Lance Norick (born September 20, 1968) is an American
stock car
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 ...
and
sprint car
Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...
racing driver, and a professional
remote control car
'Radio-controlled cars'' (or RC cars for short) are miniature model cars, vans, buses, trucks or buggy (automobile), buggies that can be controlled from a distance using a specialized transmitter or remote. The term "RC" has been used to mean bo ...
racer. A former competitor in the
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
Busch 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 ...
and
Craftsman 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 ...
, he is the son of former Oklahoma City mayor
Ron Norick
Ronald J. Norick (born August 5, 1941) is an American politician. A Republican, he served as mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from 1988 to 1998. He is the son of James H. Norick, who served as Mayor of Oklahoma City from 1959 to 1963 and 1967 to ...
.
Career
The son of Oklahoma City mayor Ron Norick, Lance Norick began his career in
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
, before moving to
Formula Ford 2000
Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula Ford ...
open-wheel cars, where he was a teammate to the son of
Johnny Rutherford
John Sherman "Johnny" Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 3 ...
, before moving to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the 1996 season.
![Lance Norick L&R Racing Dodge 1998](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Lance_Norick_L%26R_Racing_Dodge_1998.jpg)
Driving the No. 19
Dodge Ram
The Ram pickup (marketed as the Dodge Ram until 2010) is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by Stellantis North America (formerly Chrysler Group LLC and FCA US LLC) and marketed from 2010 onwards under the Ram Trucks brand. The current fi ...
for
Walker Evans Racing with sponsorship from
Macklanburg-Duncan, Norick made his NASCAR debut in 1996 at the
Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex, qualifying and finishing eighteenth in his first race in the series. Norick posted his best finish of the season, ninth, at
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...
in the
Coca-Cola 200 There have been multiple NASCAR races named Coca-Cola 200:
*Coca-Cola 200 (Rockingham)
The Goody's Headache Powder 200 was a NASCAR Busch Series stock car racing, stock car race held at North Carolina Speedway. It was last run in 2004 NASCAR Bu ...
in June; midway through the season Norick's father purchased the team from Evans, switching to the No. 90 and Ford with sponsorship from the
Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce; now named
L & R Motorsports,
they completed the season with a best finish in the second half of 13th at
Sears Point Raceway
Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway from 1967 to 1980 and 1982 to 2002, Golden State International Raceway in 1981 and Infineon Raceway from 2002 to 2012) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern S ...
, and Norick finished eighteenth in the final season points standings.
For 1997 Norick ran just fifteen races but gained financial backing from the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
, which arranged for a different team to be featured on the truck at each event. Norick posted a best finish of the season at Homestead, in the second race of the year and the first with NHL sponsorship, finishing tenth; Norick finished the season 25th in series points. The NHL returned with a full season's sponsorship for 1998; Norick's team, based in
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in eastern Riverside County, California, United States. It is in the Palo Verde Valley of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River, approximatel ...
, added a second truck for veteran
Butch Miller, with sponsorship from
Dana. Norick had a best finish of seventh at
Sears Point International Raceway
Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway from 1967 to 1980 and 1982 to 2002, Golden State International Raceway in 1981 and Infineon Raceway from 2002 to 2012) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern ...
, a new career best, but failed to qualify for two races; he finished 23rd in the series standings at the end of the year. Norick also competed in six events in the NASCAR
Winston West Series
The ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR AutoZone West Series, NASCAR Winston West Series and NASCAR Camping World West Series, is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racin ...
during the 1998 season, posting a best finish of seventh at
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway, originally opened as California Speedway, is a , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, near Fontana. It has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. It was also previ ...
in July.
Norick started 1999 with sponsorship from Oklahoma City-based
Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce
Big or BIG may refer to:
* Big, of great size or degree
Film and television
* ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks
* '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show
* ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...
; the company ran into issues with its racing program, and the sponsorship deal was dropped after eight races of the 24-race schedule, leaving Norick's team, once again a single-truck effort, to run most of the year unsponsored. Norick's best finish of the year was ninth at
Watkins Glen; he finished 20th in series points.
At Watkins Glen, Norick was the first Truck Series driver to operate his vehicle under racing conditions while using rain tires, when practice sessions were run under sprinkly conditions. His team also switched from Dodge to
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
during the season, although it also ran a Ford in a race at
Gateway International Raceway
World Wide Technology Raceway (formerly Gateway International Raceway and Gateway Motorsports Park) is a motorsport racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a o ...
.
In 2000 with backing from
Aventis Behring, Norick qualified for every race on the Truck Series season schedule for the first time in his career, and finished sixteenth in points. Norick was involved in a major wreck at the season-opening
Daytona 250 at
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...
, suffering burns to his neck.
In 2001 Norick posted his best career finish overall in the Craftsman Truck Series, finishing third at the short-lived
Chicago Motor Speedway
The Chicago Motor Speedway at Sportsman's Park was a motorsports race track, located in Cicero, Illinois, just outside Chicago. It was built in 1999 by a group including Chip Ganassi, owner of Chip Ganassi Racing. In 2002 the oval shaped track ...
