Wisconsin dad becomes the only person in history to race competitively in all 50 states

This Wisconsin dad has accomplished something remarkable by becoming the only person in history to have raced competitively in all 50 states.

Jasper Drengler decided to take on this challenge, having realized that there was no official record of anyone racing in every state in the US before.

Now that he’d completed the challenge, he spoke to VINwiki about the various ups and downs.

Which state did he find most challenging to drive in? Let’s take a closer look.

Why the US is perfect for car lovers

If you wanted a vast land in which to drive to your heart’s content, you couldn’t do much better than the US.

Time and time again, we’ve seen drivers take full advantage of all that America’s roads have to offer.

One scientist went so far as to map out optimal road trips, but in truth, there’s no right way to do it.

Whether it’s travelling 250 miles on an Amazon motorcycle or crossing the Midwest in a Tesla Model S, there’s a multitude of ways to enjoy the US on your wheels.

But perhaps nobody has enjoyed the roads of America quite as much as Jasper Drengler.

The ultimate 50-state motorsport challenge

“Now, in motorsports, it’s really, really hard to be the fastest, to win the most. It’s competitive,” Drengler told VINwiki.

“But we realized nobody had record of racing in all 50 states.”

That’s right – every state from Maine all the way to Hawaii.

He completed the challenge through a mix of endurance racing, grassroots track racing, and even competitive go-karting – adapting his approach to meet the requirements in every state.

West Virginia would serve as the final state in the challenge.

That proved to be a tough one, as he entered the endurance race expecting standard laps.

What he got instead was a wet-track ‘rolling demolition derby’ that battered his car.

“My poor car was beaten, battered, abused. But we got to check off the 50 states,” he declared.

The cars used along the way

Along with his ChampCar endurance racer that he built, Drengler occasionally had to make use of other cars.

Renting cars didn’t always prove to be a straightforward process.

“When you start emailing people that you want to rent a race car and you’re from Wisconsin, they think it’s a scam, like I’m some sort of Indian prince and I’m going to give you a million dollars,” he recalled.

In Hawaii, he had problems when it came to renting a car.

“Nobody wanted to rent me a car, but I found someone to sell me a car and it was 700 bucks,” he recalled.

“I got the pictures and it was a Volkswagen and it looked pretty sharp. No dents in it. Had a roll cage in it.

“Apparently that car had been used and abused and had never finished anything better than last.

“And this particular night, magically, it was a little bit faster because, you know, we had some tricks up our sleeves and we made it run a little bit better.”

What was the toughest state to drive in?

When you visualize the states of the US to speculate which may be the toughest to drive in, your mind may land on a few answers.

Perhaps you’re thinking of a particularly mountainous state like Montana, or a state that’s renowned for being ferociously cold like Alaska.

But for Drengler, it was a largely unassuming state that proved to be his most challenging – Rhode Island.

“We couldn’t find a racetrack, so we rented go-karts,” Drengler explained.

“And go-kart tracks, according to our list, don’t count unless it’s competitive and you have to wear a helmet.

“So, if they’re just some little kitty carts at an amusement ride, that doesn’t count.”

It wasn’t the state’s landscape that proved tricky, but finding a facility that met the criteria he’d set for himself – an actual competitive race and no ‘kiddie karts’.

But in the end, he ticked off every state.

It took a lot of dedication, but he’d most definitely had fun doing it.