Cicci Racing was an American professional

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

team that competed in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

. The team is owned by

Frank Cicci Frank, FRANK, or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a Germanic people in late Roman times * Franks, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusa ...

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. ...

and was last driven by

Jay Sauter Jason Garrett Sauter (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He previously drove the No. 34 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Frank Cicci Racing in the Busch Series. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim ...

Beginnings

FCR first began racing as a short track team in Upstate New York. They won the Late Model division championship in 1985 at

Shangri-La Speedway Shangri-La Speedway was a speedway in Owego, New York. It was a half-mile (0.8 km) oval race track facility. Over a span of fifty years, Shangri-La hosted automobile races of various kinds, AAA Championship Cars, stock cars, Modifieds, Supe ...

(later Tioga Motorsports Park before closing after 2005) That year, they made their NASCAR Busch Series debut at

North Carolina Speedway Rockingham Speedway and Entertainment Complex (formerly known as North Carolina Speedway from 1998 to 2007 and North Carolina Motor Speedway from 1965 to 1996) is a D-shaped oval track in Rockingham, North Carolina, United States. The track ...

, as the No. 67.

Jimmy Spencer James Peter Spencer (born February 15, 1957) is an American former racing driver, team owner, talk show host and television commentator. He is best known for competing in NASCAR. He hosted the NASCAR-inspired talk show, ''What's the Deal?'', o ...

qualified 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 the

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

season, Cicci and Spencer ran two more races in the Busch Series with

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sponsoring. They decided to run Busch full-time in

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

, the team being named Team 34 Racing. Despite not winning a race, Spencer had 13 top-ten finishes, and finished seventh in points that season. They began

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

without major sponsorship, but Spencer was able to pick up his first career victory at

Hickory Motor Speedway Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars". The t ...

, then won two more races that season at Rougemount and

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...

. Suddenly, Cicci released Spencer to have Randy LaJoie drive 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, the

Lowe's Foods Lowes Foods is an American supermarket chain based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The chain initially grew in the mountains of North Carolina and rural areas of Virginia, but, starting in the late 1990s, it expanded in metropolitan areas of ...

No. 87 car, and had two top-ten finishes as well. He left for the

Winston Cup The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

Series at the end of the season.

Early 90s

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, FCR hired Clifford Allison to drive the Gwaltney Meats

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

. Allison struggled, however, and was released after the seventh race of the season.

Jack Sprague Jack Eugene Sprague (born August 8, 1964) is an American former stock car racing driver who has competed in all of NASCAR's three top divisions, most notably in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he won series championships in 1997, 1999 an ...

took over for the balance of the season, and had a sixth-place finish at Orange County. Still searching for competitiveness, Cicci teamed up with

Jeffrey Jeffrey may refer to: * Jeffrey (name), including a list of people with the name *Jeffrey's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada *Jeffrey City, Wyoming, United States *Jeffrey Street, Sydney, Australia * Jeffreys Bay, Western Cape, South Africa Art ...

and Scott Welliver for

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

and hired

Todd Bodine Todd Martin Bodine (born February 27, 1964) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 62 Toyota Tundra for Halmar Friesen Racing, and is curre ...

to drive. Bodine rewarded them with a win at the Budweiser 200 and a seventh-place finish in points. The next season, armed with sponsor

Hungry Jack Pillsbury is an American brand of baking and dough products, marketed by General Mills and Brynwood Partners. Pillsbury products include refrigerated and frozen dough products, including the Toaster Strudel, marketed by General Mills; and shel ...

, Bodine won three times and finished third in points. After switching to

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

s for

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, Bodine won three more races but struggled with consistency, and finished 9th in points. He left for

Butch Mock Motorsports Rahmoc Enterprises is a former NASCAR Winston Cup team that operated from 1978 to 1993. The team was owned by long-time engine builder Bob Rahilly (racing), Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock. Rahilly and Mock split in 1992, with the race team becoming ...

at the end of the season. He was replaced by Mike McLaughlin, who had eight top-ten finishes in the

Fiddle Faddle Fiddle Faddle is caramel popcorn produced by ConAgra Foods. Introduced in 1967, the snack is commonly found in US discount and drug stores. Fiddle Faddle consists of popped popcorn covered with either caramel or butter toffee and mixed with pe ...

-sponsored car.

Prime years

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, French's Mustard became primary sponsor, and McLaughlin picked up his first career win at

Dover International Speedway Dover Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Dover International Speedway from 2002 to 2021 and as the Dover Downs International Speedway from 1969 to 2001) is a oval track in Dover, Delaware. The venue has hosted major events since its inaugu ...

, and finished third in points. After a winless

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, McLaughlin chalked up two more wins in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, and was named the Series' most popular driver. During the 1997 season, the team expanded to a multi-car operation, fielding the No. 36

Stanley Tools Stanley Hand Tools is a brand of hand tools. It is a division of Stanley Black & Decker, following the merger of The Stanley Works with Black & Decker in March 2010. History The Stanley Works was founded by Frederick Trent Stanley in 1843, ...

Pontiac Grand Prix The Grand Prix is a line of automobiles produced by the Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac Division of General Motors from 1962 until 2002 as coupes and from 1989 through 2008 model years as four-door sedans. First introduced as a full-size car, full ...

for Bodine. He won one race and finished runner-up in the championship chase.

