Though one of the newest members of the Bill Davis Racing (BDR) organization, Jim Thomas is no stranger to racing.  As it is with many of those involved in racing, it might seem Thomas was almost destined to become part of the industry.  Thomas’ father was an automotive executive, which was one of the primary reasons why the younger Thomas often attended races in Daytona Beach, Fla.  The Florida native was reared around the corner from the nucleus of NASCAR, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that he chose to make his life’s work marketing the sport he loves.  His passion, knowledge and experience in racing make him a valuable part of the fabric of BDR.

Thomas was working with World Omni, Southeast Toyota’s financial arm, when he signed on to volunteer with Miami Motorsports, which promoted the Toyota Grand Prix of Miami.  He became involved in some of the first action at Homestead-Miami Speedway, including the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events.

In late 1999, Thomas developed a marketing strategy for a company to enter NASCAR as a primary sponsor for the 2000 season.  After a successful beginning, Thomas was responsible for coordinating all the aspects of the organization’s NASCAR sponsorship.  Though the technology fallout resulted in an abbreviated sponsorship plan, Thomas knew NASCAR was where he wanted to be.

Not long after his initial forays into NASCAR, the opportunity arose for Thomas to join Sullivan Worldwide Marketing Group, a leading strategic marketing and planning agency to the United States motorsports industry.  As director of business development, Thomas developed, presented and secured event and team sponsorships for Fortune 100 and 500 companies, including the presentation, negotiation and implementation of marketing and activation rights for clients and extensive client management.

After spending several years in the agency end of the motorsports industry, Thomas joined TRG Motorsports in January 2008 as to serve as its director of marketing.  After working diligently to get that program off and running, Thomas joined the Bill Davis Racing organization to lead its marketing division.  With experience on both sides of the marketing spectrum, Thomas will play an instrumental role in the maintenance and development of sponsorships at BDR.