January 8th 2026

Racer Media & Marketing announces executive leadership transition; CJ Olivares appointed Group CEO

Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. (RACER), the premier North American authority on motorsports and car culture, today announced the appointment of CJ Olivares as Group CEO. Olivares, who currently serves as President of RACER Network LLC (RACER Network), will expand his leadership to include strategic and day-to-day oversight of the operations of RACER. He succeeds RACER founder Paul Pfanner, who departs the CEO role after three decades.

A decorated 35-year media executive, Olivares brings a distinguished record of building and scaling high-growth digital, linear, FAST and streaming businesses. He is widely recognized for founding Fox Sports’ FUEL TV, where he successfully transformed niche action sports into a dominant cultural force. In the last year, Olivares has spearheaded the integration and rebranding of the RACER Network (formerly MAVTV), driving significant gains in distribution and 50% year-over-year viewership growth through a commitment to diversified racing and automotive programming, as well as narratively-driven storytelling that humanizes the stars of the sport.

“CJ’s strategic expertise and operational depth make him the ideal leader to guide our unified and multifaceted RACER-branded platforms into the next era," said Chris Dyson, who serves as the Chairman of the Board of both RACER and the RACER Network. “His ability to marry the brand’s outstanding reporting and unique storytelling with modern broadcast and digital delivery ensures that RACER will continue to lead the motorsports media landscape."

This step represents material progress in a multi-year effort to leverage the RACER companies’ historically distinct media assets to create an integrated content and services powerhouse designed for the modern media era, and sets the stage for the more closely aligned RACER-branded properties to build on the 1.5 billion impressions delivered in 2025.

Olivares leads a RACER group platform encompassing a comprehensive suite of media and service offerings: the RACER Network (television and streaming), RACER Digital (web and app), RACER Podcasts, the RACER Creator Network, the authoritative and collectible RACER Magazine and the creative agency RACER Studio. This streamlined offering is designed to provide a seamless experience for fans and a 360-degree solution for commercial partners.

"The media and marketing landscapes are evolving at a breakneck pace, and the RACER platform is now uniquely positioned to lead that charge in the motorsports and car culture space," said Olivares. "Our focus moving forward is twofold: diversify our content offering to engage the transformative influx of new racing fans and automotive enthusiasts, and energize our revenue streams through innovative brand partnerships and aggressive subscription growth. We are building the definitive 'campfire' for motorsports and car culture."

Olivares’ strategy emphasizes human-centric storytelling and digital-first accessibility. By leveraging the RACER Creator Network and the high-end production capabilities of RACER Studio, he aims to expand engagement across all platforms—from traditional broadcast to social media—ensuring the brand's continued dominance in both the motorsports and automotive space.

About Racer Media & Marketing

Founded in 1992, RACER is the premier motorsports media brand in North America, delivering industry-leading content across multiple platforms, including the newly launched RACER Creator Network and RACER Podcasts along with motorsport culture-defining touchstones RACER.com and RACER magazine. The company also operates a strategic consulting, branding and marketing agency – RACER Studio – and produces live streamed events. Its clients have included BMW, Dodge SRT, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Porsche, Toyota, IMSA, IndyCar, Laguna Seca, SCCA, Trans-Am, Monster Energy, American Legion, Lime Rock Park, Piloti, and many others.

About MAVTV (Now RACER Network)

RACER Network, formerly MAVTV, is the premier motorsports broadcast and digital platform dedicated exclusively to delivering the most comprehensive motorsports and automotive enthusiast content across cable TV, FAST channels and streaming. With a passion for the culture at its core, RACER Network offers an unparalleled lineup of live racing, documentary series, news and analysis, and car culture shows high-quality original programming to millions of fans worldwide.

For more information: www.racer.com

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