DON SMITH - USAC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2014

Don Smith was a thinker, and he produced a lot of good promotional ideas. He kept a notepad by his bed and whenever he came up with an idea, he would jot it down.  One of his grandiose ideas was the famed “Tony Hulman Classic” USAC Sprint spectaculars.

He was the Director of Racing at the Terre Haute Action Track from 1953 through 1980 and scheduled the inaugural “Classic” for 1971.  For the next decade, he presided over one of the most prestigious and richest USAC events at the half mile dirt oval. Sprint racing by USAC’s best, Hollywood celebrities, and the huge “Driver Appreciation Dinner” made for one spectacular weekend.

The centerpiece of the “Dinner,” which was discontinued after Hulman’s death in 1977, was the Calcutta-style auction of drivers who had qualified during preliminary races earlier in the day. The money pool was split evenly between the bidders and the Hulman Classic feature race purse, swelling it well beyond the USAC average. The city’s merchants wholeheartedly supported the event, and the local Terre Haute Tribune-Star even published a 32-page Sunday supplement the weekend before the big race. And, adding to the prestige of the event, ABC-TV sent their “Wide World of Sports” team to cover the event each year.

His tenure at the Indiana State Fairgrounds helped maintain the rich tradition of the prestigious “Hoosier Hundred.” His leadership at the Terre Haute First National Bank and First Financial Corporation was legendary and he is revered among the sport.