Motorsports executive and legal counsel Lauri Eberhart named Friends of Laguna Seca CEO.

Lauri Eberhart is a powerful figure in motorsports. She served as legal counsel for Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports, which operates 11 racetracks. She is a founding member of Apollo Sports & Entertainment Law Group. She advises clients on 10-digit financial transactions. She also sits on several boards.

And now Eberhart is the CEO of Friends of Laguna Seca.

The appointment was announced Wednesday, May 8 by the nonprofit that is set to assume management of Laguna Seca Recreation Area. In 2023, Monterey County approved a 50-year concession agreement with the organization to oversee the operation of the park, which includes WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“Laguna Seca is one of America’s most historic race circuits,” Eberhart said in a statement to the press. “I am excited and honored by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the charge as Friends of Laguna Seca reimagines and reconstructs this incredible raceway to begin a new chapter.”

Other than a repaving project and the installation of an upgraded—and structurally far more secure—pedestrian bridge over the front straight, the storied track has received few improvements over recent decades. Part of the focus of FLS when it assumes operation of the facility, will be to make assessments on fan and race team amenities, as well as the impact of events on the area, all aimed at bringing the track to modern expectations. (Eberhart was counsel for Charlotte Motor Speedway when its pedestrian walkway collapsed in 2000, injuring over 100 people.)

“Lauri brings a wealth of legal, sports and entertainment industry experience and expertise to FLS,” said the nonprofit’s president, Ross Merrill, in a press statement. “Her skillset melds perfectly with our existing resources and partnerships as we step into the long-term concession at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area.”

John Narigi, who heads the organization overseeing the facility, will remain in his present role.

Under the current management agreement with Narigi’s group, A&D Narigi, the county bears responsibility for maintenance and improvement of the recreational area. The concession agreement approved unanimously in July 2023 by the Board of Supervisors puts those expenses on FLS.

There are conditions to be met before—and after—FLS assumes operations. They include the nonprofit FLS depositing $6 million into its bank account, sign-off from the U.S. Department of the Interior that the concession agreement meets the terms of the Army’s deed of land to the county and a financial agreement between FLS and the county regarding future profits.

FLS is expected to invest $10 million on the track in its first phase of operations with a goal of increasing income. Should they meet that commitment, beginning in 2028 FLS will pay 10 percent of annual net revenue to the county.

Eberhart has extensive experience advising on transactions and the raising of capital. She was also named the Charlotte Business Woman of the Year in 2007. 

“Her background includes a wealth of motorsports experience that will lead us to a greatly improved Laguna Seca that will benefit the community, motorsports and fans,” said Bruce Canepa, FLS vice president, in a statement.