RFK Racing announces hiring of new Team President, longtime sports executive

Big front office news for RFK Racing. The NASCAR Cup Series organization has finally made a hire for Team President. Chip Bowers is making the move to racing after spending his career working in the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. Bowers is replacing Steve Newmark, who left for a role at UNC in Chapel Hill.

So, a new Team President has been named for RFK Racing. This should be a big boost in marketing for the organization. There are so many interesting things that RFK does and could do, from engineering and actually building things with the Tek Alliance to racing to the Fenway partnership.

A talented Team President like Chip Bowers could signify real change. We have seen Legacy Motor Club tinker with front office hires and shufflings. It is starting to work for them.

RFK Racing announced the news this morning. Bowers is ready to get to work.

“I’m honored and thrilled to be joining one of NASCAR’s premier racing teams,” said Bowers in a team release. “As both a fan of the sport and a North Carolina native, this is truly a full-circle moment for me in my career. I’m incredibly appreciative of Jack Roush, John Henry, future Hall of Fame driver & owner Brad Keselowski, and our esteemed board of directors for asking me to be a trusted partner in leading the organization to new heights.”

For RFK Racing, this is a move towards growth. We know that the third RFK car is being leased at the moment from Rick Ware Racing. RFK wants that third charter and car to be permanent. Ryan Preece proved that he could handle it, and it a great driver for the near future of the organization.

But there is so much else that a Team President can do in NASCAR right now. RFK has its own identity as a team. Sponsors like Castrol, Body Guard, Fastenal, Travel Centers of America – these are sponsors for everyday car owners and drivers.

Then you have Mohawk and Solomon Plumbing – blue-collar companies and industries. Of course, the Kroger partnership opens up a ton of ways to market and make new partnerships.

In the last two years, there have been two different NASCAR Cup teams that claim to be the “blue-collar” team of the sport. Stewart-Haas and Richard Childress Racing. The thing is, blue-collar isn’t something you make a claim to. It’s something that is self-evident in what you do and how you present yourself.

RFK Racing, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Preece – that’s blue-collar to me. Motor oil, construction, plumbing, shopping at Kroger, the RFK Tek Alliance – that’s blue-collar.