He may be known as one of the largest Cuban American entertainers in the world, a Grammy award winning artist with a legion of fans all around the world but recently Armando Pérez, better known to his fans as Pitbull, became something else: a Nascar team owner, specifically the co-owner of Trackhouse Racing.
Pérez said this week choosing to become a Nascar team owner had a lot to do with being a fan.
“I've been a fan of Nascar since the movie Days of Thunder when I got a chance to see what it was about,” he said this week. “I would say from that perspective.”
Having made appearances on several Frobes lists through the years as a Cash King and Hip-Hop Cash King, among others, Pérez is also known as a smart businessperson, amassing a fortune by building an empire that includes endorsements for brands like Dr. Pepper, Bud Light and Wal-Mart. His move into Nascar team ownership is not a financial one, however.
“This is deeper than sponsorships, this is a movement,” he said. “This is a revolution; taking a sport and creating a culture.”
In 2013, he started the SLAM foundation which funds and manages a series of tuition free middle and high school charter schools that are now in four states with a focus on sports leadership and management
“When we first opened SLAM, we had brought a Nascar car to SLAM the first day eight years ago,” he said. “If you would have seen the look on those kids' faces when they saw that car, they just had no clue that it was actually something that was tangible.
“Since that day is when I say, Wow. I'm a big believer in the law of attraction, I want to be involved.”
That desire to be involved led to him becoming a Nascar team owner and keeping line with his philanthropic efforts, wanting to use that platform for a higher calling.
“It’s about utilizing the culture, creating the culture through NASCAR to bring people together,” he said. “I know it because I live it, I’ve seen it. Music is a universal language. When I’m out there performing for everybody, it doesn’t matter whether you speak English, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, if you are Black, white, pink, purple or orange, it doesn’t matter. We all speak music when we’re there.”
The Trackhouse Racing team was founded by Justin Marks with Nascar veteran Ty Norris. The new team also signed Daniel Suarez, the 2016 Xfinity Series champ and the lone Mexican-born driver currently in the Cup Series, as the driver of the team’s No. 99 Chevrolet. That played into the reasons why Pérez joined the team.
“When it comes to NASCAR, we watch the cars race, it's about letting everyone know no matter what in life, if you focus, you work hard for it, you can achieve it,” he said. “That's my story and Daniel's story. That's why we appreciate Justin and Ty investing in us as far as believing in us. And we're here to win and show everybody in the world how to bring everybody together through Nascar and Trackhouse.”
While other Nascar teams are all about attracting and keeping sponsors to pay the bills, for Armando Pérez it’s about something more, spreading a positive message.
“There's no better time to be involved in NASCAR with Trackhouse, Daniel, Justin and Ty than now,” Pérez said. “It is all about creating awareness. In the same way that music is a universal language, I also see NASCAR as a universal language.
“Everybody loves a fast car and a great story.”
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February 04, 2021 at 06:30PM
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