In every person’s life, when you spend enough time around people, you quickly learn that every human being has a unique story to tell. In life, everyone starts with humble beginnings and for most people, there is no such thing as an easy path. Problem solving, overcoming obstacles, and learning as you go is what you do from the time you are born to whichever day you choose to call today.
Then, as you progress, if you’re blessed enough, you can find a career and eventually retire. Once you get there, you will realize that retirement is not the end to anything because another chapter is still only beginning. For cowboys such as Frank DeAngelo, riding off into the sunset is just another page yet to be written on the trail of life.
To truly understand the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame career of DeAngelo, you need to take a journey to Warren, Ohio in the 1960s. It’s there you will find a young boy named Frank who was born in Youngstown, Ohio. Frank’s family moved to Warren when he was too young to remember but once in Warren, Frank quickly falls in love with horses at a very young age.
A young Frank DeAngelo and his father far left.
It just so happens one of Frank’s neighbors had ponies, this gave Frank his first opportunity to ride horses. Although Frank came from a blue-collar family, they helped him acquire his first horse when he was six years old and he has owned horses ever since. That’s his first passion, which remains his favorite hobby to this day.
Basically, when Frank says he’s riding off into the sunset, he’s actually out there doing it. He gets the opportunity to see the great painting in the sky, every night he rides the trails. A divine view that is akin to a once in a lifetime painting, made just for Frank’s eyes, on the sunset trail. Now that’s living.
Of course, that same sunset view is no stranger to off-roading enthusiasts around the world. This is an important detail in the story of how a young aspiring cowboy from Northeast Ohio became an Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer.
Perhaps the most fascinating part about DeAngelo’s story is the fact that motorsports were not even on his radar as a potential career when he was young. DeAngelo faced his own hardships and hurdles growing up. His mother passed away when he was only 13 years old and his dad was in prison three years later. As a result, Frank was living in a neighbor’s basement when he was only 16 years old.
Before DeAngelo even knew what motorsports really were, he wanted to pursue a path in criminal justice and eventually become a lawyer. Frank would work part-time jobs when he could find them, save money, and then go to college until he ran out of money. When the funds dried up, he dropped out, went back to work, saved more money and then went back to school.
DeAngelo managed to get his two-year degree over the course of about four and a half years. However, he knew he still had a long way to go if he wanted to reach his ultimate goal.
Along the way, Frank picked up a part-time job as a deputy working for the Sheriff’s office. DeAngelo was hoping a full-time deputy position would open up because he knew they would pay for his continued college education if he could go full-time.
Once a full-time deputy position opened up, DeAngelo quickly realized he could earn more money working part-time jobs than he could as a full-time deputy. As a result, he declined the position. Although this potentially meant DeAngelo would no longer be able to pursue his law degree, other opportunities were waiting around the corner for Frank.
About a year and a half before the Sheriff’s office offered DeAngelo a full-time position, Frank had sold a horse to a friend of his. It just so happens that friend was moving at the same time DeAngelo declined the full-time deputy position. As a result, Frank’s friend called DeAngelo to see if there was any interest in buying his horse back.
DeAngelo said yes and proceeded to go pick the horse up. When Frank arrived, he saw his friend was with yet another friend DeAngelo knew. They told Frank the reason the horse was available for sale again is because they had just accepted a job at a cattle ranch in Colorado where there were plenty of horses available.
DeAngelo driving the BFGoodrich tractor trailer.
This piqued DeAngelo’s curiosity a bit as to what job both of the friends were doing right now. They were both working for BFGoodrich driving tractor trailers. It was their job to haul tires, race cars, and show cars to various races.
At this point, DeAngelo let them know he was currently looking for a job so they asked him if he could drive a tractor trailer. Well, being that Frank already knew how to drive a tractor trailer, he quickly landed an interview and the job. This was the humble beginning to an Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame career.
From there, DeAngelo proceeded to drive a tractor trailer for BFGoodrich for the next three years. During that span, after Frank was with the company for about a year, BFGoodrich decided they were going to run the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race in Germany.
It was DeAngelo’s job to pick up the two race cars, tires, tools, and other gear in a tractor trailer and drive it to the dock in New York to get it on the boat. Then, Frank needed to fly to Amsterdam and then travel to Belgium to pick everything up with a tractor trailer. He then drove everything to Germany for the big race.
Upon arriving, DeAngelo discovered a documentary was being made about the event which required a little star power. At the time, James Brolin was into racing and BFGoodrich asked the actor to be the third driver in one of their cars. As a result, DeAngelo was able to meet Brolin and his family while spending some time with them in Europe. Sometimes there are perks that come with the job.
That goes without saying, driving an oversized load on a tractor trailer through the twisting narrow roads and under the low bridges of Europe is no easy task. Frank succeeded and it came to pass that BFGoodrich was looking to expand their operation into other motorsports.
