Ty Norris - Vice President and General Manager

Birthdate	07/19/65
Birthplace	Sumter, S.C.
Residence	Mooresville, N.C.
Wife	Beth
Children	Matthew, Tommy, Trey

Success in racing is hard to come by, and once achieved it's even more difficult to maintain. Teams that compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have their own methods for achieving success, but there is one element that is an absolute necessity. Finding and surrounding oneself with good people is the first step in achieving success and it is one of the reasons that NASCAR veteran Ty Norris was hired to serve as Vice President and General Manager of Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR).

In 2007, Norris played an integral role in MWR's preparation for entering their first full competitive season with three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams and one NASCAR Nationwide Series team during Toyotas inaugural year in the top-two touring divisions.

Norris, joined Michael Waltrip's organization in the fall of 2005 while MWR was a single car NASCAR Nationwide Series team with 40 employees. Over the past few years, Norris has applied his industry knowledge to help grow Michael's organization to over 200 employees and negotiate key partnerships with sponsors, such as, NAPA AUTO PARTS, Aaron's and UPS to name a few.

Norris' career in NASCAR spans the course of 15 years and his resume features work with some of the most recognizable companies in NASCAR – Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and RJ Reynolds.

Although he was born in the south, Norris spent the majority of his youth in Smyrna, Del. As a result, Norris elected to attend nearby Delaware State University where he studied journalism. Upon graduation, Norris was hired to work for the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal in 1984. In 1988 he was offered the position of sports writer for the Delaware State News where he was charged with the duty of covering regional collegiate and professional sports. As part of his job as sports writer, Norris also covered auto racing events, including a pair of NASCAR races each year, that took place at the Dover International Speedway. From 1988 to 1990 Norris covered the sport while making connections within the community that would lead to his first position in NASCAR.

RJ Reynolds placed Norris in the middle of the NASCAR community when he was hired to serve as the manager of Winston Cup media relations and event operations in 1990. While performing the responsibilities of his position, Norris forged numerous relationships in the garage as the liaison between the series sponsor and the sport's drivers, teams, tracks and sanctioning body. 

Many in the sport took notice of Norris' work ethic and talent during his tenure with RJ Reynolds. One such individual was legendary driver Dale Earnhardt. The seven-time champion was in the process of building his own empire at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., (DEI). In 1996, Earnhardt hired Norris to serve as executive vice president of motorsports for DEI.  He played an integral role in helping the organization prepare for its entry into NASCAR's top level of competition in 1998. During the next eight years, Norris helped build DEI into a motorsports juggernaut with DEI winning 65 NASCAR sanctioned events and four championships (two each in the NASCAR Busch Series with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Ron Hornaday Jr.) from 1996 to 2004.

In 2004, successful businessman Bruton Smith hired Norris to serve as the vice president of special projects for Speedway Motorsports, Inc., (SMI). Norris oversaw the special projects associated with Smith's motorsports conglomerate, which features ownership of tracks in Atlanta, Ga., Bristol, Tenn., Charlotte, N.C., Las Vegas, Nev., Fort Worth, Tex., and Sonoma, Calif., as well as several industry-supporting companies including the Performance Racing Radio Network (PRN), The Source International (QVC's motorsports merchandise partner) and SMI Properties.

Norris will draw upon his savvy as a businessman, past successes and eagerness for a challenge in continuing his endeavor with Michael Waltrip Racing.