Veterans in INDYCAR: Jeff Spencer

Throughout the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, American Legion Social Media Manager Steven B. Brooks will be talking with veterans who work within the INDYCAR SERIES, whether for Chip Ganassi Racing, INDYCAR itself, or other racing teams, tracks or entities involved in the series.

This week we’re talking with Jeff Spencer, senior vice president of Partnership Development for Breaking Limits and the tour manager for The American Legion’s Be the One activation display that will be on site at both INDYCAR and NASCAR races this season. Breaking Limits specializes in brand strategy, experiential marketing and communications for corporations, household brand names, athletes and community foundations.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served from 1998 to 2002, Spencer talked with Brooks about life after the military, being a part of the Legion’s Be the One messaging and how important that mission is.  

Steven Brooks: How did you end up working for Breaking Limits after leaving the Marine Corps?

Jeff Spencer: It maybe starts before the Marine Corps. I was working in restaurants when I was in high school. After I got out of the Marine Corps … I bounced around a little bit in different jobs. And lo and behold, I was still good at restaurant stuff. I started working in restaurants and started working my way up. I worked for a retirement home, and then I was an executive chef for a restaurant in Jacksonville, and then I decided I needed some education. I went to the Culinary Institute of America and after that moved out to Napa working at a restaurant out there. More front of the house, more management, less back of the house.

That kind of boosted my career once that happened. I moved back home to Tallahassee and got on with (food services and facilities services provider) Aramark, started running stadiums. And that kind of got me into this whole sports world. I ended up finding NASCAR, and everything snowballed and led from one thing to the next. I guess I was always meant to be in hospitality. And that evolved into this career, where I’m more on the marketing side with Breaking Limits.

Question: What are your responsibilities as the tour manager for our activation display during this INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR season?

Spencer: Make sure all of the communications between the track and the logistics companies are clear and concise. Communicating back to (American Legion National Headquarters staff). It’s logistics, communications before the races. During the event it’s going to be anything from setup to fan engagement. Helping the local Legionnaires with any issues they might have. It could be something from “This TV isn’t working” to “I don’t have a place to park.”

Question: You’re responsible for all that you just mentioned. How does it feel being a part of all this while knowing what this cause is and what the point of this display is: The American Legion’s Be the One mission to reduce veteran suicides?

Spencer: It’s something that can never not be done. It’s a constant thing. It’s just really cool to be a part of that. At one point in my Marine Corps career, the last year I was in, I was a chaplain’s assistant. I worked a lot, I guess you could say, in the space. It was neat to be a part of it then, seeing guys that need help and being able to help them through all of life’s stuff that gets thrown at them. It’s a neat thing and something that’s very rewarding.

Question: When you see an organization like The American Legion make reducing veteran suicides its primary mission, and then a racing organization like Chip Ganassi Racing support that and INDYCAR also supporting it, what does it say about those entities and their dedication to this cause?

Spencer: It’s a wonderful thing. Between The American Legion and Ganassi and INDYCAR, the support for something like this is huge. And it is something that you see out there on social media: guys are having problems, and they don’t know where to go, still, which is kind of amazing. There are still guys getting out who have issues … and they’re turning to places like Twitter and Reddit to seek help. There’s a lot of work to do to get the word out there.

There are so many things that The American Legion has done that a part of everyday life that a lot of veterans don’t know. When you’re in (the military), you don’t know a lot of things that were done for them before they even get out. All the groundwork that was laid prior by The American Legion. It's neat that Chip Ganassi and INDYCAR are supporting everything and trying to get that word out there. There’s so many sectors of people, and racing kind of crosses a lot of bridges, so it’s an excellent way to get out there in front of everybody.