Veteran NASCAR industry marketer Jason Golden is leaving the sport to join college athletics, taking over as the chief revenue officer for the Atlantic 10 conference.
Golden was most recently serving as CRO of Richard Childress Racing, which he sold and managed sponsorships for during a 12-year stint.
He’ll have the dual titles of CRO and CMO at the Atlantic 10 conference and remain based in the Charlotte area but will travel frequently.
The geographic footprint of the conference, which is based in D.C., stretches from the Northeast and Midwest to the Southeast.
Golden will oversee the conference’s revenue generating efforts at a time when college athletics is starting to mirror the highly commercialized ways of professional auto racing. Former RFK Racing president Steve Newmark became the AD of UNC in July.
It’s a return to college athletics for Golden, who worked at what was formerly known as IMG College and UNLV. He also had a stint at Speedway Motorsports’ track in Las Vegas after graduating from Ohio University.
A-10 Commission Dan Leibovitz wrote in prepared remarks that college athletics these days “requires increased revenue generation and innovation from the conference office to help our teams compete at a high level,” adding: “The A10 brand presents tremendous opportunities for growth, and he will play a key role in realizing that potential.”