AUTOMOTIVE NEWS RACING SPECIAL

POWER & PASSION

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Racing and Building

Akio Toyoda: Master driver, late bloomer

Akio Toyoda not only runs Toyota Motor Corp. but is its master driver, the final arbiter of what makes a Lexus a Lexus and a Toyota a Toyota. Knowing how to drive - no, race - a car makes him like no other CEO in the 79 years since his grandfather founded the company.

Mark Reuss, in the 'knothole'

As much as Mark Reuss, a licensed road racer who created General Motors' Performance Division, relishes the fast lane, his appreciation for the carpool lane also runs deep.

Ford's Jim Farley: Racing to relax

For Ford of Europe President Jim Farley, racing is the antidote to the pressures of working life..

Carlos Tavares stays on track

Bob Carter and the car that's now a couch

Aston's Andy Palmer: 'Love what you make'

Duerheimer steers Bentley back to the track

Raj Nair's mom was right

TI's Bill Kozyra: 'What does the car give back?'

Ford Performance boss Dave Pericak recalls the highs and lows of his many hot laps

'The most death-defying experience' of Tim Kuniskis' life

In 2014, Tim Kuniskis, the head of the Dodge brand, described a 12-lap training run in a NASCAR racer. Some stories are best told by those who lived them.

Honda die mold specialist moonlights in the pits

Anyone watching the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sparks Energy 300 race at Talladega this month might have noticed the big guy in the pit tending to the fuel of Jimmy Means Racing's car 52. That was Mark Sanders.

JLR's Kim McCullough fulfills a dream

A not-so-great driving performance at the Bob Bondurant Racing School in Arizona in 1992 prompted Kim McCullough, then Mazda's national advertising manager, to get serious about racing and to eventually compete in amateur race events..

Toyota’s driving chief learns the secret sauce

In an interview with Asia Editor Hans Greimel, Akio Toyoda, 61, talked about his interest in racing and how it now influences the flavor of Lexus and Toyota vehicles..

Akio Toyoda

As Akio Toyoda climbed the ranks at the automaker his grandfather had founded, he also embarked on a quest to become one of the Toyota Motor Corp.'s top certified test drivers and its top car critic. All the while, Toyoda pursued his life-long passion for racing. He continues that pursuit today. Photos by Hans Greimel

Racing and Selling

Rick Hendrick: One brand, half selling, half racing

Dealer Rick Hendrick divides his time between two companies, one in stock-car racing and the other in automotive retail. Here's how it all comes together as one brand.

Penske, Crain and the obsession that unites them

As a young man, Penske did well enough to be named Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1961. But Penske soon would make a decision that would change his life.

Cox Automotive spreads its racing bets

Racing is a huge part of the marketing strategy across Cox Automotive's media brands, which include Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. Here's why..

Builder meets racers, and a hobby is born

For dealer Bruncati, winning doesn't come cheap

Dealer delivers sports cars, style and speed

Tasca family lives the 'win on Sunday' philosophy

The metamorphosis of C.J. Wilson

Darrell Waltrip: From dirt track to fame

Up close with racing legend and dealer Bobby Rahal

Bobby Rahal has won the Indianapolis 500 as a driver and a team owner. Today, Rahal, 64, runs Bobby Rahal Automotive Group in Mechanicsburg, Pa., with 10 dealerships selling 10 brands..

Hendrick credits racing for his Hollywood connections

In the 1990 movie Days of Thunder, a car salesman convinces a retired crew chief to work with a cocky young driver. It's based on real-life NASCAR champion team owner and dealer Rick Hendrick, his late driver Tim Richmond and crew chief Harry Hyde..

In the pits with Hendrick Motorsports

Athleticism, strength, an ability to work as a synchronized team and competitive drive are required to make the pit crew for Hendrick Motorsports. Here's a look inside the training regimen..

Rick Hendrick

Rick Hendrick's racing and retailing empires overlap, but are run separately.

Mobility Report

Driverless cars will redefine racing

In the early days of racing, it was questionable if a car could even cross the finish line. Vehicle engineering was still a new science, and completing a race in one piece was half the battle.

