Check out the stories of four Northrop Grumman athletes pushing the boundaries of their sport.
Connection at the Racetrack
By Steve Lamb
It’s an unlikely friendship — one person is racing around corners, seeking the coveted checkered flag; the other is capturing these high-speed pursuits frame-by-frame. Living more than 2,400 miles apart, there was little chance that the two would ever meet, but connections between careers and cars brought them together at the racetrack.
Behind the Wheel
In 2021, Dennis Neel was working at Northrop Grumman as an operating unit director in Woodland Hills, California. Outside of work, he was getting serious about road racing. As a member of the Round 3 Racing (R3R) team, which competes at tracks known for hairpin twists and turns, he drove in 12- and 24-hour racing competitions — showing up regularly in the winner’s circle. His success was no surprise, as he had an early start in the sport.
“I've been racing something since I was about 10 years old. It all started when my mom brought a book home from the library about go-karting,” said Dennis.
He convinced his parents to buy him a kart and was racing competitively within months. As he continued to sharpen his driving skills, he competed against up-and-coming stars, including Michael Andretti. His future as a professional racer was coming together when Dennis’ mother encouraged him to also pursue his passion for engineering.
“Race driving has always been my passion, but I knew that wouldn’t be my only career path,” said Dennis.
After earning his mechanical engineering degree, Dennis joined Northrop Grumman, kept on racing, and later brought colleagues into the sport. They started a race team and even worked on building their own car. However, after realizing all that goes into maintaining a competitive team as an owner, Dennis shifted gears, relinquished his ownership and re-focused on driving, joining R3R.
