Frank Cicci Racing
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| Owner(s) | Frank Cicci,Mark Daniel |
|---|---|
| Series | Xfinity Series |
| Opened | 1986 |
| Closed | 2007 |
| Career | |
| Debut |
|
| Races competed | Total:502 Xfinity Series:497 |
| Race victories | Total:19’ Xfinity Series:19 |
| Pole positions | Total:12 :Xfinity Series:11 |
Cicci Racingwas an American professionalstock car racingteam that competed in theNASCARXfinity Series.The team is owned byFrank CicciofElmira, New Yorkand was last driven byJay Sauter.
Beginnings
[edit]FCR first began racing as a short track team in Upstate New York. They won the Late Model division championship in 1985 atShangri-La Speedway(later Tioga Motorsports Park before closing after 2005) That year, they made their NASCAR Busch Series debut atNorth Carolina Speedway,as the No. 67.Jimmy Spencerqualified 30th and finished 19th. They hired Spencer to race in NASCAR's National Modified Tour after that, and subsequently won the championship in that series in 1986 and 1987. During the1987season, Cicci and Spencer ran two more races in the Busch Series withQuick Stop Beveragesponsoring. They decided to run Busch full-time in1988,the team being namedTeam 34 Racing.Despite not winning a race, Spencer had 13 top-ten finishes, and finished seventh in points that season. They began1989without major sponsorship, but Spencer was able to pick up his first career victory atHickory Motor Speedway,then won two more races that season atRougemountandMyrtle Beach.Suddenly, Cicci released Spencer to haveRandy LaJoiedrive the 34 for the rest of the season, who posted two top-ten finishes. Spencer returned to run a limited schedule in a second Cicci car, theLowe's FoodsNo. 87 car, and had two top-ten finishes as well. He left for theWinston CupSeries at the end of the season.
Early 90s
[edit]In1990,FCR hiredClifford Allisonto drive theGwaltney MeatsBuick.Allison struggled, however, and was released after the seventh race of the season.Jack Spraguetook over for the balance of the season, and had a sixth-place finish at Orange County.
Still searching for competitiveness, Cicci teamed up withJeffreyandScott Welliverfor1991and hiredTodd Bodineto drive. Bodine rewarded them with a win at theBudweiser 200and a seventh-place finish in points. The next season, armed with sponsorHungry Jack,Bodine won three times and finished third in points. After switching toChevroletsfor1993,Bodine won three more races but struggled with consistency, and finished 9th in points. He left forButch Mock Motorsportsat the end of the season. He was replaced byMike McLaughlin,who had eight top-ten finishes in theFiddle Faddle-sponsored car.
Prime years
[edit]In1995,French's Mustardbecame primary sponsor, and McLaughlin picked up his first career win atDover International Speedway,and finished third in points. After a winless1996,McLaughlin chalked up two more wins in1997,and was named the Series' most popular driver. During the 1997 season, the team expanded to a multi-car operation, fielding the No. 36Stanley ToolsPontiac Grand Prixfor Bodine. He won one race and finished runner-up in the championship chase.Goulds Pumpswas the team's new sponsor in1998,and together they won two more races and finished 3rd in points. Bodine had left forTeam Tabascoat the end of the season, and rookie driverMatt Huttertook his place. Despite posting one top-ten finish, Hutter was replaced mid-season byDavid Green,who put together seven top-five finishes. A third car appeared for Cicci-Welliver in 1998 as well, the No. 30Slim JimChevy driven byMike Cope.Cope struggled with consistency as well, and would be replaced by Bodine for the balance of the season.
The team changed its name toCicci-Welliver Racingbefore the 1999 season. In1999,Tim Fedewatook over the No. 36, and had 9 top-ten finishes and a 14th-place finish in points. Bodine continued driving the newly renumbered 66PhillipsChevy and had ten top-fives. McLaughlin meanwhile decided he needed a change of scenery, and announced he was leaving the team forInnovative Motorsports,to the shock of the NASCAR community. David Green returned to take his place withAFG Glassas sponsor. He had eleven top-tens and a 9th in points. Fedewa picked up a win atNew Hampshire,but failed to qualify twice and finished 18th in points. Bodine picked up one more victory and had a fourth-place finish in points.
Struggles and rebirth
[edit]In2001,Bodine left forHaas-Carter Motorsports,and Fedewa took his place in the 66. Consequently, Stanley was replaced byGNC,andHank Parker Jr.took over the driving duties for the No. 36. Green stayed in the No. 34 and had six top-tens, but was not happy with the results and left. Parker picked up his first career win and finished 15th in points. Fedewa struggled with his new ride however, and would be released midway through the season.Geoffrey Bodinetook over for the rest of the season, his best finish being a fourth at Richmond.
In2002,the Wellivers pulled out of the team after a long association. Cicci sold the 36 and 66 teams toWayne Jesel.Jimmy Spencer returned to the team as a partner, with theUnited States Air Forcecame aboard to sponsor the No. 34, which was to be driven by rookieStuart Kirbyon a part-time schedule. Kirby ran eight races, but did not finish higher than 17th, and he was replaced bySteve Grissom,who didn't fare any better than a 22nd-place run at Richmond. The next season, formerNational Football LeaguequarterbackJim Kellycame on board as a partner to try to attract sponsors.[1]They could only getLesCare Kitchensto run that season, on a part-time basis. McLaughlin returned after a prior deal had fallen through, and had one top-ten finish, but LesCare did not live up to their sponsorship obligations, causing Spencer to dissolve the partnership.
The team shut down after that, but returned in2005withDollar Generalsponsoring the car, driven by Randy LaJoie. LaJoie had three top-ten finishes, but was replaced by Todd Bodine on occasion, and finished 19th in points. For 2006,Champ Car World SeriesdriverPaul Tracytook the wheel for 5 races with SportClips and American Crew. Other drivers that drove the car included Bodine,Scott Lynch,Carlos Pardo,Kertus Davis,Mike Bliss,Jason Keller,Jeff FullerandKim Crosby.
For Frank Cicci Racing's 20th year in theBusch Seriesthe team was set to run the full 2007 season with new driverBrian Conz,coming over from theARCA RE/MAX Series,withScottish Riteas the sponsor. After Steve Grissom drove at Daytona, it was reported that Cicci has placed Conz and his sponsor on notice for failing to pay its financial obligations.Jay Sauterwas to drive the car for most of the 2007 season, but the team suspended operations in April. They attempted to run theZippo 200but could not come up with funds to do so.
References
[edit]- ^Pockrass, Bob (January 31, 2014)."NFL and NASCAR: Former NFL stars who dabbled in stock-car racing".Sporting News.Archived fromthe originalon May 22, 2013.RetrievedMarch 2,2014.