; finishes of fourth in the season-opening race at Daytona and fifth in October at
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° ...
proved to be the only other top five finishes he would score in his career in the series, pointing the way to Norick's scoring a career best in the series points standings, finishing eleventh at the end of the season. Norick returned to the series in 2002 with sponsorship from
Express Personnel Services; he scored five top-ten finishes during the season, finishing 13th in points; however additional funding for continuing in the series failed to materialise, and Norick's team closed at the end of the year, the team being sold off.
In 2003 Norick ran a limited schedule in the NASCAR
Busch 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 ...
, signing with
Carroll Racing Carroll may refer to:
People
* Carroll (given name)
* Carroll (surname)
* O'Carroll, also known as Carroll, a Gaelic Irish clan
* Mac Cearbhaill, anglicised as Carroll, a Gaelic Irish clan
* Charles Carroll Webster (1824-1893), American lawyer an ...
to co-drive with
Kevin Grubb
Kevin Grubb (April 19, 1978 – May 6, 2009) was an American race car driver from Mechanicsville, Virginia. He was the younger brother of former race car driver Wayne Grubb. He was under suspension from NASCAR competition due to two violatio ...
with sponsorship from Express Personnel Services. He also signed with
Morgan-Dollar Motorsports to compete in the
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...
endurance race, co-driving a
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a two-door, two-passenger luxury sports car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet since 1953. With eight design generations, noted sequentially from C1 to C8, the Corvette is noted for its performance and distinctive ...
in the GTS class with
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
and
Rob Morgan and
Jim Pace
James Edward Pace (January 1, 1936 – March 4, 1983) was an American running back in the National Football League. He was also an All-American halfback who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines teams from 1955 to 1957.
Youth
Alt ...
. The team led the GTS class for 23 of the 24 hours, before mechanical issues dropped them to finish second in class, and tenth overall in the event. Norick and Morgan co-drove a Corvette in the following event on the
Grand American Sports Car
Grand-Am Road Racing or Grand-Am was an auto racing sanctioning body that was established in 1999 to organize road racing competitions in North America. Its primary focus was the Rolex Sports Car Series, an endurance racing championship series. ...
schedule at
Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing eleventh.
Norick's debut in Busch Series competition was originally scheduled to be at
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...
in March, but due to a lack of testing time his debut was moved back one week to the
O'Reilly 300
The SRS Distribution 250 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race that has taken place each spring at Texas Motor Speedway since 1997. Since 2005, this has been one of two races for the series at the track, the other being the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 ...
at
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° ...
. Norick's best finish with Carroll Racing came at
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee, United States (though the track has a Lebanon postal address), about southeast of Nashville. The track was built in 2001 and is currently hosting the Ally 400, ...
in April, where he finished 17th; after five races with the team, and a DNQ at
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...
, Norick moved to
Braun Racing
Braun Motorsports, formerly known as Braun Racing, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Best known as one of the top ...
for the final two events of his 2003 season, finishing 31st at Daytona and 29th at
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and actively hosted NASCAR racing including the NASCAR Cup Series until 2019. Until 2010, the speedway has also hosted the IndyC ...
in July; these were the final NASCAR-sanctioned events that Norick would compete in.
Post-NASCAR life
Norick currently is a professional
radio-controlled car
'Radio-controlled cars'' (or RC cars for short) are miniature model cars, vans, buses, trucks or buggy (automobile), buggies that can be controlled from a distance using a specialized transmitter or remote. The term "RC" has been used to mean bo ...
driver, also producing parts and equipment for the sport, operating tracks, and organizing professional competitions. He is also the former owner of
Victory Lane Indoor Karting Center in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, which he founded and operated before selling to
Fred Ogrim in 2007, prior to a move to Arizona, where Norick occasionally competes in local
sprint car
Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...
and
short track racing events.
Norick currently resides in Oklahoma; he is married to Darcey, who also races remote-control cars, and both are involved in
mounted shooting events. He is also involved in the construction industry, and in 2011 jointly applied to operate a medicinal
marijuana dispensary
A cannabis shop, cannabis dispensary, or cannabis cooperative, is a location at which cannabis is sold for recreational or medical use. In the Netherlands these are called coffeeshops. In the United States they exist as an outlet for both recr ...
in
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nick ...
. He opened a
hardware store
Hardware stores (in a number of countries, "shops"), sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing suppli ...
in North Oklahoma City in 2018. He also competes in regional
sprint car
Sprint cars are high-powered open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia, New ...
competition.
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
Craftsman Truck Series
Rolex Sports Car Series
(
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. (Overall Finish/Class Finish).
24 Hours of Daytona
(
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 ...
)
References
External links
*
Norick in a sprint car at ET Motorpark in 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norick, Lance
1968 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Oklahoma City
Racing drivers from Oklahoma
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
NASCAR drivers
Formula Ford drivers
Rolex Sports Car Series drivers
U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers