Ford Racing's Longtime NASCAR Liaison Pat Di Marco Retires
Pat Di Marco, the day-to-day liaison between Ford, NASCAR, and race teams for 32 years, has announced his retirement after leading the program to 704 NASCAR victories and 29 championships.
704
29
900,000
What Happened
Pat Di Marco, who served as the key link between Ford, NASCAR, and its race teams for most of the last 32 years, has announced his retirement. He oversaw engineering tasks including wind tunnel and simulator support and designing new vehicles for competition. During his tenure, Ford's NASCAR program achieved 704 victories and 29 championships across its top three series.
704victories
Across top three series
29championships
NASCAR top three series
900,000miles
Estimated over his career
Joined Ford through the Ford College Graduate program after earning a master's degree in engineering from Ohio State.
Started full-time with the SVO team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Worked in open wheel racing with Team Rahal and driver Kenny Brack.
Celebrated Joey Logano's first Cup championship after a long drought.
Ford won all three NASCAR series championships in the same year for the first time.
Why this matters
Di Marco's retirement marks the end of an era for Ford's NASCAR program, which relied on his engineering expertise and relationship-building to maintain its competitive edge.
Terms in This Story
- NASCAR
- National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, the governing body for stock car racing in the US.
- SVO
- Special Vehicle Operations, Ford's performance and racing division.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.