RaceTrac's visionary leader Carl Bolch Jr. dies at 85 after reshaping retail

ATLANTA, Ga. (our website) - The man credited with expanding the Atlanta-based RaceTrac brand across the country has died at 82.

Carl Bolch Jr. passed away on Dec. 26, the company said. He served as RaceTrac's CEO from 1967 to 2012 before becoming the board's executive chairman until 2024.

"While our sadness is beyond measure in sharing this news, I believe we ultimately find inspiration and contentment in the legacy our father and mentor has created," his family said in a statement. "For over half a century, our father not only helped to build one of the largest private companies in the U.S., but he provided a livelihood for thousands while forging a culture of innovation, lifelong learning, and humility."

When Bolch Jr. took over the business from his own father, Racetrac had about 100 stores in two states. Under his leadership, the company expanded to more than 500 locations in ten states, it said.

RaceTrac is now the third-largest privately owned company in Georgia and the 22nd largest in the U.S. It currently has 800 RaceTrac and RaceWay locations and 1,200 Gulf locations, also acquiring the Potbelly sandwich chain in late 2025.

Bolch Jr. was also known as a philanthropist. He served on the council for The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which funds Parkinson's disease research, and founded the Bolch Judicial Institute at the Duke University School of Law, his alma mater.

Bolch Jr. leaves behind a wife, five children and seven grandchildren, with one more on the way.