Staffing Changes for .25 Program – Effective Immediately

As we move through our 2015 season, it has become very apparent that a few immediate key changes are needed for our Quarter Midget program. I’d like to take a few minutes to address the changes and without taking too much of your time, give you a little background relative to why the decision was made. I will probably over-communicate this information, but I do feel like our clubs and families deserve as much information as possible and my hope is that you will be reassured that we are paying attention, we recognize our short comings, and we are ready to do something about it.

First up – our tech function. Without question, Eric Rankine has done a great deal for this series and has a level of knowledge and understanding of these cars which is nearly unmatched by any other USAC official. Because of his strengths, we are utilizing him at a new level within the series which I will explain in a moment. We have contracted a new official to oversee tech. His name is Van Gilder. Van resigned as Vice President and Chief Operation Officer from World Karting Association (WKA) in 2014. Van is not a permanent solution to tech, but he has the experience we need, the ability to be objective and the willingness to mentor a “young up-and-comer” within the USAC ranks. We do have a person in mind for the long term, but this person will need to be mentored and developed and Van is going to help us accomplish that. Eric will absolutely be involved with tech and helping to ensure that Van understands the rule book and all other important facts and processes as it relates to quarter midget racing. We are going to focus on developing a stronger tech process which will bring integrity to the program. Without a solid process, it really doesn’t matter who is in charge – it won’t be successful. So we are attacking this from both sides in an effort to continue instilling strength into an already wonderful tech program designed largely by Eric.

Our current series leader, Kyle McCain, has done an incredible job with this program. He has been at it hard for 7 seasons and has navigated his way through several challenges without a significant amount of guidance. I appreciate all of the compliments that I’ve received regarding Kyle. Like you, I can see that he works very hard and has a contributed a great deal to the growth of this program. With that being said, Kyle is ready for a new challenge...and who could blame him!! He is very committed to this program and will remain the series leader for the rest of the season. However, it would be irresponsible of us as a business if we weren’t thinking ahead relative to the transition of the leadership role, and that must start today.

And now the rumors can finally be put to rest….Eric Rankine is not leaving our program!! As I evaluate our current team, it became very apparent to me that leadership must lie in the hands of someone who is experienced and knowledgeable about our program. Eric is without question the most logical choice. Eric is not taking Kyle’s job, but he is being elevated to assume a role as our series consultant providing guidance and leadership over all functions of quarter midget racing. Eric and Kyle will lead us through the rest of the year together, making decisions together and addressing the needs of the program together. Eric has a very high success rate in the areas of being knowledgeable, fair and consistent – but he has made a commitment to constantly strive to be better. This is a decision that I feel very good in making. As part of his new role, he will serve as Race Director when needed as a change was required there as well. So for the rest of the 2015 season, your race director will alternate between Eric Rankine and Rick Thomason (schedules permitting).

Lastly, please understand and have confidence in the role of upper management at USAC. While you might not always see us on track, make no mistake that we are always watching, evaluating, collecting information and making the sometimes tough decisions that are needed to move forward with a cohesive team to represent USAC and Quarter Midget Racing. As there may be additional changes throughout our year, please understand that this is a year of change and growth for the program. There will be bumps along the way but I am confident this will lead to an extremely positive and strong race series that you can be proud to be a part of for many years to come.