NASCAR SALUTES
Air Force Veteran Keith McGee Shows Dreams Do Come True BY JOSEPH WOLKIN
N
ot many people discover their pas-
sion in life during their late 30s, but that’s exactly what happened to Keith McGee, who proudly served eight years in the U.S. Air Force. McGee didn’t start racing until he was 35 years old, but ever since he’s been on a rapid trajectory, thanks to his determination to succeed. Even though he understands racing is largely about funding, the resident of Alaska wants to make NASCAR history. Fortunately, McGee has the support of several people in the industry, including team owner Jordan Anderson. Anderson gave McGee his first chance to truly show what he is capable of following his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with the underfunded Reaume Brothers Racing. When a sponsor backed out of supporting McGee’s drive in Anderson’s No. 3 Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway during Memorial Day weekend, he went straight to social media. Not shy about asking for help, McGee’s tweet went viral and Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports answered. Suddenly, not only did McGee have a sponsor, but he had the backing of one of America’s largest personalities. While the results weren’t exactly what McGee expects out of himself, he’s still learning. He is only starting his racing career, and the fact he is able to do so at 40 years old is simply a dream come true. NASCAR Pole Position recently sat down with Keith McGee to see what makes him go.
36
POLE POSITION 2021
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON THIS JOURNEY? Five years ago, I had never been inside a race car. It was a childhood dream of mine while watching NASCAR and growing up around sprint cars. It never panned out at a young age. I joined the military and set out for basic training on Sept. 11, 2001. From there, I was stationed in Alaska and fell in love with the state. I knew it was where I’d spend the rest of my life. I suffered a traumatic brain injury while I was on active duty. It made me look back on everything to realize my time here on earth is limited and not guaranteed. I need to make the most of it, so I started pursuing passions of mine. In 2017, an indoor go-karting track opened in Alaska. It was the closest I’d get to racing. I realized it was therapeutic for my PTSD. In the 15 minutes I was on track, I escaped all of my issues and the things that troubled me. I started going numerous times a week, and that made me realize I’m pretty good at driving a go-kart. I had 115 starts with 80-something wins. I won a karting championship and, one night, someone approached me and asked if I’d ever thought about racing in NASCAR. I told them it was a lifelong dream. They had a team in the Whelen All-American Series and they wanted me to drive for them. But I realized I was better off doing it on my own, so I bought my own car. In my second season, I was invited to run the K&N West Pro Series in California. That kept leading to more opportunities. My successful ARCA test led to more opportunities. On April 17, I became the first Alaskan and disabled veteran to make a national series start. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A DISABLED VETERAN, RACE IN NASCAR AND SHOW THAT NO MATTER YOUR STRUGGLES, YOU CAN OVERCOME THEM? It means a lot to me. It’s a lesson I learned from my mom. In the early ’80s, my mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was paralyzed on the right side of her body and the doctors told her she’d never walk again. After a lot of physical therapy and luck similar to myself, in 1998, she won an Olympic gold medal in Calgary with the U.S. Ski Team. At an early age, I was shown this example that we’re limited only by what we think PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
