Your Single Source in Professional Track Prep & Racetrack Project Management for Dragstrips, Road Courses, and More
Kurt Johnson’s Track Prep & Industry Experience
A successful history of on-track performance
Track Manager, Summit Motorsports Park
- Responsible for operational billets at Summit Motorsports Park, the 7 9 time NHRA Track of the year, that features nearly 100 drag racing events each year.
- Developed and refining cost-effective drag racing track prep equipment, techniques and applied compounds.
- Oversaw, the 450 + competitor weekly bracket points program, created race programs and events, developed and implemented rules and procedures.
- Created in-house event marketing to both fans and competitors.
- Social media management.
- Website design and management.
- Designed trade show displays and assets as well as managing all on-site trade show activities.
- Event sponsorship procurement and implementation.
- Developed client relationships.
- Negotiated track testing rental programs for the facility.
- Managed and trained the track crew and oversaw race operations.
Director of Operations, Lucas Oil Raceway (NHRA)
- Responsible for all operational billets at this multi-use racing facility in Indianapolis Indiana. Lucas Oil Raceway and NHRA owned venue features over 120 drag racing, oval and road course events throughout the year.
- Additional responsibilities included developing and refining cost-effective drag racing track prep equipment, techniques and applied compounds.
- In house competition program development, including sponsorship procurement, event advertising, creating rules and procedures.
- Creating event profit and loss forecasts and developing client relationships, negotiating rental programs for the facility.
- Oversaw all testing programs and created and funded through sponsorship’s several large-scale ground-breaking events.
NHRA Marketing Coordinator
- Responsibilities included activation of NHRA and NHRA sponsors assets during nationwide Full Throttle Championship Drag Racing Tour.
- Provided NHRA event marketing and sponsor liaison with all race tracks on the tour.
- Kurt worked with the NHRA Safety Safari Team. He studied the various race tracks and their surfaces, the clean-up process, and the type of traction product used to prep the racing surfaces. This led to creating new equipment which made the track prep process more efficient.
Operations Director at Don Schumacher Racing
- Conceived, designed and built all the innovative large-scale portable trailer awning structures.
- Worked with trailer manufactures to CAD design and construct unique sponsor hospitality trailers.
- Various day to day programs with the teams, show car department, merchandise and sponsors.
- Traveled to all NHRA National events and was liaison to the tracks on all programs and responsible for at track team layouts.
- Maintained DSR Hospitality revenue streams.
- Planned and implemented sponsorship asset related programs.
Mountain Motorsports Marketing
- During the late ’90s, created a multi-year partnership with Aggregate Industries. The goal was to recruit people to train and drive concrete trucks.
- Developed a CDL school and all of its curriculum to train driver candidates with no experience who had been recruited.
- Nontraditional revenue partnerships were built with Pepsi Cola and K-Mart, allowing the race property to engage large crowds of potential truck drivers.
- The program was responsible for over 300 CDL drivers being hired and educated. In a period of 4 years the program increased revenue 120 times the cost of investment.
Aggregate Industries
- Initially a ready mix truck driver.
- Within four years Kurt had been promoted to an area operations manager and possessed deep knowledge of concrete production, delivery and design.
- Plant maintenance supervisor, responsible for the maintenance and upgrades of 13 Ready-Mix plant.
- Responsible for the recruiting, hiring, training and driver longevity of a 300+ truck fleet.
- Created and managed nationally recognized (CDL / Ready-Mix) driver training program to recruit and train non-CDL drivers for the Concrete Ready-Mix Industry.
- Challenged with the task of raising the fleet driver count by 100 drivers in an employment market that fell extremely short of qualified CDL applicants. Accomplished all goals under budget.
- Robust overall knowledge of Ready-Mix operations and management.
United States Marines
- Enlisted after High School.
- Promoted four times meritoriously and placed first in all schools attended, during the four-year tenure.
- Position held – Aircraft Fire Fighter.