By Jerry Jordan, Editor
The parent-company of Homestead-Miami Speedway, International Speedway Corporation (ISC), today, announced the promotion of Homestead-Miami Speedway’s Matt Becherer to the role of vice president of consumer sales, while at the same time promoting Al Gracia to Becherer’s previous role of speedway president.
“I am honored and humbled by this tremendous opportunity,” Garcia stated, in a press release sent out by the track. “My dedication to Homestead-Miami Speedway and love for the South Florida community are things that have made working here the past 25 years as rewarding as what they have been. Having had the chance to be a part of the rebuilding of Homestead following Hurricane Andrew, being able to continue my career at this level has always been a dream of mine.
“I feel as though I have had many great mentors along the way who have prepared me well for this role. I am fortunate to have been able to turn a passion into a profession for almost 35 years, and I am excited to lead a great team of people at Homestead-Miami Speedway.”
Garcia’s new duties will include overseeing all aspects of the track’s operations ahead of this year’s final season finale of NASCAR’s tripleheader championship as NASCAR racing in south Florida will move to the sixth race of the season on March 22, 2020. He is a native of Miami and began his career in motorsports after high school with the Miami Grand Prix in 1985. Throughout his career, his expertise has been tapped by racing venues around the world. His new boss will be former Daytona International Speedway president, Joie Chitwood III, who is now ISC’s chief operating officer.
“This is a well-deserved promotion for Al and something he has prepared for his entire professional career,” Chitwood stated. “Not only does he bring extensive industry and company knowledge to this position, but more importantly a great deal of leadership to the Homestead-Miami Speedway team. He is an outstanding ambassador for motorsports, not just in the Miami area, but nationally as well. Al is someone who possesses an extraordinary amount of passion and energy, and he is the perfect fit for this role.”
As for Becherer, ISC stated in a press release that although the position is has been newly-created, Becherer is not unfamiliar with a role in consumer sales. In fact, he has led and helped develop the current corporate enterprise team tracking “data analytics and outbound sales” for the company and all tracks it owns. Becherer will report to ISC president, John Saunders. Becherer was named the president of Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2009 after serving in a lead marketing role at Richmond Raceway.
“Matt’s promotion is well deserved and is a reflection on the leadership skills that he has displayed within our company for the past 20 years,” stated John Saunders, President, ISC. “Through the work of him and his team, they have helped to elevate NASCAR’s Ford Championship Weekend to new heights, as it has grown in size and stature each year. His fan-first focus drives new ticket audiences and will help to grow admissions while ensuring that every fan who attends our races has a memorable experience.”