An unlikely story
When you look around the NASCAR paddock, you’ll find that these fine drivers have been honing their craft since a young age, rising through the karting ranks and midget car formulas for many years.
The reality is, to get to the pinnacle of motorsport, you need a lot of experience, a lot of speed, and most significantly, a lot of money. NASCAR is a savage industry. Only a select few will ever get to race at speeds over 200mph on historic tracks such as Daytona and Talladega.
This is why the story of Jesse Iwuji has all the parts of a perfect Hollywood screenplay. Iwuji grew up in Texas to working-class parents from Nigeria. He recounts the story of his father entering the United States for the first time with just $200 to his name.
That day, his taxi driver drove an abnormally long route to his destination and charged him $180, for what should have been a $90 journey. His parents taught him that there were going to be cuts and bruises along the way, but the secret was to never lose focus. For Jesse’s mother and father in their formative years in New York, that focus was survival. After finally finding their feet in Carrollton Texas, they welcomed Jesse Iwuji into the world. They couldn’t have been aware then, but a star was born.