CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR executive Jill Gregory will be leaving her role as the sport’s chief marketing officer in February to join Sonoma Raceway as the track’s next general manager. Gregory is replacing Steve Page, who retired at the end of the year after nearly 30 years overseeing the raceway.
Speedway Motorsports president Marcus Smith made the announcement Tuesday. Smith and Gregory worked closely together during Gregory’s time at NASCAR, where she leads the sport’s marketing, media and communications functions from Charlotte. Gregory also manages NASCAR’s digital platforms, including NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Mobile app and fantasy games, and she oversees NASCAR’s Diversity and Inclusion initiatives.
“(Gregory) brings a background of not only professional accomplishment and familiarity with our company, but as a native of northern California, she also brings a passion for the region that makes her an exceptional successor to follow Steve Page’s distinguished career,” Smith said in a release.
Gregory joined NASCAR’s marketing team in 2007. Nine years later, she became the first female CMO in the sport’s history. Prior to NASCAR, Gregory served in various leadership roles in motorsports marketing, including working on campaigns with Bank of America and Sprint Nextel. In 2011, she was selected for the first class of “Game Changers: Women in Sports Business” by Sports Business Journal.
With the new position, Gregory will return to her West Coast roots and the track where she attended her first NASCAR road course race as a teenager. NASCAR is scheduled to race at Sonoma in June this year.
“Starting with the vision of Speedway Motorsports founder Bruton Smith, I’ve always admired the company’s efforts to grow the sport of NASCAR and embrace innovative, new opportunities,” Gregory said in a release. “I look forward to taking that same aggressive approach to further establish Sonoma Raceway as not only a premier destination for NASCAR and NHRA events, but also elevating the historic road course as a year-round tourism and driving-experience attraction.”
