Ty Norris | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Norris atMartinsville Speedway in 2023 | |
| Born | Tyrone Young Norris Jr. (1965-07-19)July 19, 1965 (age 60) Sumter, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Delaware State University |
| Occupation | Motorsports executive |
| Organization(s) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (1996–2004) Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (2004–2005) Michael Waltrip Racing (2005–2015) Spire Sports + Entertainment (2015–2021) Trackhouse Racing (2021–2024) Kaulig Racing (2024–present) |
Tyrone Young Norris Jr. (born July 19, 1965) is an Americanmotorsports executive who works forKaulig Racing as their Chief Business Officer. He previously was a team executive forDale Earnhardt, Inc.,Michael Waltrip Racing,Spire Motorsports andTrackhouse Racing.
Norris started inNASCAR as a sports writer after studying journalism atDelaware State University. After covering several races for theDelaware State News, Norris left journalism for a job as the manager of media relations and event operations withRJ Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1990.
Norris caught the attention ofDale Earnhardt as the 7-time champion began building his own organizationDale Earnhardt, Inc. In 1996, Earnhardt hired him to serve as executive vice president of motorsports for DEI. He played an integral role in helping the organization prepare for its entry into NASCAR's top level of competition in 1998. During the next 8 years, he, Earnhardt, and others helped build DEI into a motorsports juggernaut with the team winning 65 NASCAR races and 4 championships from 1996 to 2004. Norris left DEI prior to the 2004Daytona 500 after a disagreement with owner Teresa Earnhardt, that resulted in Teresa giving Norris a choice of signing a termination letter or taking a 67% reduction in pay to remain with the organization.
In 2004, successful businessmanBruton Smith hired Norris to serve as the vice president of special projects forSpeedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI). Norris oversaw the special projects associated with Smith's motorsports conglomerate, which features ownership of tracks inAtlanta, Georgia;Bristol, Tennessee,Charlotte, North Carolina;Las Vegas, Nevada;Fort Worth, Texas; andSonoma, California; as well as of several industry-supporting companies, such as thePerformance Racing Network (PRN), The Source International (QVC's motorsports merchandise partner), and SMI Properties.
In 2013, Norris was involved in controversy after theFederated Auto Parts 400, where he was serving as spotter forBrian Vickers. After MWR driverClint Bowyer spun out to force a caution, Norris directed Vickers to pit on the restart in order to help another MWR driverMartin Truex Jr. win the tiebreaker for a spot in theChase for the Sprint Cup withRyan Newman. As it developed, Newman was pushed so far back in the pitting cycle that he lost several positions and ultimately finished third, not high enough to break the tie with Truex. On September 9, NASCAR decided to suspend Norris indefinitely, determining that his order to have Vickers pit was a deliberate attempt to manipulate the Chase standings. It also docked all three MWR teams 50 driver/owner points before all point totals were reset for the Chase—a move which knocked Truex Jr. out of the Chase in favor of Newman. MWR was also fined a NASCAR-record $300,000.[1]
Following the incident at Richmond and the hefty fine that followed, NASCAR suspended Norris indefinitely from all competition. Norris was reinstated after ten races and soon returned to MWR.[2] He would act as a spotter for Vickers for a few races before transitioning to a public/sponsor relations position. However, MWR was never able to fully recover after the penalties and was eventually forced to close its doors in 2015.
In late 2015, he joined marketing agencySpire Sports + Entertainment, eventually becoming president of the firm.[3][4] When Spire expanded to form a Cup team in 2018, they picked up Norris as the president of the newSpire Motorsports. As of 2020, Norris was no longer listed on Spire's website in any capacity.
In 2020 it was reported that Norris was a partner inJustin Marks'Trackhouse Racing, who competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. In September 2024, he left Trackhouse forKaulig Racing to become their Chief Business Officer.[5][6]