J. Kurt Roehrig (28 October 1956 – 22 July 2024) was a motorsports engineer and racing driver. Roehrig was the head of formerNASCAR Cup Series teamRoehrig Motorsports. Roehrig himself has raced in various series such as theIMSA GT Championship.
Kurt Roehrig started racing cars in the late 1970s alongside his brother J. Dana Roehrig. The brothers raced in the1978 IMSA GT Championship. In aPorsche 911 the duo worked their way up to 18th place after starting 43rd in the20th Annual Daytona Fire Cracker 400.[1] His debut at the24 Hours of Daytona, in1979 ended after 223 laps. For the occasion Roehrig joinedDave White andJohn Hamilton at D.R. Racing.[2] The following year Roehrig and White, joined by CanadianFrancois Laurin failed to qualify theirBMW 320i. In 1980 Roehrig also raced aFord Capri RS 2600 entered byClay Dopke. Together with Dopke the duo finished twelfth atLime Rock Park.[3] In1981 Roehrig achieved his best result at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Roehrig joinedKent Racing along withWalt Bohren andJim Mullen. The team finished tenth overall, fifth in the GTU class.[4]
Roehrig made his first of manyTrans-Am Series starts in1984. AtWatkins Glen International Roehrig was entered byLou Infante Motoracing in aBuick Regal Turbo. The Michigan registered driver started 21st but finished in eighteenth place. A second race in the series saw Roehrig retire with fuel press issues.[5]
To promote Roehrig Engineering Inc. Kurt entered a number of single seater races. The Michigan-based racing driver entered the inauguralBarber Saab Pro Series season in1986. This resulted in a twelfth place in the season standings. Roehrig also attempted to enter theAtlantic Championship East division race at theGrand Prix of St. Petersburg. As hisRalt RT1 encountered engine trouble he was unable to start the race.[6] His most recent single seater starts were in2004. Roehrig made six race starts in theStar Mazda series. His best results was a sixteenth place atMazda Raceway Laguna Seca.[7]
Roehrig started a team to enter the inaugural season of theNASCAR SuperTruck Series in1995.Johnny Benson Jr. was the first driver for the number 18Chevrolet C/K finishing tenth at the season opener. The team scored some impressive results but the major sponsor,Pennzoil, pulled back. Therefore the team was on the brink of bankruptcy by December 1996. The team received an impulse whenDana Corp. signed a sponsorship deal with the team. Also the team switched toDodge engines. After a late Pennzoil sponsorship deal the team ended up entering two Dodge trucks.[8] One truck was driven byMichael Dokken, the other by rookieTony Raines. The team scored its first win at theWestern Auto/Parts America 200 atI-70 Speedway. The following season Raines won three races for the Roehrig team.[9] After the 1998 season Dana Corp. switched teams sponsoringBobby Hamilton Racing.
In1998 the team made itsNASCAR Cup Series start. Raines raced for theFord team as well asTom Hubert andRobby Gordon. The team attempted to make their debut at the1998 Las Vegas 400 with Raines but they failed to qualify. The following season the team only entered Hubert for one race. Hubert finished 28th atLas Vegas Motor Speedway.
For the2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season Roehrig joined forces with former Olympic athleteJackie Joyner-Kersee. The team launchedJoyner-Kersee Roehrig Motorsports. The team had a troubled start.David Green was signed to race in theDaytona 500 and preliminaryBud Shootout. Green finished the Bud Shootout in twelfth place.[10] The team did not attempt at qualifying for the Daytona 500 race. The team folded afterwards.[11]
Kurt Roehrig was born to William and Martha Crocker Roehrig on October 28, 1956, inSan Francisco. He has two brothers, Mark and James, the latter who predeceased him. William, Kurt’s father died in 2000,[12] and his mother died in 2008.[13] Most of his childhood and younger adult life he spent living inSt. Petersburg, Florida.
He graduated fromKettering University in 1980 in the field of Mechanical Engineering. In 1983 Roehrig joined McLaren Engines Inc. (currently a subsidiary ofLinamar). Roehring formed his own company, Roehrig Engineering Inc., in 1987.[14]
Roehrig met his wife Carmella in Michigan and they had two children, Madison and Max. He later moved toGreensboro, North Carolina, where he spent the remainder of his life.
Following an extended illness, Roehirg died in 2024, in Greensboro, at the age of 67.[15]
| Year | Track | Car | Engine | Class | Finish | Start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Road America | Chevrolet Corvette | GT1 | 20 | 10 | Retired | |
| 2013 | Road America | Chevrolet Camaro | GT2 | Did not start |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position, races initalics indicate fastest race lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 |  ATL1 |  MOS | WGI | BRA | LRP | ROA | MOH | ATL2 | STP DNS | N.R. | 0 |
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Formula Cars East | SEB 17 | MOH 27 | LRP 19 | SON | POR | MOS | ROA 31 | ATL 25 | PIR | LAG 16 | 28th | 92 |