Embrace
Your Drive

Motivational speaker, former NASCAR engineer, and football chief of staff, Richie Parker, inspires audiences to embrace challenges and own their path to success.

ORGANIZATIONS RICHIE HAS PARTNERED WITH:

  • ESPN
  • DOW
  • NASA
  • Virginia Tech
  • Berkeley Law
  • Clemson

Meet Richie

Richie Parker is living proof that resilience and determination can lead to extraordinary achievements. Richie has spent his life engineering creative solutions to overcome challenges and inspire others. From his childhood invention of a custom bike to adapting a 1964 Chevy Impala SS to drive with his feet, Richie is proof that ingenuity knows no bounds. As a Clemson University graduate with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Richie contributed to nine NASCAR Cup championships during his racing career with Hendrick Motorsports. Later, as Chief of Staff for University of Virginia Football, he led strategic operations and team development.

Now a motivational speaker, Richie shares his insights on purpose, perseverance, and innovation with organizations like NASA, Dow Chemical, and professional sports teams. Featured in an Emmy-winning ESPN segment, Richie delivers a simple yet powerful message: success is within reach for those who EMBRACE their journey and refuse to give up. His talks, much like his life, blend inspiration with a healthy dose of humor—because if you can’t smile through life’s twists and turns, you might be missing God's blessings along the drive.

Emmy Awards & Highlights

Richie Parker | “Drive”

2013 Emmy Award Winner “Outstanding Short Feature”

Watch Now >

Richie Parker | Average Joe

Richie Parker, NASCAR Champion Engineer, shares his story. Find out how his obstacles propelled him into an award winning career.

Richie Parker | Driven to Inspire

Clemson alumnus Richie Parker shares his inspiring journey, from a successful career in NASCAR to becoming a sought-after motivational speaker, and celebrates earning his second Clemson degree through the MBA program.

Speaking Topics

Faith during adversity

Leadership

Overcoming obstacles

Teamwork / Championship Culture

STEM

Diversity in the workplace

  • “His sessions have inspired hundreds of people at Dow to overcome personal and professional challenges. Richie shares stories in an extremely authentic and genuine manner – reaching people hearts by speaking from his heart. He is a great leader, speaker, and role model. We are so grateful for the impact he has had on our audiences.”

    Dave Fogarty
    Operations Learning & Talent Development Leader at Dow Inc.

  • “To be with Richie is a lesson in never allowing adversity to lower the expectation for success, but in fact, to use adversity as a motivator to reach goals that seem unattainable. His story is inspiring, he is engaging and the audience will be changed by spending time with Richie Parker.”

    Dr. John Mascia
    Retired President at Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind

A word from Dabo Swinney

Now booking for live and virtual events!

Richie Parker’s inspiring journey of resilience, innovation, and leadership reminds audiences that no challenge is insurmountable—even if it takes a little creativity and a lot of persistence. With engaging keynotes packed with actionable insights (and maybe a laugh or two), Richie empowers teams to own their journey, tackle obstacles head-on, and embrace a mindset of perseverance and purpose—because success is so much sweeter when you’ve earned it with grit and determination.