Q. In a business as competitive as auto racing, how has American Spirit Racing remained in the fight for over 21 years?

A. Determination. It has always been my belief that if you offer a premium product or service at a fair price, you will ultimately succeed. Don’t get me wrong, American Spirit has had its share of ups and downs. It’s difficult to predict some of the changes that take place in the marketplace and we’ve been bit in the butt a few times. But, I don’t wallow in our mistakes. Instead I learn from them and forge on to bigger and better things.

Q. Is there one person that you try to emulate?

A. Not really, but there are several heads of business that I believe have a unique business sense. My real start in business was based on a principal instilled in me by my father. He was a tremendous man, who was trusted by everyone he knew. As I grew up, I witnessed his growth in a company he believed in. From an engineer to the General Sales Manager of a large machine tool company, his word was everything. He instilled in me the ethics of “Under Promise and Over Deliver” and it has remained the basic philosophy of our company. Unfortunately, he passed away just a few days after my 16^th birthday, but his memory and basic beliefs live on in me and my company.

Q. Are there other people in business that feel strongly about?

A. Bob Gurnsey for one. Bob is the man responsible for starting the sport of Paintball, which has become a billion dollar a year sport. Bob and I met when I was a driver and he sponsored me in the Camel GTP race at the Miami Grand Prix. After seeing how our company marketed his product, he hired me as their Director of Marketing. We also ran a multi-car team in the Firestone Firehawk Endurance Series together and even though I left the company to concentrate on American Spirit in 1992, we have remained great friends and we constantly discuss business strategies.

Q. Besides the paintball company and your own, you've held top marketing positions in several organizations. Can you tell us more about that?

A. I've always enjoyed marketing. Finding new and exciting ways to market products and services has always been a passion of mine. I was the Vice President of Marketing for the North American Touring Car Championship in 1995 and also for Germain Racing in NASCAR in 2005. Both organizations were just getting started and I really enjoyed the challenge of helping them get off the ground. Unfortunately, the Touring Car Championship ended in 1997, but Germain Racing has become the # 1 team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It's great to have been involved with such a strong organization.

Q. As a driver, you've competed in numerous forms of the sport, as well as ran several teams in many series. What was that like and do you miss driving?

A. Let's see, do I miss driving? Everytime I hear an engine start, I want to be behind the wheel. If you've ever driven racecars, I don't think you ever loose the desire to drive. But, I leave that up to the young guns today. I've been very fortunate to drive some exciting machines in some very prestigious events. By far, the most exciting to drive was in GTP at the Miami Grand Prix. Those cars were the most beautiful cars ever built. The 24 hours of Daytona was pretty cool as well and to finish in the top-five was pretty exciting. I started my driving career in the Firestone Firehawk Endurance Series and it was probably the most fun I ever had behind the wheel. I find it unique that now after 20 years, we'll be going for the Firestone Firehawk Cup in the Indy Pro Series. To win that would mean a great deal to me.

American Spirit has managed race teams in many series, including; the American Lemans Series in both LMP1 and LMP2, Trans-Am, IMSA Supercar, GTP, GTS and Firehawk. We've also had a great association with PDM Racing in IndyCar with driver Sam Hornish in 2000 and at the Indy 500 in 2001.

Q. American Spirit is comprised of two divisions, race operations and marketing. How do these divisions help to create a powerful motorsport operation?

A. American Spirit has always been a marketing oriented company. Back in 1999, we divided the company into two operations, marketing and race operations. The marketing arm focuses on promotion of not just our team but a few others. We assist companies, drivers and teams to identify prime opportunities and then develop a fully integrated program to maximize the benefits of involvement. Depending on our clients goals and market demographic, we may develop a program with a team in another series to generate the maximum outcome. The race operations arm focuses on team management and driver development. Having the strength of these two divisions creates an overall program that gives a one-two punch both on and off the track.

Q. Why the Indy Pro Series?

A. We are a team that focuses on driver development and our interest is in open-wheel racing. The Indy Pro Series is without a doubt the best series for a driver to hone their skills open-wheel racing. It’s extremely competitive and offers so much for a driver. There was no question about why we chose the Indy Pro Series. The cars are powerful, fast and solid, the television package on ESPN2 is great, the prize money is tremendous and the support is the best there is. The IPS provides valuable experience in both road course and oval racing, something you don’t get in any other ladder series. Almost every open-wheel driver dreams of winning the Indy 500. There’s no better place in the world to get the right experience than in the IPS.

Q. So, what do you see in the future for American Spirit Racing?

A. American Spirit’s marketing department will continue to serve drivers, teams and companies in motorsport, as it has for the past 21 years. At American Spirit Racing, we will concentrate on our Indy Pro Series program, but we are also working on entering the IndyCar Series in the future. We've already begun putting pieces of the puzzle together to get there. It’s an ambitious goal, but you never get ahead if you don’t go for it!