Eric Nascimento

Eric L Nascimento (born March 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series West, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Bill McAnally Racing.

Biography
Nascimento, who started seventh on the grid, quickly charged into the top five and ran a strong race, before getting punted off track by another car. He battled back and was up to seventh on Lap 43, when he pulled off track with mechanical trouble.

The East Union High School senior would show off the No. 31 late model car racing with his nickname “Bubba” on the door, plastered with stickers and The Boys and Girls Clubs of Manteca and Lathrop adorning the sleek black hood.

Nascimento, Jr., who wears a green racing helmet on days like Saturday at the Stockton 99 Speedway, also dons a dark red football helmet on Friday nights as an offensive and defensive lineman for the Lancers football team.

The racer gives a lot of credit to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manteca and Lathrop for giving his father and uncles a good place to go and a welcome place he attended from the ripe young age of six.

“I grew up (in that program),“said the driver, who has his family to thank for getting him involved in the club. “My dad was in the program and my grandfather helped to build that place. (The program) is a big part of helping kids stay out of trouble.”

When Nascimento isn’t working or playing football, the 17-year-old often helps with coaching youth in sports such as basketball and flag football.

With football season claiming most of his spare time Nascimento can only spend time in occasional pickup basketball games at the Manteca club.

Last season the Manteca racer also gave a little more than his time to the after-school program.

“At the end of last (racing) season we donated $1,000 to help the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manteca and Lathrop,” said Nascimento Jr., the son of Eric senior and mother Debra Nascimento. “We did it to give back for everything they’ve done for me in my life.”

Now motor sports dominates the Nascimento family every weekend.

“Every day of the week we’re preparing the car for the next weekend races,” said Nascimento Jr., who has a pair of late model wins and top five finishes racing at the Madera race track. “Racing is family. Family is (more important) than anything. It’s a lot of hard work but it’s worth it. We do what we love. It’s great to be around family every weekend.”

Nascimento is a devoted Kyle Busch fan and tries to learn from drivers Greg Potts and Eric Holmes, the other drivers who race the two cars the family owns.

“I try to learn from the feedback (Holmes) gives my uncle Mike, our crew chief, and my dad,” said Nascimento Jr., who listens to country music, with a little rap sprinkled in, to help get his racing face on. “I think I get better every race. “You have to focus on your line and not wrecking anybody.

“My whole life is racing,” he added. “Anything I do on the weekend revolves around racing, whether on a motorcycle or anything with a motor on it.”

The football player in him idolizes NFL star JJ Watt of the Houston Texans.

″(Watt is) a great defensive lineman...probably one of the best of all time,” said Nascimento Jr. who admires Watt’s work ethic. “I watch him all the time. He’s a hard worker. He helped a lot with (flood relief in Texas last year) donating to help the people there.”

It was inevitable that when Nascimento Sr. took his son to the track that a racer would be born.

″(My father) took me to a go cart track and I just instantly fell in love with it,” said Nascimento Jr., who enjoys watching any Fast and Furious movie for the speed and action involved. “The best part of racing is winning. If you’re winning you’re having fun. If you’re e not winning (at least) you’re with family and the people you love. As long as you do what you love it doesn’t matter where you finish at the end of the night. But winning makes everything better.”

Motorsports career results
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )