| Phil Bonifeld is a former owner/driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series. Bonifeld began his racing carer in 1973, when began competeing in BMX bicycles. Racing across the United States, he won several championships from 1979 to 1983. In 1987, he moved to go-karts, where he raced against Kevin Harvick and Casey Mears, before competing part-time in the NASCAR Elite Division Featherlite Southwest Series in 1991.
Bonifeld became a driving instructor at the Buck Baker Racing School in 1993, after he moved to the South East from California. Around the same time, he opened his own fabrication shop, and worked for various Winston Cup teams. In 1998, Bonifeld closed his fabrication shop and began fielding entries in the Truck series. His first race as owner in a points-paying event came that season at Walt Disney World Speedway in the #11 Red Line Oil Chevrolet, driven by Brett Bodine, who qualified 13th but finished 32nd after an engine faliure. Bodine ran two more races for Bonifeld that season, both races reaulting in DNFs.
In 1999, he decided to pull double duty as an owner and driver, with Tom Mazucchi coming aboard as a partner in the #23 Red Line Oil truck. He made his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Evergreen Speedway, finishing 30th. Bonifield would compete 13 more times that year, and finished 31st in points, and 7th in Rookie of the Year standings. In 2000, he ran just eight races, and did not finish a single race.
In 2001, Bonifeld posted a career-best 24th twice, at California and Las Vegas. That same season, he began running races part-time for Impact Motorsports, and purchased Impact's owner's points and equipment after it shut down, renaming his operation Team Racing. He also made his Busch debut at the MBNA Platinum 200 for Jay Robinson Racing, starting 34th but finishing 36th after engine problems plagued the team.
In 2002, mechanical problems continued to plague Bonifeld and his team, as he failed to finish any of his eleven starts that season. Despite this, he finished 31st in points. He also ran six busch races, two for his own team, one for Danny Bost, and the rest for Means Racing. His best finish was a 30th at Fontana, the only race he finished that year. 2003 marked Bonifeld's best Truck Series season, as he ran 21 of 25 races, and finished 20th in points. His best finish was 23rd at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Unfortunately, his success was not carried over into 2004. Neither Bonifeld nor his team ran many races that season. Bonifeld only qualifed for events, and was twice parked for driving too slow. During the season, Bonifield sold the trucks to Bill Davis Racing and shut down the team. He is now developing ARCA and NASCAR Grand National Division, Autozone West Series driver Andrew Myers.
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