Driver Michael Waltrip still vividly remembers his first trip to Wheeler's office 15 years ago. Instead of immediately whipping out his wallet, Wheeler gave Waltrip a lesson. After Waltrip averted his eyes when they first shook hands, Wheeler scolded him. Other predictions have been less accurate. In a 1972 speech to a Charlotte civic group about the year 2000, he predicted that a three-day workweek would be the industry standard and that Charlotte would be the largest seaport in the Carolinas because boats would be able to skim across land as well as water.
Wheeler takes in looking beyond the next race.
In 1995, Speedway Motorsports Inc. was the first racing company to be traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange. Last year, Wheeler and Smith inked the first naming-rights and sponsorship agreement at a major motorsports facility when it sold the speedway name to Lowe's. But, say colleagues and co-workers, Wheeler is also a details guy, a perfectionist. Ask Wheeler what he's most proud of, and he'll tell you it's when the bathrooms work inside the speedway and the traffic flows well outside. Wheeler's temper is well-known in racing circles.