On September 19, Joe Gibbs Racing’s #18 celebrated after winning the ARCA Menards Series East championship at Bristol. Overcoming a 16-point deficit in the last race, this victory catapulted William Sawalich to his second-consecutive title and the fourth-consecutive title for a Toyota driver, a feat that was assisted by many. A significant mention certainly owed to the team’s tire and interior specialist—“a beloved member” of JGR’s ARCA team since 2019, who peacefully died in his sleep at just 39 years old.

The recent history of JGR has been marred with heartbreaking losses. In 2019, J.D. Gibbs, son of Joe Gibbs died of degenerative neurological disease. Three years later, Coy Gibbs, Joe’s second son and vice chairman of JGR passed away in his sleep. Now, after two years, JGR posted the news of the sudden demise of their #18 ARCA team’s key member.

Less than a month after the euphoria of the win at Bristol, the JGR family is in mourning as Andy Nelson, affectionately known as “Doggie” by his teammates passed away in his sleep on October 13, aged 39. Born in Dalles, Oregon, but based in Mooresville, North Carolina for his job, he was an enlightening presence for JGR’s ARCA program joining in 2019.

He was an integral part of the team that won back-to-back ARCA Menards Series East championships as well as winning 11 races. His efforts also helped the team to win the Owner’s Championship in 2024. JGR announced the news of his passing in a heartfelt statement, expressing their sorrow and describing Nelson as someone “always willing to lend a helping hand.”

The team’s Instagram statement read, “Andy was a beloved member of our ARCA team and the NASCAR garage. He had a passion for racing and was always willing to lend a helping hand. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Doggie and praying for his family and friends.” Apart from his success with JGR, Nelson’s career was filled with marquee moments.

He was a part of Ryan Blaney’s winning team for his first NASCAR touring series victory in the West Series at Phoenix Raceway in 2011. Nelson also won ARCA championships with Justin Haley and Harrison Burton in 2016 and 2017 respectively. He’s been with teams like Dave Blaney Racing, Turner Scott Motorsports, and MDM Motorsports in the past before his move to Joe Gibbs Racing five years ago.

According to his Facebook profile, Nelson started his career in 2008 at David Stremme Racing, mentioning that he was the “jack of all trades,” in the setup. He then moved to Sales at The NAPA Network working there for four years till 2012. Nelson worked as a tire guy briefly for Dave Blaney Racing in 2011.

He got his first NASCAR gig with Turner Motorsports as a tire guy/mechanic and worked there for nearly two years from January 2013 to December 2014. A two-year stint in the same hybrid role at HScott Motorsports followed and he then joined MDM Motorsports from January 2017 to November 2018.

With JGR, he found immense success and the recent championship-winning season saw him contribute to 11 wins. His sudden tragic demise left the NASCAR community in mourning with NASCAR Xfinity Series fueler, Jennifer Carandillo, who was a close friend of Nelson, expressing her shock and sadness.

Nelson is fondly remembered by those who worked with him

Carandillo took to Facebook to post about Nelson’s passing and could not hide her sadness. In an emotional post, she wrote, “Really sad to wake up and hear about Andy Nelson‘s passing. We all knew him as ‘Doggie’. I literally just saw him out last night & he looked fine! To say we’re all in complete shock is an understatement. Andy was very kind, always gave me advice on fueling and racing ‘stuff’…a lil gossip too! He was a very experienced mechanic, worked for many teams in NASCAR over the years… Andy will forever be missed & this one hits hard. Rest in peace Andy, we will never forget you ‘Doggie’.” 

On Nelson’s Facebook page, he wrote, “Life’s Been Good To Me So Far,” as part of his profile bio, perhaps defining his outlook on his life. Another member of the racing community, Rob Beattie, a crew member from the World of Outlaws, shared his grief on X.

He wrote,  “Yesterday I received some news from back east that made me sit down for a little bit. The world lost one of the good ones yesterday. Andy (Doggie) Nelson. R.I.P my friend.” The tributes kept pouring in from the rest of the NASCAR community

“Rest in Peace Doggie. The racing team has an angel as a spotter now,” wrote one fan. Another social media user wrote, “May God wrap his arms around you and keep you safe and strong to get you through this time.”

ARCA also offered its condolences. As they provided the news of Nelson’s sudden demise, they mentioned that the body, “extends its condolences to Nelson’s family, friends, and teammates in this difficult time.”

EssentiallySports offers condolences and prayers for Nelson’s family and friends during these testing times.