6 minute read

Celebrating America

Air Force Veteran Keith McGee Shows Dreams Do Come True

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

Not many people discover their passion 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.

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

we’re capable of. To represent other military veterans and disabled veterans has been really humbling. It was never a goal of mine to be the first disabled veteran (in NASCAR), but it’s part of the story. I have the honor of having other veterans looking up to me and possibly getting inspired by me, and it’s pretty heartwarming.

WHAT’S YOUR GOAL BY RACING IN NASCAR?

It all came together with having a sponsor back out at the last minute. A lot of times, we tend to focus on the negative things that are happening and we don’t think something good is going to come out of it. For me, having a sponsor pull out was very stressful. It made me discouraged. I really wanted to race at Charlotte during Memorial Day weekend.

To have so much support from everybody on social media to make that happen and get the attention of Barstool wasn’t even something I was anticipating. To have Barstool on my truck for that race was incredible. When you look at the other drivers Barstool has gotten behind and sponsored, I’m in pretty good company. It was pretty awesome.

If I can change one veteran’s outlook on what they’re capable of, that’s my goal. I want to inspire people who feel they’ve given the best years of their life to their country. You’re capable of so much, and it’s about what your mindset is. If you feel you can do it, you can achieve it. Don’t listen to the naysayers and know you can do it yourself.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KNOW THAT OWNER JORDAN ANDERSON AND MANY OTHERS BELIEVE IN YOU? MOVING FORWARD, WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF IN NASCAR?

It’s a dream come true. You have this idea of where you want to go and what you want to do, especially in a sport like NASCAR. To see all of those things unfolding in front of you is amazing. I’m just an ordinary guy who got lucky, had an opportunity and ran with it. I’m interacting with people I’ve looked up to for years, and it’s pretty unreal.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH BARSTOOL SPORTS?

It all comes down to seat time. I definitely don’t want to rush my progress because, when it comes down to it, I’ve only been racing for five years. I don’t have a ton of seat time. The more seat time I get, the better I’ll be able to hone my skills. The ultimate goal is to make it to the Cup Series one day. But for now, I’m grateful for where I am and for these opportunities. I’ll keep going as long as the opportunities are there.

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