299 – Marcus Smith: First Sport with Fans Back

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joined by Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith, who opens up about NASCAR’s return to action from a track owner’s perspective. As Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts NASCAR’s second week back to racing, Smith details the screening process the track conducts before events, why he envisions fans returning sooner rather than later and what that will look like. The two long-time friends, along with co-host Mike Davis, reflect on Sunday’s World 600 and Earnhardt Jr. shares his thoughts on the underwhelming race and asks Smith what can be done to improve NASCAR Cup Series competition at Charlotte. Smith offers candid thoughts on what the track and sport can do to put on a more entertaining event, how his company approaches repaving track surfaces, and the difficulty of keeping up with race team’s innovation. Plus, the two reminisce about the cold day spent at North Wilkesboro Speedway last December, discuss what Smith really thinks of Dale Jr.’s ideas, and learn more about NASCAR returning to Nashville. As racing resumes, this conversation sheds light on how tracks are preparing to host events again and what goes into putting on the best races possible.