Kevin Buckler
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Kevin Buckler (born c. 1959) is an American race car driver and entrepreneur. He founded Adobe Road Winery[1] and currently owns The Racer's Group, a professional sports car racing team; TRG Motorsports, formerly a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team; and TRG-AMR. In 2019, Kevin launched a $56 racing-themed wine named SHIFT through his winery Adobe Road.[2]
History
[edit]Buckler began racing at the local level in the late 1980s. He attended his first high-speed race in 1990. In 1992, Buckler and his wife Debra created The Racer's Group (TRG) as a Porsche Club Racing business that has grown into much more.[3] 1995 saw Buckler take his first start as a professional driver. He would go on to win that race, beginning a notable career in professional motorsports. Off the track the same year, Buckler and his wife, along with friends, opened Adobe Road Winery in Sonoma County California.
In 2002, TRG with support from Porsche Factory, won the GT class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Buckler would lead TRG to 3 more GT class wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, including an overall 1st place in 2003. TRG holds the record for the team with the most Rolex Sports Car Series GT victories at 29, and is ranked third for the most GT pole positions with 15.[4]
In 2009, Buckler would expand his racing horizons into the NASCAR Cup Series with the formation of TRG Motorsports. TRG Motorsports would go on to take 106 starts in the Sprint Cup Series with 2 top 10 finishes and 6 starts in the Camping World Truck Series, taking 6 starts with 2 top 10 finishes and 1 top 5 finish.[5]
In 2012, TRG Motorsports announced it would not continue competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, but would focus on Grand-Am.[6] As Buckler and TRG continued to make a name for their selves on the track, Buckler and Adobe Road Winery established themselves as a boutique national brand. Adobe Road wines have collected many awards and has 15 wines receiving Wine Spectator scores of 90 and above, including the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Beckstoffer Georges III which received a score of 94 out of 100.[7]
24 Hours of Le Mans results
[edit]| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 |  The Racer's Group
|
 Lucas Luhr Timo Bernhard
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RS | GT | 322 | 16th | 1st |
| 2003 | The Racer's Group
|
Jörg Bergmeister Timo Bernhard
|
Porsche 911 GT3-RS | GT | 304 | 20th | 5th |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "About Adobe Road Winery". Adobe Road Winery Official Website. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ^ Passy, Charles. "A former race-car driver created this wine to be 'a party in your mouth'". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
- ^ "About TRG". TRG Official Website. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ "IMSA Team Listings". IMSA Official Website. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ "Camping World Truck Stats". Driver Averages Website. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ "TRG leaves NASCAR". Tireball Sports News. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ "Wine Rating Database". Wine Spectator Official Website. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ "Kevin A. Buckler". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Bucker Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
External links
[edit]- The Racer's Group Home Page
- TRG Motorsports Home Page
- Adobe Road Winery
- Kevin Buckler owner statistics at Racing-Reference