Jesse Iwuji wasn't a race car driver when he entered his first race. The Dallas-area high school football standout and son of first-generation Nigerian immigrants had been recruited by the U.S. Naval Academy to play defensive back. He'd been a big part of three winning seasons with the Midshipmen when he took his stock Chrysler 300 to the Capitol Speedway in Crofton, Maryland to see if he could beat anyone on open drag race night.




"I proved you don't have to be a fancy person to go fast," he said.



"I started learning car control and the different parts of being a good driver," he said.


(Photo: Eric Win)



"The guy behind me had nowhere to go," he said. "I got T-boned. That ended my night."

He finished the third race in 17th place.

Jesse has quickly learned that setting the car up right maintenance-wise is crucial.  "When you don't have a lot of seat time you don't necessarily know what' normal in terms of how the car should feel," he said.  "The more runs I get the more I'll know."


"We dedicate each race weekend to a wounded veteran and his family," he said. "The effort has been widely supported by race officials and others. It's an opportunity for everyone to give back to the people who've made a sacrifice on their behalf."


Jesse's confident he'll make it all the way. "All the things I've learned in the Navy have helped," he said.  "Some of the biggest drivers haven't even graduated high school yet. They don't have real life experiences.  I've managed myself in stressful environments, including war zones. That has already helped me a lot out here, along with networking and meeting the right people."

Jesse's next NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race is July 4.

For more about the Phoenix Patriot Foundation go here.
