Tony Ricci, an exciting young driver, knows racing both sides of the track - from behind the wheel and from down in the pit.

Tony, a Westbrook, Maine native, began his competitive career in 1997 at age 15 driving a Mini Modified Pulling Tractor. In 1998 he won the State of Maine Championships in four divisions. The same year, he took his competitive drive to the 1/3-mile oval at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine and finish sixth in his first year of stockcar racing. A promising start for this driver, just out of high school.

Having proved that he had the skill and the nerve to make a name for himself on the track, Tony made an interesting decision - to learn what goes into building high performance racecars. In 1999 Ricci attended Wyoming Technical Institute in Laramie, Wyoming, an automotive specialty school with a nationwide reputation for excellence.

Back in Maine, Tony got the good news that Joe Bessey, owner of the Power Team Chevrolet, wanted him to put his automotive know-how to work for Bessey’s 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Team and so Tony headed south to Charlotte, North Carolina. Unfortunately, the Power Team suffered a lackluster year and the shop was closed.

Between 2001 and 2005 Tony divided his time as a race car driver, crew member, and car builder. Over that span of time Tony enjoyed several highlights to his career:

2001 – First place in the standings at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway;

2002 – Ninth place as a rookie in an open wheel modified race series;

2004 – Qualified 14th in the BankNorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway; and

2004 – First place at the Oktoberfest open wheel modified race at Lee USA Speedway.

For 2006 Tony will focus his efforts as a driver in the True Value Modified series. With Tony’s skills and experience it will be an exciting year as he races for a championship.