He eventually partnered with Landon Cassill to lease engines to Hillman Racing, and when the Cup Series’ charter system came to be, he looked for a way to become involved as an owner. That led to his buying into JTG Daugherty where his official title is team president. The Daytona 500 was his first win.
“My goal, like I think every team owner, is to win races and be successful,” he said. “I’ve taken a more active role in the racing side, so I work directly with their competition director on an active basis and just try to guide the company to continue to be successful. When you win that first race you want more so that’s my primary goal.”
Daugherty describes winning the Daytona 500 as “actually overwhelming,” and it is an accomplishment seemingly made even sweeter thanks to the team’s small size. Still, the organization has left an indelible mark on the sport and continues to do so in a variety of ways.
Daugherty’s TV work with NASCAR on NBC and at approximately 20 Cavaliers games each year as a color analyst provides him with two more ways for his enthusiasm to reach a mass audience.
“I’ve got the bull by the horns,” Daugherty said. “And I love it because I’ve got all these NBA kids now asking me about NASCAR.”
This story appeared in the May 24, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
