The Executive Roster: A Q&A with Latasha Causey of the NASCAR Phoenix Raceway

In the world of NASCAR, where speed and precision determine wins, a new force is driving success at the racetrack: Latasha Causey, President of the Phoenix Raceway in Arizona.

Causey, the first Black female track president in the association’s history, didn’t originally envision a career in sports—not until her friend and NASCAR track president Julie Giese got in touch. The Phoenix native admits she was initially skeptical about accepting the position in her hometown. That is, until she spoke with her husband, who gave her a reality check. “My husband said, ‘If this were one of your mentees, would you ever tell them to close the door on an opportunity before they’ve ever even explored it?’,” she told Korn Ferry. “I’m like, ‘I hate to tell you you’re right, but I guess I will.’”

In an interview with Korn Ferry, Causey shares her vision, challenges, and the strides she is making to ensure that the spirit of inclusivity extends from the drivers to the very heart of the community.  

Korn Ferry: What inspired you to pursue a career in NASCAR?

Latasha Causey: I love sports. I love everything about sports. I'll go to any sporting event at least once to check it out, but I never thought that I would make a career of it or be somebody leading something so fantastic.

If not for Julie [Giese], I would not have thought to pursue a career within NASCAR.

For a long time, Julie was the only woman running a Raceway. So, there were a lot of first thoughts, to be honest. My first question to Julie was, “You know, I'm black, right?” So, that was my first question. Then, honestly, I [thought], “Well, maybe this is it for me. Maybe I can.” … [It] was one of the best decisions I've made in my career.

Korn Ferry: We know from our research that Black leaders—and Black women in particular—feel an added pressure to “perform” compared to their White peers. How does this reflect in your own career and in your role as track president?

Causey: I wake up every day and I've only been a Black woman, right? So, I don't know that I compare myself to my peers on what the difference is for the two of us.

But what I will tell you is it's not common for us. It's not common for me to be in this space. If I'm being honest, how I have grown and developed in my career, it's never [been] common for me to be a person sitting at the table, especially at an executive table.

That's just how it is, not just for Black women, but women in general.

I've been in financial services, and I've always been in very male-dominated space[s]. [I’ve] worked very hard in my career, and some people may not believe this, but one thing that I have always prided myself on is that I always feel like I deserve to be there. I don't necessarily think about the fact that I'm sitting around the table with “the guys.” I know the value that I bring, and they need me as much as I need them.

I do think that as Black women, we have other things and other pressures where it gets exhausting. I have two teenage boys. I have two Black boys, and so when you think about that and the world that they [are growing] up in, my worries are less about sitting around a corporate table and more about [making] sure my kids are really good humans [and] have opportunities that others maybe don't have and that they remain safe.

That’s what I worry about and get exhausted with versus being able to sit around any leadership table.

Korn Ferry: What are some of the goals you came into this position with? And how do you work with other NASCAR track presidents?

Causey: One of my first goals is always just getting to know the team and getting to know the people around me. I hadn't been in the sport, so I was really getting out there and on the road. My first year I spent more time on the road than I was at home. I was getting to know teams, drivers, how the sport works, how I can support, and what I should do to get integrated.

I have been in business for a very long time, and this is one of the most collaborative spaces I’ve ever been in. You have owners of teams [and] drivers that will call and check in before their race just to say, “Hey, if you need anything let me know,” and they genuinely mean that. It's just not something that you get every day.

When you're in the corporate world, it's competition, right? Whereas in NASCAR, if I'm successful, then the teams are successful, then the drivers are successful and it’s a holistic approach. So, my goal was just to get in, get to know and understand, and then really be able to put my “sprinkle,” if you will, of amazing things that I know we can and will do here at Phoenix Raceway.

The thing that I love about NASCAR is that we all get to work together.

Korn Ferry: Can you share some examples where you’ve engaged with and benefited the NASCAR community?

Causey: Community programs are what I'm most passionate about.

The Raceway is not far from where I grew up. And I never came to the Raceway until I was an adult, so I wanted to be able to have the opportunity for kids to come and experience the Raceway early. We have so many schools just within the 10-mile radius of our Raceway. We have at least five very large title one schools within that area.

With that, I created a field trip program where we cover everything. We have Phoenix Raceway charities, so we cover everything for kids from title one schools, underprivileged schools, to be able to come to the Raceway and have a day at the track. It's a whole day field trip. They come out, they learn about Motorsports, we have iRacing machines; we have all kinds of things.

We partnered with a good friend of mine, Larry Fitzgerald, and the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation. We do it together and the field trip program is called “Beyond the Finish Line” which is relevant for both football as well as racing. It's something that we put together, and in two years, we've already put over 300 students through the program. We weren't anticipating that we'd have so many people so interested. It's been a phenomenal thing, but that's just one program.

We do multiple community-based programs. It's something that we feel is our obligation to give back to the Community. We can’t just take, we’ve got to be able to give to this community as well, so we do that, and we show up in every way that we can.

Click the image to download the full interview.

*This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

For more information, learn more about Korn Ferry’s Sports Leadership Capabilities and Korn Ferry’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion capabilities.