J. Kurt Roehrig (born 28 October 1956) is a motorsports engineer and racing driver. Roehrig was the head of former

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

team

Roehrig Motorsports Roehrig Motorsports is a former auto racing team that competed part-time in the NASCAR Winston Cup and full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series from 1995 to 1999. It was owned by longtime automotive engineer Kurt Roehrig and his wife Carmela. In 19 ...

. Roehrig himself has raced in various series such as the

IMSA GT Championship IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States, and occasionally in Canada. History The series was founded in 1969 by John and Peggy Bishop, and Bill F ...

Racing career

Sports car racing

Kurt Roehrig started racing cars in the late 1970s alongside his brother J. Dana Roehrig. The brothers raced in the

1978 IMSA GT Championship The 1978 Camel (cigarette), Camel GT Challenge season was the 8th season of the IMSA GT Championship auto racing series. It was the first year of the new GTX class, which allowed for Group 5 (racing), Group 5 cars to compete. The GTO and GTU cla ...

. In a

Porsche 911 The Porsche 911 (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in german: Neunelfer) is a two-door 2+2 high performance rear-engined sports car introduced in September 1964 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a rear-mounted flat-six engine and origin ...

the duo worked their way up to 18th place after starting 43rd in the 20th Annual Daytona Fire Cracker 400. His debut at the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...

, in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

ended after 223 laps. For the occasion Roehrig joined Dave White and John Hamilton at D.R. Racing. The following year Roehrig and White, joined by Canadian Francois Laurin failed to qualify their BMW 320i. In 1980 Roehrig also raced a Ford Capri RS 2600 entered by Clay Dopke. Together with Dopke the duo finished twelfth at

Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the town of Salisbury, in the state's northwest corner. Built in 1956, it is the nation's third oldest continuously ope ...

. In

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

Roehrig achieved his best result at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Roehrig joined Kent Racing along with Walt Bohren and

Jim Mullen Jim Mullen (born 26 November 1945) is a Scottish, Glasgow-born jazz guitarist with a distinctive style, like Wes Montgomery before him, picking with the thumb rather than a plectrum. Biography Jim Mullen was guitarist with Pete Brown & Piblok ...

. The team finished tenth overall, fifth in the GTU class. Roehrig made his first of many

Trans-Am Series The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includ ...

starts in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. At

Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the hom ...

Roehrig was entered by Lou Infante Motoracing in a

Buick Regal The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. For nearly its entire production, the Regal has served as the premium mid-size/intermediate offering of the Buick product range. Introduced as a submodel of the Buick Cent ...

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.

Single seaters

To promote Roehrig Engineering Inc. Kurt entered a number of single seater races. The Michigan-based racing driver entered the inaugural

Barber Saab Pro Series The Barber Dodge Pro Series was a professional open-wheel auto racing series from 1986 to 2003. It was one of the first professional spec series for open-wheel racecars in North America. The races were primarily on road and street courses in Nor ...

season in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

. This resulted in a twelfth place in the season standings. Roehrig also attempted to enter the

Atlantic Championship The Atlantic Championship is a formula race car series with races throughout North America. It has been called Champ Car Atlantics (after its former name), Toyota Atlantics (due to the series' previous history of using Toyota-powered engines) ...

East division race at the

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. In most years since 2009, the race has served as the season opener (or at minimum, the first race held on U.S. soil). The race is held annually ...

. As his

Ralt Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under t ...

RT1 encountered engine trouble he was unable to start the race. His most recent single seater starts were in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. Roehrig made six race starts in the

Star Mazda The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy l ...

series. His best results was a sixteenth place at

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and M ...

NASCAR team owner

Roehrig started a team to enter the inaugural season of the

NASCAR SuperTruck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

Johnny Benson Jr. Jonathan Thomas Benson Jr. (born June 27, 1963) is an American retired stock car racing driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson Sr. Benson has raced across NASCAR's three national series (Cup, Busch, Truck), and his c ...

was the first driver for the number 18

Chevrolet C/K C/K is a series of trucks that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1960 to 2002 model years. Marketed by both the Chevrolet and GMC divisions, the C/K series encompassed a wide range of vehicles. While most commonly associated with picku ...

finishing tenth at the season opener. The team scored some impressive results but the major sponsor,

Pennzoil Pennzoil is an American motor oil brand currently owned by Shell plc. The former Pennzoil Company had been established in 1913 in Pennsylvania, being active in business as an independent firm until it was acquired by Shell in 2002, becoming a bra ...

