Owned by American Equipment Company owner Buz McCall, AER competed in IMSA sports-car racing and the Trans-Am series in the 1980s and early 1990s; the team won four consecutive Trans-Am championships with drivers Scott Sharp, Jack Baldwin, and Scott Pruett from 1991 to 1994.[1]
The team moved to NASCAR starting in 1994, competing in the Busch Grand National Series with Trans-Am Champion Jack Baldwin driving in two races, running the No. 95. Signing rookie driver John Tanner and sponsor Caterpillar Inc. for 1995, the team ran half of the 1995 season; Tanner was released after a handful of races and replaced for the majority of the team's races with Ward Burton. For 1996 AER signed 1994 Busch Series champion David Green to run for full-time in 1996. Finishing 2nd in series points,[2] Green and AER moved up to the Winston Cup Series in 1997, where after a difficult season Green finished 37th in points. After twelve races in 1998, Green was released by the team, and a variety of drivers, including Hut Stricklin and Steve Grissom, drove for the team to finish out the year; the team closed following the 1998 season when they lost the Caterpillar sponsorship.[3]
