J. Kurt Roehrig (28 October 1956 – 22 July 2024) was a motorsports engineer and racing driver. Roehrig was the head of former

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

team

Roehrig Motorsports Roehrig Motorsports is a former auto racing team that competed part-time in the NASCAR Winston Cup and full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series from 1995 to 1999. It was owned by longtime automotive engineer Kurt Roehrig and his wife Carmela. In 19 ...

. Roehrig himself has raced in various series such as the

IMSA GT Championship IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada. History The series was founded in 1969 by John and Peggy Bishop, and Bill ...

Racing career

Sports car racing

Kurt Roehrig started racing cars in the late 1970s alongside his brother J. Dana Roehrig. The brothers raced in the

1978 IMSA GT Championship The 1978 Camel GT Challenge season was the 8th season of the IMSA GT Championship auto racing series. It was the first year of the new GTX class, which allowed for Group 5 cars to compete. The GTO and GTU class Grand tourer cars remained from ...

. In a

Porsche 911 The Porsche 911 model series (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in ) is a family of German two-door, high performance Rear-engine design, rear-engine sports cars, introduced in September 1964 by Porsche, Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. Now in it ...

the duo worked their way up to 18th place after starting 43rd in the 20th Annual Daytona Fire Cracker 400. His debut at the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...

, in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

ended after 223 laps. For the occasion Roehrig joined Dave White and John Hamilton at D.R. Racing. The following year Roehrig and White, joined by Canadian Francois Laurin failed to qualify their

BMW 320i Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The ...

. In 1980 Roehrig also raced a Ford Capri RS 2600 entered by Clay Dopke. Together with Dopke the duo finished twelfth at

Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the town of Salisbury, Connecticut, Salisbury, in the state's northwest corner. Built in 1956, it is the nation's thi ...

. In

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

Roehrig achieved his best result at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Roehrig joined Kent Racing along with

Walt Bohren Walt Bohren (February 4, 1948 died February 8, 2011) was an American race car driver who won the IMSA GTU Championship in 1980. Bohren was a long time racer in the International Motor Sports Association. His racing career began with motorcycles a ...

and

Jim Mullen Jim Mullen (born 26 November 1945) is a Scottish, Glasgow-born jazz guitarist with a distinctive style, like Wes Montgomery before him, picking with the thumb rather than a plectrum. Biography Jim Mullen was guitarist with Pete Brown & Piblo ...

. The team finished tenth overall, fifth in the GTU class. Roehrig made his first of many

Trans-Am Series The Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of ...

starts in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. At

Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track in the Northeastern United States, northeastern United States, located in Dix, New York, just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, Watkins Glen, at the ...

Roehrig was entered by Lou Infante Motoracing in a

Buick Regal The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. Serving as the premium mid-size/intermediate car of the Buick product range for nearly its entire production, the Regal initially served as the divisional counterpart of t ...

Turbo. The Michigan registered driver started 21st but finished in eighteenth place. A second race in the series saw Roehrig retire with fuel press issues.

Single seaters

To promote Roehrig Engineering Inc. Kurt entered a number of single seater races. The Michigan-based racing driver entered the inaugural Barber Saab Pro Series season in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

. This resulted in a twelfth place in the season standings. Roehrig also attempted to enter the

Atlantic Championship The Atlantic Championship Series is an American open-wheel racing series with races throughout North America. It has previously been called Champ Car Atlantics, Toyota Atlantics (after its then engine supplier for sponsorship reasons), or just ...

East division race at the

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. In most years since 2009, the race has served as the season opener (or at minimum, the first race held on U.S. soil). The race is held annually ...

. As his

Ralt Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under ...

RT1 encountered engine trouble he was unable to start the race. His most recent single seater starts were in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. Roehrig made six race starts in the

Star Mazda The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the Road to Indy la ...

series. His best results was a sixteenth place at

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for sponsorship reasons) is a paved Racing track#Motorsport, road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and Motorcyc ...

NASCAR team owner

Roehrig started a team to enter the inaugural season of the NASCAR SuperTruck Series in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

. Johnny Benson Jr. was the first driver for the number 18

Chevrolet C/K The Chevrolet C/K is a series of trucks that was manufactured by General Motors from the 1960 to 2002 model years. Marketed by both the Chevrolet and GMC divisions, the C/K series encompassed a wide range of vehicles. While most commonly associat ...

finishing tenth at the season opener. The team scored some impressive results but the major sponsor,

Pennzoil Pennzoil is an American motor oil brand currently owned by Shell plc. The former Pennzoil Company had been established in 1913 in Pennsylvania, being active in business as an independent firm until it was acquired by Shell in 2002, becoming a bra ...

