Black Circuit Racing · Team Principal

Joseph Burris

Veteran  ·  Firefighter  ·  Champion  ·  Operator  ·  Builder

4×
National
Champion
19
Years
DoD Service
200+
Businesses
Analyzed
2028
Daytona
24H Target
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"You weren't ready for half the stuff you've been through — but you were clearly built for it." — Rudy Archuleta  ·  Summit AER Endurance
4×
WRL National
Champion 2020
19
Years DoD
Fire Service
2ND
Creventic 24H
Sebring 2021
GT4
McLaren Artura
Program Lead
2028
Daytona 24H
Pro/Am Target

The Origin

Forged
in Fire.

"I didn't know exactly what the hole in my heart was until I went to Skip Barber in 2011."

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Joseph Burris enlisted in the US Army in 1998. He didn't become a soldier who happened to fight fires. He became a firefighter who ran toward burning aircraft for a living — ARFF. Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting. The aircraft crashes. The fuel. The heat. He went in anyway. For 19 years, active duty and DoD civilian both, he did that job without hesitation. He retired as Battalion Chief.

His wife pushed him toward a BMW Performance Center one day. He took the course. Then Skip Barber. Then he bought a 2002 wide-body BMW M3, called it the "Track Taxi," and started giving rides to strangers at track events — because he wanted everyone to feel what he felt. That's who Joe is. He finds the thing that lights him up and shares it without reservation.

Autoworx Motorsports gave him his first competitive seat in AER. He finished 3rd nationally in his debut season. The year after, he swept the entire World Racing League — four national championships in a single season. The man who ran toward burning aircraft had found his calling at 180mph.

Joseph Burris celebrating on the Creventic 24H Sebring 2021 podium

Photo: Rudy Archuleta

The Man Behind the Helmet

The track is where
Joe competes.
Life is where
he leads.

To understand Joseph Burris the racer, you have to understand Joseph Burris the man. He didn't arrive here through luck or circumstance. He built himself — deliberately, across four decades, without shortcuts.

Before racing came 19 years structured around duty, precision, and calm under catastrophic pressure. The discipline required to respond to an aircraft fire — to think clearly, command a crew, and execute flawlessly while everything around you burns — doesn't leave a person. It becomes them. That discipline is what Joe carries into every paddock, every strategy call, every hire he makes as Team Principal.

Away from the circuit, Joe lives on his land in Gainesville, Georgia — family, horses, and room to breathe. His horses aren't a casual hobby. They're a window into how he's wired. Horses demand patience, consistency, and total presence. They read you the moment you walk in — they know if you're distracted, uncertain, not fully there. Joe is always fully there. That capacity for complete calm and complete presence is the same quality that wins championships and builds teams that last.

One of Joe Burris's horses on his Gainesville, Georgia property
Gainesville, Georgia
🎖️
Military Discipline
US Army Firefighter. Trained to lead under fire — literally. The foundation everything else is built on.
🐴
The Horseman
Life on the land in Gainesville, GA. The presence and calm horses demand is exactly what wins on track.
🏁
Racing Passion
"The hole in my heart." Not a career move — a calling discovered at Skip Barber in 2011 and never let go.
🏗️
The Builder
Managing Director, The Forte Group. President, Protos Racing Development. 200+ businesses analyzed. Operator — not spectator.
📊
Business Operator
Senior Business Analyst. 18 months working alongside Shawn C. O’Neil across projects. Diagnosed sales, operations, finance, and culture breakdowns in 200+ businesses.

"It has been a long road to realize my dream of racing — but now it's all about converting those dreams to memories."

— Joseph Burris

The Operator

More Than
a Driver.

To understand why Joseph Burris was selected as Haus of Black Principal #7, look past the helmet. Before he ever campaigned a race car at a national level, As a Senior Business Analyst, Joe spent 18 months working alongside Shawn C. O’Neil — inside a different business nearly every other day. While O’Neil managed projects, Burris was on the ground diagnosing why businesses weren’t meeting owner expectations.

Over that period, he analyzed more than 200 businesses — diagnosing why operations weren’t meeting owner expectations. Sales structure. Financial controls. Operational workflows. Team culture. He brought the same disciplined, systematic approach he learned commanding fire crews to boardrooms and back offices across industries.

That business acumen is the reason he leads Black Circuit Racing — not just as a champion driver, but as a team principal who understands revenue, cost structure, sponsor economics, and organizational design at a level most racing operators never reach.

Joe doesn’t just drive. He builds.

Business Operations
200+
BUSINESSES ANALYZED
18
MONTHS · CROSS-COMPANY PROJECTS
Disciplines
Sales Operations
Financial Analysis
Culture & Leadership
Operational Workflow
Entities
The Forte GroupManaging Director
Protos Racing DevelopmentPresident
J Burris Racing, LLCOwner & Operator

The Organization

Already
Assembling.

Joe isn’t waiting for funding to build the team. He’s already assembling the people — drawing from his network of IMSA professionals, manufacturer contacts, and championship-level talent. This is what separates an operator from a gentleman driver.

