IMSA: Stevenson Automotive sees racing as an added bonus

For many team owners, a typical racing season involves preparing a car and building up their organization to be competitive, win races and capture championships. But for John and Susan Stevenson (pictured below) in the small town of Camp Lejeune, N.C., there’s a lot more to it than that.

The couple have to focus not only on their two-car GT Daytona race team in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but also on a booming automotive business and numerous charitable efforts, and while the job may be strenuous at times, the couple makes it work with ease.

“I have lots of weeks, between regular commitments work-wise and race-wise, that are seven-day work weeks, one right behind the other,” John Stevenson explained. “My wife is out and about in the community also and she’s very instrumental when I have those. She and I make a pretty good team and she loves to go racing, so that certainly helps a lot too!”

For decades, the love of racing has run deep in the Stevenson family and for John, whose father was also in the automobile business, that passion started at a young age. Over the years, he’s been involved with drag racing, collecting cars and for the last ten years, owning a sports car race team with his wife.

In 2003, John made his road racing debut at Watkins Glen and never turned back.

“Our first race was with Chip Vance who was taking care of the car,” Stevenson reminisced. “We finished second and put it on the podium our first round out. That was my downfall, because after that race, I was hooked. I was ready to go.”

The GTD race team based in Jacksonville, North Carolina, though, is only part of the Stevensons’ success.

For nearly 35 years, Stevenson Automotive Group has expanded into what it is today: 11 car dealerships across eastern North Carolina with a community-oriented vision.

“We’re not just asking for you to come buy a car today,” Stevenson said. “We like to do things that show we are a part of our community because we’ve been here a long time. We’re reinvesting in our community.”

Part of that reinvestment means incorporating the Camp Lejeune military base with the business. The dealerships host toy drives for the Marines’ “Toys for Tots” charity and this past Veteran’s Day, served lunch for hundreds of past and present military members. John also serves on Jacksonville’s Military Affairs Committee and with Susan, helped create “Hope for the Warriors,” a nonprofit organization designed to support service members and their families.

It doesn’t end there.

As avid pet-lovers, the Stevensons are incredibly active with local animal shelters, providing transportation and advertising “Pets of the Week” on several of their dealership Facebook pages to promote adoptions. However, the biggest event is held at the 80,000 square-foot Stevenson Toyota dealership.

“We started it about two-and-a-half years ago and try to do it at least once a quarter,” John explained. “If you come in and find an animal you like, we pay the adoption fees. For some folks, that couple hundred bucks may prevent them from adopting an animal. It’s gotten to be a pretty big thing that people wait for and we do 45-50 adoptions every time we have an event.”

It’s hard to imagine how the couple manages such a busy schedule, but John had a quick answer for how they make it work.

“You’ve got to surround yourself with good, quality people,” he said. “There’s no ‘I’ in team. Everybody’s got to understand whether it’s a dealership or a race team, it’s all about the team. I’m very fortunate on the automobile side that I’ve got my guys who have been with me for 25 years. We’ve built a nice organization on the race side that takes a lot of pride in what they do –the presentation, the prepping of the car. I think that’s the main reason we’ve been able to progress over the years.”

With Stevenson Automotive Group still going strong and charity events lined up on the calendar, including the December 10th “Adopt-a-Thon” at the Stevenson Toyota dealership, the Stevensons have their sights set on the upcoming IMSA season.

After competing in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and winning a Grand Sport championship in 2015, Stevenson Motorsports made the move to the WeatherTech Championship in 2016, finishing 4th and 8th in the team standings. In a GTD field stacked with competition for 2017, the two-car effort from Stevenson Motorsports is excited to see what the year will bring.

“Our first year with Audi was a bit of a learning experience for us, but we did have four podiums and we felt we could have done better,” John explained. “We feel that we’re a bit better prepared this year. I’m excited, and the whole organization is excited to be a part of how IMSA has grown and what next year will bring.”