, pulled back. Therefore the team was on the brink of bankruptcy by December 1996. The team received an impulse when Dana Corp. inked a sponsorship deal with the team. Also the team switched to

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

engines. After a late Pennzoil sponsorship deal the team ended up entering two Dodge trucks. One truck was driven by

Michael Dokken Michael Dokken (born June 4, 1971) is a retired American stock car racing driver and a former competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Career Dokken first achieved notice in 1990, when he won the first race he ever competed in at New Smyr ...

, the other by rookie

Tony Raines Floyd Anthony Raines (born April 14, 1964) is a retired American professional stock car racing driver. He is a former National Touring Series champion in the now defunct American Speed Association and 1999 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationw ...

. The team scored its first win at the

Western Auto/Parts America 200 Western Auto Supply Company—known more widely as Western Auto—was a specialty retail chain of stores that supplied automobile parts and accessories. It operated approximately 1200 stores across the United States. It was started in ...

I-70 Speedway I-70 Motorsports Park, formally known as I-70 Speedway, is a multi-purpose motorsports facility near Interstate 70 east of Odessa, Missouri, USA. The track, first opened in 1969, was open yearly until its closure in 2008. After more than a decade ...

. The following season Raines won three races for the Roehrig team. After the 1998 season Dana Corp. switched teams sponsoring

Bobby Hamilton Racing Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia is a disbanded NASCAR racing team. It was owned by four-time Winston Cup winner and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton until his death on January 7, 2007. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was given owners ...

. In

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

the team made its

start. Raines raced for the

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

team as well as

Tom Hubert Tom Hubert (born August 6, 1964) is an American road course racer. Hubert was born in Cottonwood, California. He most recently worked as a rear tire changer and a mechanic for Bill Davis Racing's #22 Sprint Cup team, before the team closed down, ...

and

Robby Gordon Robert Wesley Gordon (born January 2, 1969) is an American auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, IMSA, IROC and the Dakar Rally. He is active in top-tier off road motorsports such as BITD, NO ...

. The team attempted to make their debut at the 1998 Las Vegas 400 with Raines but they failed to qualify. The following season the team only entered Hubert for one race. Hubert finished 28th at

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...

. For the

2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 52nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and was the 29th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 13 and ended on November 20. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labont ...

season Roehrig joined forces with former Olympic athlete

Jackie Joyner-Kersee Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is a retired American track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the heptathlon as well as long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals in tho ...

. The team launched Joyner-Kersee Roehrig Motorsports. The team had a troubled start.

David Green David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

was signed to race in the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

and preliminary Bud Shootout. Green finished the Bud Shootout in twelfth place. The team did not attempt at qualifying for the Daytona 500 race. The team folded afterwards.

Personal

Kurt is the son of Second World War veteran W. Dana Roehrig (born in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

) and his wife Martha C. Roehrig (born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

) . Kurt's father died in 2000. Kurt's mother died in 2012. Besides J. Dana Roehrig, Kurt has another brother, Mark. Kurt graduated the

General Motors Institute of Technology Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineeri ...

in 1980 in the field of Mechanical Engineering. In 1983 Roehrig joined McLaren Engines Inc. (currently a subsidiary of

Linamar Linamar Corporation (TSX:LNR) is an advanced manufacturing company where the intersection of leading-edge technology and deep manufacturing expertise is creating solutions that power vehicles, motion, work and lives for the future. The Company i ...

). Roehring formed his own company, Roehrig Engineering Inc., in 1987.

Racing results

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

American Open-Wheel racing results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest race lap)

ECAR HFC Pro Series Atlantic Challenge

Star Mazda Championship

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roehrig, Kurt 1956 births Racing drivers from Michigan Barber Pro Series drivers Formula Ford drivers SCCA National Championship Runoffs participants Can Am drivers Trans-Am Series drivers IMSA GT Championship drivers NASCAR team owners Indy Pro 2000 Championship drivers American automotive engineers Living people