Getty Jesse Iwuji joined "The Smoking Tire" podcast to discuss his NASCAR career.
Jesse Iwuji Motorsports has its first primary sponsor for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. The first-year team will work with EPM (Equity Prime Mortgage), an Atlanta-based mortgage company, for eight races.
Team co-owners Jesse Iwuji and NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith met with executives from EPM for the big announcement, which they made on Friday, December 10. Iwuji posted a video on Instagram that featured the reveal of the stock car with the black, green, and blue EPM color scheme.
“At EPM, we are thrilled to join Jesse Iwuji and Emmitt Smith as a founding partner of the Jesse Iwuji Motorsports race team,” EPM CEO Eddy Perez said, quote courtesy of TobyChristie.com. “Jesse leads the charge with breaking barriers in NASCAR, but Jesse also leads by example with his service to the American people as an active officer in the military. We can achieve anything when we unify through collaboration.”
The reveal featured a Chevrolet Camaro, but Jesse Iwuji Motorsports clarified that there are still more announcements to take place. The team will reveal the manufacturer, vehicle number, team alliances, and more partners as the 2022 Xfinity Series season approaches.
The team will provide more information about this partnership on Thursday, December 16. Smith, Iwuji, and EPM’s CEO Eddy Perez will hold a virtual media availability at 12 p.m. ET.
Iwuji & Smith First Unveiled the Xfinity Series Team in August
See you in 2022!
Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, and Iwuji, a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve/NASCAR driver, unveiled their joint venture in August 2021. They announced that Jesse Iwuji Motorsports would compete during the 2022 season with Iwuji as the primary driver.
Iwuji and Smith began discussing ideas after the former Dallas Cowboys running back sponsored his Xfinity Series car for a race at Texas Motor Speedway. They continued to talk until they decided that they could make the new team a reality. Now they will strive to help those from lower-income areas explore career opportunities within NASCAR.
According to an interview that Iwuji conducted with NBC Sports in August, the new team will bring simulators to low-income areas so that the next generation can get a taste of racing. They will also partner with schools to provide education about the engineering side of motorsports.
“These are all the ideas we’re working on implementing so that we can create programs for people to get into motorsports,” Iwuji told NBC Sports. “We know not everyone wants to be a driver. Some want to be crew chiefs, some just want to be on the marketing side, some people want to be on the HR side. Whatever it is, we want to create that pipeline that allows people to at least get a taste because we have the assets to make it happen.”
Iwuji Has Big Plans for the 2022 Xfinity Series Season
While Iwuji hasn’t provided any more updates about the list of partners or the vehicle that he will drive during the inaugural season, he has laid out some significant goals. He told NASCAR in August that he plans to run the full season schedule and compete for Rookie of the Year honors.
Iwuji only has five Xfinity Series starts on his resume. He made four in 2020 — three with BJ McLeod Motorsports and one with MBM Motorsports. Iwuji returned to the series in 2021 for one start, which he made with Mike Harmon Racing.
Iwuji will now control his own car during his full-time season with a number that he has yet to reveal. Iwuji told NASCAR Media in August that he would love to have No. 22, but he also acknowledged that he would have to find a way to secure it from Team Penske.
“Wouldn’t that be awesome,” Iwuji told NASCAR in August. “I’ve thought about it, yeah. … I would love to have that number, if possible. Obviously, we don’t own that number. (Penske has) had it forever. Who knows what’s going to happen over the next few months. But it’d be awesome to that number.”
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