Caesar Bacarella
{{short description|American racing driver (born 1973)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox NASCAR driver
| name = Caesar Bacarella
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Caesar Peter Bacarella
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|12|18}}
| birth_place = Parkland, Florida, U.S.
| height =
| weight =
| achievements =
| awards =
| Total_Busch_Races = 33
| Years_In_Busch = 9
| Busch_Car_Team = No. 45 (Alpha Prime Racing)
| Prev_Busch_Pos = 52nd
| Prev_Busch_Year = 2024
| Best_Busch_Pos = 46th (2020)
| First_Busch_Race = 2017 Ticket Galaxy 200 (Phoenix)
| Last_Busch_Race = 2025 United Rentals 300 (Daytona)
| First_Busch_Win =
| Last_Busch_Win =
| Busch_Wins = 0
| Busch_Top_Tens = 3
| Busch_Poles = 0
| Total_ARCA_Races = 2
| Years_In_ARCA = 1
| ARCA_Car_Team =
| Best_ARCA_Pos = 92nd (2017)
| First_ARCA_Race = 2017 Lucas Oil 200 (Daytona)
| Last_ARCA_Race = 2017 General Tire 200 (Talladega)
| First_ARCA_Win =
| Last_ARCA_Win =
| ARCA_Wins = 0
| ARCA_Top_Tens = 0
| ARCA_Poles = 0
| updated = February 15, 2025
}}
Caesar Peter Bacarella (born December 18, 1973) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 45 Chevrolet SS for Alpha Prime Racing. Bacarella has also driven in the ARCA Menards Series and Pirelli World Challenge.{{Cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/driver/Caesar_Bacarella|title=Driver Caesar Bacarella Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info|website=racing-reference.info|access-date=January 26, 2018}}
Racing career
=Pirelli World Challenge=
For the 2018 season, Bacarella joined Squadra Corse Garage Italia Americas for the series Sprint-X races.{{cite web |last1=Allaway |first1=Phil |title=Martin Fuentes Returns to PWC, Caesar Bacarella Joins For Spirnt-X |url=https://www.frontstretch.com/2018/02/03/martin-fuentes-to-race-pwc-full-time-in-2018-caesar-bacarella-joins-for-sprint-x/ |website=Frontstretch |date=February 3, 2018 |accessdate=February 14, 2019}}
=ARCA Racing Series=
Bacarella drove in two races in the 2017 ARCA Racing Series with Finney Racing, driving the No. 80 car. Bacarella finished 33rd after being involved in a wreck in his first start, at Daytona. His second start, also with Finney Racing and his No. 80 car, came at Talladega. There, he yielded a DNF once again but finished 25th.{{Cite news|url=https://www.arcaracing.com/articles/2005114-finney-racing-finally-returns-to-daytona-introducing-newcomer-bacarella|title=Finney Racing finally returns to Daytona; introducing newcomer Bacarella|work=ARCA Racing|access-date=January 26, 2018|language=en}}
=NASCAR Xfinity Series=
Teaming up with B. J. McLeod Motorsports, Bacarella made his debut in the 2017 Ticket Galaxy 200 at Phoenix.{{Cite web|url=https://motorsportstribune.com/previewing-the-nascar-xfinity-series-ticket-galaxy-200-at-phoenix-2/|title=Previewing the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ticket Galaxy 200 at Phoenix|website=Motorsports Tribune|date=November 10, 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=January 30, 2018}} After qualifying on owner points in 37th,{{Cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/racing/driver/_/id/4807/caesar-bacarella|title=Caesar Bacarella|website=ESPN.com|access-date=January 26, 2018}} he cut down on Playoff contender Brennan Poole early in the race as a lapped car,{{Cite web|url=http://nascar.nbcsports.com/tag/caesar-bacarella/|title=Caesar Bacarella – NASCAR Talk|website=nascar.nbcsports.com|language=en|access-date=January 30, 2018}} eliminating Poole from the race and ending his championship hopes.{{Cite news|url=http://autoweek.com/article/nascar-xfinity/william-byron-wins-nascar-xfinity-race-phoenix-title-contenders-are-set|title=William Byron wins NASCAR Xfinity race at Phoenix as title contenders are set|work=Autoweek|access-date=January 30, 2018}} Poole later sounded off on the dangers of lapped cars, as did Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon, who was running the race. Referring to Bacarella's overall driving, Dillon said over in-car communications "Get that guy off the freaking track, man! Where did he get a license to do this?"