RIP

Rick Dole

Bob Snodgrass, 1942-2007

By STEVEN COLE SMITH

AutoWeek | Updated: 04/26/07, 9:23 am et

Lovers of sports cars and sports car racing in particular, lost a kindred spirit the evening of April 24, when Robert F. Snodgrass, Jr., 64, died at home in his sleep. Bob Snodgrass was the president of Brumos Racing, and president and CEO of the Brumos auto dealerships in Jacksonville, Florida, where he lived for the past 35 years

Cause of death has not been confirmed, but a heart attack is suspected. Snodgrass has suffered from several health problems the last few years, none of them known to have been related to his heart, and his health appeared quite good at the Grand-Am races he attended this season.

At the last Grand-Am race, held March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where both Brumos cars finished in the top six, “I remember thinking how good Bob looked and sounded,” said Adam Saal, head of Grand-Am public relations. “His death definitely comes as a shock.”

Earlier this year, Snodgrass was inducted into the Goodyear Legends of Daytona at the Daytona International Speedway, prior to the Rolex 24. “The honor today was totally unexpected. It was overwhelming to me, breathtaking. I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life,” he said. It was also deserved, as Snodgrass, owner of the No. 58 Red Bull Porsche Riley and No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley has three Rolex 24 at Daytona wins (Brumos itself has eight) and 10 total wins at Daytona. He was a driving force behind the formation of the Grand American Road Racing Association and the Daytona Prototype class.

The team is expected to compete at this weekend’s Grand-Am race at Virginia International Raceway, where the sanctioning body already had plans to honor the victims in last week’s shootings at Virginia Tech. Snodgrass will, in some as-yet undecided way, be honored as well.

Snodgrass’ involvement in motorsports began as a boy when he saw his first race at Watkins Glen, New York, near his home in Elmira, which lit a fire inside him that grew. The past few seasons had been challenging for his two teams—the 58 car is driven by David Donohue and Darren Law, the 59 by the legendary Hurley Haywood and J.C. France, son of Grand-Am co-founder Jim France—but with new Riley chassis, both teams have found speed this season.

Since it is so close to his home, Daytona was always special for Brumos and Snodgrass. “The first year that we won this race overall was 1973,” Snodgrass said. “We had Peter Gregg and Hurley Haywood in a Carrera RS, which actually had to run as a prototype that year. When the sun came up in the morning, we had a 21-lap lead on the field. Those days are long gone. Now, if the sun comes up and you had a half-a-lap lead on second place, you’d feel pretty good.”

Snodgrass was so serious about the Rolex 24 and his quest for an eighth Brumos win this year that he hired Porsche motorsports legends Manfred Jantke and Norbert Singer as consultants, as well as Gary Nelson, formerly NASCAR’s vice president of Research and Development. Spending money in search of speed did not bother him; one of Snodgrass’ mantras was, “If you pay peanuts, you have to hire monkeys!” One Brumos entry led 14 laps and was running second when it was hit by a backmarker; the team car, number 59, finished a strong fourth. Haywood turns 59—the same number as his car—May 4, and the long-planned party will now be substantially more somber.

Snodgrass himself was an accomplished vintage car racer, and came by it honestly with time at Brumos. The undeniably legendary Peter Gregg bought Brumos Porsche in Jacksonville in 1965, and was instrumental in getting into motorsports. When the mercurial Gregg committed suicide in 1980, Snodgrass, a business partner, became a business partner with Gregg’s widow, Deborah, who took up racing herself after her husband died. Snodgrass became Brumos sole owner.

As president of Brumos Motor Cars (Mercedes-Benz), Brumos Porsche and Lexus of Jacksonville, he oversaw one of the most successful automotive groups in the nation. His dealerships continually won top honors from the manufacturers, as well as the Jacksonville community. One of Snodgrass’ favorite charitable endeavors was “Cayennes for Canines,” where he donated the use of a Porsche Cayenne to the local animal shelter; part of the promotion pitched “used cars and used canines.” It was common knowledge in the community that despite his gruff demeanor, he was a sucker for a sad story.

Bob Snodgrass is survived by his wife Susan and sons Harris M. Snodgrass and Robert F. Snodgrass, III.