LOS ANGELES – Craig Jackson, Chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, was recognized with the coveted Carroll Shelby Spirit Award, presented by Carroll Shelby International, for his outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the automotive industry. Jackson was presented with the prestigious honor during the Team Shelby VIP Experience banquet on Aug. 17, during Monterey Collector Car Week.
“Carroll Shelby believed that victory came from working with talented people who shared a common passion for doing the extraordinary,” said Joe Conway, Co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International and CEO of Shelby American. “The pantheon of influential people who were part of Shelby’s journey is very impressive. Craig Jackson’s achievements certainly earned him the Carroll Shelby Spirit Award alongside past winners.”
Previous Carroll Shelby Spirit Award recipients include Edsel B. Ford II, Ken Miles, Peter Brock, Don Prudhomme, Bob Bondurant, Allen Grant, Parnelli Jones, Jim Farley and Dan Gurney. Jackson will join this distinguished circle with a personal display at the Shelby American Heritage Center in Las Vegas.
“My grandfather, Carroll Shelby, considered Craig Jackson to be a close friend,” said Aaron Shelby, Board Member of Carroll Shelby International, who presented the award to Jackson. “He admired Craig’s pursuit of innovation and a commitment to excellence. Carroll deeply appreciated Craig’s business acumen and the Barrett-Jackson platform that put Shelby vehicles in front of millions worldwide. Craig’s loyalty to family values, hobbyists and collectors have made Barrett-Jackson a world-class automotive brand.”
As Chairman and CEO of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, Jackson has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most respected collector car and restoration experts. Growing up in his family’s business gave Jackson the opportunity to develop the expertise that helped propel Barrett-Jackson’s evolution of the world’s leading collector car auction and automotive lifestyle events. As part of Jackson’s vision for the company, in 1994 Barrett-Jackson became the first collector car auction company to offer internet bidding and in 1997, the first to broadcast live television coverage of its events.
“Carroll was my friend and mentor, and he was larger than life,” said Craig Jackson, Chairman and CEO of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “The Carroll Shelby Spirit Award carries with it a list of past honorees who are some of the greatest names in motorsports. Being recognized among those who I consider heroes is more than an honor – it truly touches my heart.”
Born and raised in the automotive world, Jackson has grown to be an integral part of the car collecting industry. Following in his father’s footsteps, Jackson has shared his family’s passion and devotion to all things automotive-related. In 1971, his father Russ Jackson, and business partner Tom Barrett, founded Barrett-Jackson. Craig soon became involved and climbed the corporate ladder assuming the leadership position in 1995 after the untimely death of his brother, Brian. Since then, he has continuously worked to grow the company and molded the January Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction Week into an automotive lifestyle event filled with thousands of exotic and unique collectible vehicles from across the globe.
Jackson is a prolific car collector and his extensive education on classic car restoration resulted in numerous first place trophies. He wrenches on cars in his free time; he especially enjoys using the pinstriping skills learned as a youth from the legendary Von Dutch. He has two Shelby American experimental cars, the 1968 Shelby GT500 dubbed “Green Hornet” and the 1967 Shelby GT500 named “Little Red.” He also owns two of the current generation Shelby GT500s, a 2008 Barrett-Jackson Shelby GT, CSX3000 series big block Shelby Cobra and the 1965 Shelby GT350 that had belonged to his late brother, Brian.
Jackson received the Lee Iacocca Award and has been named the #4 Most Influential Person in the Collector Car World by Magneto Magazine. He has also been named twice to Motor Trend’s “Top 50 Power List” in the automotive industry. Jackson earned the coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Business Services category in the Arizona/Orange County region.
In addition to running a world-class auction company, Jackson’s strong commitment to philanthropy has helped raise over $ 155 million to date for hundreds of charities worldwide. He has received numerous awards for his contributions over the years including the Innovation Techanthropic Award from The Arizona Technology Council and NPower, the prestigious Men of Character Award by the Phoenix Theatre, as well as the Childhelp Spirit of the Children Award. He was on the McPherson College advisory board for many years.
“Craig Jackson has allowed the Carroll Shelby Foundation to sell several vehicles on the Barrett-Jackson auction block that raised significant amounts of money to help kids win the race for life,” said M. Neil Cummings, Esq, Co-CEO of Carroll Shelby International, Co-President of the Carroll Shelby Foundation and CEO of Carroll Shelby Licensing. “He and Carroll shared a deep commitment to giving young people the skills they need to have a successful career in the automotive industry. It’s a commitment that continues today through Carroll’s foundation and the many schools that Craig supports.”
The board honored Jackson during a private dinner in Carmel Valley. Surrounded by performance cars under the stars, he was toasted by fans and Team Shelby members, as well as racing legends, Ford Motor Company luminaries and industry icons. Attendees included Peter Miles (son of Shelby driver Ken Miles), 1965 Shelby American team member Jim Marietta and Executive Vice President of Carroll Shelby International, Tracey Smith.
The Carroll Shelby Spirit Award was designed to kindle a desire for excellence by recognizing people who demonstrate exuberance, character and tenacity in the auto industry. The award is a stunning bronze statue of a Shelby Cobra designed by sculptor Rick Hadley.
Barrett-Jackson is returning to WestWorld of Scottsdale with the 2024 Scottsdale Fall Auction Oct. 10-13. Shelby American will display at the event. Automotive enthusiasts interested in registering to bid may do so here and those looking to consign their own collector car may do so here.
About Carroll Shelby Licensing
Auto manufacturer and entrepreneur Carroll Shelby is one of the most famous and successful high-performance visionaries in the world. A pioneer for modern automotive licensing programs, he began licensing his name and designs for various products beginning in the 1960s. He founded Carroll Shelby Licensing Inc., which is the exclusive holder of trademarks and vehicle design rights for some of the most famous muscle cars and high-performance vehicles. CSL also holds trademark rights for Shelby-branded apparel, accessories and collectibles. For more information about the company or licensing opportunities, call (310) 914-1843, fax (310) 538-8189 or write CSL at 19021 S Figueroa St., Gardena, CA 90248, or visit https://www.shelby.com/carrollshelbylicensing.
About The Barrett-Jackson Auction Company
Established in 1971 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Barrett-Jackson is a leader in collector car auctions and automotive lifestyle events, which include authentic automobilia auctions and the sale of private collections. Welcoming hundreds of thousands of attendees per year, Barrett-Jackson produces several live collector car auctions where thousands of the most sought-after, unique and valuable automobiles cross the block in front of a global audience. With broadcast partner A+E Networks, Barrett-Jackson features live television coverage of their events on FYI and The HISTORY Channel, as well as all the cars, all the time via their produced livestream on Barrett-Jackson.com. Barrett-Jackson also endorses a one-of-a-kind collector car insurance for collector vehicles and other valued belongings.
In August 2022, IMG, an Endeavor company and global leader in events, media, sports and fashion, acquired a majority stake in Barrett-Jackson and serves as the auction company’s strategic partner in building on its world-class automotive event experiences. For more information about Barrett-Jackson, visit Barrett-Jackson.com, or call 480-421-6694.
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