Category: EPARTRADE Race Industry Week

David Wilson, vice president and president of TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development), has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

Wilson is responsible for all TRD operations and activities in North America.  These include competition, commercial, engineering, operations, and administration.  He oversees all TRD facilities — the organization’s headquarters and engine operations in Costa Mesa, Calif., and the chassis/team support operation in Salisbury, N.C. and the GR Cup and Toyota Performance Center in Mooresville, N.C.

Highlights from Wilson’s career at TRD include helping Toyota, Lexus, and Gazoo Racing North America (GRNA) teams and drivers to victories in a variety of events, including the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Baja 500 and 1000, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Daytona 500, the Motul Petit Le Mans, the Chili Bowl, the NHRA U.S. Nationals, the Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Prior to joining TRD, Wilson was employed by Johnson & Johnson and was an officer in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, where he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Parachutist’s Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

Wilson earned a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech and resides in Newport Beach, Calif., with his family.  In his spare time, he enjoys collecting wrist watches, working on cars and fitness training.

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Richard Petty, known to many as ‘The King’, has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

Petty is the most decorated driver in the history of NASCAR, with 200 career victories and seven NASCAR Cup Series championships under his belt.

Born on July 2, 1937, in Level Cross, North Carolina, Richard Petty grew up in the racing world. His father, Lee Petty, is a three-time NASCAR Grand National Champion (now called the NASCAR Cup), the winner of the first Daytona 500 in 1959, and is a founding member of the Petty Enterprises Racing Team. His brother, Maurice, built engines and was a crew member while his mother, Elizabeth, kept score. It was inevitable that Richard would join the family business of racing.

Petty started racing in 1958, and the following year he accumulated nine top-10 finishes and was named Rookie of the Year. Two years after his first NASCAR race, Petty earned his first win in Charlotte. He won his first Daytona 500 in 1964, a race he went on to win a total of seven times.

Off the race track, Petty married Lynda Owens on July 22, 1959. They have four children- Kyle, Sharon, Lisa, and Rebecca. Kyle went on to race in NASCAR just like his father and grandfather before him.

Petty set amazing racing records that have remained unbroken to this day. He won 127 pole positions; the most wins in one season – 27; the most consecutive wins – 10; the most wins from the pole – 61; the most wins from the pole in one season – 15.

He briefly left NASCAR in 1965, after rules were introduced that made his beloved No.43 Plymouth’s engine illegal. As a result, he spent a year on the drag racing circuit, but he returned to NASCAR in 1966. That year, Petty had the best single season by any racer ever, speeding his way to 27 first-place finishes and his second Grand National Cup.

Petty was seemingly unstoppable in the 1970s, claiming the title in 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1979. He was also voted driver of the year in 1971. The Daytona 500 win in 1979 might be Petty’s most memorable win. Not only did he snap a 45-race drought during the first race to be televised from flag to flag, but the 1979 race would also become infamous for a fistfight breaking out between second and third place drivers Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough, who crashed on the last lap. This race is widely recognized as the catalyst for NASCAR’s wide popularity today.

Richard Petty’s last win would come in 1984 at Daytona, and in true fashion, this race was one for the record books. On lap 158, a crash brought out the yellow caution flag, turning that lap into the final lap of the race. He and Cale Yarborough battled it out once again with Petty finishing only a fender length ahead. President Ronald Reagan was in attendance at this race marking the first time a sitting president attended a NASCAR race. He celebrated with Petty in Victory Lane.

Richard Petty and the Petty Racing Team have made a tremendous impact on the world of racing with contributions to improve the sport like nylon window screens, roll bars, cooled helmets, and two-way radios.

Petty officially retired from racing in 1992 with more than 1,800 races under his belt. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1997 and was a part of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.

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Karun Chandhok, professional racing driver and Formula 1 commentator and analyst; Mike Burch, EVP & COO of Speedway Motorsports; Ali Russell, Managing Director of Extreme E; Patrick Peter, President of Peter Auto; Kevil Miller, President & CEO of USAC; Peter Thul, Senior Director for Sport at WRC; Rodi Basso, CEO and co-founder of E1; Brian Carter, CEO of the World of Outlaws; Greg Gill, President & CEO of SRO Motorsports America; Tony Parella, President of SVRA; Jeremy Croiset, CEO of NASA (National Auto Sport Association) and Bob Sargent, CEO & President of Track Enterprises, have joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

No charge to attend.  Click here to register. For more information about Race Industry Week, please click here.

Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of MotoGP, has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

Ezpeleta joined Dorna Sports as an intern in 2007, took on a full-time role in 2013 and has since worked his way to Chief Sporting Officer, directly responsible for the Sporting and Technical areas of the Championships as well as overseeing activities in the Promoters, Operations and Talent Promotion departments.

Carlos studied at the International College of Spain before his passion for both sports and motorsport business guided him towards a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Business at the Universidad Europea de Madrid. During university, he combined studying with four-wheeled racing, taking part in the Spanish Endurance Championship, which he won in 2012, as well as achieving consecutive titles in the GSeries ice-racing championship in 2017 and 2019.

Carlos has had extensive experience in the different areas of MotoGP, beginning in 2007 as an intern assisting with TV footage of incidents for Race Control. During his university years he shifted to the technical area of the championship, becoming involved with scrutineering, and then started working for Dorna full-time in 2013 as the coordinator of the Medical Team and Safety Car driver. Directing the Sporting Department since 2017, Carlos was then named a Managing Director of the company in 2020.