{{Cite news|url=https://altdriver.com/racing/austin-dillon-phoenix-nascar-xfinity-caesar-bacarella/|title=A NASCAR driver making his first start is already making enemies|date=November 11, 2017|work=Engaging Car News, Reviews, and Content You Need to See - alt_driver|access-date=January 30, 2018|language=en-US}} Poole, for his part, commented on what he saw as the need for NASCAR to look at how it approves drivers for competition.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2017/11/11/brennan-poole-playoff-hopes-take-a-hit-at-phoenix/|title=Brennan Poole's playoff hopes take hit at Phoenix {{!}} NASCAR.com|date=November 11, 2017|work=Official Site Of NASCAR|access-date=January 30, 2018|language=en-US}} Bacarella finished 30th in the race,{{Cite news|url=http://autoweek.com/article/nascar-xfinity/william-byron-wins-nascar-xfinity-race-phoenix-title-contenders-are-set|title=William Byron wins NASCAR Xfinity race at Phoenix as title contenders are set|work=Autoweek|access-date=January 26, 2018}} and ran the following week at Homestead, finishing 31st.{{Cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/drivdet/bacarca01/2017/B|title=Driver Caesar Bacarella 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results - Racing-Reference.info|website=racing-reference.info|access-date=January 30, 2018}}
During the off-season, Bacarella was tapped to drive the No. 8 car once again at the season opener at Daytona in 2018.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jayski.com/news/nxs/2018/story/_/page/2018nxs-teamchart|title=Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site - 2018 XFINITY Series Team Chart|website=www.jayski.com|access-date=January 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180607071913/http://www.jayski.com/news/nxs/2018/story/_/page/2018nxs-teamchart|archive-date=June 7, 2018|url-status=dead}}
On August 30, 2021, it was announced that Bacarella and Tommy Joe Martins will form Alpha Prime Racing, and will compete full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022. Bacarella, Martins, and Rajah Caruth are expected to run the full season under part-time schedules.{{cite web|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2021/08/30/caesar-bacarella-tommy-joe-martins-partner-to-form-new-xfinity-series-team-alpha-prime-racing/|title=Caesar Bacarella, Tommy Joe Martins partner to form new Xfinity Series team, Alpha Prime Racing|website=Official Site of NASCAR|access-date=August 30, 2021|date=August 30, 2021}} On November 22, NASCAR indefinitely suspended Bacarella for substance abuse after he claimed he unknowingly took a workout supplement that is on the banned substances list. Bacarella has since enrolled in the Road to Recovery program and is expected to return for the Daytona race.{{cite web |url=https://www.jayski.com/2021/11/22/mike-harmon-racing-caesar-bacarella-penalized/ |title=UPDATE: Mike Harmon Racing, Caesar Bacarella Penalized |website=Jayski's Silly Season Site |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC |date=November 22, 2021 |access-date=November 23, 2021}} On February 14, 2022, Bacarella was reinstated by NASCAR.{{cite web |url=https://www.jayski.com/2022/02/14/caesar-bacarella-reinstated-by-nascar/ |title=Caesar Bacarella Reinstated by NASCAR |website=Jayski's Silly Season Site |publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC |date=February 14, 2022 |access-date=February 15, 2022}}
For 2023, Bacarella continued to run a partial schedule in the Xfinity Series. On April 22 at Talladega, Bacarella scored his first career Xfinity Series top 10 with a 6th-place finish.
On January 3, 2024, Bacarella and Alpha Prime announced that he would run at least four races in the No. 45 on superspeedways in the Xfinity Series during the 2024 season, starting with the February Daytona race.{{cite web|title=Caesar Bacarella Competing at Superspeedways for APR|url=https://frontstretch.com/2024/01/03/caesar-bacarella-competing-at-superspeedways-for-apr|website=www.frontstretch.com|author=Kevin Rutherford|access-date=January 12, 2024|date=January 3, 2024}} Bacarella scored his second career top 10 at Talladega with a 7th place finish. He would then score his third career top 10 at Michigan, his first top 10 on a non-superspeedway.
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.)