They eventually told DeAngelo he had potential to be more than just a tractor trailer driver for the company. BFGoodrich asked him to join them at the office to help with management and the rest is history.
Frank DeAngelo Gets More Involved With Off-Road Motorsports
While working in the office at BFGoodrich, DeAngelo became a student of the profession while learning everything he could about motorsports. He quickly learned he loved to study motorsports business models, what makes them work, and how much they’re spending. In fact, the day-to-day operations of various motorsports are something DeAngelo still keeps tabs on to this day.
Through his astute awareness and common sense approach, BFGoodrich chose DeAngelo to manage various motorsports programs for the next ten years. His tasks included supporting BFGoodrich’s IMSA Sports Car Racing and grass-roots SCCA racing programs. From there, DeAngelo began managing hill climb competitions, desert racing, and then short-course off-road programs for BFGoodrich.
Over time, BFGoodrich Motorsports kept expanding and adding more programs. Supporting both the pavement and off-road programs became too much for one person to handle. A decision was made to bring in a few people specifically for pavement motorsports while trusting the entire off-road BFGoodrich program to Frank DeAngelo.
After working with BFGoodrich directly, Frank went on to start his own business, DeAngelo Minton & Associates, where he continued to consult for companies, including BFGoodrich. Ford even asked DeAngelo to help them create an off-road superteam.
His tasks included developing and managing the Ford Rough Riders program, which is a very special piece of off-roading history. The Rough Riders went on to become the winningest program in the history of the sport. Frank DeAngelo’s hand-picked drivers were dominant.
Frank continued to run his successful business for a decade, working with multiple motorsports clients. Then, he eventually received an offer to join Jackson Marketing Company. Jackson was looking to add a motorsports marketing division, beginning with Michelin’s motorsports business. The agreement allowed Frank to bring his clients with him while making him an offer he couldn’t refuse. In a good way.
Under DeAngelo’s guidance, Jackson’s motorsports division began with nine drivers plus Frank. Over the following 23 years, it grew into over 70 employees. By the time DeAngelo retired from Jackson, the motorsports program had exceeded all expectations.
That’s something to hang your hat on but DeAngelo still was not ready to ride the sunset trail just yet. As a result, he found several ways to stay involved in off-road motorsports for a few more years. This eventually led to working with Championship Off-Road for the final four years of his career but more on that later.
To say DeAngelo developed a lot of connections in off-road motorsports would be an understatement. His network grew worldwide which even enabled him to get chances to be a driver in some very big off-road races.
In fact, Frank DeAngelo raced in the Baja 1000 three times with three first-place finishes, once as the driver of record. Good luck to any Baja driver looking to match DeAngelo’s career winning percentage. On top of that, Frank is also a three-time Vegas to Reno winner. All in all, DeAngelo competed as a driver in seven professional off-road races.
By 2013, Frank’s contributions to growing off-road motorsports worldwide earned him a place amongst the immortal in the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. His humble beginnings as a tractor trailer driver for BFGoodrich didn’t prevent him from making the most of his opportunity. To this day, Frank DeAngelo is a board member for the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and has been for over a decade now.
Other notable off-road motorsports achievements for DeAngelo include being named the SCORE person of the year, twice. Once in 1985 and then again in 2016.
Throughout the course of his career, Frank DeAngelo always preached the importance of unity within off-road motorsports. At one point, he was able to unite the two largest desert racing sanctioning bodies at the time, SCORE and HDRA. This union helped desert racing achieve unprecedented growth.
Over the years, Frank participated in the Baja 1000 for an incredible 45 years in a row. He helped map it, course it, be the Grand Marshal, and so much more. DeAngelo also helped with team support, sponsorship support, and even got to be a driver three times. His contributions to the Baja 1000 are invaluable to the sands of time.
It’s safe to say off-road motorsports might not have become what it is today without Frank DeAngelo’s ideas, common sense approach, and networking talent. One thing is for sure, this sport will never be the same without him.
The Birth of Championship Off-Road: Frank DeAngelo Meets Carl Schubitzke
Throughout the 45 years Frank DeAngelo spent in motorsports, he saw the rise and fall of over 12 different sanctioning bodies and the devastating ripple effect that comes with it. Some were successful for a year or two but in most cases, these sanctioning bodies were not unified. Most of them over-promised and under-delivered which is always a recipe for both disappointment and disaster.
It was just such an instance that brought Carl Schubitzke and Frank DeAngelo together. At the time, Lucas Oil decided to exit short-course off-road racing in the midwest, which left a massive void to fill.
Event organizers at many of the short-course off-road tracks were concerned so they went to Carl and asked him if he had any interest in starting a short-course series. That’s when Carl and
DeAngelo began discussions about working together to form what ultimately became Championship Off-Road.
