IndyCar has a new Director of Communications, in the form of former Panther Racing communications director Mike Kitchel.
Also known in the paddock as “Kitch,” he’ll bring a distinct motorsports background to the role and serve as the head of communications for the open-wheel series.
He’s excited about the challenge, and the opportunity.
I got a full-time ride @IndyCar. I can’t thank you all enough for the kind words today. I’m more grateful for the generosity that you know.
— Mike Kitchel (@mikekitchel) March 6, 2014
We’re going to grow this sport. All of us; insiders, fans, media, sponsors. Every one of us plays a role in taking @IndyCar to new heights.
— Mike Kitchel (@mikekitchel) March 6, 2014
There’s been a number of other restructuring changes within IndyCar’s communications department as it heads into the 2014 season, including the C.J. O’Donnell and Jay Frye hires to the series’ marketing staff. Mark Miles, Hulman & Co. CEO and the de facto head of INDYCAR, has tasked the new group with shifting the message and helping to grow the sport this year.
The product is as good as any in racing at the moment; all it takes now is getting the word out, as my MotorSportsTalk colleague Chris Estrada suggested earlier this week.
Onward and upward, then, folks.
