Born in Florida, Rice was raised on a farm in Asheville, North Carolina. He attended AC Reynolds High School[4] and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a linebacker on the football team. He did not pursue an NFL career due to injury.[5][6] After graduating from UNC, Rice was selected to join the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew as the rear tire carrier for Ryan Newman's Nationwide Series car. He also worked on Jimmie Johnson's Sprint Cup Series car and won two championships with the Lowe's team