Con Nicolopoulos Bio
Constatine Nicolopoulos (born October 17, 1961) is an American professional stock car racing driver. A native of Columbus, Michigan, he is best known for his long-running part-time presence in the ARCA Menards Series, where he has driven the No. 0 Toyota for Wayne Peterson Racing. Nicolopoulos has balanced his racing career with a professional engineering role outside the cockpit, building a reputation as a determined late-model and short-track competitor rather than a full-time national tour driver.
Early Life and Background
Constatine Nicolopoulos was born on October 17, 1961, in Columbus, Michigan, United States. He grew up in the American Midwest, an area with a strong grassroots stock car racing tradition that has historically produced a steady stream of short-track talent. Details about his parents and formal education have not been publicly documented in available sources.
Outside of racing, Nicolopoulos works as an engineer for Chrysler, specializing in thermal dynamics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he also contributed to the development of new healthcare products, demonstrating a technical background that complements his work inside a race car. His engineering mindset has carried over into his approach to setup, data, and race-day preparation on the track.
Path to NASCAR
Nicolopoulos did not follow the traditional pavement late-model ladder into NASCAR’s national touring divisions. Instead, his racing path developed through local and regional stock car competition, supplemented by his professional network in the automotive industry. His connection to the ARCA Menards Series, the long-established stepping stone toward NASCAR, came later in life through a colleague rather than a conventional team pipeline.
The bulk of his documented career has unfolded in the ARCA Menards Series, where he has competed as a part-time, start-and-park specialist and occasional finisher. While he has not moved into the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, his longevity in ARCA has made him a familiar face in the garage area at short tracks across the Midwest and South.
Con Nicolopoulos Career
Early Career (2011)
Nicolopoulos made his first ARCA Menards Series start in 2011 with Brad Smith Motorsports. The opportunity came through his Chrysler coworker Brad Smith, who fielded the team’s primary car. Nicolopoulos initially served as a spotter for Smith before sliding behind the wheel of a second entry fielded by the same team at selected races.
The Brad Smith Motorsports second car was a start-and-park operation, meaning the team would pull into the garage early rather than run the full race distance. This role gave Nicolopoulos his first taste of touring-series competition and allowed him to log laps at ARCA-sanctioned events while learning the rhythm of race weekends at that level.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2014)
In 2014, Nicolopoulos signed with Wayne Peterson Racing on a part-time schedule, continuing to run start-and-park entries for the majority of his races. Wayne Peterson Racing, a long-standing independent ARCA team, provided a stable platform for Nicolopoulos to expand his experience and build consistency within the series.
One of his career milestones came in 2017 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, where Nicolopoulos completed his first full ARCA Menards Series race, finishing 26th. Since then, he has added one top-ten finish, recorded at Winchester Speedway, and has completed 21 of his 94 ARCA attempts. His No. 0 Toyota has become a regular fixture on ARCA entry lists at short tracks and occasional larger venues.
Wayne Peterson Racing Era (2014–Present)
Nicolopoulos’s tenure with Wayne Peterson Racing has defined his modern career. Operating out of the No. 0 Toyota, he has continued a part-time schedule that mixes start-and-park appearances with select attempts to run complete events. The team’s independent structure has allowed him to maintain flexibility alongside his engineering work at Chrysler.
His results with Wayne Peterson Racing have been modest in raw numbers but notable for persistence. With more than 90 ARCA starts to his credit, Nicolopoulos has outlasted many part-time drivers and remains a familiar entrant in the ARCA garage. The partnership continues to serve as the foundation of his stock car racing identity.
Driving Style and Strengths
Nicolopoulos is known primarily as a start-and-park driver, a specialized role that prioritizes clean entries, consistent lap-one execution, and disciplined pit work before retiring the car early. His engineering background at Chrysler informs a methodical, technical approach to car setup and feedback. On tracks where he has chosen to run the full distance, he has shown the patience required to log laps and bring the car home, as demonstrated by his 26th-place finish at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and his top-ten run at Winchester Speedway.
Notable Races and Milestones
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway stands as a milestone venue, marking the site of Nicolopoulos’s first completed ARCA Menards Series race in 2017. Winchester Speedway represents his best documented result, where he earned a top-ten finish in the No. 0 Toyota. Together, these tracks bookend a career built on incremental progress rather than headline victories.
Con Nicolopoulos Career Wins
Con Nicolopoulos has not recorded a verified feature victory in the ARCA Menards Series. His documented results consist of one top-ten finish at Winchester Speedway and 21 completed races across 94 ARCA attempts. His reputation has been built on longevity, consistency of entry, and reliability in the start-and-park format rather than on wins.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Within the ARCA Menards Series, Nicolopoulos’s primary highlight is his first completed race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 2017, where he finished 26th. His single top-ten finish at Winchester Speedway remains his best documented result. Across his ARCA career, he has started 94 events and completed 21 of them, a completion rate that reflects his long-standing role as a part-time, start-and-park entrant.
Other Wins and Performances
Nicolopoulos has not recorded verified feature wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, or in regional touring series documented in available sources. His competitive results have been confined to ARCA Menards Series events with Brad Smith Motorsports and Wayne Peterson Racing.
Con Nicolopoulos Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Nicolopoulos’s parents and immediate family has not been documented in available sources. His entry into ARCA competition came through his professional relationship with Chrysler coworker Brad Smith, rather than through a family racing lineage. The family background section of his biography remains limited to what has been publicly confirmed.
Personal Life
Nicolopoulos is an engineer for Chrysler specializing in thermal dynamics, and he has applied that technical expertise to his racing program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he contributed to the development of new healthcare products, highlighting a professional life that extends well beyond the cockpit. Details about his marital status, spouse, and children have not been publicly confirmed.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 ARCA Menards Series season, Con Nicolopoulos is expected to continue his familiar role with Wayne Peterson Racing in the No. 0 Toyota. The team has historically fielded part-time entries at selected events, and Nicolopoulos is anticipated to maintain that schedule while balancing his engineering work at Chrysler. Entry lists in 2025 are expected to feature the No. 0 Toyota at a mix of short tracks and combination events across the ARCA calendar.
Recent seasons have followed a consistent pattern of start-and-park appearances punctuated by occasional attempts to complete race distance. With one career top ten at Winchester Speedway already on his record, any 2025 event where he runs the full distance will be watched as a chance to improve on that benchmark. The Wayne Peterson Racing operation is likely to remain the hub of his on-track activity throughout the year.
Without a full-time ride, Nicolopoulos’s 2025 outlook is shaped more by participation than by championship contention. His value to the ARCA garage lies in consistency of entry, reliability on race morning, and the experience he brings as a long-serving part-time competitor. The 2025 season is expected to extend his streak of ARCA starts and reinforce his standing as one of the series’ most familiar part-time entrants.