STEVENSON NAMED TEXAS MOTORPLEX GENERAL MANAGER
“I am excited to bring someone with Gabrielle’s skill sets into the General Manager position. Her years of public relations and marketing experience will be a big asset for the Texas Motorplex in the North Texas region. She understands how critical public relations and marketing are to the growth of this facility and her positive, can-do attitude will make an immediate impact. We looked at a number of candidates and Gabrielle’s enthusiasm and ideas quickly moved her to the top of the list,” said Meyer.
Long-time public relations and marketing specialist Gabrielle Stevenson, 35, was named Texas Motorplex General Manager today by owner Billy Meyer. Stevenson joins the Texas Motorplex after leaving her post at the United Way California Capital Region in Sacramento, California where she managed a broad range of marketing projects including donor relations, branding initiatives, marketing materials as well as website content. Stevenson has nearly 10 years of public relations experience working for both the Motorplex and the National Hot Rod Association sanctioning body.
“I am excited to bring someone with Gabrielle’s skill sets into the General Manager position. Her years of public relations and marketing experience will be a big asset for the Texas Motorplex in the North Texas region. She understands how critical public relations and marketing are to the growth of this facility and her positive, can-do attitude will make an immediate impact. We looked at a number of candidates and Gabrielle’s enthusiasm and ideas quickly moved her to the top of the list,” said Meyer.
Built in 1986, the Texas Motorplex was drag racing’s first super track and has hosted NHRA national events since its inception. The first all-concrete drag racing specific race track has consistently led the sport in both on-track performance records and innovative marketing and sponsorship promotions. This year the Motorplex in Ennis, Texas will host the 25th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals, September 23-26.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity and a challenge that I am looking forward to tackling. The Dallas and particularly the North Texas region is one of the most competitive markets when it comes to sporting events and marketing. We have a great team here at the Texas Motorplex as well as a strong history. I am looking forward to continuing to grow our business, welcoming hundreds of thousands of fans through our turnstiles and developing strong marketing partnerships with our current and future sponsors in 2010 and beyond,” said Stevenson.
Stevenson joins a growing list of female executives and professionals rising to the top tiers of the motorsports industry. Currently Gillian Zucker is the President of Auto Club Speedway, Gill Campbell is CEO/GM of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Kim Isemann is GM of Daytona 500 Experience and Kim Walters is President of Universal Technical Institute.
The Texas Motorplex has a history of hiring women for management positions. In 2009 Meyer hired Ashley Kellough as Competition Director to oversee the weekly racing program. Kellough has grown the weekly racing program and developed a positive relationship with a number of racing promoters and race teams as the facility’s Competition Director.
“I reached out to Billy when the position became available and really didn’t consider the fact that there weren’t any other women in this kind of position in motorsports. I knew I could do the job and I was looking to get back into motorsports. This was the perfect opportunity and I appreciate Billy taking a chance on me,” added Stevenson.
Stevenson, a 1999 graduate of California State University in Sacramento started her career at the Contra Costa Times as a sports writer before joining the National Hot Rod Association as a media relations manager in 2001. While at the NHRA Stevenson managed all sports information duties for the largest motorsports sanctioning body in the world and expanded their media reach across all media platforms.
