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Ricky Gonzalez
Nationality	American
Born	Richard Gonzalez (1966-02-03)February 3, 1966 (age 59) South Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
ARCA Re/Max Series career
Debut season	2004
Former teams	Wayne Peterson Racing,Richardson-Netzloff-Harmon Racing,Darrell Basham Racing
Starts	12
Wins	0
Poles	0
Best finish	25th in2005
Finished last season	106th (2007)
NASCAR driver
NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	98th (2004)
First race	2004UAW/GM Ohio 250 (Mansfield)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
Statistics up to date as of June 26, 2020.

Richard Gonzalez (born February 3, 1966) is an American former professionalstock car racing driver who competed in oneNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in2004 and a number ofARCA Re/Max Series races from 2004 to2007. He became the first Hispanic-American driver to compete in ARCA and NASCAR.^[1]

Gonzalez became interested in racing when he attended a race that his father's friend was competing in atFlemington Speedway.^[2] Gonzalez started racing motocross bikes and moved up the racing ladder, where he would then progress to racing go-karts,microstocks, andLegends cars. He then competed in the American Race Trucks Series and the (now defunct)NASCAR Goody's Dash Series. In order to have enough money to move up the ranks, Gonzalez had to sell all his equipment from the previous series he had raced in, as well as his own personal motorcycle.^[3][2]

Gonzalez reached the NASCARCraftsman Truck Series in2004 and would attempt two races forTroxell Racing in a partnership withRick Ware Racing.^[3] Driving their No. 93Dodge, he failed to qualify in his first attempt atMartinsville. In the next race atMansfield, which was his other start, he did qualify for the race and finished 26th, nine laps down.

Gonzalez's next race of the year was scheduled to be in the NASCARBusch Series' race atIRP, theKroger 200, in August. It would have been his debut in that series. He was to drive for a team called Coqui Motorsports. This planned start did not happen, and Gonzalez would never get to make a start in the Busch Series. Coqui was a new team that had not made any Busch starts previously. Unfortunately, the team would never have the chance, after the race deal fell through.^[4] Gonzalez would not make another start in the Truck Series either, and the rest of his stock car starts came in theARCA Re/Max Series.

He made his ARCA debut atChicago inWayne Peterson Racing's No. 06Chevrolet, and would make one other start in that car in the next race atSalem. He crashed out of both races and would finish 27th and 26th, respectively. With these starts, Gonzalez became the firstHispanic American to start an ARCA race.^[1] In2005, Gonzalez would run full-time and for rookie of the year with the Peterson team split between their various entries (No. 6, No. 16 and No. 06). He was not eligible to run atDaytona, so his first start of the year came in the second race of the season atNashville, which he did not qualify for along with a staggering twelve other races. The Peterson team was underfunded and had tostart and park in a large number of Gonzalez's starts. In the race atPocono which Gonzalez was going to run the full race in, he was running in the top 10 until he suffered a broken transmission and radiator and did not finish the race.^[2] For the final two races of the season, Gonzalez fielded his own team instead. Although he had his own car and equipment, he still used Peterson's car numbers (No. 06 at Salem and No. 16 atTalladega) and owner points. Gonzalez's team partnered withLafferty Motorsports to field his Talladega entry.^[1]

Gonzalez would not make any NASCAR or ARCA starts in 2006, but did return in2007 in ARCA, when he attempted three races. He first returned to the Peterson team, with a DNQ in the No. 0 at Nashville. The first race in which he did qualify for was at theMilwaukee Mile, where the team got to run the full race inDarrell Basham's No. 94 car thanks to support fromRichardson-Netzloff-Harmon Racing (co-owned by driverMike Harmon, who at the time was competing in ARCA full-time). Although Gonzalez finished eight laps down, he picked up a solid 18th-place finish. He returned to the same car the following race atGateway, which was without RNH support. Gonzalez failed to qualify the No. 94, but was given a chance to return to the Peterson No. 0 again when team owner-driverWayne Peterson stepped out of the start and park ride for Gonzalez, who would do the same. This would end up being Gonzalez's last ARCA start.

Gonzalez is ofPuerto Rican descent and was a member of NASCAR's Diversity Council when he was competing in the sport.^[4] After being born inAguada, Puerto Rico,^[2] he moved toSouth Plainfield, New Jersey. In his Truck Series debut in 2004 at Martinsville, Gonzalez was sponsored by two local businesses, one of which was located in his hometown of South Plainfield and the other one was inManville, New Jersey.^[3] When he ran full-time in ARCA in 2005, he moved from New Jersey toMooresville, North Carolina (near where most NASCAR teams are based) with the hopes of getting a ride in the NASCAR Busch or Truck Series again, which did not end up happening.^[2]

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

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

• Ricky Gonzalez driver statistics at Racing-Reference

• Living people
• 1966 births
• People from South Plainfield, New Jersey
• Racing drivers from Middlesex County, New Jersey
• NASCAR drivers
• American people of Puerto Rican descent
• Sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent
• ARCA Menards Series drivers
• ISCARS Dash Touring Series drivers

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• BLP articles lacking sources from July 2020
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