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Sprint Cup
CUP: Bristol President Jeff Byrd Dies After Long Illness
Jeff Byrd, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, passed away Sunday after a lengthy illness...
Jeff Byrd made his mark on NASCAR and Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo: Bristol Motor Speedway)
Jeff Byrd, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, passed away Sunday after a lengthy illness.
Byrd, 60, was named vice president and general manager of the popular half-mile track in 1996, shortly after it was purchased by Speedway Motorsports Inc. and was elevated to president of the facility in 2003.
Prior to making the move to BMS, Byrd was employed by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., helping oversee its marketing arm (Sports Marketing Enterprise) that steered its motorsports involvement. He began his career as a sportswriter in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“From his days as a sportswriter to his time at R.J. Reynolds to the last 14 years, Jeff Byrd was one of the greatest promoters both stock car and drag racing has known,” said Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman and CEO O. Bruton Smith in a statement. “To say his passing leaves a void would be an understatement.
“Simply put, Jeff got it. He understood that more than what happened on the track, it was the experience that fans took home with them that stayed in their memories. And those fans, and the people he worked with at Bristol Motor Speedway, were truly like family to him. Because of the mindset that he possessed, Jeff will stay in our hearts and memories forever. ”
During his nearly decade-and-a-half tenure at Bristol, Byrd helped build the facility into one of NASCAR’s most popular venues. An on-going expansion project increased the seating capacity from 71,000 upon Byrd’s arrived to its current capacity of 160,000. The track enjoyed a 55-race streak of announced sellouts, a streak that began in 1982 and ran until this year’s August night race.
“Bristol is one of the best race tracks in the world, and a lot of that is because of Jeff Byrd and the work that he has done there," two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart said. "Look at stuff like the truck hauler parade, the annual race night in downtown Bristol, and things like that. I think he was one of the guys that started putting things like those into motion, and continuing to build on those that were already in place.”
Making the fan experience more enjoyable, and more memorable, had always been a trademark of Byrd’s while at the helm of BMS.
“You have to understand one thing – I have two jobs here,” Byrd said in a 2009 interview. “The first job is to make the experience at Bristol of the highest quality possible for the race fans. I don’t get involved in the finance or the marketing or the PR, … the day-to-day operations at the speedway. That’s not what Bruton pays me to do.
“The second job is to make this as good a place to work for the employees as I can make it. So that’s what I do all day long.”
Byrd is survived by his wife, Claudia, and children Christian and Belton.
Christian Byrd is executive director and general manager at zMax Dragway in Concord.
"I'm saddened at the loss our good friend Jeff Byrd,” Martinsville Speedway track president Clay Campbell said in a news release. “I've known Jeff well going back to his days with R.J. Reynolds and Winston. He had such a passion for this business back then and was determined to help take our sport to another level.
“That determination carried over to his leadership at Bristol Motor Speedway. He was a guy that was just always a pleasure to be around. He had that kind of personality. He will be missed but not forgotten. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family."
SceneDaily.com • NASCAR makes gear change for Nationwide teams; 2011 title eligibility for Cup drivers still up in air
Byrd, 60, was named vice president and general manager of the popular half-mile track in 1996, shortly after it was purchased by Speedway Motorsports Inc. and was elevated to president of the facility in 2003.
Prior to making the move to BMS, Byrd was employed by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., helping oversee its marketing arm (Sports Marketing Enterprise) that steered its motorsports involvement. He began his career as a sportswriter in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“From his days as a sportswriter to his time at R.J. Reynolds to the last 14 years, Jeff Byrd was one of the greatest promoters both stock car and drag racing has known,” said Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman and CEO O. Bruton Smith in a statement. “To say his passing leaves a void would be an understatement.
“Simply put, Jeff got it. He understood that more than what happened on the track, it was the experience that fans took home with them that stayed in their memories. And those fans, and the people he worked with at Bristol Motor Speedway, were truly like family to him. Because of the mindset that he possessed, Jeff will stay in our hearts and memories forever. ”
During his nearly decade-and-a-half tenure at Bristol, Byrd helped build the facility into one of NASCAR’s most popular venues. An on-going expansion project increased the seating capacity from 71,000 upon Byrd’s arrived to its current capacity of 160,000. The track enjoyed a 55-race streak of announced sellouts, a streak that began in 1982 and ran until this year’s August night race.
“Bristol is one of the best race tracks in the world, and a lot of that is because of Jeff Byrd and the work that he has done there," two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart said. "Look at stuff like the truck hauler parade, the annual race night in downtown Bristol, and things like that. I think he was one of the guys that started putting things like those into motion, and continuing to build on those that were already in place.”
Making the fan experience more enjoyable, and more memorable, had always been a trademark of Byrd’s while at the helm of BMS.
“You have to understand one thing – I have two jobs here,” Byrd said in a 2009 interview. “The first job is to make the experience at Bristol of the highest quality possible for the race fans. I don’t get involved in the finance or the marketing or the PR, … the day-to-day operations at the speedway. That’s not what Bruton pays me to do.
“The second job is to make this as good a place to work for the employees as I can make it. So that’s what I do all day long.”
Byrd is survived by his wife, Claudia, and children Christian and Belton.
Christian Byrd is executive director and general manager at zMax Dragway in Concord.
"I'm saddened at the loss our good friend Jeff Byrd,” Martinsville Speedway track president Clay Campbell said in a news release. “I've known Jeff well going back to his days with R.J. Reynolds and Winston. He had such a passion for this business back then and was determined to help take our sport to another level.
“That determination carried over to his leadership at Bristol Motor Speedway. He was a guy that was just always a pleasure to be around. He had that kind of personality. He will be missed but not forgotten. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family."
SceneDaily.com • NASCAR makes gear change for Nationwide teams; 2011 title eligibility for Cup drivers still up in air
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