NEWTON— The roar of engines at the Iowa Speedway is a different kind of thunder than the one JaQuan Bailey grew accustomed to at Jack Trice Stadium, but for the former Iowa State defensive standout, the high-stakes pressure of a race day feels exactly like home.
Bailey – who recorded the most tackles for loss (44.5) and the second-most sacks (25.5) in program history and anchored the defensive line from 2016 to 2020 – has successfully pivoted to a second career as a tire carrier for the No. 17 team.
Standing on the asphalt in Newton, Bailey described his return to the state where he built his collegiate legacy as a visit to “God’s country”.
“It’s been fun having a chance to meet the new staff and some of the new people around the facility,” Bailey said of a visit to the Iowa State football facilities. “I’m just more appreciative that [the staff] allowed me and a couple of my guys to come around the facility… it was a very great feeling.”
His transition from college football to the precision-demanding world of NASCAR has caught the attention of the industry’s top figures. Chris Buescher, the driver of the No. 17 car, noted that Bailey’s evolution over the last year has been remarkable.
“His commitment to bettering his craft is unreal,” Buescher said. “He’s worked really hard just to shave off those parts of a tenth of a second, right? It’s a game of such tight proportions at this point that that everything matters and to watch him put in that work to figure out how to to clean anything up or or how to be the most efficient possibly on pit road and to become one of the absolute best on pit road is fantastic to see.”
For Bailey, the move into racing wasn’t just about finding a new job; it was about finding a new way to compete. While he is proud of recent successes—like running a “heater” pit stop in Chicago—his focus remains on the long-term grind.
“”I’m just trying to be as consistent as possible,” Bailey said. “I’m just trying to be the best teammate on and off the track. I’m just trying to just hold myself accountable and just trying to be aggressive. What I’m mostly looking forward to was just getting a chance to get into the playoffs. First year only on the team we missed out on the playoffs by like I want to say like 10, nine or something points. I’m looking forward to going to the playoffs, making a name for ourselves.”
The cultural shift from the locker room to the garage had its humorous moments. Bailey recalled his first time meeting Buescher, before he even realized he was talking to the team’s star driver.
“”I was sitting in the kitchen. I didn’t know who Chris actually was and my jack man now Nick had told me that’s our driver and I was just talking to him like he was just a normal guy,” Bailey said. “He was asking questions about where I had came from, what I did, and when I was asking him, I was like you really wasn’t that athletic like playing sports? He was like, ‘No I was just driving cars.’ I was like, ‘Oh, all right’”
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, who attended Sunday’s race in Newton, highlighted the significance of having athletes on pit row.
“It’s terrific. When I was at NASCAR almost 20 years ago, they were really trying to reinforce that this is a sport,” Yormark said. “It takes skill. It takes tenacity. There’s a lot of football players, former football players now, that are on these pit crews. Pit crews matter in the scheme of things, and it’s great to see an Iowa State alumnus here as part of a team.”
While Bailey is focused on the precision of a pit stop, he also brings the lighthearted energy of a defensive end to the track, noting that the most essential item for a long race day is a pack of Dude Wipes.
As he reflects on the 10 years since his freshman season – a year defined by a 66-10 victory over Texas Tech that he called a “future telling of what was to come for Iowa State” – Bailey offered a simple piece of advice to his younger self.
“Keep on working, dog. Keep on working,” Bailey said. “Just keep the main thing just the main thing right? That’s faith, family, be patient and then you’ll be fine.”
