 All o' o' -ooto of- 1 4' tt 4 1 --141414- '4''g 1 rnbs A 4--iir 1 --7-z Q12--- a74 4 Aging r11 LI -wt '''11 a 4) 441 04 IS '4 'r L--- 4 3 '''Nno 'i 4 4 0 4 rk '------ckt-p-1 jtaigglp --I ft- A-----4--44-------111-- -I -7-- 'P 4: 4' s' "1-1 -I Ni et 11 I 1 opir I' I' ll growl $0 4': t'r d' 'rrr Al igraill L-- rr 440 t7 -4' Pe" 4 401 -4t -4- '1 -1" '420 LIS- 13 "oo 4r I 1 4 04 4 0 4 0N- 14 rttN 4 4 'i 1 Adagr a vl a 4'''' 4 1' 4 100011115(11- 0 i 1 4 4 4 i t-! 1i 4 'IA 3- 4 r- 1 1 1 4--ir 1f1 t' 'Z 4 4 4 4-'ik 1 1-''' 4 l' I 4 '2' iCa C) SPECIAL- SECTION 'k 5 TODAY-- :1 4 3 'I et: IVk''41 Str 2 1 1 AI: to 4 IP 19t9e '9' C- ''J 4 4- ol 4 tit 411' 1 rq 'i tr f-14 ''s 4 1 1 I 2 i i 7 '7v to ve ik 4 a 1- le N- 'e 't qc "14 A i 4C 1 4 4 4 i Ze 11 4 71 7 Bruton Smith Curtis Turner ''''4 i I was a dirt track 44- 4 41 ili 1 and Smith were promoter In rivals then 1959 collaborators 0 6 1 0 4 0 0 A 1 1 11 I I I A 1 1 Charlotte Motor Speedway first race was rocky rowdy and so full of historic characters 1 that David Poole wanted us to remember it 1 1 6 I BY DAVID POOLE AND PETER ST ONGE tot 4 pstongechatiotteobservencom A -a 1 1 The story begins the way a good stock-car racing 1 story should with a duel i This one itwolves press conferences two of them on the same spring day 50 years ago- Each is covered by a i I di er erent Charlotte newspaper Each brings news of the i r' 2 first asphalt superspeedway for our growing region One announced by driver and magazine cover boy I 1 Curtis Turner is a 15-mile oval on NC 49 that would i 1 seat 45000 and cost $750000 The other announced by a young dirt track promoter named Bruton Smith is i bigger a two-mile million track in Pineville that 1 would seat 75000 and include a football field Neither promoter as it turns out has the money to build his track Both will grudgingly realize they need each other especially in the year that follows when the building of Charlotte's big speedway will endure three snowstorms a stubborn slab of granite and per- haps not at all surprisingly a little gunplay It is the sto- ry of how NASCAR was built here not with grandeur but by ordinary men with ordinary goals to make -I something a little faster a little bigger a little more 2 profitable And all of It comes with one question: '''n How would David Poole have told it? 4 si-- SEE POIST RACE 14C 2 4-' :1 1" A I i 1.