Rick Carelli
American stock car racing driver From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Dean Carelli (born November 9, 1954) is an American former race car driver from Arvada, Colorado.[1] He was nicknamed the "High Plains Drifter".[2] He won multiple times in the No. 6 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series truck. He is the spotter for Erik Jones in the NASCAR Cup Series.
![]() | This article needs to be updated. (February 2025) |
Rick Carelli | |||||||
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![]() Carelli in 1997 | |||||||
Born | Richard Dean Carelli November 9, 1954 Arvada, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||
Achievements | 1993 NASCAR Winston West Series Champion 1991 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour Champion | ||||||
Awards | West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2009) | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
9 races run over 3 years | |||||||
Best finish | 49th (1994) | ||||||
First race | 1992 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 (Sears Point) | ||||||
Last race | 1994 Slick 50 300 (Phoenix) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
2 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 119th (2003) | ||||||
First race | 1998 Lycos.com 250 (Pikes Peak) | ||||||
Last race | 2003 TrimSpa Dream Body 250 (Pikes Peak) | ||||||
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
134 races run over 8 years | |||||||
Best finish | 6th (1995) | ||||||
First race | 1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic (Phoenix) | ||||||
Last race | 2002 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
First win | 1996 Coca-Cola 200 (Bristol) | ||||||
Last win | 2000 Kroger 200 (Richmond) | ||||||
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Racing career
Summarize
Perspective

Carelli won the NASCAR Southwest Tour championship in 1991 and won 21 times in the series during his career.[2] He joined the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1992,[1] and he was named the series Rookie of the Year. He returned to the series in 1993, capturing the series championship and Most Popular Driver award.[1][2] He has won nine times in that series.[2]
He was one of the original drivers in the Craftsman Truck Series, starting at the series' first race at Phoenix in 1995. Carelli raced every series race until he suffered near-fatal injuries when his truck hit the wall during a race at Memphis Motorsports Park in 1999. He suffered a basilar skull fracture, damaged his carotid artery and sinus.[3] He recovered and returned to race the entire 2000 season.[3] He won another race at Richmond International Raceway in 2000 with an underfunded team that he was the crew chief for. He also made 9 Winston Cup starts from 1992 to 1994. He stopped driving in 2004 and moved into the administrative side of motorsport.[3]
After retiring from driving, he later became the team manager for Kevin Harvick Incorporated – a position that he held when Ron Hornaday won the 2007 championship.[2] He later worked with NTS Motorsports as the team general manager.[4] Carelli was also the spotter for the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41, driven by Kurt Busch after first working with him at Furniture Row Racing;[5] FRR's general manager Joe Garone was Carelli's crew chief from 1989 to 1994.[6] He later became Erik Jones' spotter at FRR before following him to Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports.[5][7]
Awards
Carelli was inducted in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2009 along with Wayne Spears, Doug George, and Chuck Bown.[8][9]
Motorsports career results
Summarize
Perspective
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Winston Cup Series
NASCAR Winston Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | NWCC | Pts | Ref | |||||||
1991 | Chesrown Racing | 37 | Chevy | DAY | RCH | CAR | ATL | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | CLT | DOV | SON | POC | MCH | DAY | POC | TAL | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | PHO DNQ |
ATL | NA | - | [10] | |||||||||
1992 | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | CLT | DOV | SON 37 |
POC | MCH | DAY | POC | TAL | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | PHO 42 |
ATL | 74th | 89 | [11] | ||||||||||||
1993 | 61 | DAY | CAR | RCH DNQ |
ATL DNQ |
DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | PHO 21 |
ATL 35 |
49th | 258 | [12] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
37 | SON 21 |
CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | DAY | NHA | POC | TAL | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994 | 61 | DAY DNQ |
CAR DNQ |
RCH DNQ |
ATL DNQ |
DAR DNQ |
BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | SON 41 |
CLT | DOV | POC | MCH DNQ |
DAY | NHA | POC | TAL | IND DNQ |
GLN | MCH 27 |
BRI | DAR DNQ |
RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR 22 |
PHO 33 |
ATL DNQ |
49th | 283 | [13] |
Busch Series
NASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | NBC | Pts | Ref | |
1990 | Chesrown Racing | 46 | Pontiac | DAY | RCH | CAR | MAR | HCY | DAR | BRI | LAN | SBO | NZH | HCY | CLT | DOV DNQ |
ROU | VOL | MYB | OXF | NHA | SBO | DUB | IRP | ROU | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | CLT | NHA | CAR | MAR | NA | - | [14] | ||||
1998 | Phoenix Racing | 41 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | NSV | DAR | BRI | TEX | HCY | TAL | NHA | NZH | CLT | DOV | RCH | PPR 42 |
GLN | MLW | MYB | CAL | SBO | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | GTY | CAR | ATL | HOM | 126th | 0 | [15] | ||||
2000 | Ken Schrader Racing | 86 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | BRI | TEX | NSV | TAL | CAL | RCH | NHA | CLT | DOV | SBO | MYB | GLN | MLW | NZH | PPR | GTY | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAR | MEM | PHO DNQ |
HOM | NA | - | [16] | |||
2003 | Biagi Brothers Racing | 4 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | TAL | NSH | CAL | RCH | GTY | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | NHA | PPR 19 |
IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | ATL | PHO | CAR | HOM | 119th | 106 | [17] |
Craftsman Truck Series
Winston West Series
NASCAR Winston West Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | NWWSC | Pts | Ref |
1991 | Chesrown Racing | 37 | Chevy | EVG | MMR | SON | SGS | POR | EVG 27 |
SSS | MMR 2 |
PHO DNQ |
24th | 391 | [26] | ||||||
1992 | MMR 1* |
SGS 1* |
SON 37 |
SHA 4* |
POR 10 |
EVG 4 |
SSS 1 |
CAJ 14 |
TWS 6 |
MMR 2 |
PHO 42 |
3rd | 1765 | [27] | |||||||
1993 | TWS 8 |
MMR 4 |
SGS 1* |
SON 21 |
TUS 9 |
SHA 1* |
EVG 1* |
POR 2* |
CBS 1* |
SSS 4 |
CAJ 1 |
TCR 8 |
1st | 2390 | [28] | ||||||
61 | MMR 3 |
PHO 21 |
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1994 | MMR | TUS | SON 41 |
SGS | YAK | MMR | POR 1 |
IND DNQ |
CAJ | TCR | LVS | MMR 10 |
PHO 33 |
TUS | 19th | 804 | [29] | ||||
1995 | TUS | MMR | SON | CNS 6 |
MMR | POR | SGS | TUS | AMP | MAD | POR | LVS | SON | MMR | PHO | 46th | 150 | [30] | |||
1996 | TUS 5 |
AMP | MMR | SON | MAD | POR | TUS | EVG | CNS 15 |
MAD | MMR | SON | MMR | PHO | LVS | 34th | 273 | [31] | |||
1999 | Chesrown Racing | 57 | Chevy | TUS 4 |
LVS 16 |
PHO | CAL 3 |
PPR | MMR | IRW | EVG | POR | IRW | RMR | LVS | MMR | MOT | 32nd | 445 | [32] | |
2001 | Team Re/MAX Racing | 05 | Chevy | PHO | LVS | TUS | MMR | CAL 9 |
IRW | LAG | KAN | EVG | CNS | IRW | RMR | LVS | IRW | 47th | 143 | [33] |
ARCA Re/Max Series
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Re/Max Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | ARSC | Pts | Ref |
1992 | Chesrown Racing | 37 | Chevy | DAY | FIF | TWS | TAL | TOL | KIL | POC | MCH | FRS | KIL | NSH | DEL | POC | HPT | FRS | ISF | TOL | DSF | TWS 6 |
SLM | ATL | N/A | – | [34] | ||||
1993 | DAY | FIF | TWS 8 |
TAL | KIL | CMS | FRS | TOL | POC | MCH | FRS | POC | KIL | ISF | DSF | TOL | SLM | WIN | ATL | N/A | – | [35] | |||||||||
2001 | Team Re/MAX Racing | 05 | Chevy | DAY | NSH 4 |
WIN | SLM | GTY 5 |
KEN | CLT | KAN | MCH 8 |
POC | MEM 2 |
GLN | KEN | MCH 4 |
POC | NSH | ISF | CHI | DSF | SLM | TOL | BLN | CLT 40 |
TAL 3 |
ATL | 31st | 1285 | [36] |
2002 | DAY 2 |
ATL | NSH | SLM | KEN | CLT | KAN 38 |
POC 3 |
MCH 36 |
TOL | SBO | KEN | BLN | POC | NSH | ISF | WIN | DSF | CHI 2 |
SLM | TAL 4 |
CLT | 30th | 975 | [37] | ||||||
2003 | DAY 6 |
ATL | NSH 10 |
SLM | TOL | KEN | CLT | BLN | KAN 5 |
MCH 27 |
LER | POC | POC | NSH | ISF | WIN | DSF | CHI | SLM | TAL | CLT | SBO | 39th | 700 | [38] |
24 Hours of Daytona
(key)
24 Hours of Daytona results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Class | No | Team | Car | Co-drivers | Laps | Position | Class Pos. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2002 | AGT | 90 | ![]() |
Chevy Corvette | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
123 | 69 DNF | 8 DNF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003 | GTS | 05 | ![]() |
Chevy Corvette | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
378 | 27 DNF | 8 DNF |
References
External links
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