The world of motorsports is a conscious choice for the current CEO at McLaren Racing, Zak Brown. He was an avid racing fan since childhood and used to watch NASCAR and IndyCar races with his father and brother. After meeting Mario Andretti one fine day, he got the direction he was looking for. He eventually became a professional race car driver, but soon got worn out.

Zak Brown found his true calling in the field of marketing. Having known various insiders of motorsports over the years, he chose to establish Just Marketing International to get the best sponsors for the sport. He has brought major investments for some of the biggest names in the sport over the decade that JMI ruled.

Which sporting programs is Zak Brown associated with?

The core affiliation in the initial days of JMI was with IndyCar. This is because Brown himself competed in the series and, therefore, knew many entities. But as his grip strengthened in the field, he came into conversation with the NASCAR kingpins. JMI became one of the motorsport marketing giants that catered to Formula 1, various NASCAR series, MotoGP, and World Rally Championship, among others.

JMI later got acquired by Chime Communications and Brown poured all his energy into rebuilding McLaren. Brown’s efforts and his carefully curated team have brought McLaren back to its former stature. It runs in the top 3 teams in F1 at present, with being voted the fan favorite as per the 2021 survey. McLaren is also participating full-time in Formula E and IndyCar. It is also the only F1 team in Extreme E.

With its continued presence in IndyCar, Arrow McLaren in partnership with HMS fielded Kyle Larson in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 this year. Due to weather conditions, Larson could not complete the entire 1,100 miles on the same day. On his recent visit to North Carolina to announce Kyle Larson’s 2025 attempt at The Double, Brown made a pit stop in Mooresville for the Dale Jr. Download podcast.

When Dale Jr. asked Brown about his first NASCAR deal, he responded, “It was Columbia House Records. And I remember going into the CMO, Sharon and had a meeting, and made like the biggest pitch I’d ever made. Biggest deal I’d done at that point was a million bucks, and it was like a $4 million pitch.”

To Brown’s surprise, the deal went through, and there was no looking back thereafter. JMI soared beyond imagination and made deals with the likes of “Roush, Hendrick, Childress, Gibbs.” Brown further added, “We were the ones responsible for bringing spirits into NASCAR, Crown Royal, which was a fascinating…that was with Brett Yormark, George Pyne, Brian France. Yeah, no, we did a lot of big deals.”

What are McLaren’s NASCAR plans, if any?

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Upon being asked about its NASCAR debut, Brown told Dale Jr. that NASCAR is a big commitment. However, a Daytona 500 is a possibility shortly, in alliance with HMS. Many things are going on for McLaren under Brown’s leadership, and his American roots certainly have a role to play.

McLaren fields 3 drivers in IndyCar, with Pato O’Ward being their start driver. Pato made a runner-up finish at the Indy 500 2022, and McLaren has plans to take him to the Daytona 500, and even the Xfinity Series. McLaren’s F1 sensation, Lando Norris, has also done an Indy 500 sim, which makes him a good bet for a future date.

He has also experienced 24 hours of Daytona along with Alonso back in 2018. His performance in the same was one of the influencing factors in his F1 career. Driver swaps like the one that Fernando Alonso and Jimmie Johnson did are also exciting. It brings up the debate of the best driver once again. While Brown chose not to comment, seeing Larson in an F1 car cannot be ruled out for the fans to judge.