Goulds Pumps ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesses ...

was the team's new sponsor in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, and together they won two more races and finished 3rd in points. Bodine had left for Team Tabasco at the end of the season, and rookie driver

Matt Hutter Matthew Hutter (born May 19, 1971) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has raced in the NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Hutter won the pole for the 1996 NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro Series Slim Jim 200 at Nashvil ...

took his place. Despite posting one top-ten finish, Hutter was replaced mid-season by David Green, who put together seven top-five finishes. A third car appeared for Cicci-Welliver in 1998 as well, the No. 30 Slim Jim Chevy driven by Mike Cope. Cope struggled with consistency as well, and would be replaced by Bodine for the balance of the season. The team changed its name to Cicci-Welliver Racing before the 1999 season. In

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, Tim Fedewa took over the No. 36, and had 9 top-ten finishes and a 14th-place finish in points. Bodine continued driving the newly renumbered 66 Phillips Chevy and had ten top-fives. McLaughlin meanwhile decided he needed a change of scenery, and announced he was leaving the team for

Innovative Motorsports Innovative Motorsports (IMI) is a former NASCAR team. It was owned by George DeBidart and began racing in the Busch North Series in the mid-1990s, before moving to the Busch Series in 1998. Winston Cup Innovative ran four Cup races during its ...

, to the shock of the NASCAR community. David Green returned to take his place with AFG Glass as sponsor. He had eleven top-tens and a 9th in points. Fedewa picked up a win at

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, 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

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, Bodine left for Haas-Carter Motorsports, and Fedewa took his place in the 66. Consequently, Stanley was replaced by GNC, and Hank 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 Bodine Geoffrey Eli Bodine (born April 18, 1949) is an American former motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He raced at the NASCAR Cup Series from 1979 to 2011, earning 18 wins and a best season finish of third in 1990. Bodine was born into a racing f ...

took over for the rest of the season, his best finish being a fourth at Richmond. In

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, the Wellivers pulled out of the team after a long association. Cicci sold the 36 and 66 teams to

Wayne Jesel Wayne may refer to: People with the given name and surname * Wayne (given name) * Wayne (surname) Geographical Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Antho ...

. Jimmy Spencer returned to the team as a partner, with the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

came aboard to sponsor the No. 34, which was to be driven by rookie

Stuart Kirby Stuart Kirby (born May 9, 1981) is an American stock car racing driver. He has driven in Automobile Racing Club of America, ARCA, the Busch Series, and the NEXTEL Cup Series. A former apprentice funeral director for his family's funeral home, he d ...

on a part-time schedule. Kirby ran eight races, but did not finish higher than 17th, and he was replaced by

Steve Grissom Steven Paul Grissom (born June 26, 1963) is an American former stock car racing driver. He was the 1993 Busch Series champion and has eleven Busch wins in 185 starts. Grissom turned down a scholarship to play quarterback at the University of Alab ...

, who didn't fare any better than a 22nd-place run at Richmond. The next season, former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

quarterback

Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers o ...

came on board as a partner to try to attract sponsors. They could only get LesCare Kitchens to 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 in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

with

Dollar General Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico. The company began in 1939 in ...

sponsoring 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 Series Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), ...

driver

Paul Tracy Paul Anthony Tracy (born December 17, 1968) is a Canadian professional auto racing driver who participated in Champ Car World Series, the IndyCar Series, and the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). He started kart racing at age five and quick ...

took the wheel for 5 races with SportClips and American Crew. Other drivers that drove the car included Bodine,

Scott Lynch Scott Lynch (born April 2, 1978) is an American fantasy author, best known for the ''Gentleman Bastard Sequence'' series of novels. His first novel, ''The Lies of Locke Lamora'', was purchased by Orion Books in August 2004 and published in June 2 ...

Carlos Pardo Carlos Alberto Pardo Estévez (September 15, 1975 – June 14, 2009) was a Mexican Stock car racing, stock car racing driver from Mexico City. He was the first driver to win the NASCAR Mexico Corona Series championship. Career Pardo won 10 of h ...

Kertus Davis Kertus Davis (born February 26, 1981) is an American former NASCAR driver. He was the competition director for JD Motorsports before the team went bankrupt. Prior to NASCAR/USAR Davis began racing in go-karts at the age of eight, competing in h ...

Mike Bliss Michael Duane Bliss (born April 5, 1965) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. A journeyman NASCAR competitor and the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, he has run in all three national series. Racing career Bliss ...

Jason Keller Jason Keller (born April 23, 1970) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Previously, he was a mainstay in NASCAR's second-tier series, competing in 519 Nationwide Series races between 1991 and 2010. On May 15, 2010, Keller ...

, Jeff Fuller and Kim Crosby. For Frank Cicci Racing's 20th year in the

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

the team was set to run the full 2007 season with new driver Brian Conz, coming over from the

ARCA RE/MAX Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national ...

, with

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a List of Masonic rites, rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced List of Masonic rites, Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the ...

as 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.

was to drive the car for most of the 2007 season, but the team suspended operations in April. They attempted to run the

Zippo 200 The Mission 200 at The Glen is a Xfinity Series that takes place annually at the Watkins Glen International road course in Watkins Glen, New York. Connor Zilisch is the defending race winner. History The race was originally held from 1991 to 20 ...

but could not come up with funds to do so.

Motorsports results

Winston Cup

Car No. 34 results

Busch Series

Car No. 34 results

Car No. 36 results

Car No. 66 results

Car No. 84 results

References

External links

Frank Cicci Racing
{{Frank Cicci Racing Auto racing teams established in 1979 Auto racing teams disestablished in 2007 Companies based in North Carolina Defunct NASCAR teams American auto racing teams Defunct companies based in North Carolina 2007 disestablishments in North Carolina