In 2021, his title changed to Chief Sporting Officer. Carlos is directly responsible for the Sporting and Technical areas of the Championships as well as overseeing activities in the Promoters, Operations and Talent Promotion departments, where some of his duties include being the Dorna representative liaising and reaching consensus with the other Governing Bodies of the World Championship (FIM, IRTA, MSMA), mediating in the Grand Prix Commission, and overseeing any matters related to the MotoGP regulations.

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Jim Campbell, vice president of GM Performance & Motorsports, has joined the list of featured industry speakers during the 4th Annual Annual Race Industry Week.

Campbell is also responsible for strategy and product-marketing of Chevrolet and GMC trucks as well as accessories.

Prior to his current role, Campbell served as U.S. vice president of Chevrolet Marketing, and led GM’s Fleet & Commercial operations.

Campbell has broad experience with performance vehicles and has worked extensively across a variety of race series, including NASCAR, IMSA, IndyCar and NHRA.

No charge to attend.  Click here to register. For more information about Race Industry Week, please click here.

Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week.

Jeff Dodds is the Chief Executive Officer of Formula E – the first FIA sanctioned electric world championship and the world’s first net zero carbon sport since inception.

Prior to joining the fastest growing motorsport in the world in June 2023, Jeff was the chief operating Ooficer at Virgin Media O2 since its creation in June 2021 and before that at Virgin Media from 2019. In addition to working for Virgin Media O2, Jeff lived and worked in the Netherlands as the CEO of the telecoms business Tele2 and has also held executive roles at Callaway Golf, Honda and Volvo.

Jeff currently sits on the board of the disability equality organisation, The Valuable 500, and is a non-executive director for UK Government at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Jeff has an MBA and an MSc in International Marketing and in 2022 received an honorary doctorate in Business from Bournemouth University.

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Don Hawk, CEO OF Superstar Racing Experience (SRX); John Clagett, President & CEO of Trans Am Race Company; Jerome Galpin, President & CEO of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series; Ryan Sage, President and co-founder of Formula DRIFT; Chris Williams, wwner of SMART Modified Tour; Adam Bailey, CEO of SX Global / World Supercross Championship; Brad Gerber, V.P. Sales & CDO of NHRA and Marty Fiolka, promoter for Crandon International Raceway, have joined the list of featured speakers during the 4^th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

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Mark Miles, President & CEO of Penske Entertainment (IMS, IndyCar and IMSP), has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

Miles is President and Chief Executive Officer of Penske Entertainment Corp., comprised of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), IndyCar and IMS Productions (IMSP).  Penske Entertainment Corp. is a subsidiary of Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader employing more than 64,000 people worldwide.

From January of 2013 to January of 2020, Miles was President and Chief Executive Officer of Hulman & Company, the previous parent organization of IMS, IndyCar and IMSP.  During this time, Miles and his leadership team presided over the sold-out 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race and several years of attendance and viewership growth for the NTT IndyCar Series.

Prior to entering the world of motorsports, from January 2006 through December 2012, Miles was President and Chief Executive Officer of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, Inc. (“CICP”), a non-profit, regional alliance of corporate CEOs and university presidents focused on long-term growth and economic development throughout the Central Indiana region, including strategic priorities as wide-ranging as human capital (education), entrepreneurship and innovation, government reform, and mass transit.

In 2008, Miles led a successful effort to earn Indianapolis the right to host Super Bowl XLVI.  He was Chairman of the Board of the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee, with 18 staff members and thousands of volunteers, and which served as an extension of the National Football League in the local community to centralize planning and execution of the 2012 Super Bowl event.

In conjunction with the 2012 Super Bowl, Miles spearheaded a civic effort known as the Legacy Project to effect positive change throughout the surrounding community.  Legacy Project work done on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis creating a lasting legacy and impact far beyond game week – with special emphasis on Youth Education Town and revitalization of the East 10th Street business district.

From August 1990 through 2005, Miles was Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Tennis Professionals (“ATP”).  While there, Miles built the ATP into a world-class, professional organization, stabilized a sport that was struggling to compete with other sports and entertainment entities, posted impressive revenue gains, launched innovative marketing initiatives, and expanded its global presence through successful events in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

During his years with the ATP, prize money rose from $47 million to $85 million, and long-term commercial sponsorships were put into place, with Mercedes-Benz being established as the ATP’s Premium Partner in 1996.  He helped to forge closer ties with the game’s other governing bodies and, along with the ITF, helped return tennis to the Olympics and strengthened the sport’s prominence through the awarding of ATP ranking points for the competition.

In 1984, Miles was chosen to organize and produce the Pan American Games, scheduled to be held in Indianapolis in 1987. As President of the organizing body, he led the $100 million event with 38,000 volunteers and staged the most successful Pan Am Games in history.

From 1985 until 1990, Miles was President and volunteer Tournament Director of the ATP Indianapolis tournament, where he oversaw its transition from clay to hard courts, while doubling revenues through record ticket sales and sponsor support.  Under his leadership, the tournament was awarded the first of 10 consecutive ATP Tournament of the Year awards – an award chosen by the players.

From 1988 to 1990, Miles served as Executive Director of Corporate Relations for Eli Lilly and Company, an international pharmaceutical, medical instrument and agricultural chemical company headquartered in Indianapolis.

Miles serves on numerous civic and non-profit boards and committees. Miles earned his bachelor’s degree from Wabash College, and is a member of the Wabash College Athletic Hall of Fame. Mark and his wife Helen have four children and four grandchildren and reside in Indianapolis.

No charge to attend.  Click here to register. For more information about Race Industry Week, please click here.