Ask Michael Waltrip to list the pivotal moments in the young history of Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) and right behind David Reutimann's maiden victory for MWR in 2009 at Charlotte, he'll list the October 2007 day Rob Kauffman joined as an ownership partner.

Since the New York native's addition, his financial and business strategy guided the team's growth and ability to field multiple NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series team in some of the most economically challenging times in the sports history.

Kauffman is based in London and a founding principal of Fortress Investment Group, a NYSE listed global fund manager, and is responsible for their European operations. However, he has always had a significant interest in all things automotive, motorcycling and racing related. He is an amateur sports cars racer, and in addition founded RK Collection, a muscle car restoration and performance company, based in Concord, NC.

"They built a great organization in a very short period of time, and their strong link with Toyota is particularly exciting. Additionally, MWR has established relations with terrific sponsors and drivers. Hopefully, with my background in finance we can help MWR secure its spot as one of the premier teams in the sport."

Mr. Kauffman is a principal and a member of the board of directors of Fortress Investment Group LLC. Mr. Kauffman has been a principal and a member of the Management Committee of Fortress since co-founding the Company in 1998. Mr. Kauffman is responsible for the management of Fortress's European private equity investment operations.

Mr. Kauffman is the Chairman of the board of directors of GAGFAH S.A. and Alea Group Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd. Prior to joining Fortress, Mr. Kauffman was a managing director of UBS from May 1997 to May 1998, and prior to that, was a principal of BlackRock Financial Management Inc. Mr. Kauffman was with Lehman Brothers from 1986 to 1994 and served as an executive director of Lehman Brothers International in London beginning in 1992.

Mr. Kauffman received a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University.