Retired Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark has been named the 2020 recipient of the prestigious Buddy Shuman Award from NASCAR.
“I’m so humbled to receive this award,” said Clark. “Never in my wildest dreams growing up in southern Virginia did I think I’d be so honored to join such a prestigious group of racing legends as a winner of the Buddy Shuman Award.”
“I cannot think of anyone as deserving as Ed Clark to be receiving the Buddy Shuman Award for 2020,” said NASCAR President Mike Helton. “Everyone in our sport knows Ed and his solid character. This award will hopefully contribute to thanking him for his many contributions over nearly 50 years, and that have made this sport better for NASCAR, our competitors but most importantly, our fans”.
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. The award’s namesake was one of NASCAR’s earliest stars, both a talented driver and pioneering technical inspector — and above all, a beloved member of the racing community.
Clark has left a similar mark on the sport over the course of a nearly four-decade career. He was named General Manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway in August of 1992 and was promoted to President in March of 1995 before retiring earlier this year. Prior to joining AMS, Clark spent 11 years with Charlotte Motor Speedway; first as the Public Relations Director beginning in 1981 before being promoted to Vice President of Events in 1987.
The Keysville, Va. native covered NASCAR Cup Series races for his local newspaper literally before he was old enough to enter the pits. Clark started with the Farmville Herald at 16-years old and later wrote for the Blacksburg Sun. Shortly before he graduated in 1977 from Virginia Tech, Clark accepted a job as the Public Relations Director at what was then known as Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. He moved across the state to Nashville Raceway to become that track’s general manager two years later.
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