Darlington Raceway names next track president

DARLINGTON, S.C. (WMBF) - Darlington Raceway will have a new leader following this year’s Cook Out Southern 500.

NASCAR announced Saturday morning that Josh Harris, the track’s current Vice President of Business Operations, will step into the role of president following the 2023 season. Harris’s previous experience in NASCAR includes stints at Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway.

“My background has primarily been on the customer side of our business, in ticketing, guest services, event experience, and I really think just understanding our fans over the course of the last 12 years puts me in a unique position,” Harris said in a statement. “I think I’ll bring a unique perspective. First and foremost, the competition on the track will take care of itself, but I think we can control a lot of things around the fan experience here, the camping experience and really making each weekend unique in its own right, but also giving fans a reason to want to be here and to not miss out on being here at Darlington Raceway.”

He will replace current track president Kerry Tharp, who is set to retire at season’s end after seven years.

“Josh Harris is the right person to lead Darlington Raceway,” Tharp said in a statement. “This is one of the most historic race tracks in motorsports and I am certain it will be in great hands. Josh has already proven himself as a tremendous leader in NASCAR. He is tireless, passionate, strategic and ready to lead the track ‘Too Tough to Tame’ into its next era of success.”

“Josh is an incredible human and filling Kerry’s shoes will be hard, but I don’t think he’s coming in thinking like that,” added NASCAR’s Senior Vice President and Chief Track Properties Officer Chip Wile, himself also a former Darlington president. “He’s going to continue to build on what Kerry has built here. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Josh directly for the past eight years. He is very, very strategic and smart and thoughtful. He is all about the team. He just has an incredible style about him.”

WMBF News spoke to Tharp on his retirement and years at Darlington Raceway as part of its “Final Stretch” digital special, which you can watch below: