Jay started his motorsports career in 2007. He began attending track days with a close friend who let him borrow his Spec Miata. He instantly fell in love with the sport. If you ask him he’ll tell you he was born with a steering wheel in his hand and racing fuel in his blood. He knew he would someday be a race car driver and had to find a way to make that happen. He grew up with a love for the sport and was always a true fan of all types of racing. However, he knew he’d have to get a “real” job first.
His parents always knew he had a passion for cars and racing but were also realistic and encouraged him to study hard in school in order to make those racing dreams a reality. Inspired by his stepmom who is a family practice physician, he decided to attend the same medical school that she did. After graduating in 1999 from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine he then went on to become a successful orthopedic surgeon. He is now a partner in a growing practice, The Center for Bone and Joint Disease, in Hudson & Brooksville, FL which keeps him extremely busy.
But his passion for racing never died. He grew up watching his parents show-jump competitively at equestrian events where he could visualize success in competition. His parent’s competitive edge & passion for their sport translated into Jay’s passion for racing cars. This love and excitement about racing spread to his wife who soon became obsessed with it as well. She was always a car lover (one of the things that brought them together in the beginning) and the love for racing was a natural progression. She was and always will be his number 1 fan. You will always find her right by his side at every race. Family is extremely important and Jay is very fortunate to have his parents and other family members make it out to as many track days and racing events as possible.
After dabbling in some HPDE events in 2007 he then purchased his 1st official track day car, the spec Miata his friend had loaned him. That year he and his dad decided it would be fun to attend the 3 day Skip Barber MX-5 driving school at Homestead. In 2008 he began doing many track day events with his favorite group, Chin Motorsports, and went on to join the SCCA (Central Florida Region) in 2009. He’s also participated in some events from PBOC. He has owned and/or driven many track day cars including a Spec Miata, an MX-5, a Panoz GT-S, a Thunder Roadster, a Corvette Z06, a Pro-Mazda, and a couple of Spec Race Atoms throughout the years. Tracks include Homestead, Sebring, Roebling Road, Barber Motorsports Park, Autoclub Speedway & Road Atlanta. But soon the track days were not enough.
Through a chance encounter at a charity event at Barber Motorsports Park he & his wife met Shea Holbrook of Shea Racing. Jay and Shea quickly learned that they had both started their motorsports careers around the same time, both with Chin Motorsports at Sebring International Raceway. They became instant friends.
He began his racing career in 2014 after purchasing his first Spec Race Atom. Due to scheduling conflicts he couldn’t participate in an entire year of the Spec Race Atom (SRA) series but was invited to join the events that he could. At the Barber Motorsports Park SCCA Summer Speedfest (45th anniversary of Formula F) he got a 3rd place podium spot on his first race ever. The second race he earned a P6. Later that year he earned another 3rd place podium at Road Atlanta in the ARRC (American Road Race of Champions). There was no stopping him after that.
Impressed with his racing resume, albeit short, and seeing his tenacity & enthusiasm, Shea Holbrook invited him to be a part of her team in the Pirelli World Challenge in 2015. It wouldn’t be a full season due to lack of funding, but it was certainly a shot at the big time. There was no doubt what the answer would be!
He went on to participate in the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge TCB class in a Honda Fit provided by Shea Racing. He would do 3 track weekends, with 9 races total in all. With a new car and new tracks the partial season would prove to be a great learning experience. With 9 starts he got one podium (P3) at Mid Ohio, two top 5s at COTA & Mid Ohio, and 2 Hard Charger awards (gaining the most positions in a race) for COTA and Mid Ohio, and numerous top 10s. It was an amazing year with an amazing team. Shea Racing provided the perfect combination of a great car, knowledgeable mechanics for each race, and a wonderful hospitality experience.
2016 was an incredible year as well. We joined Berg Racing for the first full season of Pirelli World Challenge competing in the TCA class. It was an incredibly competitive class but Jay managed to pull off one top 5 and five top 10s over the course of the season. His best finish was at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park where he placed 4th in class. The season was full of excitement as we had an incredible sponsor by our side the whole time, Fuse Lenses. They brought the party to the races and the fans loved it! The end of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was a time to celebrate. Fuse held a party under their tent to celebrate Jay’s finishing 5th overall in points for the year. Drivers and other race teams listened to the DJ while they drank beer, ate pizza, and played beer pong with the crew. We couldn’t have been happier with the results for the season and the partnership that we formed with Fuse Lenses.
With Fuse Lenses by our side again for the 2017 season, we decided to switch gears a bit and move up to the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge in the ST class. Although Jay was not able to contend for the championship due to logistical reasons, he was still able to clench a 2nd place podium finish at Watkins Glen International Speedway with teammate Mark Pombo in the MINI with LAP Motorsports.
Paired with Mark Pombo in the MINI again for a partial season in 2018, Jay was able to secure a 1st place podium finish at our home track, Sebring International Raceway.
2019 brings in a new car, new class and new sponsors. Jay will be competing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (formerly Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge) in the TCR class in a new Audi RS3 LMS TCR with teammates Nick Galante & James Vance. Unable to do a full season and contend for the driver’s championship, Jay will be the 3rd driver in the 2 four hour long endurance races at Daytona International Speedway and Watkins Glen International. With a new sponsor by our side, FASTMD, we were able to bring together winning drivers to form a solid race team ready to contend for the championship title.