Category: EPARTRADE Race Industry Week

IMSA president John Doonan has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

As IMSA president, John Doonan is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the sanctioning body, which sanctions seven different racing series in North America, including its flagship IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Doonan joined IMSA in October 2019 after nearly 17 years with Mazda North American Operations, where he most recently served as the company’s director of motorsports.

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Doonan also was a member of the board of directors for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in Daytona Beach, Florida, and has served as the organization’s chairman of the board. A lifelong motorsports enthusiast and native of the Chicagoland area, he attended his first race at Road America when he was just six weeks old.

Doonan earned his MBA from Western Illinois University after receiving Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Marketing, Advertising and Spanish from Augustana College. He was a development officer for Augustana for nearly 10 years before joining Mazda in 2003.

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Frederic Lequien, CEO, FIA WEC, has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

Lequien started his career in advertising in 1998, and in 2000 he moved to Eurosport International and became sponsorship manager in Eurosport Events.

In 2004 Frederic joined ASO, the Dakar rally and Tour de France, and became Dakar deputy motorsport director in 2007.

In 2011, Frederic launched his own company dedicated to sporting organizations events before joining the ACO/LMEM as the CEO of Le Mans Endurance Management in 2021.

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Ricardo Juncos, President of Juncos Hollinger Racing, has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

When a lack of budget ended his dream to become a race car driver in his native Argentina, Ricardo Juncos emigrated to the USA in 2002 with just $400 dollars in his pocket.

What he lacked financially, he more than made up for in determination. Despite limited resources, he set himself the goal of establishing and building a racing team capable of competing at the top of U.S. motorsports.

Twenty years later, Ricardo has masterminded an impressive rise through the junior categories and is the proud joint-owner of IndyCar’s most dynamic and ambitious team.

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Cal Wells, CEO of Legacy Motor Club, has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week.

Wells started his professional career by founding Precision Preparation, Inc. (PPI) in 1979. His relationship with car manufacturer Toyota began in 1982. Over the next 25 years, PPI dominated the off-road circuit, fielded multiple cars in open-wheel racing, and won at the highest level in the NASCAR Cup Series.

After PPI, Wells successfully led the corporate restructuring of Michael Waltrip Racing as chief operating officer and executive vice president until 2011. He then started LNGA Consulting, offering his vast knowledge and experience in building businesses in motorsports, aviation, and security assisting clients with business development.

Wells was most recently appointed chief executive officer of Legacy Motor Club by co-owners Maury Gallagher and Jimmie Johnson in July 2023.

Wells brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in the motorsports industry to the Statesville, N.C.- based team.

 

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Jay Frye has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

Jay Frye’s tenure as President of IndyCar has coincided with many impactful moves in essential facets for North America’s premier open-wheel sanctioning body.

Named president in December 2018 after spending the previous three years as IndyCar’s president of competition and operations, Frye has made significant contributions for both the commercial and competition sides of the business.

2023 featured a record-breaking season including the fastest pole speed, fastest front row and fastest field in the history of the Indianapolis 500. On-track passing records, first recorded in 2006, were broken at six events. As an indicator of overall series health, 2023 also featured a record number of 27 full-time starters.

Frye joined IndyCar in 2013 as chief revenue officer of Hulman Motorsports and led the combined team of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway sponsorship sales, licensing and account services.

Prior to joining Hulman & Co., Frye flourished in team management roles in the NASCAR industry. He was vice president and general manager for Red Bull Racing’s NASCAR team (2008-2011) and was named 2008 NASCAR Executive of the Year by ESPN and the Kansas City Star. From 1996-2007, Frye was chief executive officer and general manager of MB2 Motorsports, a team he created and built.

Before his executive roles with NASCAR teams, Frye worked at Valvoline Racing, and his extensive sales and marketing experience began with a variety of roles at Anheuser-Busch Inc.

Frye, a native of Rock Island, Illinois, graduated with a marketing/education degree from the University of Missouri, where he played tight end and offensive tackle for four years on the Tigers’ football team. He and his wife, Danielle, have two daughters

 

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Chip Ganassi, Owner of Chip Ganassi Racing, has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 30 years and is considered one of the most successful and innovative owners in motorsports. Overall, his teams have 22 championships and over 250 victories, including five wins in the Indianapolis 500, eight Rolex 24 At Daytona victories, and wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art facilities in Indianapolis, where IndyCar, IMSA and Extreme E teams are located, a race facility in Stuttgart, Germany, and a corporate office in Pittsburgh.

In 2010, Ganassi’s teams turned in an historic season by setting an organization record with 19 wins across three touring series, including victories in the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, making him the only team owner in history to win all three crown jewels of racing, and he accomplished it in a single season. In addition, in early 2011 his sports car team finished off the “Grand Slam” by also winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Ganassi became the first owner to hold all four titles at one time.

Following a strong career as a driver, Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar Series team in 1990 and established a partnership with Target, with whom he maintained one of the longest-running relationships in motorsports history. Today, he can claim partnerships with PNC Bank, The American Legion, Huski Chocolate, Parkland Corporation, Honda and General Motors among many others. Through the years, his IndyCar teams have amassed 15 championships and over 100 wins. His NASCAR teams had 44 wins across the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, including victories in the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400.

The Duquesne University graduate was formerly part-owner of his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates and is a strong supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In 2011, Ganassi received an honorary doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University.

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Steve Phelps, President of NASCAR, has joined the list of featured speakers during the 4^th Annual Race Industry Week, Nov 27 – Dec 1, 2023.

In September 2018, Phelps was appointed President of NASCAR, only the fifth individual to hold this position since the organization’s founding. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., Phelps oversees all operations, competition and commercial, for the sanctioning body, including the management of 15 racetrack facilities and the IMSA series.

Under Phelps’ leadership, NASCAR has transformed its business and strengthened the sport’s position for long-term growth and success, with a focus on delivering the best motorsports racing in the world, providing outstanding entertainment experiences, and building a globally diverse community of loyal fans.

In 2019, Phelps led NASCAR through the sanctioning body’s landmark merger with International Speedway Corporation (ISC), integrating its operations into one, new, unified company with racetracks across the country. The historic merger helped create an aligned vision for the sport while positioning a now stronger NASCAR for new growth opportunities.

The following year, Phelps guided NASCAR through an unprecedented and challenging season as the industry paved the way for live sports to return in America. NASCAR swiftly implemented COVID-19 safety protocols to become the first sport to return to competition, first to safely welcome back fans and first to complete a full season schedule. All the while, NASCAR stabilized TV ratings at a time when nearly all sports were significantly down.

In June 2020, NASCAR emerged as a leading voice in the national conversation on racial equality and social justice with Phelps rallying the NASCAR industry to reaffirm its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. After leading an emotional moment of listening preceding the race in Atlanta, he led the decision to ban the confederate flag and introduced sweeping DE&I enhancements across the sport – critical efforts that led to a surge of new fans, partners and diverse race team ownership.

In May 2021, NASCAR introduced the Next Gen race car to the global motorsports community – the most technologically advanced car in NASCAR history and a testament to the sport’s ongoing commitment to innovation.

Phelps joined NASCAR as Vice President of Corporate Marketing in 2005. Beginning the following year, he spent 12 years as Chief Marketing Officer and oversaw all marketing functions for the sanctioning body. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in April 2018 before transitioning to his current role as President.

Prior to joining NASCAR, Phelps was Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Wasserman Media Group. In 1990, Phelps began a 14-year tenure at the National Football League where he served as Vice President, Corporate Marketing.

A native of Vermont, Phelps resides in Daytona Beach, Florida and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont and an MBA from Boston College.

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