, pulled back. Therefore the team was on the brink of bankruptcy by December 1996. The team received an impulse when Dana Corp. signed a sponsorship deal with the team. Also the team switched to

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

engines. After a late Pennzoil sponsorship deal the team ended up entering two Dodge trucks. One truck was driven by

Michael Dokken Michael Dokken (born June 4, 1971) is an American former stock car racing driver and a former competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Career Dokken first achieved notice in 1990, when he won the first race he ever competed in at New Smyr ...

, the other by rookie

Tony Raines Floyd Anthony Raines (born April 14, 1964) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He is a former National Touring Series champion in the American Speed Association and NASCAR Rookie of the Year#NASCAR Nationwide Series, 1999 R ...

. The team scored its first win at the

Western Auto/Parts America 200 The O'Reilly Auto Parts 200 was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race that took place at I-70 Speedway in Lafayette County, Missouri. The race was held from 1995 to 1999. In 1997, Tony Raines Floyd Anthony Raines (born April 14, 1964) is an Ameri ...

I-70 Speedway I-70 Motorsports Park, also known as I-70 Speedway, is a multi-purpose motorsports facility near Interstate 70 east of Odessa, Missouri, USA. The track, first opened in 1969, and has since been completely rebuilt and renovated in 2021 under new o ...

. The following season Raines won three races for the Roehrig team. After the 1998 season Dana Corp. switched teams sponsoring

Bobby Hamilton Racing Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia is a disbanded NASCAR racing team. It was owned by four-time Winston Cup winner and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton until his death on January 7, 2007. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was given owners ...

. In

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

the team made its

start. Raines raced for the

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

team as well as Tom Hubert and

Robby Gordon Robert Wesley Gordon (born January 2, 1969) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA, Inter ...

. The team attempted to make their debut at the

1998 Las Vegas 400 The 1998 Las Vegas 400 was the inaugural running of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mark Martin, driver of the Valvoline Ford, won the race, and also led the most laps with 82. Dale Jarrett of the Quality Care Serv ...

with Raines but they failed to qualify. The following season the team only entered Hubert for one race. Hubert finished 28th at

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway (track complex formerly known as Las Vegas Speedway Park from 1993 to 1996, Las Vegas Speedway in 1992, Las Vegas International Speedway from 1990 to 1992, as the Las Vegas International Speedrome from 1972 to 1990) is a ...

. For the

2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series file:MattKenseth&KevinHarvick.jpg, Matt Kenseth, (pictured in 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, 2007) was the NASCAR Rookie of the Year. The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 52nd season of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, professional sto ...

season Roehrig joined forces with former Olympic athlete

Jackie Joyner-Kersee Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is an American former track and field athlete who competed in both the heptathlon and long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals at four different Olympic Games. Joyne ...

. The team launched Joyner-Kersee Roehrig Motorsports. The team had a troubled start. David Green was signed to race in the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

and preliminary Bud Shootout. Green finished the Bud Shootout in twelfth place. The team did not attempt at qualifying for the Daytona 500 race. The team folded afterwards.

Personal

Kurt Roehrig was born to William and Martha Crocker Roehrig on October 28, 1956, in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. He has two brothers, Mark and James, the latter who predeceased him. William, Kurt’s father died in 2000, and his mother died in 2008. Most of his childhood and younger adult life he spent living in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

. He graduated from

Kettering University Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineer ...

in 1980 in the field of Mechanical Engineering. In 1983 Roehrig joined McLaren Engines Inc. (currently a subsidiary of

Linamar Linamar Corporation (TSX: LNR) is a manufacturing company serving the mobility, access, agriculture, and MedTech industries. The company has three operating segments: Industrial, Mobility, and eLIN. The company has several groups. The eLIN Pr ...

). Roehring formed his own company, Roehrig Engineering Inc., in 1987. Roehrig met his wife Carmella in Michigan and they had two children, Madison and Max. He later moved to

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

, where he spent the remainder of his life. Following an extended illness, Roehirg died in 2024, in Greensboro, at the age of 67.

Racing results

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

American Open-Wheel racing results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest race lap)

ECAR HFC Pro Series Atlantic Challenge

Star Mazda Championship

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roehrig, Kurt 1956 births Racing drivers from Michigan Barber Pro Series drivers Formula Ford drivers SCCA National Championship Runoffs participants Can Am drivers Trans-Am Series drivers IMSA GT Championship drivers NASCAR team owners Indy Pro 2000 Championship drivers American automotive engineers Living people