Carlos Eduardo Trocon Ortiz (born June 12, 1979), known professionally as Eddie Troconis,
is a Mexican
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
crew chief who most recently worked for
Young's Motorsports, serving as crew chief of the team's No. 02 truck in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...
as well as one of the crew chiefs for their No. 02 car in the
ARCA Menards Series and one of the crew chiefs for the
DGM Racing Nos. 90 and 92 cars in the
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
. Before becoming a crew chief, Troconis was previously a driver, and competed in the
NASCAR Mexico Series
The NASCAR Mexico Series (formerly NASCAR Corona Series and other names) is a NASCAR series in Mexico. It is the most prestigious stock car racing series in the country.
Origins (Desafío Corona)
The Desafío Corona was established in 2004 by ...
and also attempted to qualify for one race in the Xfinity Series in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, when it was known as the
NASCAR Busch Series.
Prior to driving and crew chiefing in NASCAR, Troconis drove in the
Indy Lights,
Formula Three, and
Formula Vee Series.
Racing career
Driving career
He is a two-time Mexican
Formula Three International champion (winning titles in 1999 and 2002) and a Rookie of the Year Award winner in the
Formula Vee Series (1995) and
Indy Lights de las Americas (2000). Troconis also competed in the
NASCAR Toyota Series
The NASCAR Mexico Series (formerly NASCAR Corona Series and other names) is a NASCAR series in Mexico. It is the most prestigious stock car racing series in the country.
Origins (Desafío Corona)
The Desafío Corona was established in 2004 by ...
and
Desafío Corona
The Desafío Corona was a stock car racing series in Mexico. NASCAR founded the series in 2004 in conjunction with OCESA, a Mexican entertainment company. The business partnership between NASCAR and OCESA resulted in the creation of a new enti ...
Series.
Troconis attempted one
Busch Series race in 2006 driving the No. 23 for
Keith Coleman Racing
{{Infobox former NASCAR team
, name = Keith Coleman Racing
, logo =
, owners = Keith Coleman
, series = Busch Series
, drivers_champ = 0
, wins =
, numbers = 23, 26, 50
, drivers = Kim ...
at
Watkins Glen, but failed to qualify.
Crew chiefing career
2012–2013: Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing and Eddie Sharp Racing
His first crew chief job was in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
when he crew chiefed the No. 13
Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing
Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing (also known as JJC Racing) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina and is owned by Jennifer ...
team in the
Nationwide Series. When Cobb decided to focus on her
Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...
operation that year, the team did not attempt any races for many months and he joined
Eddie Sharp Racing
Sharp Gallaher Racing (formerly known as Eddie Sharp Racing) is a disbanded NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina that competed in the ARCA Racing Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team fielded the No. 6 Chevrolet ...
as
Justin Lofton's engineer on the No. 6 truck
and starting at Talladega in October, he replaced Daniel Bormann as the team's crew chief. The following year, he was only crew chief for the team in the season-opener at Daytona before being replaced by Cody Sauls.
2014–2018: Kyle Busch Motorsports and ThorSport Racing
When Sharp's team closed down after the 2013 season, Troconis moved over to
Kyle Busch Motorsports as an engineer, and was promoted to crew chief of their No. 54 truck, driven by
Christopher Bell,
Gray Gaulding
Dwayne Gray Gaulding Jr. (born February 10, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro for Mike Harmon Racing and the No. 6 for JD Motorsp ...
, and
Matt Tifft
Matthew Kenneth Tifft (born June 26, 1996) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, and current team owner. He last competed in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 36 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports unt ...
, towards the end of the 2015 season when Shannon Rursch left the team. KBM shut down the No. 54 truck in 2016, and Troconis went to
ThorSport Racing to crew chief
Cameron Hayley
Cameron Hayley (born July 21, 1996) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series, driving the No. 7 Ford Fusion for Jefferson Pitts Racing. Hayley won the K&N Pro Seri ...
and the No. 13 truck. After all of their drivers except for
Matt Crafton
Matthew Justin Crafton (born June 11, 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is a three-time champion of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2013, 2014, 2019), in which he competes full-time, driving the No. 88 Ford F-150 ...
had winless seasons and missed the playoffs in 2016, ThorSport shook up their crew chief lineup the following year and Troconis moved from the No. 13 to the No. 27 of
Ben Rhodes. He and Rhodes did qualify for the playoffs and they won the race at
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
that year. Their race-winning truck from that race was nicknamed "marshmellow", as it was one of the trucks that was burned in ThorSport's shop fire in 2015 but rebuilt afterward.
The two remained together in 2018, and they won another race at
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, Rhodes' home track, which qualified them for the playoffs for the second straight year. Also that year, Troconis was suspended for one race at
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
due to Rhodes' truck failing post-race inspection at the Daytona race earlier in the year and losing the appeal to the penalty. He was also fined $5,000. Bud Haefele served as the interim crew chief for the team in Troconis' absence.
