Ask the President
Craig Rust
Craig Rust, a native of Bethlehem, Pa., was named President of Raceway Associates, LLC in June 2009. As president, Rust manages the day-to-day operations of Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5-mile, D-shaped tri-oval track, and Route 66 Raceway, a quarter-mile dragstrip.
The Speedway annually hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series, and is home to the closest finishes in IndyCar history. The NHRA-affiliated dragstrip offers weekly programs for local racers from April to October, and brings the world’s fastest motorsport, NHRA Full Throttle Series Drag Racing, to Chicagoland each year.
Prior to joining Raceway Associates, Rust served as President of Watkins Glen International (WGI), a 3.5-mile natural terrain road course located in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. In January 2000, Rust was appointed President of Nazareth Speedway and held dual positions with the Pennsylvania track and WGI, until the Speedway closed operations in 2004.
He entered the motorsports industry in 1996 with Penske Motorsports during the development of California Speedway, where he was the Director of Marketing & Sales. Before moving to California, Rust spent seven years in professional sports and sponsorship sales, including five years at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Rust earned a BS in Business & Economics majoring in Marketing from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. and currently resides in Naperville, Ill. with his wife Shannon and their three children, Katelyn, Collin & Ryan.