Eric Caudell Bio
Eric Caudell (born January 2, 1967) is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series. He drives the No. 7 Toyota for his own team, CCM Racing. Caudell has been a regular presence in ARCA competition since 2015, including a full-season campaign in 2017 that ended with a tenth-place finish in the final standings. He also made a single NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start in 2014 at Iowa Speedway.
Early Life and Background
Eric Caudell was born on January 2, 1967, and grew up in Piedmont, Oklahoma, where he continues to live. Piedmont, a community in central Oklahoma near Oklahoma City, provided the backdrop for his upbringing and remains his home base today. From a young age, Caudell developed an interest in mechanics and vehicles, which eventually led him toward a career in stock car racing.
Before focusing on motorsports, Caudell pursued higher education at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a degree in Management Information Systems. That academic path gave him a strong background in technology and data, fields that overlap closely with the engineering side of modern racing. His professional life outside the cockpit has been spent working in the energy sector, and he has spent more than twenty years serving as an energy trading software consultant for Murphy USA. He has also worked as a marketing consultant in the oil industry, balancing his corporate career with his passion for racing.
Path to NASCAR
Caudell’s introduction to competitive racing came through the United States Super Truck Series, where he competed for many years before the series ceased operations. That experience in regional truck racing helped him sharpen his skills and prepared him for the higher level of NASCAR’s national ladder. His years running Super Trucks gave him a working knowledge of stock car setups and race craft, laying the foundation for his next step.
In 2014, Caudell made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway, driving the No. 12 for Cefalia Motorsports. The start gave him a brief taste of national-series competition, finishing 28th in the event. The following year, he moved into the ARCA Racing Series, beginning the part-time schedule that has defined his national career. That progression from regional racing to the Truck Series and then ARCA marked a steady climb through the NASCAR ecosystem.
Eric Caudell Career
Early Career (2014)
Eric Caudell’s first appearance on a NASCAR national series weekend came in 2014 at Iowa Speedway. Driving the No. 12 entry fielded by Cefalia Motorsports, Caudell made his Truck Series debut and brought the truck home in 28th place. Although the result was modest, the start established him as a competitor who had cleared the门槛 to NASCAR’s top tier of oval racing.
The Truck Series appearance was followed by a transition into the ARCA Racing Series in 2015. Caudell began running a limited ARCA schedule, getting his feet wet in a series known for developing future NASCAR talent. Those early ARCA starts allowed him to build relationships with teams and learn the rhythms of longer-distance stock car races.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2016-2017)
In 2016, Caudell drove part-time for Hixson Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series, getting acclimated with the team and the cars. The partnership produced enough momentum for the following season, when Caudell committed to a full 20-race ARCA schedule in 2017. He continued to drive the No. 2 for Hixson Motorsports and was paired with crew chief Crystal Bates, one of the few female crew chiefs working in stock car racing at the time.
The 2017 full-season effort was the centerpiece of Caudell’s ARCA career. Running the complete schedule gave him consistent seat time and allowed the team to refine its approach over the course of the year. The campaign paid off with a tenth-place finish in the final ARCA points standings, the strongest result of his career and a clear signal that he could compete at a high level on a full-time basis.
CCM Racing Era (2020-Present)
For the 2020 season, Caudell announced that he and his own No. 7 team, operating as CCM Racing, would return to the ARCA Menards Series for a ten-race schedule. The announced slate included Daytona, Talladega, Chicagoland, Lucas Oil, Elko, Iowa, Springfield, DuQuoin, Bristol, Memphis, and Kansas. Caudell and CCM Racing also took part in ARCA’s January 2020 Daytona test session, where he shared the No. 7 car with former Hixson Motorsports teammate Rick Tackman. The effort marked his transition from being a hired driver to a team owner-driver, giving him more control over his racing program.
In 2021, Caudell returned for another part-time ARCA schedule in his No. 7 car. That season also featured his debut in the ARCA Menards Series East, the series formerly known as the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. His schedule included the three combination events shared between the main ARCA Series and the East Series at Iowa, Milwaukee, and Bristol, giving him his first exposure to East Series competition. Since then, Caudell has continued to field the No. 7 Toyota for CCM Racing on a part-time ARCA basis, balancing his racing efforts with his consulting work in the energy industry.
Driving Style and Strengths
Caudell’s racing resume reflects a part-time veteran who thrives on the superspeedways and intermediate tracks that make up much of the ARCA schedule. Events at Daytona, Talladega, and the larger Midwest ovals have featured prominently in his recent years, suggesting comfort with pack-style racing and longer green-flag runs. His background in technology and data analysis, drawn from his University of Oklahoma training and decades of consulting work, complements his time behind the wheel and helps him approach races with a measured, analytical mindset.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among Caudell’s signature moments are his 2014 Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway, his tenth-place ARCA points finish in 2017, and his 2020 transition to team owner-driver with CCM Racing. The 2017 season stands out as the high-water mark of his competitive results, while the formation of CCM Racing represents his most significant career achievement off the track. His debut in the ARCA Menards Series East in 2021 added another chapter to his national-series resume.
Eric Caudell Career Wins
Eric Caudell’s career has been built more on consistent participation and team ownership than on victory lane appearances. Across his time in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the former United States Super Truck Series, his results have reflected the steady, part-time schedule of an owner-driver. Public records do not confirm any national-series victories, and his strongest measured result remains the tenth-place ARCA points finish earned during his 2017 full season.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Caudell has been a fixture in the ARCA Menards Series since 2015, with his most significant campaign coming in 2017. That year, running a full schedule with Hixson Motorsports, he wrapped up the season ranked tenth in the final ARCA standings. He has since returned on a part-time basis with his own CCM Racing team, running the No. 7 Toyota at a mix of superspeedways, short tracks, and intermediate ovals across the ARCA calendar.
Other Wins and Performances
Before reaching NASCAR’s national series, Caudell raced for many years in the United States Super Truck Series until that series shut down. That regional experience helped him develop the stock car skills he later brought to the Truck Series and ARCA. He has also competed in the ARCA Menards Series East, debuting in 2021 through the combination races shared with the main ARCA tour at Iowa, Milwaukee, and Bristol.
Eric Caudell Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Eric Caudell’s family and racing lineage is limited, and no relatives in motorsports are noted in available records. His career has been built largely as an independent owner-driver competing in ARCA, without a documented family tradition in racing.
Personal Life
Eric Caudell lives in Piedmont, Oklahoma, the same community where he grew up. Outside of racing, he works as an energy trading software consultant for Murphy USA, a position he has held for more than twenty years, and also serves as a marketing consultant in the oil industry. He holds a degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Oklahoma, blending his professional career in technology with his longtime pursuit of stock car racing.
2025 Season Performance
Eric Caudell is set to continue his role as owner-driver of the No. 7 Toyota for CCM Racing in the ARCA Menards Series during the 2025 season. The part-time schedule he has run in recent years allows him to balance racing with his long-standing career as an energy trading software consultant. His typical mix of superspeedway and intermediate-oval events is expected to remain the core of his 2025 calendar.
Caudell’s experience as both a driver and a team owner gives CCM Racing a stable foundation heading into the new season. With Crystal Bates having served as his crew chief during the 2017 full season and with the infrastructure of his own team now in place, the program has the benefit of continuity. Caudell’s 2025 results will once again be measured against his career benchmark of a tenth-place ARCA points finish.