Founded in 1952, Speedway Motors is "America's Oldest Speedshop™" and the world's largest manufacturer, distributor and retailer of high performance specialty automotive products for the racing and street rod markets. This international mail order company has several divisions that service the needs of automotive and auto memorabilia enthusiasts worldwide.
Facility
Speedway operates from their new 42-acre, 520,000 square-foot, two-building corporate campus on the west side of downtown Lincoln. The high-tech, fully
automated complex houses office, warehouse and manufacturing functions, in addition to The Smith Collection Museum.
1952 - 400 square foot building at 2232 "O" Street.
1955 - 20,000 square foot building at 1719 "N" Street.
1962 - 20,000 square foot fiberglass manufacturing facility in Lincoln.
1978 - 75,000 square foot complex at 300 Speedway Circle.
2000 - 520,000 square foot, 42-acre corporate campus near downtown Lincoln.
Divisions
Speedway Motors (racing)-Retail sales of automobile racing products.
Speedway Motors (street rod)-Retail sales of street rod products.
Pro Racers Supply-Manufacture and wholesale sales of racing products.
Mr. Roadster-Manufacture and wholesale sales of street rod products.
The Smith Collection Museum Blue Diamond Classics-Manufacturer and sales of pedal cars, parts, accessories and graphics.
The Smith Collection Museum-Federally recognized 501(c)3 museum.
Bill Smith
At age 72, “Speedy Bill” Smith shows no signs of slowing on his winning ways. Speedway Motors, Inc., the largest supplier of auto racing and street rod parts, continues to provide products for enthusiasts around the world. Speedway recently completed the purchase of more than one-half million square feet of office and automated warehouse facility. This demonstrates Smith's growth ambitions for the 21st century. Still working 10-hour days, when Smith is not running his international business operation with his wife and four sons, he is seen at racetracks or automotive related events throughout the country.
His desire to be a winner began as a teenager in the late 1940's. In 1952, at just 22-years old, he opened Speedway Motors, which today is the “Oldest Speed Shop In America”™. As an entrepreneur, he has been honored by his peers with literally every industry and personal acclaim possible.
As a young racecar builder, Smith enjoyed many, many visits to victory lane. Smith's company was and still is a winning car builder. It has enjoyed success in every form of auto racing including sprint car racing, NASCAR, Bonneville, Pikes Peak Hill Climb, modifieds, super modifieds, drag racing and more.
Whether at a racetrack, at the head of a corporate meeting table, or with members of his community, “Speedy Bill” constantly demonstrates his winning style.
A Winning Tradition
• A C5, new generation Corvette designed by Speedway's Carson Smith and sponsored by Chevrolet Motorsports, ran the Pikes Peak Unlimited class in 1998.
• A Carson Smith designed truck, with backing from Chevrolet Motorsports, won the 1995 and 1996 Truck Division at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb with Robby Unser at the wheel.
• The “Winged Wonder,” designed and built by Speedway's Carson Smith and driven by Robby Unser, won the 1994 Open Wheel division of Pikes Peak in record-breaking fashion.
• Driving Speedway Motors' designed and built 4x IMCA modified car in 1992, Danny Wallace captured the Modified National Championship with 29 feature wins. “Stock Car Racing” magazine sensed the winning tradition of Speedway and Danny by featuring the car on their January 1992 cover.
• In 1992, the 70th annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb record books fell to Speedway and Robby Unser. Their Chevy powered, oversized wing car designed by Carson Smith, bested a four-year-old record by more than 7 seconds, clocking in at 10 minutes, 58.87 seconds.
• Builder John MacKichan and driver Tim Schulz took the two-time, record holding Speedway Motors’ Streamliner to Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1990. Their car became the world's fastest small block Chevy, hitting 326.217 miles per hour.
• The stock-block, Chevy small-block powered ’85 Lola, fielded by sons Carson and Jason Smith and driven by Robby Unser, captured the 1989 American Indy Car Series crown with 12 victories and new records at five racetracks.
