Jacob Staten, originally from Michigan, currently resides in North Carolina as he pursues his love for racing. In addition to his time on the track, Jacob actively contributes to his teammates' car setups and beyond. Jacob picked up his first career win at Legend Cars biggest stage but when he isn't racing, his interests include engineering, wake surfing on the lake, and savoring meals at the Bambini Italian restaurant.
Hometown: Shelby Township, Michigan
Division: Pro
Number: 39
Team: Joe Ryan Race Cars
Favorite North Carolina Restaurant: Bambini Italian Restaurant
1. If you could trade places with any celebrity for a day, who would it be and why?
I would say Adam Sandler. I think his life is pretty interesting. I've seen pictures of him going out and playing pickup basketball with people in the park.
2. If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future?
I think my answer when I was younger would've been the past because there were a lot of mistakes that I made that I wish that I had a do over. But I think I would say the future now.
3. If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be and why?
A parrot, I'd still want to be able to say things to people if I wanted to.
4. How did you get started in racing?
I started racing when I was four with quarter midgets and did that until I was about 13. I was actually out of racing for a couple years until I turned 18 when I got into Legend Cars.
5. Do you remember your first Legend Car win?
I won Round 6 of the Summer Shootout in 2022 in Semi-Pro. It was my first Legend Car win and my first race at Charlotte. I had been going to Charlotte to help out and finally got my shot in round 6 and the only information I had on the track was from watching and leaning on my teammates.
6. If you weren't in the racing industry, what would you be doing?
I would try to get into engineering. I like using my brain and thinking of something that I could make to make something easier. I've always done that, working on my cars and stuff, trying to figure out what I can make that can do the job that I want to do.
7. Outside of racing, do you have any other hobbies?
I like playing basketball and have recently gotten into doing things on the lake like wake surfing. I really enjoy that.
8. When did you move to North Carolina?
June of 2021
9. What made you move to North Carolina?
I've always wanted to be in North Carolina because of my passion for racing, so I knew that that's where I needed to be. What kind of moved the needle for that was when I met everyone with Joe Ryan and the idea of me joining their team came about. Once that happened, I knew I needed to be here.
10. How did you get started with Joe Ryan Race Cars?
I met them at Winter Nationals in 2021. I had gone there to race and it was just me and my dad. During the race, I had an altercation on track with one of their drivers and conversations happened after the race, that’s how I initially met them. My first race with them was July of that year after I had got moved and settled in and everything and it's just evolved from there. I grew really good friendships with each one of them. Joe, Billy, Candace, they're all really good friends of mine and they're behind me 100%.
11. Do you remember the first race that you ran and how you were feeling?
When I first started racing quarter midgets, I don't remember too much about that, but I remember that I felt very confident because I had grown up watching my older brothers race. I spent every second of my life at the racetrack up until that point so it was just second nature. My first race in Legends, it's crazy to think how far I've come since then.
12. If you could tell a new driver starting off, what would you tell them?
You need to be prepared to be knocked down, [because] you're not gonna come into it and have success right off the bat. I believe that there are some drivers out there that are naturally gifted and some that aren't. I would consider myself one of those that's not really naturally gifted but I've had to work really hard and I've also had to understand that you're not gonna win every race. It's all about being a better version of yourself each and every day.
13. What is something that you wanna accomplish inside of racing?
I would like to get to a point where people remember me and remember that I’ve made an impact on the sport in some way. I don't really care whether I'm the best at anything, it's more so about making an impact. I want to help someone's career along and just make an impact to make the sport better.
14. What is one thing that racing has taught you?
There's an old saying in racing that it's never over until it's over. I think that you can use that in real life because things can change very quickly and you have to be willing to adapt and you can't give up. It's the same thing with how I ended up moving here, it all happened very fast, it was a goal of mine that I wanted to achieve for a long time and I never stopped working towards that.
15. What do you find most enjoyable about racing and just being in the racing world in general?
The people. I get to work with are some of the best people that I've ever met in the racing industry and that's what makes it enjoyable. You can go out and win all the races you want and have success, but you're never really gonna truly enjoy it unless you're doing it with the people that support you and believe in you, that's what makes it worthwhile.
16. What is something that you want to accomplish in the 2024 season?
My big goal is to win Asphalt Nationals. It's actually been my goal for the last four years now, and have been very close a couple times.
17. What is something that most people don't know about you?
I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to working on cars, specifically the setup part. When I was in quarter midgets I did all my own setups. Even in Legend Cars I had to learn how those setups work. Even though I don't have to do that anymore, I still feel like I have an input for what I want out of the car and I can suggest changes and Joe will hear me out. That's something I don't think people really understand, that I know a lot more than what meets the eye.
18. How did you learn how to do your setups?
I learned it from my dad who just picked it up. My dad had to learn everything on his own. He didn't have anyone guiding him, he just tried stuff and figured out what worked and what didn't. He relayed all that information to me and where I picked up on all that.
19. What motivates you the most?
It's shaped so much of my personality and who I am . There are so many people that have worked hard for me and have sacrificed so much. My parents worked so hard and I felt bad that they had to work that hard for me to be able to go do what I wanted to do. I'm always going to be focused 100% and that's even carried over to now. Even with me being part of a team, they all work so hard for me and they all help me out so much, that is what drives me to go out and try to win every race. Go as hard as I possibly can, prepare as much as I can because they deserve that. If the right people are gonna go out of their way to help me out the way they are, then they deserve my absolute best.
20. Who is someone that you look up to?
I've always looked up to my dad a lot. He's the hardest worker I've ever known. He has set the blueprint for how I want to live my life and I've modeled how I go about things based on him. In terms of racing, I look up to Ron Hornaday Jr. I've had the pleasure to get to know him a little bit since I've been part of Joe Ryan Race Cars. He has taught me things like what his view on racing is like, and how he carried himself when he raced. That's who I wanna be if I can ever get to that level.