Armando Fitz was an owner of

Fitz Racing Trail Motorsports (formerly HighLine Performance Group, FitzBradshaw Racing and Fitz Motorsports) was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. The team is owned by Armando Fitz and Art Shelton, and was previous ...

, a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Nationwide Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

team. A native of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, Fitz graduated from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in 1987 with a degree in Business and Human Development. While attending Vanderbilt, he played linebacker for the Commodore football squad for four years. He and his wife Mimi have four children. Fitz began his career in racing by leading the motorsports division of creative sports before moving to SABCO in 1994. In 1999, he created a University of Tennessee car to celebrate the team's NCAA football championship and also spearheaded programs for the Coor's Light entry that included paint schemes featuring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

and

Brooks and Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo ...

. Fitz's career as an owner began at the end of the 2000 season when he and Mimi purchased

Felix Sabates Feliciano Sergio "Félix" Sabates Jr. (born September 9, 1945) is a retired Cuban-born entrepreneur and philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, foc ...

' Busch team. Running a partial schedule, Fitz directed his team to a 42nd-place finish in the owner's points standings. His car finished in the top 20 in 14 of the 27 races that year, including a fifth-place finish at

Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. P ...

and an eight-place showing at

The Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectator ...

. Following the 2001 season, the Fitzes teamed with Pro Football Hall of Fame member and FOX broadcaster

Terry Bradshaw Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since 1994, he has been a television sports analyst an ...

to create

FitzBradshaw Racing Trail Motorsports (formerly HighLine Performance Group, FitzBradshaw Racing and Fitz Motorsports) was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. The team is owned by Armando Fitz and Art Shelton, and was previous ...

. The partnership was strengthened as four sponsors signed on for the 2002 season, allowing FBR to field a car for the entire Busch Series schedule. The team tallied five top 10 finishes on the year, including a second-place showing at

Kansas Speedway Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in the Village West area near Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also held races at the venue until 2011 ...

, to finish 21st in the team owner points. In 2003, the momentum continued as FitzBradshaw Racing added a second car part way through the season after gaining the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

as a sponsor. The No. 12 team improved to 18th in the team owner points while the No. 14 finished 42nd, the best showing among teams with 12 starts or less. The 2004 season proved to be even more successful as

Supercuts Supercuts is a hair salon franchise with more than 2,400 locations across the United States. The company was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1975, by Geoffrey M. Rappaport and Frank E. Emmett. The company's first location was in Albany, ...

Hot Tamales Hot Tamales is a cinnamon-flavored candy introduced in 1950, currently manufactured and marketed in the United States by Just Born. The name derives from the sometimes spicy flavor of tamales. It was the top-selling cinnamon candy in 1999. Vari ...

Jani-King Jani-King International, Inc. is an American chain of cleaning service franchise. The company provides cleaning for public spaces such as offices, retails spaces, hotels, and stadiums. In 2001, it was the title sponsor of the NASCAR event at the ...

and the

returned as sponsors. Both FBR cars finished in the Top 20 in owners points as the No. 14 placed 14th with Casey Atwood, and the No. 12 completed the season 20th with

Tim Fedewa Timothy Fedewa (born May 9, 1967) is an American professional racing driver. He has formerly competed in the NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, American Speed Association and ARTGO. Fedewa is a spotter in the NASCAR Cup Series a ...

. Following the 2004 season, Fitz announced that FBR was growing again with the addition of a third team sponsored by Cottman Transmissions, Jani King and

Goulds Pumps Xylem Inc. is a large American water technology provider, in public utility, residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial settings. The company does business in more than 150 countries. Launched in 2011 as the spinoff of the water-relate ...

. With the growth, Fitz also strengthened his team's ties to its roots as he announced an alliance with

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA WeatherTech ...

with Felix Sabates, which allowed for full technical and engineering support. The team also switched car manufacturers, moving from Chevrolet and the Monte Carlo to Dodge's new Charger, in the process becoming the only Busch Series team fully supported by the manufacturer. Also Armando Fitz is Cousin to George Gomez, one of the top amateur golfers in the state of Tennessee and California.

References

External links

Nascar.com
* * (Terry Bradshaw) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitz, Armando NASCAR team owners Living people Players of American football from Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt Commodores football players Year of birth missing (living people)