Herdez team mourns loss of founder.

Jack Rodgers, one of the original investors behind Bettenhausen Motorsports and later minority team owner of Herdez Competition, has passed away at the age of 67.

Known for his humour and hospitality, Rodgers was a larger-than-life presence in the CART paddock and the team's Gasoline Alley race shop, and his death comes a shock to a team that, just ten days ago, was celebrating its first win in CART competition.

Born in Bellflower, Missouri, Rodgers graduated from University of Missouri in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. After graduation, he served in the Air National Guard, including a year of active service in Europe in 1961-62. He and wife Barbara married in May 1963.

The vast majority of Rodgers' business career was spent with Chicago-based agricultural firm, IMC Corporation, before he retired in 1996. He continued to be active in a number of entrepreneurial pursuits, however, including a property development business in Indianapolis that he owned and operated with his son, Charlie.

Rodgers began his involvement in open-wheel motorsports in 1981 when he founded H&R Racing [with Wayne Hillis], and became one of the original backers of Tony Bettenhausen's efforts. He continued his support as a silent partner in Bettenhausen Motorsports until the death of Tony and Shirley Bettenhausen in a private plane crash on 14 February 2000 and, even as the ownership of the team was assumed by Grupo Herdez, remained an active participant in the new team, Herdez Competition. Although illness kept him away from the track in 2002, he was in regular attendance at most of the team's events up to the end of 2001.

He is survived by his wife Barbara, son Charlie and daughter Teri.