Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing, will receive the 10th annual IMRRC Cameron R. Argetsinger Award for his contributions to help advance and improve the sport of motor racing. Brown will be honored at a gala presented by Sahlen’s, NASCAR, Watkins Glen International and IMSA, on Thursday, September 12, 2024. The dinner and presentation will be held prior to the running of the NASCAR Go Bowling at The Glen event, September 11-15, at Watkins Glen International.
The award memorializes Cameron R. Argetsinger, often referred to as the father of American road racing. He was a visionary who, in 1948, conceived, organized, and drove in the first port-war road race in America through the roads of Watkins Glen. He brought Formula 1 to WGI in 1969 and the circuit hosted the United States Grand Prix for 20 years. He was president of the IMRRC for five years, until his death in 2008.
Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indy 500 winner and current NTT INDYCAR SERIES team owner, will introduce Brown at the gala and will interview the honoree on stage.
As CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown has overall responsibility for the business, including strategic direction, operational performance, marketing and commercial development. Since joining the team in 2016, he has led the transformation of the brand and culture of the McLaren Formula 1 team and put in place the people, resources, infrastructure and mindset that has enabled McLaren to return to racing at the front of the F1 grid. Brown has taken McLaren Racing onto a global motorsport stage, with McLaren teams now racing in IndyCar, Formula E, Extreme E, Esports, F1 Academy, with the World Endurance Championship joining the line up in 2024.
Born and raised in California, Brown raced professionally around the world for 10 years before developing his skills in motorsport’s business and commercial worlds. In 1995, he founded JMI, which grew to become the largest and most successful motorsport marketing agency in the world. JMI was acquired in 2013 by CSM, a division of Chime Communications.
Brown is a racer and renowned for his energy, his relentless work ethic and his knowledge of the business and history of motorsport. He’s been unafraid to publicly address some of the issues facing the world of motorsport and has been the lead protagonist around the budget cap, sustainability and diversity in the sport, as well as champion of fans interests. He has demonstrated the ability to take the tough decisions needed to make an F1 team successful, most recently winning the Grand Prix of Miami.
Brown co-founded and co-owns United Autosports, a leading racing team competing in international sportscar racing, the Supercars Championship in Australia, and various historic racing events around the world. Outside of work, Zak is an avid collector of historical documents, baseball and ice hockey memorabilia, and both road and racing cars. He lives in Surrey in the U.K.
The International Motor Racing Research Center returns to the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, to present the award to Brown, in recognition of his universal contributions to help advance and improve the sport of motor racing.
Established in 2014, the CRA Award had been presented at gala events at the CMOG through 2019, honoring such legends of the sport as Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske, Mario Andretti, Richard Petty, the France Family and Bobby Rahal. When the pandemic hit, the event moved first to Watkins Glen International, then to the Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen, recognizing Lyn St. James, Mike Helton and Richard Childress through 2023.
“We are thrilled to be returning to the Corning Museum of Glass, where the IMRRC launched the CRA Award galas in 2014, initially honoring Chip Ganassi,” said Mark Steigerwald, Executive Director of the IMRRC. “We expect a significant turnout for this year’s event, based on the huge growth of popularity of Formula 1 racing in recent years, and McLaren’s progress in performance since Brown came on board with the team. The CMOG’s facility can easily accommodate a large number of attendees.”
The gala is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at https://imrrc-1948.square.site/product/argetsinger-award-ticket/124?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false.
All proceeds benefit the IMRRC, a 501(c)(3 organization.
