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Rod and I stayed in touch through the ups and downs of both our worlds, and he provided encouragement during some of my darkest days. We hung in there and miraculously fate led me to an invitation by none other than former Haymarket MD Tony Schulp to a dinner in Las Vegas on Oct. 15, 2011 on the eve of the tragic IndyCar finale where I met the new CEO of Haymarket USA. From there, an improbable chain of events led to Bill and myself reacquiring this company in March 2012 in partnership with Rob and Chris Dyson. Thankfully several of those talented Autosport alumni whom I met through Rod’s invisible hand now work with us today in the RACER 3.0 era, including our brilliant Editor-In-Chief, Laurence Foster, and John Chambers who, ironically, is Racer Media & Marketing’s global sales director.
Campbell maintained a regular presence in the RACER orbit. He’s pictured here talking with then-IndyCar marketing chief C.J. O’Donnell at RACER’s annual Long Beach industry party in 2015.


Rod was pleased and proud of how this turned out, and I am certain that you would not be reading these words today on RACER.com without Rod’s divine intervention, or the moments his kind and optimistic spirit lifted my spirits when I needed it most. For this I am eternally grateful, because he truly changed my life for the better and saved our company in the process. However, while I once thought I was somehow special or unique in Rod’s world, I’ve since come to realize that this was simply how Rod embraced the alchemy of friendships and the opportunities that most of us could not see to guide us to wildly improbable but positive outcomes.

One week after his passing, I am sure that Rod would not want us to mourn him after such a long, beautiful and happy life. Instead, I believe he would want us be thankful for the good things and great people in our own lives — especially those who share their incorrigible optimism, infectious passion and uncommon courage regardless of the odds stacked against them. Like Rod, these are the ones who will lead us to the future we desire. In times like those we are experiencing today, we need people like Rod Campbell now more than ever.

So goodbye, and thank you my wonderful friend. You were the most optimistic man I’ve ever met. May peace and comfort surround your beloved Sandra, Heather and Alison along with all of your family and many friends around the world.

Oh, and thank you T.B.