After key departures, Belskus eyes new hires

Jeff Belskus

Quietly, the search is on for a chief executive officer for the Indy Racing League.

The Indianapolis-based series has been without such a person since Tony George resigned in June. Brian Barnhart and Terry Angstadt are the presidents of the competition and commercial divisions, respectively.

Jeff Belskus officially is CEO of the IRL, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions and Radio Network, and that's a lot for one person.

"Jeff Belskus can play only so many roles," Belskus said Thursday.

The situation was created when Joie Chitwood resigned as IMS president and chief operating officer to join International Speedway Corp., and Charlie Morgan, the president and CEO of IMS Productions, moved to Emmis Communications.

Belskus said there "is no active search" for any of the leadership positions, but it's clear his radar is on, particularly as it relates to the IRL. Three names have surfaced as possible candidates:

Randy Bernard, CEO of Professional Bull Riders.

Mark Miles, president and CEO of Central Indiana Corporate Partnerships and chairman of the 2012 Super Bowl committee.

Zak Brown, founder and CEO of Just Marketing Inc.

Bernard, who is based in Los Angeles, recently visited Indianapolis and the Hulman-George family, in part to share strategies related to growth through Versus. Miles and Brown are based in the Indianapolis area.

Belskus said an organizational chart prepared for next week's company executive retreat in Orlando, Fla., shows opportunities to fill the vacancies.

"Filling (them) is an option, and we are considering all of our options," he said. "I'm happy with the staffs that we have and we have some very capable people, but if we need to shore up the ranks, we can.

"We've certainly lost some executive-level people over the last six months." Indy Star