2019–2020: AM Racing and Sam Hunt Racing
In
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, Troconis left ThorSport after three years with the team, going to
AM Racing as the crew chief for the No. 22 truck driven by
Austin Wayne Self
Austin Wayne Self (born March 5, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 22 Chevrolet Silverado for his family team, AM Racing and part-time in t ...
.
Towards the end of the
2020 Truck Series season, Troconis would leave AM Racing for
Sam Hunt Racing
Sam Hunt Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, fielding the No. 24 Toyota Supra primarily for Connor Mosack and the No. 26 Toyota Supra full-time for Kaz Grala.
The team ...
, a part-time team in the
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
, to crew chief
Mason Diaz
Mason A. Diaz (born May 16, 2000) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes for Ferrier-McClure Racing, driving their No. 44 Toyota part-time in the ARCA Menards Series East and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series.
Racing ...
in the team's No. 26
Toyota Supra. Ryan Salomon would replace Troconis at AM Racing for the last four races of the season.
2021–present: Young's Motorsports, DGM Racing, suspension and arrest
In 2021, Sam Hunt Racing replaced Troconis with former
Jeremy Clements Racing
Jeremy Clements Racing, formerly known as Jeremy Clements Motorsports, is an American professional stock car racing team. The team currently fields the No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro SS full-time for Jeremy Clements in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with c ...
crew chief Andrew Abbott, leaving Troconis looking for work. He joined
Young's Motorsports as crew chief of for the team's No. 02 in the Truck Series, which for the majority of the season was driven by
Kris Wright. He would also be the crew chief of the team's No. 02 car in the
ARCA Menards Series and
ARCA Menards Series East
The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and ...
whenever
Connor Mosack
Connor Charles Mosack (born January 20, 1999) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 24 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing and the No. 19 Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing ...
was the driver of the car. In addition, Troconis was one of a rotation of crew chiefs for
DGM Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2021, crew chiefing their Nos. 90 and No. 92 cars in select races throughout the season. On October 6, NASCAR indefinitely suspended Troconis for violation of Section 12.8.1.c in the rulebook, which relates to behavioral conduct. On December 21, an arrest warrant was issued to Troconis on felony second degree assault charges. He turned himself in to the
Talladega County Sheriff's Deputies Office on January 5, 2022 and is facing between one and ten years in jail if convicted. Through this, it was revealed that Troconis had been suspended because he was involved in a fight with spotter Clayton Hughes during the race weekend at
Talladega in October. According to the sheriff's office, Troconis
sucker punched him in the neck which led him to fall to the ground, where Troconis then kicked him in the back multiple times. Hughes had to undergo several surgeries and was unable to walk after the incident.
Troconis was reinstated before the 2022 season after the charges were dropped by a prosecutor in February. He returned as crew chief of the Young's Motorsports No. 02 truck, now driven by
Jesse Little
Jesse Hardin Little (born April 15, 1997) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving the No. 34 Chevrolet Camaro for Jesse Iwuji Motorsports and part-time in the ...
and
Kaz Grala
Kaz Edward Grala ( ; born December 29, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 26 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing. The Boston native is the youngest NASCAR ...
. On March 24, 2022, NASCAR indefinitely suspended Troconis again after he was re-arrested on March 18 as a result of his assault charge being re-instated by a grand jury in Alabama.
Steven Dawson has served as the interim crew chief for the No. 02 truck since Tronconis' suspension started.
On December 7, 2022, Troconis was convicted of second-degree assault in relation to the incident.
Personal life
Troconis is the husband of Truck Series driver
Jennifer Jo Cobb
Jennifer Jo Cobb (born June 12, 1973) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. She competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Silverado for her own team, Jennifer Jo Cobb Raci ...
. Troconis was the crew chief for Cobb and
her race team in the
Xfinity Series in 2012. They married in 2015.
They had been separated at the time of Troconis' assault on Hughes, who had reportedly been dating Cobb.
Troconis was instrumental in helping KBM driver
Daniel Suárez
Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza (born January 7, 1992) is a Mexican professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing Team. He previously drove in t ...
learn more English when he first came to drive for the team in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
. Troconis happened to be the engineer for KBM's No. 51 truck that year, which is the truck Suárez drove in his part-time schedule with KBM. The two Mexicans working together came in handy, and Suárez sharpened his English-speaking skills as the season went on with Troconis' help.
Troconis earned degrees in
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
,
business management
Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
, and a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in
marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Busch Series
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Troconis, Eddie
Living people
Mexican racing drivers
NASCAR drivers
NASCAR crew chiefs
People from Veracruz (city)
Sportspeople from Veracruz
1979 births