TRACKS: Fernandez named assistant vice president of marketing at IMS

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

September 11, 2001

Former NFL executive responsible for sales of all IMS and Indy Racing League products

INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, Sept. 11, 2001 - Jeff Fernandez has been named assistant vice president of marketing partnerships for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Racing League, said Tony George, president and chief executive officer.

Fernandez, a native of Rockland, Mass., is responsible for sales of all IMS and Indy Racing League products, including league marketing rights, television programming on ABC and ESPN, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network.

In addition, Fernandez will oversee the sales of Indianapolis Motor Speedway marketing rights, including sponsorship, signage and media for the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and SAP United States Grand Prix, the three largest single-day motorsports events in the world.

"We're pleased to welcome someone of Jeff's ability to lead our sales team," George said. "His vast experience in professional sports will be a big asset for our company and our corporate partners as we continue to grow the Indy Racing League and enhance the status of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the greatest motorsports facility in the world."

Fernandez joins the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation after serving as the director of marketing partnerships for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League since July 1999.

With the Bills, Fernandez's responsibilities included overseeing the marketing partnership sales force in upstate New York and Canada, coordinating all corporate sponsorship and media sales efforts, cultivating corporate relations and assisting in overall team marketing. He created sponsorship models for Bills' training camp, sold an NFL-high $1.5 million in training camp sponsorships, secured naming rights to Choice One Business Club, Jim Kelly Club 12 and grew Bills' sponsorship revenues 350 percent.

Before joining the Bills, Fernandez spent four years with the sports franchises controlled by Huizenga Sports & Entertainment Group in south Florida. The company's properties included the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers, Pro Player Stadium, National Car Rental Center, SportsChannel Florida and Miami Arena. Fernandez also has worked in sales in marketing with Continental Basketball Association and American Hockey League teams, and he spent seven years in the financial services industry as vice president of investments for Dean Witter and Prudential Securities.

Fernandez received a bachelor's degree in economics/applied mathematics from Brown University in 1987 and a master's degree of education in sports administration from the University of Miami in 1997. Fernandez and his wife, Tracy, will reside in the village of West Clay, Ind.

Text provided by Ron Green

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.