Since they were launching Champ Off-Road during the peak of the COVID pandemic, they faced a nearly impossible set of challenges. Neither Frank nor Carl ever back down from a challenge but this was a launch that defied all odds thanks to the innovation, perseverance, and vision of Champ Off-Road.
In the end, it takes heart to overcome obstacles, it takes unity to emerge victorious in any race, and it takes courage to keep going in the face of adversity. Those are characteristics that define Frank DeAngelo’s 45-year Hall of Fame career.
As any racer knows, motorsports can get expensive. That’s why one of the first things DeAngelo did during his time with Champ Off-Road was looking for ways to keep costs down. Sure, he made a few manufacturers mad at first, some of which he had worked with for over 40 years. However, they eventually came around while realizing DeAngelo’s idea was the right way to go.
For example, DeAngelo suggested the PRO classes switch to production tires instead of using race tires. This move has not only proven to be more cost-effective, it also encouraged more tire companies to get involved in the sport.
Frank DeAngelo has a wealth of motorsports wisdom, especially in the off-road community. Sustainable growth takes time, some of the biggest sanctioning bodies in motorsports did not happen overnight. Throughout DeAngelo’s entire career, he brought a common sense approach to his decision making process.
He has seen every success story and every failure you could possibly imagine throughout his career. That’s why Carl was happy to work with DeAngelo to get Champ Off-Road humming on all cylinders. To say Champ Off-Road will miss DeAngelo would be a massive understatement.
Hitting the Sunset Trails with Frank DeAngelo
DeAngelo is more involved with horses than ever before. He currently owns five horses and loves to go trail riding all over the United States. Frank currently has spent time on trails going horseback riding in 23 states. His goal is to make it to all 50 states and if you’ve been paying attention, it’s a safe bet he’ll do it.
On top of that, DeAngelo loves being a cowboy. As Frank says, to truly be considered a cowboy, you have to know how to work cattle. Frank officially learned how to do that less than a decade ago and just like his off-road career, he is very successful. He has already won four world championships with his beloved ranching horse in the American Ranch Horse Association or ARHA.
Just like his off-road career, getting to the point where DeAngelo became an ARHA champion took a lot of hard work, dedication, and passion. You can be sure to find Frank competing in the ARHA for a long time. No matter how many world championships he wins, he’ll still be as humble as can be about it while taking so much pride in his horses.
In the end, real off-roaders are down to earth. Like cowboys, heavy metal wranglers carry humility with an unspoken pride. It is not arrogance. You will never sniff an ounce of entitlement on a real off-roader or a cowboy.
What you will find is hard-working humility, teamwork, and common sense. After all, that’s what survival is all about. DeAngelo knows what it takes to survive, after all, he is a country boy at heart.
If you want to defeat the desert, if you want to emerge from the short-course dust victorious, survival is the most important part of the equation. To quote the late, great Rod Hall, “To finish first, you must first finish.”
Frank’s unique path to becoming an off-road hero should serve as an inspiration to everyone. Looking back at how he spent an entire career working from the ground up begs the question everyone should be asking themselves, what’s your story? How will you write your next chapter?
Thank you so much, Frank DeAngelo! Your contributions to off-roading will live on in the Hall of Fame forever but the people you’ve impacted along the way is your real legacy. Thank you for everything you’ve done for off-roading and for making Champ Off-Road your final stop as the Series Director in your legendary career!
Happy trails to Frank DeAngelo from everyone at Champ Off-Road!
Frank’s Motto: “Always give more than you receive while treating everyone the way you want to be treated. God first, family second, and Cowboying third.”
Frank DeAngelo’s Career Highlights and Hobbies:
Career – Worked in the Motorsports Industry for 45 Years:
- BFGoodrich Motorsports as an employee or providing agency support for a total of 45 years
- Involvement with Off Road, IMSA Sports Car Racing & NASCAR
- Developed and Managed the Ford Off-Road Rough Rider Program for 3 years
- Two-time SCORE Person of the Year
- Inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2013
- 2017 Vic Van Ella award for contributions to the sport of off-road
- Current Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Board Member for the past 10 years
- BFGoodrich Motorsports Person of the Year recipient
- Raced in seven professional off-road races as a driver
- Three-time Baja 1000 winner
- Three-time winner of Vegas to Reno
- Laughlin Desert Challenge
Hobbies:
- I’ve owned horses since I was 6 years old
- Started showing ARHA (American Ranch Horse Association) in 2015
- Member of American Ranch Horse Association
- ARHA Georgia Ranch Horse Board Member – current
- ARHA Amateur Committee 2023 & 2024
- Four-time ARHA World Champion
- Six-time ARHA Res World Champion
- Winner of the Inaugural ARHA Amateur Versatility Challenge 2023 with Two Class Wins and Two Second-Place Finishes
Do you want to get to know more about Frank DeAngelo’s tales of becoming an off-road Hall of Famer? You can see Champ Off-Road’s Happy Trails Interview with Frank DeAngelo here.
