Phil Bonifeld is a former owner/driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series. Bonifeld began his racing carer in 1973, when began competeing in BMX bicycles. Racing across the United States, he won several championships from 1979 to 1983. In 1987, he moved to go-karts, where he raced against Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears, before competing part-time in the NASCAR Elite Division Featherlite Southwest Series in 1991. June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Napa is the county seat of Napa County, California. ... The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series logo The Craftsman Truck Series is a popular NASCAR racing series that features modified pickup trucks. ... The 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season began on February 13 and ended on November 19. ... Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (3. ... The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series logo The Craftsman Truck Series is a popular NASCAR racing series that features modified pickup trucks. ... NASCAR Busch Series logo The Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCARs second division (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level, the Nextel... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A kart racer takes a turn on an indoor track Kart racing (as the word is so spelled by enthusiasts) or karting is a variant of open-wheeler motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. ... Kevin Harvick (born December 8, 1975 in Bakersfield, California) is an American race car driver and car owner, competing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for Richard Childress, driving the #29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet, and owning his own #33 Chevrolet Silverado in in the Craftsman Truck Series, which is currently... Casey Mears (born March 12, 1978 in Bakersfield, California) is the driver of the #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. ...

Bonifeld became a driving instructor at the Buck Baker Racing School in 1993, after he moved to the South East from California. Around the same time, he opened his own fabrication shop, and worked for various Winston Cup teams. In 1998, Bonifeld closed his fabrication shop and began fielding entries in the Truck series. His first race as owner in a points-paying event came that season at Walt Disney World Speedway in the #11 Red Line Oil Chevrolet, driven by Brett Bodine, who qualified 13th but finished 32nd after an engine faliure. Bodine ran two more races for Bonifeld that season, both races reaulting in DNFs. The NASCAR Championship is the championship held in NASCARs top stock car racing series. ... Walt Disney World Speedway is a racing facility located in Orlando, Florida and is part of the Disney World theme park. ... Chevrolet, or Chevy for short, is a brand of automobile, now a division of General Motors. ... Bodine poses with his Ralphs Ford Sponsor a Driver. ...

In 1999, he decided to pull double duty as an owner and driver, with Tom Mazucchi coming aboard as a partner in the #23 Red Line Oil truck. He made his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Evergreen Speedway, finishing 30th. Bonifield would compete 13 more times that year, and finished 31st in points, and 7th in Rookie of the Year standings. In 2000, he ran just eight races, and did not finish a single race. The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season. ...

In 2001, Bonifeld posted a career-best 24th twice, at California and Las Vegas. That same season, he began running races part-time for Impact Motorsports, and purchased Impact's owner's points and equipment after it shut down, renaming his operation Team Racing. He also made his Busch debut at the MBNA Platinum 200 for Jay Robinson Racing, starting 34th but finishing 36th after engine problems plagued the team. The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. ... Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located at 7000 Las Vegas Boulevard North in Las Vegas, Nevada, is an complex of 4 different tracks for automobile racing. ... Jay Robinson Racing is a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Busch Series. ...

In 2002, mechanical problems continued to plague Bonifeld and his team, as he failed to finish any of his eleven starts that season. Despite this, he finished 31st in points. He also ran six busch races, two for his own team, one for Danny Bost, and the rest for Means Racing. His best finish was a 30th at Fontana, the only race he finished that year. 2003 marked Bonifeld's best Truck Series season, as he ran 21 of 25 races, and finished 20th in points. His best finish was 23rd at Memphis Motorsports Park. Front Row Motorsports is a relatively new team to the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. ... Memphis Motorsports Park is a race track located in Millington, Tennessee, approximately twenty miles north of downtown Memphis. ...

Unfortunately, his success was not carried over into 2004. Neither Bonifeld nor his team ran many races that season. Bonifeld only qualifed for events, and was twice parked for driving too slow. During the season, Bonifield sold the trucks to Bill Davis Racing and shut down the team. He is now developing ARCA and NASCAR Grand National Division, Autozone West Series driver Andrew Myers. The 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season began on February 13 and ended on November 19. ... Bill Davis Racing is a NASCAR team that fields the #22 Caterpillar Inc. ... The Auto Racing Club of America (ARCA) is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States. ...

External links

• Archived versions of Bonifeild's homepage.
• Bonifeld on NASCAR.com
• Phil Bonifeld Career Statistics
• Racing One
• West Series Winner Considering Truck Series Future