==Xfinity Series==
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
! colspan=42| NASCAR Xfinity Series results |
Year
! Team ! No. ! Make ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! 21 ! 22 ! 23 ! 24 ! 25 ! 26 ! 27 ! 28 ! 29 ! 30 ! 31 ! 32 ! 33 ! {{Tooltip|NXSC|NASCAR Xfinity Series classification}} ! Pts ! Ref |
---|
2017
! rowspan=3| B. J. McLeod Motorsports ! rowspan=3| 8 ! Chevy | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | IOW | DAY | KEN | NHA | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ROA | DAR | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | CLT | KAN | TEX | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| PHO | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| HOM ! 68th ! 13 |
rowspan=3| 2018
! Toyota | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | CLT | POC | colspan=21| ! rowspan=3| 52nd ! rowspan=3| 45 |
Chevy
| colspan=12| | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MCH | IOW | CHI | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | KEN | NHA | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ROA | DAR | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| IND | LVS | RCH | ROV | DOV | KAN | TEX | PHO | |
rowspan=4| DGM Racing
! rowspan=4| 90 ! rowspan=4| Chevy | colspan=32| | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| HOM |
2019
| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | CLT | POC | MCH | IOW | CHI | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | KEN | NHA | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ROA | DAR | IND | LVS | RCH | ROV | DOV | KAN | TEX | PHO | HOM ! 67th ! 17 |
2020
| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | LVS | CAL | PHO | DAR | CLT | BRI | ATL | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| HOM | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| HOM | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| TAL | POC | IRC | KEN | KEN | TEX | KAN | ROA | DRC | DOV | DOV | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | DAR | RCH | RCH | BRI | LVS | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| TAL | ROV | KAN | TEX | MAR | PHO ! 46th ! 68 |
2021
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DAY | DRC | HOM | LVS | PHO | ATL | MAR | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TAL | DAR | DOV | style="background:#FFCFCF;"| COA | CLT | MOH | TEX | NSH | POC | ROA | ATL | NHA | GLN | IRC | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MCH | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | DAR | RCH | BRI | LVS | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TAL | ROV | TEX | KAN | MAR | PHO ! 54th ! 37 |
2022
! rowspan=7| Alpha Prime Racing ! rowspan=2| 45 ! rowspan=7| Chevy | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | CAL | LVS | PHO | ATL | COA | RCH | MAR | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TAL | DOV | DAR | TEX | CLT | PIR | NSH | ROA | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| ATL | NHA | POC | IRC | MCH | GLN | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | DAR | KAN | BRI | TEX | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| TAL | ROV | LVS | HOM | MAR | PHO ! 54th ! 37 |
rowspan=4| 2023
| style="background:#FFF;"| DAY | CAL | LVS | PHO | colspan=29| ! rowspan=4| 51st ! rowspan=4| 38 |
66
| colspan=4| | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ATL | COA | RCH | MAR | colspan=25| |
43
| colspan=8| | style="background:#FFDF9F;"| TAL | DOV | DAR | CLT | PIR | SON | NSH | CSC | ATL | NHA | POC | ROA | MCH | IRC | GLN | colspan=10| |
44
| colspan=23| | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | DAR | KAN | BRI | TEX | ROV | LVS | HOM | MAR | PHO |
2024
! rowspan=2| 45 | style="background:#FFCFCF;"| DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | COA | RCH | MAR | TEX | style="background:#FFDF9F;"| TAL | DOV | DAR | CLT | PIR | SON | IOW | NHA | NSH | CSC | POC | IND | style="background:#FFDF9F;"| MCH | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | DAR | ATL | GLN | BRI | KAN | style="background:#FFFFFF;"| TAL | ROV | LVS | HOM | MAR | PHO ! 52nd ! 46 |
2025
| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DAY | ATL | COA | PHO | LVS | HOM | MAR | DAR | BRI | CAR | TAL | TEX | CLT | NSH | MXC | POC | ATL | CSC | SON | DOV | IND | IOW | GLN | DAY | PIR | GTW | BRI | KAN | ROV | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO ! -* ! -* |
colspan=42| † – Qualified but replaced by Stefan Parsons ‡ – Qualified but replaced by Tommy Joe Martins |
{{sup|*}} Season still in progress
{{sup|1}} Ineligible for series points
=ARCA Racing Series=
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
! colspan=45| ARCA Racing Series results |
Year
! Team ! No. ! Make ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! {{Tooltip|ARSC|ARCA Racing Series classification}} ! Pts ! Ref |
---|
2017
! 80 ! Chevy | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY | NSH | SLM | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TAL | TOL | ELK | POC | MCH | MAD | IOW | IRP | POC | WIN | ISF | ROA | DSF | SLM | CHI | KEN | KAN ! 92nd ! 170 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://alphaprimeracing.net/drivers Official profile at Alpha Prime Racing]
- {{Racing-Reference driver|Caesar_Bacarella}}
{{Alpha Prime Racing}}
{{MBM Motorsports}}
{{DGM Racing}}
{{B. J. McLeod Motorsports}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacarella, Caesar}}
Category:ARCA Menards Series drivers
Category:Racing drivers from Miami
Category:People from Parkland, Florida