Victor Gonzalez Jr.

Victor Gonzalez Jr.

Gonzalez at Road America in 2012
Born (1975-07-18) July 18, 1975
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career
2 races run over 1 year
2013 position 48th
Best finish 48th (2013)
First race 2013 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma)
Last race 2013 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
7 races run over 3 years
2012 position 60th
Best finish 60th (2012)
First race 2009 NAPA Auto Parts 200 (Montreal)
Last race 2012 Zippo 200 (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Statistics current as of November 17, 2013.

Victor Gonzalez Jr. (born July 18, 1975) is a Puerto Rican stock car racing driver. Twice a competitor in the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race. In 2009, he became the first Puerto Rican driver to compete in a top level NASCAR series.

Career

Gonzalez's 2010 Nationwide Series car
Gonzalez's 2012 Nationwide Series car

Gonzalez began his racing career in 1990 in showroom stock cars in his native Puerto Rico; he spent several years competing in touring cars, including two races in the North American Touring Car Championship, before switching to open wheel competition in 1997, competing in the Barber Dodge Pro Series for two years, then, after two years in the Dominican Republic GTS Cup, moving to the Toyota Atlantic Championship in 2002, where he competed in the series' companion event to the Grand Prix of Long Beach, finishing 21st; in 2003 he returned to the Barber Dodge series, where he finished 20th in points,[1][2] posting a best finish of 2nd following winning the pole at The Milwaukee Mile.[3] He established a reputation as an excellent driver on road courses, and became the only Puerto Rican driver to become an instructor at the Skip Barber Racing School.[1]

In 2005 and 2006, Gonzalez competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race, co-driving a Porsche 911 for Team Sahlen.[4] He finished 9th in both events.[5]

Gonzalez made his debut in NASCAR competition in 2009, as a road course ringer at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in the Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200, driving the No. 05 Ford for Day Enterprises.[1] He became the first Puerto Rican driver to compete in a NASCAR national touring series event,[6] finishing 14th in his inaugural event.[7]

Gonzalez returned to the No. 05 for four races in 2010, making his oval track debut at Phoenix International Raceway;[8] his best finish of the year came at Montreal where he finished 16th.[9]

In 2012, Gonzalez returned to the Nationwide Series, driving the No. 99 Toyota for RAB Racing at Road America in June,[10] where he finished 17th, and at Watkins Glen International in August,[11] where he finished 16th.[12]

In April 2013, it was announced that Gonzalez would make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut, driving the No. 36 Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing in races at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International that summer.[13] He was the first Puerto Rican driver to start a Sprint Cup race.[14]

Motorsports career results

Barber Dodge Pro Series

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Sprint Cup Series

Nationwide Series

* Season still in progress
1 not eligible for series points

North American Touring Car Championship

(key)

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gonzalez to make debut in Nationwide at Montreal". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports. August 26, 2009. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  2. ↑ "Victor Gonzalez Jr Biography". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  3. ↑ Shaw, Jeremy, ed. (2004). Autocourse Champ Car Official Yearbook 2003–2004. London: Hazleton Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 1-903135-33-8.
  4. ↑ "Team Sahlen expands to ROLEX Team". Team Sahlen Racing. January 26, 2005. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  5. ↑ "Victor Gonzalez Jr. - NASCAR Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  6. ↑ Potts, Christian (August 26, 2009). "Sky's the limit". The Norman Transcript. Norman, OK. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  7. ↑ "Fellows wrecks early at Montreal". ESPN. August 30, 2009. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  8. ↑ "Gonzalez to Race Nationwide Series at Phoenix and Road America". Motorsport.com. February 4, 2010. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  9. ↑ "Victor Gonzalez Jr. - NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  10. ↑ "Delta Commercial, IMCA to Sponsor Victor Gonzales, RAB Racing in NASCAR Nationwide Series Race at Road America". RAB Racing via Catchfence.com. June 7, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  11. ↑ "Victor Gonzalez Jr., No. 99 Delta Commercial / IMCA Toyota Camry, Watkins Glen Preview". Speedway Media. August 8, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  12. ↑ "Victor Gonzalez Jr. Posts 16th-Place Finish at Watkins Glen". Catchfence.com. August 13, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  13. ↑ "Victor Gonzalez Jr. To Make History As First Caribbean Driver In NASCAR Sprint Cup Series". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, CA. April 20, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
  14. ↑ "LASTCAR.info: Small Team Storylines For The 25th Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma". brock.lastcar.info. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
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