Carlos Tavares

With more than 500 races under his belt over 37 years, there's hardly an on-track condition or situation that Carlos Tavares hasn't experienced. Photos by Dmitry Kostyukov

Best Practices

LAcarGuy's racing videos strike a chord

California dealer Mike Sullivan, the self-branded LAcarGuy, has headed to the track to promote his Porsche of South Bay store. He's racing in a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport series and taking his customers along for the ride in his Weekend Warriors web video series.

Ikuo Maeda

Mazda's global styling chief puts his favorite creation, the MX-5 Miata, to the test on track day.

Racing and Design

Racing scenes inspire Mazda's top designer

When Mazda global design chief Ikuo Maeda was a boy, he saw the 1971 Steve McQueen racing epic Le Mans. The led to a passion for racing that feeds his creative side.

FCA's Ralph Gilles: Unleashing the 'inner racer'

There's no disputing it -- Ralph Gilles is one of the coolest guys in the auto industry. But when does Fiat Chrysler Auto-mobiles' global head of design achieve peak cool?

Making fast cars look timeless

As exterior design manager for the Corvette Stingray and the sixth-generation Camaro, Kirk Bennion has styled some of General Motors' most iconic cars..

Mark Reuss

Mark Reuss is a licensed road racer. It says something about what drives General Motors' head of global product development that he also created GM's Performance Division. We joined him on a recent trip to the automaker's test track in Milford, Mich. Photos by Photos by Greg Gorvath

Miscellaneous

JLR engineers use the America's Cup race to gather performance intel

Jaguar Land Rover's engineers using big data at the dawn of the self-driving era are getting their feet wet on a racetrack in the ocean.

Lexus tempers expectations, but says it's 'all in' with motorsports

Lexus has enjoyed a sterling reputation as a luxury car maker from its founding in 1989, “but it's just not enough” anymore, says Jeff Bracken, Lexus general manager.

Mazda's Davis sees racing as a test of character

A lifetime around racetracks has taught Mazda's Robert Davis that if you can trust someone at a track, you can trust that person anywhere..

When Christina met rally

Innovations at the Indianapolis 500

BorgWarner CEO's duty: Protect the queen

EV racing gains momentum

From tossed beer to popped champagne: Toyota's NASCAR journey

Ford GT's storybook finish had stomach-turning start

Why tiny Mazda rules amateur racing

Nissan racing chief keeps a spare Pulsar on standby

Why does Honda stick with Indy?

Why would a company like Honda bother with IndyCar, given its limited audience? To Honda, the real question is “Why wouldn't it?.

Honda's Sage Marie recalls memorable machines

A car guy working for a car company is lucky. Sage Marie is luckier than most..

Out in front: Notable pace cars at Indy

Much like the standard sedan on the road and race car on the big oval, pace cars, too, have evolved over the years. Here's a look at some of the more notable Indy 500 pace cars over the years..

How Toyota transforms America's best-selling car to compete for other titles

Turning the latest generation of the production Camry into the NASCAR racing version required even more than the usual feats of styling and engineering that went into past transformations..

Video

GM's Mark Reuss: 'Hooked' on fast cars

Mark Reuss, General Motors' head of global product development and a licensed road racer, reflects on his days at Indy 500 races with his father, Lloyd, a 35-year gm veteran. He also talks about a Friday ritual where he puts the company's upcoming vehicles through their paces.?Automotive News?reporter Nick Bunkley spoke with Reuss?at GM's proving grounds in Milford, Mich., on May 5.

Mazda’s Ikuo Maeda: Create a racing culture

Ikuo Maeda, the executive officer of Mazda’s design division and an amateur racer, encourages his colleagues to race competitively so they can learn the “joy of driving.” He also talks about how his father, Mazda designer Matasaburo Maeda, and actor Steve McQueen in the 1971 movie “Le Mans,” inspired his career. Automotive News Asia Editor Hans Greimel spoke with Maeda at the Okayama International Circuit in Mimasaka, Japan, on April 2.

PSA's Carlos Tavares' racing 'addiction'

PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares has more than 500 races under his belt over the last 37 years. He talks about how he caught the racing bug as a teen and how the sport intertwines with his role as a boss.?Automotive News Europe?correspondent Peter Sigal spoke with Tavares after the race at Dijon-Prenois motor racing circuit near Dijon, France, on May 6.?