Robert J. Lutz
President & CEO, Driving 101, LLC
Entrepreneur | Investor | Visionary in Motorsports, Hospitality, Wellness, Tech & Finance
Robert J. Lutz is a seasoned entrepreneur and the President & CEO of Driving 101, LLC, the leading experiential racing company in North America. Driving 101 owns and operates the NASCAR Racing Experience, Mario Andretti Racing Experience, and The Speedpark at Concord Mills, delivering high-adrenaline events at 17 racetracks nationwide. With a career spanning over three decades, Lutz is recognized as a pioneer in motorsports entertainment—creating the Richard Petty Driving Experience, launching the Jeff Gordon Racing School, and introducing the first-ever third-party attraction at Walt Disney World.
In addition to motorsports, Lutz is an active investor with a diverse portfolio across hospitality, wellness, technology, real estate, and finance. He is an investor in the historic Peace and Plenty Hotel in Exuma, Bahamas; Amaira MedSpa, a luxury brand in the wellness and aesthetics space; David Burke Tavern, a celebrated culinary destination in New York City; and Dream On Yacht Charter, a premier luxury yachting experience based in the Bahamas.
Lutz is also an investor in Boxabl, the modular housing company redefining how people think about homeownership; Kiwibot, a robotics company transforming last-mile delivery with autonomous sidewalk robots; and Divergent Technologies, Inc., a cutting-edge manufacturer revolutionizing the automotive industry with 3D-printed vehicle structures. His investments extend to Europe, where he is a backer of Avro, a rising hospitality brand in Greece known for its elevated, design-forward boutique experiences. In the financial sector, Lutz holds a stake in Evermore Bank, a forward-thinking institution focused on innovation and customer-first solutions.
His real estate holdings include strategic investments in Oak Island, North Carolina; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Exuma, Bahamas—reflecting a long-term belief in coastal growth markets and lifestyle destinations. In addition to his public-facing ventures, Lutz maintains a range of private investments across emerging industries and growth-stage businesses.
From the racetrack to real estate and robotics, Robert J. Lutz brings a sharp entrepreneurial mindset, bold vision, and proven leadership to every venture. His portfolio reflects a commitment to investing in breakthrough ideas, world-class experiences, and businesses that are built to lead.
ROBERT J. LUTZ PRESIDENT & CEO OF DRIVING 101, LLC
June 3, 2024
Robert J. Lutz grew up in Syracuse, N.Y., working for his family-owned business. His marketing and management career started at a young age, assisting in the development and maintenance of D.I.R.T Motorsports.
With a well-rounded business background, Lutz moved to Charlotte, N.C., in May 1990 to further entrench him in the national racing community. In July 1991, Lutz accepted the job as marketing director for Fast Track High Performance Driving School in Harrisburg, N.C. He served in that role for two years and transformed Fast Track into the leading Winston Cup driving school in the United States.
Lutz left Fast Track to follow his creative vision and created the Richard Petty Driving Experience and showcased his marketing talents as President and Chief Executive Officer. He nurtured and developed the company with innovative ideas that led it to become the leading stock car driving experience in the United States. After opening locations in Charlotte, Atlanta, and Las Vegas, Lutz concluded two years of negotiations to bring the Richard Petty Driving Experience to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. When it opened in February 1997, it marked the first time a third-party organization was allowed to own and operate an attraction at Walt Disney World.
In October 1997, Lutz sold his share of the company to explore other opportunities in the motor sports industry. It was that thought that led to the creation of Driving 101, LLC in October of 1998. Lutz once again figured out how to improve the driving experience concept. The goal was simple—to establish Driving 101 as the premier and only full sized, open wheel driving experience in the world. In doing that, auto racing fans, corporate clients, and non fans alike are exposed to open wheel racing and will be able to better understand all the excitement and intricacies of one of the most popular forms of racing in the world. READ MORE
With 33 Years In The Racing School Business, Bob Lutz Looks To The Future
ByJim Clash June 22, 2023
Robert Lutz has almost singlehandedly revolutionized the racing school industry. Back in the 1990s, he envisioned a niche for NASCAR and Indy car fans who want to experience the thrill of speed, but don’t necessarily want to learn how to race cars as, say, a Skip Barber teaches.
So Lutz, 53, founded what was once called the Richard Petty Driving Experience, now, after many name changes, the NASCAR Racing Experience. The entity has put nearly two million regular folks, both in the U.S. and internationally, through its various drive/ride programs, making Lutz wealthy but also giving a boatload of bucket-list thrills.
There’s a lot of responsibility that goes along with such success, though. Imagine a newbie with no previous racing experience driving 150 mph on a track in a stock or Indy car. If something major breaks on the thing, the consequences could be serious. That said, NRE cars are built and maintained way better than passenger cars - like real race-cars, in fact - and are designed to handle high-speed wrecks. An accident at 170 mph in an NRE car is likely to do a lot less damage to its occupants than a crash in an SUV at 80 mph on the interstate.
We thought it would be interesting to see just what goes on behind the scenes at NRE, focusing on safety and the mechanical production and upkeep of cars. Included in this series are interviews with other NRE staffers including COO Chris Daniel, Daytona track operations manager Mike Carollo and Daytona chief mechanic Dave Le Beau. Following are edited excerpts from a longer phone conversation with CEO Lutz. Read More
Beds for Kids and Speedway Children’s Charities gets $10,000 donation from racing executive, Bob Lutz.
December 22, 2021
CONCORD, N.C. (WBTV) - Bob Lutz, CEO of Driving 101, which operates NASCAR Racing Experience, Richard Petty Driving Experience and Mario Andretti Racing Experience, presented a donation of $10,000 this week to Speedway Children’s Charities – Charlotte Chapter to support Charlotte-based Beds for Kids.
“We’ve been honored to support Speedway Children’s Charities for many years,” said Lutz. “Since the annual Speedway Children’s Charities gala was cancelled this year, we wanted to make sure we were continuing to help them fulfill their mission in the community with a donation to an important community organization.”
Lutz joined Lisa Starnes, director of Speedway Children’s Charities, and Malcom Graham, executive director of Beds for Kids, at Charlotte Motor Speedway to present the contribution. (Shown L-R: Graham, Starnes and Lutz)
Beds for Kids serves thousands of children and their families each year. With support from the community, they are able to continue advancing their mission of providing beds and essential furniture to children and their families in need.
“Christmas came early this year,” said Graham. “We were surprised and incredibly grateful to be selected by Speedway Children’s Charities and Bob Lutz for this holiday gift. This will allow us to provide nearly 70 beds for children in the Charlotte area, just in time for Christmas. Together we are furnishing futures!” Full Story Click Here
State Of American Racing: Nascar Racing Experience’s Bob Lutz Opines
Bob Lutz knows something about auto racing. In his 20s, he revolutionized the racing school genre. Instead of designing a traditional school like Skip Barber or Bob Bondurant, where students learn the technical aspects of driving, he envisioned a place where fans could experience the thrill of driving a real race car at high speed, without necessarily learning the skill-set to race professionally. In the late 1990s, he founded the Richard Petty Driving Experience (now called Nascar Racing Experience) for stock car enthusiasts, and Cart Driving 101 (now called Mario Andretti Racing Experience), for Indy car enthusiasts. Between the two outfits, Lutz has put millions of race fans behind the wheel at a number of big oval tracks including Daytona, Talladega, Texas, Las Vegas and Charlotte. This week, we had a chance to catch up with the entrepreneur, who just turned 50, to discuss the state of racing in the U.S. as well as to comment on how the state of his schools, including dealing with COVID-19. Following are edited excerpts from a longer conversation. READ MORE>>