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Newly Appointed: Jeff Barrow
The SCCA’s new director of road racing brings decades of racing and industry experience to the job, and he’s got a great reason for wearing a black straw Stetson.
Jeff Barrow seems to have stepped into a dream job. A racer and Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) member for 31 years, Barrow became the organization’s director of road racing this past March. Barrow has competed in various classes, including Improved Touring Civics and Spec Racer Ford, with his last Runoffs appearance in 2017 driving a GT3 Acura.
Barrow also brings some 30 years of experience working for both the manufacturer and supplier sides of the racing industry, including Honda Performance Development, Ligier Automotive North America, and Stäubli. In his new role, Barrow will be responsible for managing SCCA’s amateur road racing program, including major events like the US Majors Tour, Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour, and National Championship Runoffs. He will also work closely with Club members and leaders within the SCCA road racing program.
Barrow will divide his time between the SCCA national office in Topeka, Kansas, events supporting the SCCA road racing program, and his home office in North Carolina. He will work alongside Deanna Flanagan, outgoing road racing director, through the 2024 season to ensure a smooth transition as she moves into her new role as SCCA’s director of program services.
Racers should be able to spot Barrow easily at the track: just look for the guy in the black Stetson straw cowboy hat.
PRI: How did you get started in the racing world?
Barrow: I really don’t remember a day without racing in my life. My dad raced Austin-Healeys in club racing since the early 1960s. When I was little, I’d sit on top of a garbage can at Blackhawk Farms and watch him race, and of course, every other session on the track.
PRI: What is a favorite memory for you in racing in SCCA competition?
Barrow: I would say competing in an Acura RSX GT3 car at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Indy in 2017. You cannot help but be awestruck, humbled even, to race across those same bricks as your racing idols.
PRI: How have that experience and expertise, combined with your being an SCCA member, prepared you for this new role as director of road racing?
Barrow: I have been a member of SCCA for 31 years and have been working in the racing industry for 30 years. I have raced everything from showroom stock/touring Honda Civics to fully prepared GT cars, and prototypes. It helps to understand what it takes to compete and be successful at it, plus understanding the barriers to entry. I am confident that with my experience, I can help answer the questions, lower the barriers, and show everyone how fun motorsports can be.
PRI: Is there something particular from your extensive motorsports business background that you would especially draw from in this new role?
Barrow: I have always been very supportive of programs that focus on the younger generation. Racing can be an intimidating environment, but when you get youngsters to the track, the excitement builds in their eyes, and they are full of questions.
We need to be ambassadors for the next generation of enthusiasts. There are so many opportunities within the SCCA to start a path in motorsports, not only wheel-to-wheel and multi-class racing as young as 14 years old, but the operations side as well. The SCCA is such a fantastic avenue for young enthusiasts to really get involved. The operations side is an eye-opening experience for all that participate, including flagging corners, track marshals, stewards, administration, and timing and scoring. When you start volunteering at a young age, it could very well lead to a career in motorsports. I want to keep those programs moving forward.
PRI: What are a few of your immediate goals in this new position?
Barrow: For the last 22 years, I have been on the OEM side of things. This role is very much operations-focused, so getting a good understanding how the events operate is critical. I have so many very close, long-time industry colleagues, and I am certain we will be able to work together to find bigger and better ways to grow the organization.
PRI: Either professionally, or personally, who do you admire?
Barrow: I admire all my close industry colleagues. This industry is exciting, but it can be brutal at times. Weekends away from your family, travel headaches, weather, program funding, being at the track at 6:00 a.m., you name it. A lot of my colleagues out there with just as many years of experience as I have are always there when the phone rings. We love this industry, we enjoy working together, we enjoy the challenges put in front of us. I admire them because very rarely do they say, “No.” Instead, they say, “Let’s get it done!”
PRI: Is there a past mistake you’ve learned from in your professional career?
Barrow: I think the one that strikes me most is not to fully believe or accept the first person or idea that approaches you. I have learned over the years there are critical sides to every opportunity that must be investigated.
PRI: What is one piece of advice you have received, whether personally or professionally, that has greatly impacted your life?
Barrow: It’s from my father, the first time I buckled up in his race car for my first race. He leaned in and put a saying over the speedometer on the dash. It was made on one of those old embossing label maker gadgets: “Discretion costs seconds, indiscretion costs money.”
JEFF BARROW
TITLE: Director of Road Racing
ORGANIZATION: Sports Car Club of America
HOMETOWN: Claremont, North Carolina
FAST FACT: Barrow said that since 2017, he has been wearing a black Stetson straw cowboy hat at the track. He explained, “It was mainly because I saw too many of my colleagues getting skin cancer treatments. But you know, it seems to suit me, and it’s much cooler than the black HPD hats I had to wear. It works as a great umbrella, too. Many don’t know my name, but I’m usually easy to find.”
