Patti Wheeler

Patti Wheeler was a young executive on the corporate fast track.

She started her own television production company after World Sports Enterprises, one of America's top production companies producing live motorsports events for cable and network television, closed its shop.

Wheeler accessed all the right channels for a television production career, graduating from North Carolina's Belmont Abbey College, interning with the local CBS Television affiliate and working herself through all levels of production, until being offered the position of director of motorsports for TNN: The Nashville Network.

TNN's motorsports programming grew from an original five NASCAR telecasts to more than 50 live events during the three years of Wheeler's tenure. Gaylord Communications, then parent company on TNN, bought into World Sports Enterprises in 1994, subsequently bringing Wheeler on board as its chief executive.

As president of Word Sports, Wheeler positioned the firm as a premier production company for NASCAR, SCCA, CART, IROC and IMSA live race telecasts for both network and cable.

Upon its closure she used her expertise to form her own company.

Wheeler is the daughter of Lowe's Motor Speedway president H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler. Her husband is Jack Marchant and they have a son Jake and a daughter Adele.