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Amid Supercars’ new leadership crisis, reclusive team owner Rod Nash is preparing to come out of the shadows to help guide the sport through a difficult administrative transition.
Speedcafe.com has learned that Nash, who prefers to stay in the background of political fights, is stepping up to stand for election to the Supercars board of directors.
He co-owns Prodrive Racing Australia with former racer Rusty French and lawyer Sven Burchartz, fielding four Falcon FG Xs in the series.
He also independently owns the REC that underpins the #55 Supercheap Auto Racing entry of Chaz Mostert, which runs under the PRA umbrella alongside the team-owned entries for Mark Winterbottom and Cameron Waters, and aligned REC-owner Jason Bright’s car.
Nash has been nominated to replace Triple Eight owner Roland Dane as one of the teams’ two representatives on the four-man board.
While the moves aren’t directly related, it is known that Warburton and Dane had an uneasy relationship.
Nash is a successful businessman outside racing who has run his RNR entry is various guises for nearly 20 years.
He is believed to be the only candidate to take Dane’s place, joining Brad Jones on the board alongside Archer Capital chief Peter Wiggs and – until he leaves on December 22 – Warburton.
Jones was reappointed to the board by the teams this time last year and will complete his current two-year term next October.
REC holders will meet in Surfers Paradise on Thursday for the annual general meeting of TEGA – the teams’ group that remains as a legal entity behind their 35 percent shareholding in Supercars – and will elect their new man on the Supercars board.
Nash has overcome his aversion to being at the forefront of the sport’s affairs in the apparent absence of any other team boss stepping up to fill the vacancy left by Dane’s decision not to stand for re-election.
However, in the wake of Warburton’s impending resignation, it is understood he is even more concerned about Supercars’ future and wants to lend his long-time business acumen to ensuring stability that has been achieved under Warburton’s more than four-year reign as CEO continues.
Nash confirmed to Speedcafe.com that he will stand for a seat on the board of directors on Thursday, unaware if he will have any rivals for the position.
“I’ve been nominated and I accepted the nomination,” he said.
“In a few days, there’ll be a vote if anyone else has also decided to step up.
“It’s a good system we have – two representatives of the teams and your tenure’s two years.”
Coincidentally, PRA managing director Tim Edwards is up for re-election to the Supercars Commission as a team representative on the seven-man rules-making group, as is Nissan team boss Todd Kelly.
Brad Jones is also on the Commission, as is Warburton.
The Commission is also looking for a new chairman as former IndyCar team owner Steve Horne is retiring.
The other members are Supercars chief operating officer Shane Howard and independent Neil Crompton.
“The Commission’s a great entity and also it’s good to see at times that others are showing interest in those levels of office,” Nash added.
