is a former owner/driver in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and
Busch Series . Bonifeld began his racing carer in 1973, when began competeing in
BMX bicycles. Racing across the United States, he won several championships from 1979 to 1983. In 1987, he moved to
Go-karts , where he raced against
Kevin Harvick and
Casey Mears , before competing part-time in the
NASCAR Elite Division Featherlite Southwest Series in 1991.
Bonifeld became a driving instructor at the
Buck Baker Racing School in 1993, after he moved to the South East from California. Around the same time, he opened his own fabrication shop, and worked for various
Winston Cup teams. In
1998 , Bonifeld closed his fabrication shop and began fielding entries in the Truck series. His first race as owner in a points-paying event came that season at
Walt Disney World Speedway in the #11
Red Line Oil Chevrolet , driven by
Brett Bodine , who qualified 13th but finished 32nd after an engine faliure. Bodine ran two more races for Bonifeld that season, both races reaulting in DNFs.
In
1999 , he decided to pull double duty as an owner and driver, with
Tom Mazucchi coming aboard as a partner in the #23 Red Line Oil truck. He made his Craftsman Truck Series debut at
Evergreen Speedway , finishing 30th. Bonifield would compete 13 more times that year, and finished 31st in points, and 7th in
Rookie Of The Year Standings. In 2000, he ran just eight races, and did not finish a single race.
In 2001, Bonifeld posted a career-best 24th twice, at
California and
Las Vegas . That same season, he began running races part-time for
Impact Motorsports , and purchased Impact's owner's points and equipment after it shut down, renaming his operation . He also made his Busch debut at the
MBNA Platinum 200 for
Jay Robinson Racing , starting 34th but finishing 36th after engine problems plagued the team.
In 2002, mechanical problems continued to plague Bonifeld and his team, as he failed to finish any of his eleven starts that season. Despite this, he finished 31st in points. He also ran six busch races, two for his own team, one for
Danny Bost , and the rest for
Means Racing . His best finish was a 30th at Fontana, the only race he finished that year.
2003 marked Bonifeld's best Truck Series season, as he ran 21 of 25 races, and finished 20th in points. His best finish was 23rd at
Memphis Motorsports Park .
Unfortunately, his success was not carried over into
2004 . Neither Bonifeld nor his team ran many races that season. Bonifeld only qualifed for events, and was twice parked for driving too slow. During the season, Bonifield sold the trucks to
Bill Davis Racing and shut down the team. He is now developing
ARCA and
NASCAR Grand National Division, Autozone West Series driver
Andrew Myers .
