Siegel tabbed to manage Drive for Diversity initiative

Max Siegel will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the month to manage the Drive for Diversity program, which aims to develop minority and female drivers in NASCAR. He will conduct the program through his new sports and entertainment marketing agency, The 909 Group.

Siegel spent the last two seasons as head of global operations for DEI, which was run by the late Dale Earnhardt's widow, Teresa. But Siegel's role diminished when DEI agreed to merge with Chip Ganassi Racing in November.

Siegel

Siegel now takes over the day-to-day operations of Drive for Diversity, which he will try to build into a successful program with participation from top-tier teams and sponsors.

"We are proud to have Max and his team managing the Drive for Diversity efforts," NASCAR chairman Brian France said Wednesday. "His strategic, operational and marketing experience will be a great benefit to the initiative and the entire industry.

"We're proud of the accomplishments of Drive for Diversity after just five seasons and we expect Max's involvement will take the initiative to the next level."

The Drive for Diversity program had been outsourced to Access Marketing & Communications for its initial five years, and NASCAR has now contracted it out to Siegel, who sees his new opportunity as one where he can have a broad impact on the sport.

"DEI was a tremendous opportunity and it was an incredible challenge and a great experience," Siegel said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I had the opportunity to experience things in my tenure there that a lot of people probably don't get to [despite having] more time in the sport.

"This gives me another look at the sport and wanting to see what I want to do more long term. I know I want to have a long future in NASCAR. This is an exciting opportunity to stretch across teams, talent, the sanctioning body and the commercial partners."

The Drive for Diversity program pulls together drivers from various forms of racing for a two-day combine that could lead to a job with a race team in low-level NASCAR series. The program also searches for qualified crew members.

Among those who have benefited from the program are Marc Davis, who raced in both the Nationwide and Truck series last season, and Paulie Harraka, who won the Whelen All-American Series title. Several crew members from the program also landed full-time positions in one of NASCAR's national series.

But Siegel said he aims to make the program more credible both in and outside of NASCAR, improve its marketing and lure more money into the initiative. There are currently no minority drivers in NASCAR's top two series.

"We have to operationally develop really close relationships with the top-tier teams," Siegel said. "I want to improve the criteria for the teams that are selected. Increase the funding from sponsors and really make sure the equipment the kids are getting is proper for their development. Then we have to train the kids to make them more marketable."

Siegel, who left his position as a vice president with Sony BMG Music Entertainment to join DEI in late 2006, has reconnected with his former law firm, Baker & Daniels. Through that relationship, he's working to start a new company that will focus on strategic business initiatives and marketing, and he believes he'll continue to consult with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in that role.

His two seasons with DEI were marked with turmoil: His first job was to negotiate a contract extension with star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., and although Earnhardt praised Siegel's efforts, he cited a rocky relationship with his stepmother as reason for leaving DEI for Hendrick Motorsports. Siegel then had to referee a contentious battle for Earnhardt's No. 8, which Teresa ultimately would not give the driver.

Siegel also was out front on a 2007 acquisition with Ginn Racing that gave DEI additional shop space and pushed it to a four-car team. He also oversaw the merger of the engine shop with Richard Childress Racing as well.

While DEI had improved engine reliability and expanded to four teams for 2008 thanks to those transactions, the organization's top cars finished 14th and 16th in the owners' points and didn't win a race. None of its drivers made the Chase.

But the economic crisis made maintaining sponsorship on all four cars difficult, and DEI had to merge with Ganassi to remain competitive headed into the 2009 season. He was also hampered by Teresa Earnhardt's absence from the race track, where many sponsors and industry-insiders believed she needed to be to run a successful race team.

Ganassi will now be the at-track presence, providing the stability the DEI team needed and Siegel tried to provide.

"Chip being the principal owner is very hands-on, and that's something Teresa needs and people want to see," Siegel said. "There's no animosity. I was asked to stay on. But I feel like the motorsports area now has appropriate management. People want to see the principle owner of a team, and having Chip as Teresa's partner was sufficient for me to move on."

DEI was the only Sprint Cup team with a program that was part of the Drive For Diversity in 2008. Siegel was introduced to NASCAR by Reggie White and his diversity program at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Sporting News Wire Service contributed to this report.