Barnhart and Angstadt to lead new IRL divisions

UPDATE TERRY ANGSTADT (president of commercial division): (About the opportunity that you are facing): "I could not be more excited about the opportunity. Anyone who has been in and around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and the Indy Racing League for the last few years can understand why. I think we are really positioned for explosive growth." (About explosive growth): "I think it's a lot of customer relationship management, it's making the people, the sponsors, the partners, the suppliers that are involved with us now, feel even better and do even more to attract even more at a pretty accelerated manner."

BRIAN BARNHART (president of competition and operations): (About the new restructuring): "I'm excited about it overall. As Tony (George) said, it was a situation where we probably could have continued to tread water and stay where we are at. But that's not what the league's about; that's not what we're trying to do. We've actually had a situation develop in the last 12 to 18 months; we're starting to get momentum, some excitement about the series that perhaps didn't exist for a couple of years. A lot of that has to do with our ability to run road and street races, opportunities on the business side that needs someone dedicated to commit a full day's work. If we don't take advantage of them, they become wasted opportunities, and we won't progress as a company."

03/23/07 Brian Barnhart will serve as president of the Indy Racing League competition and operations division, and Terry Angstadt will serve as president of the Indy Racing League commercial division, effective immediately, IRL Founder and CEO Tony George announced March 23.

The new structure will better enable the sanctioning body and its two series, the IndyCar® Series and Indy Pro Series, to take advantage of expanding business opportunities in a changing environment, George said.

"We believe we are on the cusp of significant growth during the next 10 years, and today's announcement is about putting ourselves in the best possible position to take advantage of new opportunities," George said.

"Not since our first year have we felt such a strong wind at our backs, and we are moving in the right direction. We have more sponsorship and racing venue opportunities than at any time in the short history of our series.

"The changes we are announcing today will position us for success with these opportunities."

As president of the competition and operations division, Barnhart will be responsible for officiating, technical specifications, innovation, development, safety development and implementation, medical, event logistics and be an IndyCar Series representative on the board of directors of ACCUS, the U.S. representative to the FIA. Barnhart has been with the company since 1994.

As president of the commercial division, Angstadt, currently the vice president of marketing for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will have responsibility for sales, marketing, public relations, broadcast relationships, business planning and development, and organizational operation of the IndyCar Series. Angstadt joined IMS in 2001.

The two division presidents will jointly focus on promoter relations, venue selection and communications.

Barnhart's racing career includes working on crews for several Indy 500 teams, including two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr., serving as track superintendent at IMS, and as director of competition and senior vice president of the Indy Racing League before being named president in 2004. He is a graduate of the University of Indianapolis.

"Brian Barnhart has led a team effort that has resulted in a competition and safety package that has delivered the most exciting racing on the planet," George said. "The IndyCar Series now defines close, exciting racing on ovals, street and road courses in North America, and I am very proud of what he has accomplished.

"Brian's responsibilities will be increasing as we plan for our next 10 years, including what our engine and chassis package will be. With three centennial anniversaries of the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway happening in the next decade, we have an opportunity to showcase innovation and environmental awareness in the IndyCar Series, and Brian will play a leading role."

Since coming to IMS, Angstadt has led the marketing, licensing, food and beverage, creative services and retail operations for the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and the United States Grand Prix. He also managed the IMS relationship with Chevrolet and other leading companies.

Angstadt, a graduate of Indiana University, has a distinguished marketing and general management career. Immediately before joining IMS, Angstadt was executive vice president of Cyrk, an industry leader in brand building and marketing solutions working with major clients that included McDonald's, Philip Morris, Coca Cola and Caterpillar. Before that, he was president, CEO and a member of the board of directors of Fila Sports Inc, a leading international brand of active sportswear and athletic footwear.

"Terry has the track record, the knowledge of motorsports and the ability to lead our sales and marketing efforts as we move forward," George said. "We have the opportunities, and we will provide the tools necessary to turn those opportunities into reality."