Why was charlotte motor speedway famous?

It was made famous first for running a 600-mile race, then for the bankrupcy in 1962 that forced out original co-owner Bruton Smith; Judge JB Craven then handed the speedway over to local furniture chain owner Richard Howard, and Howard improved the speedway and became close to both drivers and other track owners; Howard then stepped in to help Atlanta Raceway in 1970 when the track was purchased by Larry Lopatin and Lopatin went bankrupt and Howard posted the track's purse.

The track then became more famous when Bruton Smith bought out Richard Howard and spent more lavishly on the track before buying Atlanta and other tracks.