Personal Facts:
- I am a Christian. I believe in God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I am a sinner, and believe Jesus Christ suffered, died, and rose from the dead for the forgiveness of my sins. I try to follow the teachings of Jesus, and maintain my identity in Him. While these things make me a Christian by definition, they do not make me a good person. That part is up to me, and despite my efforts, I inevitably fall short of God’s standard every day. I am a very imperfect person, totally dependent on God’s grace.
- I was born in Virginia in 1971, and am the youngest of four children, raised in a blended, hard working, lower-middle class family. I came into this world not breathing as a breech delivery, both upside down and backwards, and I’ve done most things feet first ever since. As a small child, I was sickly, and nearly died several times from pneumonia, infections, and other ailments, much of which was due to lingering issues from my birth.
- My world view is based on being a Christian, being a partial autodidact who quit school at age 14, and having a variety of cultural, economic, educational, and racial influences. I see the world from a different perspective than most, and try to use that view as a positive influence.
- I believe relationships are key to our lives. Through my life, I have been extremely fortunate to be a private adviser, coach, counselor, friend, and mentor to many people. I am so thankful the Lord sends those in need of my gifts to me, then gives me the right perspective, wisdom, and words to help them on their journey.
- I married my wife Brandy in 2006; we live in a multi-cultural, middle class neighborhood in the Charlotte, NC area, with two rescue dogs – Jasper, a Golden Retriever mix, and Amelia, a Pitbull/Terrier mix. I enjoy amateur mobile photography, listening to a wide variety of music, watching NCAA and NFL football, closely following Formula 1 but staying in touch with many other forms of racing, taking the dogs for walks, and reading. I also enjoy volunteering for small businesses and non-profit organizations.
- My Mission Statement – To use my gifts serving God and others. I should communicate boldly and truthfully, while maintaining priorities of compassion, counseling, diversity, empathy, encouragement, forgiveness, humility, humor, inclusiveness, love, mentoring, ministry, responsibility, and sympathy. My goal is always to be more like Jesus Christ.
Professional Facts:
- I started work as a young boy, earning tips at a full-service gas station while helping my father. My dad taught me to work both hard and smart at an early age. By the time I turned 17, I was hired by Rick and “Papa Joe” Hendrick to do landscaping work at their NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports. I worked my way up to leading tours of the facility for guests, sponsors, and VIPs, as well as hauling retired race cars, called “showcars”, across the country, performing promotional appearances for team sponsors. After a few years, I left Hendrick Motorsports to pursue working for John Hendrick at one of his Honda dealerships, but I later returned when the offer of working for my mentor Papa Joe Hendrick was again extended.
- Upon my return to HMS, and the following years working as Showcar Manager under the watchful eye of Papa Joe Hendrick, as a Pit Crew Member for Ricky Hendrick, and as a Museum Manager for Rick Hendrick means I was taught by and worked alongside some of the legends of both business and motorsports. Among those legends were 17 of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, 14 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductees, and dozens of unique characters you may have never heard of. I am proud to have contributed to the corporate culture that has produced 18 Championships and over 360 race wins (and counting) across NASCAR’s three top-level racing series.
- Having forged my motorsports career in daily contact with Fortune 500 companies at the highest levels of auto racing, means I was fortunate to use incredible resources, collaborating with extremely talented groups of employees, to add value to, create, develop, and implement NASCAR marketing and hospitality programs you’ve likely heard about, seen, or experienced in person. Experience in high-level logistics, managing both on-site and off-site employees, as well as working on over 7,000 live events in various capacities honed my skills in top-quality, high-pressure, important, fan/client/customer facing performances.
- I worked closely with actors, celebrities, on-air talent, photographers, and TV/film production crews, supplying cars, drivers, facilities, mechanics, and my own labor for hundreds of NASCAR-themed ads, commercials, movies, and photo shoots. A large volume of projects such as movies like Racing Stripes, commercials like Hardee’s Days of Thunder, TV series like AmeriCarna, specials like Chevy 100: An American Story, or music videos like Brad Paisley’s “Old Alabama”, and many more, made me an experienced veteran of various duties in all sorts of media and production work.
- For its opening in 2010, I was selected as the first Manager of the Hendrick Heritage Center, the 58,000 sq. ft. world-class facility housing Rick Hendrick’s personal 200+ car collection. I maintained Mr. Hendrick’s multi-million dollar vehicle and collectible inventory, oversaw construction of new displays, coordinated photo and video shoots within the facility, provided hospitality for high-profile guests during events, and other duties. By mid-2015, I made the hard decision to leave the Hendrick Companies, and I continue to express thanks for the education, experiences, and love the Hendrick family has given me. I cannot thank the Hendricks enough for all they’ve done for my family and me. I continue to provide aid, knowledge, and research to the Hendrick Companies when needed.
- Self-employed since mid-2015, I have worked as an Adviser, Board Member, Coach, Manager, Marketing Manager, and Writer, among other things. These positions give me an opportunity to utilize the years of experience I gained throughout my career. In addition, I have previously held positions as a Certified Small Engine Mechanic, a Honda Line Technician, worked in a cabinet shop, and other jobs that provided me with a wide array of knowledge and experience. Still, I am always looking for the next challenge, and am available for hire and/or volunteer work given the right opportunity. If this interests you, contact me directly by using the contact form in this link:
https://michaelmyrick.org/hire-me/