NASCAR WCUP: Lake Speed Joins Midwest Transit Racing as General Manager
24 March 1999
MOORESVILLE, N.C.-- Midwest Transit Racing took a giant step in its ongoing reorganization by naming NASCAR Winston Cup Series veteran Lake Speed as general manager."Lake Speed will be responsible for all day to day operations of this race team," said Mike Witters, who together with Hal Hicks, owns Midwest Transit Racing. "Lake brings a wealth of knowledge and track experience that we very much need. We were drawn to Lake by both his reputation in the business and his personal reputation.
"We asked several people in the business their thoughts and Lake's name kept popping up. We met with Lake in Charlotte this past week and the meeting was the beginning of the relationship. It appears that this might be one of those meant-to-happen deals. Lake was thinking about getting back into racing on a more active basis. We call him, he was thinking about, and here we are today."
Speed, a former World Karting champion, has made 402 NASCAR Winston Cup Series starts as a driver. In 1988, driving a car he owned, Speed captured the TranSouth 500 at Darlington Raceway.
In his last assignment, Speed was the driver and team manager at Melling Racing, a team that boasts 34 wins and the 1988 Winston Cup championship.
Dan Pardus, who's running for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors as Midwest Transit Racing's primary driver, said he was delighted with Speed's selection.
"Lake has a sterling reputation in the Winston Cup Series," said Pardus. "The fact he's joined us will bring our team more credibility. Lake Speed is running the show here now and we expect he'll bring us to another level."
Speed, a devoted Christian, takes pride not only in his knowledge of the sport, but his people skills.
"The way he relates to people and his ideas are really down to earth," said Pardus. "He's got a way about him. When Lake talks, people listen. He's got that quality about him. I've really got a good feeling about him and what he's going to bring to the table for Midwest Transit Racing."
And Pardus said he likes the fact that Speed is a former Winston Cup driver. Pardus and Speed will talk the same language when it comes to setups or fixing a problem with a car.
"I'm really excited about that," said Pardus. "Not only does Lake bring years of experience on the management side of the business, he brings his driving ability and knowledge to help me. I don't think there was a better choice out there to run this team and help me as a driver."