Get to know

Kim Brink
Managing director, brand and consumer marketing, NASCAR
Brink spent seven years overseeing advertising for Chevrolet, including memorable campaigns such as “Like a Rock,” and worked with properties ranging from the Olympics to NASCAR. She recently left her position at General Motors to join NASCAR where she is charged with helping to increase the diversity of the sport’s fan base and finding new, young fans.

Marc Jenkins
Vice president, digital media, NASCAR
The biggest initiative at NASCAR this year will involve mapping out a plan to bring its digital assets in-house, beginning in 2013. Jenkins put together the Turner deal that made that move possible and will oversee everything from how teams will be featured on a new NASCAR.com to who will manage the editorial content on the site.

Drew Kabakoff
Director, brand marketing, Sunoco
The former convenience store marketing executive transitioned to working on Sunoco’s entire marketing portfolio almost three years ago. He has gradually put his stamp on the company’s motorsports marketing by emphasizing digital marketing efforts like a Facebook initiative to attract customers to Sunoco’s racing page.

Mark Dyer
Senior vice president, IMG
It’s the year of Danica Patrick, and the person working on her behalf behind the scenes is Dyer. The former NASCAR vice president and president of Motorsports Authentics has worked with Patrick since 2009. He played a significant role in putting together the agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing that will put her in the Sprint Cup Series this year.

Gil Beverly
Senior director, sports management, ESPN
After five years of working with NASCAR, Andrew Feit, ESPN’s senior director of customer marketing and sales, relocated to Los Angeles to work on the company’s X Games business. Beverly, who helped ESPN relaunch its NASCAR relationship in 2007, will replace Feit and oversee the company’s multimedia sponsorship and sales efforts across all motorsports properties.

Rick Penn
Managing director, business development, Richard Childress Racing
The RCR executive will be working on sales across nine full-time teams in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series. He’ll oversee a beefed-up business development team that includes two additional full-time sales employees and an advertising marketer to develop packages that appeal to new brands.

Keith Dahl
National manager, motorsports, engagement marketing, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A
After four years running Toyota’s motorsports marketing, Ed Laukes was promoted last year and fellow Toyota marketer Dahl was given responsibility for motorsports. The longtime engagement marketing executive at Toyota will look to ratchet up the company’s activation at motorsports events and use of drivers in its marketing.

Dennis Bickmeier
President, Richmond International Raceway
The longtime Michigan sales and marketing executive was promoted to the top job at Richmond less than a year ago. He’s focused on reinvigorating the track’s brand in the Mid-Atlantic region by attending civic events and improving the fan experience. The track is erecting new parking lot signage and expanding its fan plaza to provide more areas for interactive displays.

Kevin Thomas
Vice president, strategic marketing, Roush Fenway Racing
The mission at Roush Fenway Racing is to return a fourth car to the garage. To do so, the team will need to find new sponsors. Thomas will be central to those efforts and play a key role in the team’s effort to strengthen the way it services existing partners.

Mark Simendinger
General manager, Kentucky Speedway
The inaugural race in Kentucky was a disaster. Traffic jams trapped fans in their cars for hours and some were turned away because of a lack of parking. Track owner SMI has spent $10 million since then to make sure that doesn’t happen again, but Simendinger will be tasked with developing a marketing and operational plan that attracts and regains the trust of fans.