There were two very significant happenings along the Colorado front range Thursday afternoon SCCA Pro Racing, Ltd. and SCCA, Inc. were reunited under a single chief, and the man who has run the SCCA for the past 17 years quietly slipped out the door. Steve Johnson, president and CEO of SCCA, Inc., has been appointed to those same positions at the head of Pro Racing, the company's for-profit sanctioning arm for professional racing. For the first time since Pro Racing was spun off in 1993, both organizations are now under the same leadership. The man Johnson is replacing at the head of Pro Racing is the same man Nick Craw that he followed at the parent company. With that accomplished, I believe that Steve has a good organization and product to build upon in the coming years.
Craw leaves a legacy of sound fiscal management and unprecedented growth.
After coming on board in the middle of '83, he implemented a campaign that doubled SCCA membership in three short years. Another series birthed on his watch in '85 was the Playboy Endurance Series, which has grown and flourished over the years to become the Speedvision World Challenge. Almost lost in the news of the day was the appointment of Mitch Wright as vice president and general manager of Pro Racing. Wright joined the staff in '96 after two decades in motorsports as a prep shop owner, team manager and champion driver.