Daren Lucas Named President of Motorsports Hall of Fame

Daren Lucas has been named the new president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) in Daytona Beach, the organization announced on Monday. Lucas is transitioning into the role from a ten-year run as a sports marketing consultant. The MSHFA’s museum is located at 1801 W International Speedway Blvd in Daytona Beach, adjacent to Daytona International Speedway. It’s accessible just next to the track’s ticketing office. “The future of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is solid but has room to continue to grow,” said MSHFA Board of Directors Chair Paul Doleshal. “With the hiring of Daren, we feel that we are poised for that growth. We are more than confident that we have found the right person with Daren who can help advance the Hall into its next chapter of success.” “It is both an honor and a privilege to join the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America as President,” Lucas said. “The impressive MSHFA Museum has grown extensively since relocating nearly 10 years ago in the DIS Ticket and Tours building, which is located just outside of the Speedway’s NASCAR Turn 4. The MSHFA administrative headquarters facility is housed in the same offices I worked in earlier in this century with DIS and NASCAR.” Daren Lucas’ Career in Sports Business The career path that led Lucas to Daytona Beach began at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he spent over eight years as ticketing director. From there, Lucas accepted a position with NASCAR as the senior director of consumer marketing and ticketing, a post which he held from January 2000 to February 2003. In 2003 and 2004 Lucas worked as the senior director of sales and marketing partnerships for Daytona International Speedway. He then returned to NASCAR in September 2004, becoming the senior director of business development. In January 2007, Lucas took a job as the VP of Business Development at PrimeSport, a sports travel company. Along with stints at BOA Nutrition, SportsBiz, and FanIQ, Lucas in 2014 became President of the Soulor Group, where he continued his work in sports business and marketing consultancy. Based out of North Carolina, he has put in over ten years with Soulor while continuing to hold other roles across the country. The MSHFA’s Third President At last on January 5th the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America announced that Lucas would be returning to Daytona Beach, where he once worked with NASCAR and the speedway. He’ll be taking over the president role from George Levy, who’s retiring after a stint that lasted from 2019 to 2025. Prior to Levy, the MSHFA had only one president: Ron Watson, who served from 1989 to 2019, when he passed away. According to the MSHFA’s statement, Lucas is credited with over 100 partnership deals in his career, including ones involving Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the iconic Indianapolis 500. Further endeavors have led Lucas to events such as the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the Masters, and the Kentucky Derby. Lucas holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a Master of Sports Administration from Ohio University. “The history of motorsports in America is truly right at home in our family,” Lucas continued. “My wife, Dawn, is the daughter of stock car pioneer Dink Widenhouse, and we are thrilled to be able to once again live so close to where he and his friends and racing peers competed on the beach here in Daytona. Our daughter Caroline was born in Daytona, and we are so happy to come back to where both my father-in-law and our daughter’s grandfather was part of the amazing motorsports legacy in America, which I now have both the responsibility and honor to preserve for generations to come.”