Kevin Buckler
Kevin Buckler (born c. 1959) is an American professional driver and successful entrepreneur. Kevin is the owner and founder of The Racer's Group (TRG), TRG-Aston Martin Racing, and Adobe Road Winery.[1] As a driver and owner, Kevin’s accomplishments include one overall win and 4 class wins at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, a win at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the title of 2002 Porsche World Cup Champion, 2005 GT Champion, 2006 GT Triple Crown Champion, as well as wins at most of the major motorsports circuits in North America.
History
Buckler began racing at the local level in the late 1980s. He attended his first high-speed race in 1990. In 1992, Kevin and his wife Debra created The Racer's Group (TRG) as a Porsche Club Racing business that has grown into much more.[2] 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, Kevin 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.[3]
In 2009, Buckler would expand his racing horizons into NASCAR 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.[4] In 2012 TRG Motorsports announced it would not continue competing in NASCAR, but would focus on Grand-Am.[5]
As Buckler and TRG continued to make a name for their selves on the track, Kevin 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.[6]
In 2013, the team partnered with Aston Martin Racing and was rewarded with rights to be the exclusive North American team for the luxury car brand. To date, the relationship has yielded multiple podium finishes, a Rolex 24 at Daytona Pole Position and a second place finish in the IMSA TUDOR GTD series championship plus five wins in the Pirelli World Challenge GTA class, all in 2015. In 2016, TRG-AMR has won six PWC races in both GTS and the Sprint-X Series. The team has also earned two 3rd-place podiums with its new venture in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series.[7]
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| 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 |
TRG
The Racer’s Group is one of the most successful GT racing teams in North America with over 150 podium finishes, multiple class championships, and a legacy of winning spans Grand Am, ALMS, Porsche World Cup, Pirelli World Challenge, IMSA United Sportscar Championship, and NASCAR. TRG-AMR directs the North American arm of Aston Martin Racing. The winning combination of these two legendary racing entities will take any professional racer to the forefront of the competitive sports car racing world.
In addition to running the North American race program for Aston Martin, TRG supports drivers in a variety of sportscar models — including Lamborghini and Porsche.[8]
Adobe Road Winery
Kevin balances his love of speed with another driving passion—wine. Kevin takes the same painstaking preparation and attention to detail used in his auto racing ventures and applies it to the careful and meticulous crafting of his Adobe Road wines. With his wine team, he spends countless hours in the vineyard and the winery to create elegant, balanced wines with intense fruit and great regional character. He participates in all final winemaking decisions and is frequently seen with a row of sample glasses on his desk.
Adobe Road Winery is collecting medals, awards, and accolades from around the country.[9]
The winery uses grapes from both Napa and Sonoma counties, and currently produces 14 different wines. Adobe Road is one of only a handful of wineries in the so-called Petaluma Gap, an unofficial yet increasingly recognized viticultural region encompassing the wide, windswept valley between the Sonoma Mountains and the coast. There are around 80 players, mostly vineyards, in the area, and efforts are underway to get federal approval to designate the region as an official American Viticultural Area, or AVA.[10]
Adobe Road has participated in the Prestigious Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience, as well as the South Beach Food and Wine Festival “Best of the Best”, and is a frequent guest at National Wine Charity Events.[11]
ARW's Tasting Room
The Adobe Road satellite Tasting Room is in the Great Petaluma Mill, in the very heart of Historic Downtown Petaluma.
A new, multi-million dollar winery facility is planned to be somewhere in the range between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet. The location will house the winery, a restaurant, a visitor’s center and elements referencing Buckler’s business and history in auto racing.[12]
References
- ^ "About Adobe Road Winery". Adobe Road Winery Official Website. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "About The Racer's Group". TRG Official Website. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ "IMSA Team Listings". IMSA Official Website. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ "Camping World Truck Stats". Driver Averages Website. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ "TRG leaves NASCAR". Tireball Sports News. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ "Wine Rating Database". Wine Spectator Official Website. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- ^ "Aston Martin and TRG". The Racer’s Group Official Website. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "About TRG". TRG Official Website. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "About ARW". Adobe Road Winery Official Website. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "About ARW's Tasting Room". Petaluma 360 Website. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "ARW at Wine Spectator's Best of the Best". Getty Images Website. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "ARW's Tasting Room". Petaluma Argus-Courier Website. Retrieved 27 September 2016.