 He was inducted in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2006.He is the current team manager of Action Express Racing and winner of three straight IMSA SportsCar Prototype championships from 2014-2016, and a fourth in 2018..

Nelson was born in Elgin, Illinois on June 5, 1953, the sixth child and second son of Mildred Ollendorf and Arnold Nelson.Arnold moved his family to Redlands, California one year later to get out of the cold.