Kroyer will lead the day-to-day business and racing operations of Orleans Racing, which fields the No. 62 Orleans Dodge for Steve Park in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The Las Vegas-based team has 25 full-time employees and also fields the No. 08 Yerf-Dog Dodge driven by Scott Lynch in the NASCAR Grand National Division West Series.

“It is always a challenge to run a race team,” Kroyer said. “There will never be two days a like. There are so many situations in a race team that are a challenge. If I don’t stay awake a couple of hours each night thinking about the team, then it is not challenging enough.”   

Kroyer, who was born in Denmark, began his professional auto-racing career when he moved to the United States in 1967. He is credited for wins in most major off-road races in the U.S. from his first win in 1970 at the S.N.O.R.E 250 until he retired from driving in 1985.

After a few years of freelance work, which included stunt work for movies and a record-setting jump over the Berlin Wall in a Porsche, Kroyer returned to racing to work outside the cockpit.

He joined Walker Evans Racing as a fabricator and mechanic in 1989 and then went to work for Roger Mears Racing in 1990.

“When I left Walker’s team I was on my way home to Fresno (Calif.) and I stopped by Roger Mears’ place in Bakersfield (Calif.),” Kroyer said. “We were old friends, and I was just going to say hello. Roger said he had a project and needed help. He said it would only take about two weeks. Well, 10 years later, I was still there.”

Roger Mears Racing primarily competed in off-road races, although the team did make four starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 1995. The off-road portion of the team closed in 1997, and Roger and Rick Mears, with the support of Roger Penske, formed a two-car Indy Lights team for Clint Mears, Rick’s son, and Casey Mears, Roger’s son.

Two years later, Roger Mears sold the team to Bob Dorricott, of Dorricott Racing. Despite the management change, Kroyer continued to work for the team and was the shop manager for three years of Indy Lights competition, where the team earned two championships. When Indy Lights competition ended in 2001, the team continued their domination by finishing 1-3-4 in the Toyota Atlantics championship in 2002.

“When Bob Dorricott passed away in 2002, his wife committed to keep the team going, which I’m sure was his request.” Kroyer said. “She continued to run the team for more than a year, but it got to a point that there weren’t any sponsors and after carrying us for a long time she finally called it quits at the end of 2003. I believe it was a very difficult decision for her.

“I’ve been friends with Michael Gaughan since the 70s when we met off-road racing. When I talked to him, he has always invited me to come to Las Vegas and work here. I was pretty comfortable where I was, and I’m pretty loyal to the people I work for. Even with his invitations, I stayed at Dorricott Racing, but when Dorricott closed, my first call was to Orleans Racing.”

Kroyer and his wife, Cheryl, are relocating from Bakersfield, Calif. to Las Vegas. He has a daughter, Kellie, and his son, Kevin, owns Kroyer Racing Engines in Las Vegas, which has provided engines to Orleans Racing since the team’s inception in 2000.