Meet the Driver: Tony Lucarelli

As the return of Total Nonstop Racing approaches, the time has come to begin meeting the field of drivers that will be competing. For our first driver we have chosen TNR newcomer Tony Lucarelli!

Q: Monday Night at Charlotte will be your first ever Total Nonstop Racing career start. What made you decide to get into online sim racing?

A: To start, racing is in my background and in my blood. I started racing BMX when I was 7-8 years old and then made the switch to ATV Motocross when I was 13. Now that I’m “retired” from that, every now and then I get the racing itch. I messed around with iRacing about 5 or so years ago and phased out of that into some RC racing for a little while. It’s been a few years without doing any sort of racing, so when Garrett mentioned he wanted to get TNR going again, I was all in.

Q: It appears as if you are going to have NEPA Cornhole and SBC on your car during our 8-race season. Can you give us a little insight as to your involvement with those two brands?

A: So, during a little gap in all the racing I was involved in, I stumbled upon a little backyard game called "cornhole." A few of my buddies got together in backyards and had small tournaments with smaller cash buy-ins. The game got very addicting and was a weekly event. A small cornhole league popped up at a local bar and fellow TNR Driver Matt Monacelli and I joined in as a team. I met a few other guys in that league and one in particular had the exact idea I had which was starting up a little cornhole league to run larger tournaments and weekly leagues. We ended up getting into it at the right time and since the game has rapidly grown being shown on ESPN and all. So our business, NEPA Cornhole, runs large leagues and tournaments around the Northeast PA area, and one place that we tend to do these events at most is Susquehanna Brewing Company (SBC). They helped our leagues grow, and I think we help out their business as well by bringing over 100 people in weekly so it’s a win-win.

Q: What are your expectations for the #41 car this season? What would make this season a success for you?

A: Well, I'm very competitive, so I would love to be able to run in the front of the pack and hopefully win some races. Translating ATVMX over to oval racing isn't really all that helpful (laughs). Mx is basically driving super hard into corners and braking hard late. What I need to transition into is being smooth and patient with the brakes and throttle to be able to survive longer races without getting out of control. If I can have clean, competitive races all season long, I’ll take that as a win and hopefully just learn what I ultimately need to compete for a championship.

Q: As you've stated previously, you are pretty new to iRacing. What would you say to someone who likes racing but hasn't tried it?

A: It’s no video game. someone who has played racing games on a console who thinks they will jump on iRacing and win is just not going to happen. It takes time and a different type of skill. It’s definitely a challenge that requires time behind the wheel. 

Tony, Thanks for your time and best of luck this season!

The first race for TNR will be at Charlotte on June 1st. Stay tuned for more interviews with drivers over the coming days!