EPARTRADE Appoints Noted NHRA Crew Chief Jim Oberhofer to Advisory Board as Special Advisor

“There’s usually no such thing as ‘after hours’ during the racing season. EPARTRADE lets us locate the parts we need, when we need them. They are changing the way our industry connects and engages with the platform, the weekly webinar series, race industry week and their newsletter series. I'm honored to contribute to the EPARTRADE group as a Special Advisor,” stated Jim Oberhofer.

 

“I have known “JimO” for many years, and to bring someone of his caliber onboard with us, is a testimonial that all the hard work we have done for the last 4 years is making a difference for our industry” said Judy Kean, co-founder of EPARTRADE.

 

With close to four decades of experience in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), it is safe to say that accomplished Crew Chief Jim Oberhofer is a veteran of the sport. A childhood filled with visits to various racetracks to watch his father, Dave, race a Junior Fuel Dragster led to a passion for nitro racing that would later become his calling. Oberhofer started his racing career in 1985 at just 18 years old when he turned wrenches on the Alcohol Funny Car of Frank Cook and Chuck Landers. Just three years later, he found himself working on Scott Kalitta’s Nitro Funny Car to commence a thirty-year career with Kalitta Motorsports. By 2000, Oberhofer had worked his way up to become Co-Crew Chief on Doug Kalitta’s Top Fuel Dragster alongside Connie “The Bounty Hunter” Kalitta before becoming both the lead Crew Chief on Scott Kalitta’s dragster and General Manager of Operations of Kalitta Motorsports in 2003. During his time as General Manager, Oberhofer oversaw the expansion of Kalitta Motorsports from a one-car team to a powerhouse operating four nitro-fueled machines and an intricate chassis and CNC shop. Between serving as a crew member, Crew Chief, and General Manager, Oberhofer has tallied over ninety National Event wins and three NHRA Championship titles. The Plano, TX native attributes his success in racing to his focus on teamwork and instilling a “Together Everyone Achieves More” mindset to any pit crew he leads. 

 

After numerous highlights in racing, Oberhofer expanded his career to include author in 2015 after publishing Top Fuel for Life: Life Lessons From a Crew Chief – but he didn’t stop there. In late 2018 he began franchise agreements with Victory Lane Quick Oil Change to operate three Victory Lane locations, and in early 2020 he was named Business Development Executive at Cogistics Transportation. When he finds downtime from his busy career, Oberhofer enjoys visiting the movie theatre, cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and spending time with his family and loved ones.

 

There was a need. We saw it. We filled it. EPARTRADE (Electronic Performance and Racing Trade) is a revolutionary web-based, trade-only product-sourcing platform that works 24/7 to connect performance parts suppliers with racing business professionals around the world. Developed by an experienced team of global motorsports professionals with a long history of success in the industry, EPARTRADE is as innovative and up-to-the-minute as auto racing itself, showcasing your latest products and offerings every single day. It is the fastest and most efficient way to introduce new parts and services to the worldwide racing trade while they're red hot, allowing builders, race teams, retailers, engineers, and other verified racing businesses to access them from anywhere in the world, day, or night. Quite simply, it is the only product sourcing platform as innovative and fast-paced as the racing market itself. The racing world is changing...and we are changing with it! Welcome to the FUTURE!