Hulman Motorsports today announced the hiring of former NASCAR team owner JAY FRYE as Chief Revenue Officer and former Ford marketer C.J. O’DONNELL as CMO. The hirings bring an end to a nine-month search for an exec to oversee commercial operations for the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hulman & Co. CEO MARK MILES began a search earlier this year for a replacement for former IndyCar CEO RANDY BERNARD, who left the organization late last year. But Miles this summer decided to split the CEO job into two positions, one overseeing sales and one overseeing marketing, and hire two execs who would report to him. Miles said, “We felt we could find really strong people like the two we’ve got and be flatter and leaner, which is appropriate for us.” Frye most recently served as the GM of Red Bull Racing’s NASCAR team. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at MB2 Motorsports, a Sprint Cup team he helped start in the late '90s. O’Donnell most recently served as the marketing manager for Ford’s electric vehicles. Prior to that, he worked on the marketing teams for Lincoln and Jaguar brands. Miles: “I like these guys for similar reasons. They are seasoned pros who won’t require on-the-job training. Both have run businesses. They’ve had to manage resources, make payroll, build a team, set priorities -- all the key functions in running a business -- and that will add to our executive team in important ways.” Frye will be responsible for sponsorship sales across both IndyCar and IMS. His most pressing job will be to find a new title sponsor for the IndyCar Series. Izod’s title sponsorship ended this season. O’Donnell will be focused on filling out Hulman Motorsports' marketing staff and developing a marketing strategy for IndyCar and IMS. Miles said, “These guys complete the filling out of my executive leadership team. They will oversee all the basic commercial functions. It provides the leadership for our racing enterprises in a consolidated way.”
