Former Goodyear Manager of NASCAR Operations Phil Holmer Dies at 78

Phil Holmer, a longtime employee of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s Racing Division, passed away on Wednesday at age 78.

“Phil managed our NASCAR program for the most formative years of Goodyear’s racing program,” said Stu Grant, Goodyear’s general manager of global race tires.  “He scheduled production and managed the inventory on a yellow legal pad, and never missed a thing.  An excel spreadsheet and a computer couldn’t have done any better!  And he was part of the incredible growth of the sport until he retired just over a decade ago.  He was a great ambassador for our company, and was never seen at the race track without his familiar blue Goodyear cap.  When asked by a member of the racing media about the cap, he replied, ‘I’ll never wear another cap.’  He never lost that focus — he was proud of Goodyear and proud to represent the company he worked for.”

After a time with NASCAR’s public relations department, during which he had a hand in the creation of the point-scoring system that served the sport between 1975-2010, Holmer joined Goodyear in 1976 and was promoted to marketing manager for the company’s Cup Series program three years later.  He held that position until his retirement in 2008.

His efforts were recognized by winning the 2003 Buddy Shuman Award for his contributions to helping advance the sport of stock-car racing.

Originally from Morton, Ill., Holmer was a graduate of Bradley University with degrees in Journalism, History and English.  At the time of his passing, he lived in the Akron area, as he had for most of his time since joining Goodyear.

— Goodyear Racing —