Mike Ciochetti

Michael Ciochetti, Jr. is an American stock car racing driver and aviation entrepreneur. He is a former competitor in the ARCA Racing Series, and planned to compete in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series before suffering a career-ending injury.

Racing career

Ciochetti began his racing career as a mechanic on Alan Kulwicki's 1992 Winston Cup Championship-winning team; following Kulwicki's death in a 1993 plane crash, he moved to work for Precision Products Racing and driver Rick Mast in 1994 before beginning his career as a driver.

Between 1996 and 1999, Ciochetti competed in 41 ARCA Racing Series races, posting a best finish of third twice in 1998, at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. In 1998 he attempted to make his debut in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, driving the No. 80 Hover Motorsports Ford in qualifying for the 1998 Daytona 500, but he failed to make the race. He won one pole in the series, at Pocono Raceway in 1998. Towards the end of the 1999 season, Ciochetti signed a deal to drive for Cale Yarborough Motorsports in the 2000 season; planning to run the No. 39, the team planned to make it debut in the season-ending race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. However shortly after the announcement, Ciochetti's shoulder was injured in an ARCA crash at Talladega Superspeedway; the injury forced him to undergo multiple sugeries, and sidelined his racing career. Ciochietti would return for one final ARCA race, at Talladega in 2007 driving for K-Automotive Motorsports, and finished 39th.

Aviation career

A long-time flyer, following his injury Ciochetti developed property he owned in northern Georgia as Heaven's Landing, a fly-in community. Ciochetti is also active with the Liberty Foundation, maintaining the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber Liberty Belle.

Motorsports career results

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