Speedway Motorsports has assigned longtime employee Bryan Hammond to the new role of Exec Dir of the NASCAR race weekend at Circuit of the Americas. NASCAR is heading to the Austin-based road course next May for the first time as part of a unique arrangement whereby SM will rent the track from the independently owned COTA and fully promote the race, with SM then getting to keep ticket revenue and TV money. The track operator is now announcing that Hammond will be the exec who will head up those efforts and interface with the local community. Hammond, who will relocate from Charlotte to Austin next month, has been with SM since ’03 and he will continue serving in his prior role, Exec Dir of Partnerships & Entertainment, in addition to this new one.
SM Chief Strategy Officer Mike Burch said, “We felt it was important to have one of our top partnership executives on site both at the facility and in the community as we create an event unlike any seen before in the Austin region. Bryan is a Speedway Motorsports veteran with a history of exceptional production, both in service to our marketing partners and event management for our pre-race shows. Collaborating with people and companies is his strength, and we know he’ll be the perfect connection on our behalf in Austin with the people and partners we’ll need to get ready for a spectacular event in May.”
