BRASELTON - The Panoz Motor Sports Group has announced that Road Atlanta and the Panoz Racing School will share personnel and operational resources under a new management structure that includes the promotion of Geoff Lee to President of both companies and the addition of Brian Skuza as General Manager of Road Atlanta.
The announcement was made by Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the Panoz Motor Sports Group (PMSG). An entity composed of many of the various motorsports holdings of Don Panoz, PMSG also includes the American Le Mans Series, the Panoz Racing Series, Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway and Mosport International Raceway near Toronto.
Atherton also announced that an Executive Committee of five vice presidents has been appointed that will closely work together on joint projects for Road Atlanta and the Panoz Racing School including sales, marketing, public relations and customer service.
The changes were precipitated by the pending retirement of R. Michael Swaine, the current president and general manager of Road Atlanta. Swaine will remain as a consultant to Road Atlanta through the Chevy presents Petit Le Mans Sept. 22-25.
All five Executive Committee members are current PMSG employees. The new vice presidents are:
Ed Hall - Vice President of Operations, Panoz Racing School
Joey Greene - Vice President of Operations, Road Atlanta
Earl Fannin - Vice President of Media & Marketing, Road Atlanta and Panoz Racing School
Chris Sperry - Vice President of Sales & New Business Development, Road Atlanta and Panoz Racing School
Scott Hartinger - Vice President of Customer Service, Road Atlanta and Panoz Racing School
"Geoff Lee has a proven track record in motorsports and having him now lend his talent and experience to Road Atlanta in addition to the Panoz Racing School is a major plus for Panoz Motor Sports Group," said Atherton. "And having previously worked closely with Brian Skuza when we were both in the Penske Motorsports, Inc., organization, I am very familiar with his knowledge and abilities. He is an experienced Motorsports executive and we are proud to have him as part of the team.
"We also wish all the best to Mike Swaine in his retirement," said Atherton. "Mike has been a tremendous asset to Road Atlanta and the Panoz Motor Sports Group and we will certainly miss him."
"With the addition of Brian Skuza and the formation of the Executive Committee, we have a management team that will fully capitalize on the resources and talented personnel that we have," said Lee, who will also retain the title of General Manager of the Panoz Racing School. "Combining the responsibilities in the areas of sales, marketing and customer service will eliminate duplication of efforts and result in increased efficiency."
Lee has been President and General Manager of the Panoz Racing School since January 2001. Previously, he was vice president of sales and marketing at Infineon Raceway, director of Western US operations for the Skip Barber Racing School and marketing manager of the Long Beach Grand Prix. He also has been a consultant to Laguna Seca and the Indy Lights Series.
Brian Skuza
Skuza joins Road Atlanta from his previous base in Jackson, Mich., where he most recently worked as Director of Marketing and Communications for Paul Gentilozzi of RocketSports. He was at Michigan International Speedway from 1999-2002 as the Director of Business Affairs. He also served as President of Homestead-Miami Speedway from 1998 to 1999, and was Director of Corporate Sales at Michigan International Speedway from 1996-1997.
Skuza, 44, and his wife, Diane, have two sons, Cameron, 15, and Cary, 12. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, his interests include golf, home remodeling, and outdoor activities such as camping and fishing, and working with his son's Boy Scout troop.
Hall has been Operations Manager of the Panoz Racing School since 2003. Previously, he directed the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A native of Oxford, Ala., Hall serves as a crew member on the #34 NASCAR Busch Series and #35 ARCA teams.
Greene literally grew up in racing. A native of Sebring, FL, the 2003 University of Florida graduate worked as special projects and operations coordinator at Sebring International Raceway from 1998 until he joined the Road Atlanta staff in 2003 as track rental manager.
Fannin was a public relations consultant from 1996 until he joined the Road Atlanta staff full time as director of media and marketing in October 2001. A former award-winning motorsports writer for the Jacksonville (FL) Times-Union, he worked for nine years as the IMSA Camel GT series publicist. He was director of the HighwayMaster/Archer Brothers Trans-Am team from 1992-1994 and served as executive director of the IMSA street race in New Orleans in 1995.
Sperry has been the marketing director of the Panoz Racing School since 1999. He worked in the marketing department at Road Atlanta from 1997-99 following his graduation with a law degree from Georgia State University. He earned an Economics degree from Clemson University.
Hartinger has been the Panoz Racing School Sales Manager for the past five years, overseeing retail sales for the Panoz Racing School, Audi Driving Experience, Panoz Racing Series and Track Days at all locations. A 1987 graduate of the University of Florida, Hartinger has 10 years previous sales, marketing and customer service experience in the electric utility industry.
Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course utilized more than 320 days annually for a variety of motorsports and automotive-related purposes.
The Panoz Racing School offers 1, 2 and 3-day courses designed to help customers earn a racing license. The Panoz Racing School also operates the Panoz Racing Series and the Audi Driving Experience, an advanced street car handling program especially for teenage drivers.
Saturday
January 11th, 2025
12:02AM