Technical Staff
Jon Shevel
Technical Director · Joe’s Personal Pick
Crew Chief, Forty7 Motorsports. IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (GS & TCR). Lamborghini Super Trofeo. Aston Martin GT4 specialist.
Engineering
Ben Salasko
Race Engineer · In Discussion
IMSA-pathway engineer. Verbal commitment contingent on the program coming together at scale.
Driver Roster
Rafael Torres
Driver · Confirmed Interest
GTS2 Champion. BMW Performance Driving School Lead Instructor. BFGoodrich tire test driver. Championship pedigree + manufacturer relationships.
Driver Roster
Mike Skeen
Pro Driver · Target Acquisition
IMSA professional. Available for WRL rounds. Rolling roster model. GT3 program credibility with sponsors and investors.
McLaren
Direct Manufacturer
Relationship
AMP
Atlanta Motorsports
Park · Private Member
IMSA
Professional Network
Crew & Talent Pipeline
GT4
McLaren Artura
Program Lead

“In business, I never love to be held hostage — so let’s always have an A, B & C option.”

— Joseph Burris, on manufacturer strategy

Racing Record

The Long Road.

Late to the party. Early to the top. Joe Burris didn't arrive at professional motorsport with a factory program behind him. He earned every single lap.

1998
US Army — Enlisted Firefighter
Enlists in the United States Army. Trained as Army Firefighter, beginning a 19-year career in fire service. Specialty: ARFF — Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting on military airfields.
2004–2017
DoD Civilian Firefighter — Retired Battalion Chief
Transitions to DoD civilian firefighter. Certifications: HazMat Technician, HazMat Incident Commander, ARFF Driver, Fire Officer I. Retires as Battalion Chief after 19 years total service.
2011
Skip Barber Racing School — The Turning Point
Wife encourages a visit to BMW Performance Center. One session changes everything. Enrolls at Skip Barber. Acquires a 2002 wide-body BMW M3, builds "Track Taxi," gives rides at track events to share the passion.
Origin
2019
AER National Championship — 3rd Place
First full competitive season with Autoworx Motorsports in American Endurance Racing. Three cars campaigned simultaneously. 3rd in the AER National Championship — debut season.
🏆 Podium
2020
WRL — 4× National Champion in One Season
Sweeps the World Racing League completely. National Overall Points Champion. National GP3 Champion. Eastern GP3 Champion. Midwestern GP3 Champion. Four titles in a single season.
🏆 4× Champion
2021
Creventic 24H Series — 2nd Place, Sebring
Steps up to international endurance racing at the Creventic 24 Hours of Sebring. Finishes 2nd in TCX class. Champagne on the podium at one of America's most storied circuits.
🏆 Podium
2022
Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America
Competes in the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo — one of the most prestigious manufacturer-backed series in the country.
Pro Series
2026
Black Circuit Racing — Team Principal
Named Team Principal of Black Circuit Racing. Three McLaren Artura GT4s. Sebring International Raceway debut, March 2026.
Now
2028
Mission: Daytona 24 Hour — Pro/Am
The destination. WRL → SRO → IMSA → Daytona. A Pro/Am team at the greatest endurance race in America. Every decision BCR makes points here.
Target

Championship Record

Built Different.

2020
WRL · 2020
National Overall
Points Champion
World Racing League — Full Season Sweep
2020
WRL · 2020
National GP3
Champion
World Racing League GP3 Class
2020
WRL · 2020
Eastern GP3
Champion
World Racing League — Eastern Division
2020
WRL · 2020
Midwestern GP3
Champion
World Racing League — Midwest Division
2021
Creventic · 2021
2nd Place
TCX Class
24 Hours of Sebring — International Series
2019
AER · 2019
3rd Place
National Championship
American Endurance Racing — Debut Season
Joe Burris racing the #143 Aston Martin on track
Joe Burris in the #80 Protos Racing Development BMW M3
Joe Burris with the Race for RP team

Black Circuit Racing

The
Pathway.

Three McLaren Artura GT4s. A Gentleman Driver program. A decade-long arc through the ranks of professional motorsport. Joe Burris has lived every step of this pathway as a driver. Now he's building it for others.

01
World Racing League
2026 · Sebring Debut · March 2026
02
SRO America
GT America · Continental GT Challenge · GT4
03
IMSA WeatherTech
North America's premier road racing series
04
Daytona 24 Hour
January 2028 · Pro/Am · The Mission
05
Le Mans
The ultimate horizon
"It has been a long road to realize my dream of racing — but now it's all about converting those dreams to memories."— Joseph Burris · Team Principal, Black Circuit Racing
Investment Overview
$250K
Seed Round
3
GT4 Seats
$180K
Per Seat / Year
McLaren
Artura GT4
Visit Black Circuit Racing

blackcircuitracing.com

Haus of Black
Founding
Principal
Tier 0 · Governance
Haus of Black

Joseph Burris is a Founding Principal of the Haus of Black — the private governance structure that owns and operates Black Circuit Racing, the family office, and the Black Vault ecosystem. He doesn't just race for the Haus. He helps govern it. Every investment decision, every acquisition, every direction the organization moves — Joe has a vote and a voice at the table.

Challenge Coin Voting Rights Black Vault Access Pro-Rata Distributions