Michael āMikeā Nelson was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1954. His father was a part of the PRA pit crew in the circuit that ran 4 nights a week in the 50s with Heidelberg Raceway as the flagship track. Nelson attended these PRA circuit races in the 1950s as an infant hidden in an empty tool box in the pits. During the height of Heidelberg, Nelson was there for the dirt races into the asphalt years during his highschool and college years.
In 1982, he began video taping local races as a hobby, later becoming a business full time in 1985. He taped races from Feburary to November in 12 states, with over 100 events. He later announced at Clearfield Speedway after the paving of the track in 1986. In 1987, he was hired by the Lasky family to announce and also joined NASCAR. Nelson hosted the TV show āChase to the Checkerā for five years.
1988 marked when Nelson was hired to work full time as a marketing director for Jennerstown. Along with being busy at Jennerstown, he announced at Motordrome during the early NASCAR sanctioning at both tracks.
