MAKING NIGERIA PROUD IN AMERICA:
Lieutenant JESSE EKENE, American Born Naval Officer with Nigerian Parentage is a Professional Car Racer…Competing Full Time in NASCAR K&N Pro Series West for Patriot Motorsports Group
*One of three African-American drivers actively competing in NASCAR series
*Still remains Racing Ambassador for the Phoenix Patriot Foundation
*Fully involved in various Philanthropic and Military-related activities
*Served as Host for a Veteran’s family prior to the Coca-Cola 600
*Was part of the NASCAR Salutes program that honors US military personnel
* Featured as guest/co-host of NASCAR.com’s GarageCam series
*Received NASCAR Diverse Driver Award
BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF/UNITED STATES
AT 30 years, he is already a famous United States Lieutenant Naval officer, which began 2010 till date. JESSE EKENE IWUJI born to Nigerian parents of Igbo extraction is an American professional stock car racing driver and officer in the United States Navy. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, driving the No. 36 for Patriot Motorsports Group, a team which he also owns.
Iwuji had his eyes on his career from the outset which was why he attended the United States Naval Academy, where he joined the school’s college football and track and field teams. On the former, he was a free safety for the Navy Midshipmen.
Early LIFE:
Investigation showed that Iwuji attended Hebron High School, where he was a letterman twice in football and three times in track. During his junior year of high school, he was contacted by the Naval Academy where he received a scholarship to the school. In addition to continued his football career at Hebron (where he was named first-team all-district in his senior year), as he attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School before he headed to the Naval Academy.
Although he played linebacker in high school, he was on a free safety position on the Navy Midshipmen football team, where he played on special teams during his freshman year in 2006 before he commenced two games at safety in 2007, but missed six games due to ankle injury.
In 2008, he played in the Army–Navy Game and the EagleBank Bowl. Iwuji was a backup to Kwesi Mitchell in 2009. He saw action at strong safety in the season opener against the Ohio State Buckeyes due to Emmett Merchant’s injury. Iwuji competed on the track and field team, where he ran the 60-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter dashes in addition to the 4 × 100-meter relay.
In 2010, Iwuji graduated in Bachelor of Science and became a surface warfare officer. After working as a football coach at the Naval Academy Preparatory School, he entered active service. Iwuji worked in mine countermeasures with Mine Countermeasures Crew Exultant and was deployed to Bahrain in 2012.
He was later deployed on the USS Comstock, a ship whose name would later appear on an Xfinity Series car when it was featured on Darrell Wallace Jr.’s No. 6 Ford Mustang in 2016. His Naval service concluded in May 2017, when he transitioned to the United States Navy Reserve.
Racing Career:
For the records, while attending the Naval Academy, Iwuji started drag racing at Capitol Speedway in Crofton, Maryland, driving a Chrysler 300. After his graduation from the Naval Academy, he raced a Dodge Challenger. Four years later, he participated in the Mojave Mile speed trial.
For the event, he upgraded his Challenger’s engine to a horsepower of 1,100. With the new engine, Iwuji ran at a speed of 200.9 miles per hour (323.3 km/h), becoming the fifth modern Mopar driver to accomplish the feat at the Mojave Mile. Afterwards, he joined the Naval Postgraduate School staff in southern California, where he was involved in road racing – driving a Chevrolet Corvette – before making the transition to stock cars.
In 2014, Iwuji tested a stock car for Performance P-1 Motorsports at Irwindale Speedway. A year later, he competed in the Whelen All-American Series, finishing 15th in his debut. He later ran K&N Pro Series West at Meridian Speedway, finishing 23rd after a crash. In the winter, he ran 34 dirt track races, finishing fifth in a Winged 500cc Outlaw Kart A-main.
Iwuji started competing full-time in the K&N Pro Series West in 2016, driving the No. 36 for Patriot Motorsports Group. That year, he was named to the “Mighty 25: Veterans poised for impact in 2016” list by military website. We Are The Mighty. He recorded a best finish of tenth at Orange Show Speedway. At the Utah Motorsports Campus race, he earned the Move of the Race Award, which is given to the driver who gains the most positions in a race.
During the year, he competed in the NAPA Big 5 Late Model Series at Meridian Speedway. Iwuji battled with Todd Gilliland and Salvatore Iovino for the K&N Pro Series West’s 2016 Most Popular Driver Award, but lost to Iovino. In February 2017, Iwuji was awarded the NASCAR Diverse Driver Award, which is given to a minority/female driver who “exemplifies outstanding performance both on and off the race track in encouraging awareness and interaction with NASCAR and motorsports”.
Prior to the 2017 season, Iwuji became Patriot Motorsports Group’s primary owner, while former National Football League linebacker Shawne Merriman partnered with the team to serve as owner of the No. 36 car. The two met during a fashion show in Los Angeles promoting Merriman’s new clothing line; Merriman, a longtime motorsports fan, agreed to join PMG. Over the course of the season, Iwuji continued to race Outlaw Karts to develop his racing ability on both dirt and asphalt.
Personal LIFE:
Iwuji is of Igbo descent, an ethnic group of people in Nigeria. His parents immigrated to the United States in the 1980s. As of 2017, Iwuji is one of three African-American drivers actively competing in a NASCAR series, along with Xfinity Series racer Darrell Wallace Jr. and Jay Beasley of the K&N Pro Series East.
He is involved in various philanthropic and military-related activities. He is the racing ambassador for the Phoenix Patriot Foundation, a group formed after the September 11 attacks to support wounded soldiers. “We dedicate each race weekend to a wounded veteran and his family,” Iwuji stated. “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.” In March 2016, he drove a four-year-old boy with terminal cancer in a two-seat stock car. In May, he served as a host for a veteran’s family prior to the Coca-Cola 600; as part of the NASCAR Salutes program, which honors United States military personnel, he was a guest co-host of NASCAR.com’s GarageCam series.
