Ed Clark – Ed Clark, who retired after 25 years as president of Atlanta Motor Speedway, has received many honors over the years. The most prestigious came in 2020 when he was the recipient of the Buddy Shuman Award. The award, now in its 64th year, recognizes individuals and organizations whose efforts and contributions helped advance the sport of stock-car racing. It is named for pioneering driver Louis Grier “Buddy” Shuman, who perished in a hotel fire in 1955.

Clark, who grew up on a tobacco farm in Virginia, spent the majority of his career with Speedway Motorsports Inc., joining the company in 1981 after beginning his career at Bristol Raceway (now Bristol Motor Speedway). He worked in public relations at Charlotte Motor Speedway before shifting to the Atlanta venue in 1992, first as the track’s general manager and three years later, as its president. While at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Clark was part of the team that helped launch the inaugural NASCAR All-Star Race. He delivered the command to fire engines at Bristol in 2020, which marked the invitational event’s first running at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

Clark has also spent time behind the wheel of a race car. In 1979, at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham he started 15^th and finished 12^th in the NASCAR Baby Grand division driving the Wendy’s sponsored Monza. He also ran in Legends racing and was a competitive driver with 46 feature wins in both the Masters and Thunder Roadster divisions. 

Most recently, Clark spearheaded efforts to add more major events like the Imagine Music Festival, Georgia State Fair and U.S. Legend Car racing to the speedway’s annual calendar, increasing Atlanta Motor Speedway’s track rental business, brand awareness and regional economic impact. In addition to his work at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Clark served on the board of directors of Speedway Children’s Charities and the Flint River Scout Council.