United Race Parts founder and CEO Thomas Decker, right, initiated the Golden Gun award at the 2022 Indianapolis 500 as part of the annual Pit Stop Competition. 

With strong sales and a number of high-visibility international projects, United Race Parts has found success serving the behind-the-scenes needs of race teams big and small.

Success or failure of a race team is often decided in the pits. That’s the fundamental principle that paves the way for the success of United Race Parts. Partnered with Greaves 3D Engineering in England and Dino Paoli in Italy, this Troutman, North Carolina-based company specializes in equipment for pits, garages, and the general support of race cars. 

Founded in 2015, United Race Parts has steadily grown to 10 employees, working out of an 8,000-square-foot building. The first big break for the company came in 2017 when it beat out dozens of rivals for the contract to provide wheel guns for NASCAR, when the sanction switched to a leasing arrangement aimed at blunting rapidly escalating costs among competing teams.

Although accomplishments like the NASCAR contract certainly boosted the fortunes of United Race Parts, it nonetheless has its share of challenges, like any company. The biggest hurdle being faced right now is the quest to complete its new building, which will be 7.5 miles down the road, in Mooresville, North Carolina. At 21,000 square feet, the new building will more than double the size of its current facility when completed. The additional space couldn’t come soon enough for the rapidly growing company. 

“It will give us some more room for growth because we’re basically bursting at the seams right now,” said company founder and CEO Thomas Decker. “Our current building is really good for us in the middle of the season, when things slow down a little bit. But in the really busy months of the offseason, it becomes inefficient just from the amount of stuff we have to have in the building.”

The new building was originally slated to be finished in late 2022, but a variety of local-government bureaucratic setbacks and other factors beyond the company’s control have pushed the project well into 2024. It’s been frustrating for Decker, but he describes it with a calm professionalism that belies the stakes of the effort. 

Throughout this and other challenges along the way, he says PRI has proven to be a loyal partner and a highly effective tool for the company’s growth. From day one of United Race Parts’ history, Decker knew that having a booth at the PRI Show was an absolute must. “It was November 2015 when I started the company. We were at the Show a month later.” 

He’s also quick to point out that benefits from exhibiting at the PRI Show can come in unexpected ways—brief interactions can plant seeds that bear fruit months or even years later. Such was the case with a short conversation at one Show, which proved to be a pivotal conversation that won him an excellent customer. “I’ll never forget, one year we had a particular piece of equipment from Greaves on display at the PRI Show. Six months later, in June, a customer called me from Le Mans and asked about it. We were able to get two of them to the track the next week for him. They ended up winning their class at Le Mans that year, and now they’ve become a showroom customer for us. They have almost every piece of equipment we make. And it all started from one 10-minute conversation we had with them at the PRI Show.”

Having long been sold on the value of PRI and exhibiting at the PRI Show every year, he was eager to sign on as a PRI Founding Member when the program was introduced. “I liked the perks package that came with Membership—always being at the front of the line to make sure we have early access to certain ads or to certain bookings. It just felt like it was key to keep our company on top.”

Armed with the greater visibility that PRI membership gives his company along with the can-do spirit that’s made him successful already, Decker continues to make inroads deeper into the international racing market. Recent successful A-List projects are bringing increased visibility, powerful connections, and measurable business gains. Included among those efforts was providing all of the support equipment for the Garage 56 Le Mans team fielded by NASCAR, IMSA, and Hendrick Motorsports in 2023.

“The Garage 56 project was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us,” Decker explained. “It was a huge privilege to be able to play a part in it. I think what we provided really helped set the standard there, when all the other teams turned up to the track and looked at how the team was operating. But it was a massive effort. At one point from all our partners, we had 22 people onsite working on it.”

Through it all, Decker handles the challenges of running and growing his business with both patience and passion. The road to where he’s at now had its ups and downs. But the courage and determination of Decker and his United Race Parts crew epitomizes the drive for success that runs throughout PRI. 

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not easy,” he said. “But you just need one moment of bravery to change your life.”