• Bill Smith teamed up with General Motors' Engineer Ed Mosher on his “Coors Extra Gold Draft” one million dollar ’32 Ford Roadster in 1988. Coors toured the car nation wide for three years.
• Famed sprint car driver Doug Wolfgang drove Speedway Motors’ sprint car to 26 feature wins in 1978, including the Florida Winter Nationals and the prestigious Knoxville Nationals (the Indy of Sprint car racing).
• Jan Opperman, one of the original “Outlaw Racers,” won the 1976 Terre Haute Classic aboard Speedway Motors’ 4x sprint car. This race, one of the few races aired on ABC's Wide World of Sports, paid the largest purse ever offered for sprint car racing.
• Bill and his Speedway racecars have competed at hundreds of tracks and state fairs during 40 years of dirt track racing.
• Lloyd Beckman, driving Speedway’s 4x modified in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, recorded 16 straight feature wins at one track alone.
• With famed driver Tiny Lund, in 1956 Bill Smith built one of the first Pontiac Late Models to be raced in NASCAR.
• Successfully campaigned drag cars and dragsters in the early ‘50’s and ‘60’s using Flathead Ford, Oldsmobile, Chevy and Chrysler V-8 engines.
The Family
Bill: He began racing cars as a teenager in the late 1940's. By 1952, at the age of 22, he saw the demand for racing parts growing in his hometown Lincoln, and opened one of the first speedshops in the Midwest at 2232 "O" Street. The tiny 400 square-foot shop was the first home of Speedway Motors. At age 72, he is still the first one to work each day, and the last one to leave.
Wife Joyce: Bill's business and life partner from Speedway's inception, today Joyce serves as the Corporate Secretary-Treasurer. She continues to be involved in daily activities, supervising the accounting department and participating in the general operations and management of the company.
Carson: Vice President / General Manager of Speedway Motors. With a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska, he is not only involved in the daily operations of the company, but is significantly involved with new product development and manufacturing, plus software development and programming.
Craig: Director of Speedway Motors. He currently manages and supervises commercial real estate holdings for Speedway's real estate division, B&J Partnership. While he has used his degree in Advertising (B.A., University of Nebraska) to support the marketing and advertising functions of Speedway, his creativity is now directed at the design, construction and renovation of Speedways commercial holdings.
Clay: Director of Speedway Motors. He is involved with special projects for both the commercial real estate division and Speedway. His undergraduate degree in economics and his graduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University are utilized in the daily operations of all Speedway endeavors.
Jason: Vice President / General Manager of Warehouse Operations and General Manager of the Mr. Roadster Product Division. He is involved in a variety of management functions from daily operations and purchasing, to manufacturing and marketing. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska.
Other Businesses
Blue Diamond Classics
A unique division of Speedway, Blue Diamond Classics manufactures and sells parts and accessories to restore pre- and post-war pedal cars. It also developed the most comprehensive line of reproduction pedal car graphics available in the industry.
Speedway Properties
Speedway's commercial real estate division has developed more than 125 projects throughout Lincoln. The holdings include newly constructed facilities, commercial office buildings, warehouses and shopping centers, in addition to many renovated historic commercial buildings in Lincoln's Downtown and Historic Haymarket District.
The Smith Collection Museum
The Smith Collection Museum houses several world-class collections.
• The world's largest collection of antique racing engines
• The finest collection of antique pedal cars in the U.S.
• One of the largest displays of sprint car and Indy memorabilia
• An extensive collection of antique tin toy cars, gas powered tether cars and yellow cab items
• A car collection of world-class distinction including antique, historic race and one-of-a-kind models, a rare "Tucker" auto among them
Bill: He began racing cars as a teenager in the late 1940's. By 1952, at the age of 22, he saw the demand for racing parts growing in his hometown Lincoln, and opened one of the first speedshops in the Midwest at 2232 "O" Street. The tiny 400 square-foot shop was the first home of Speedway Motors. At age 72, he is still the first one to work each day, and the last one to leave.
