By: Ashley McCubbin

After placing third in the USF Juniors Championship presented by Continental, Jack Jeffers will return to the series with Exclusive Autosport. He is already off to a good start, having paced pre-season testing at NOLA Motorsports Park.

The Texian shared his thoughts recently with NEWS FROM THE PITS about the upcoming season.

What are your thoughts as you look towards the upcoming USF Junior season?

I’m definitely confident. I definitely think it will be a dominating season from Exclusive Autosport and I, and I’m just feeling confident going into my second season. I feel I have a really good team behind me and I feel I have all the resources I need to secure the championship.

So what are the goals for the year?

Really, just to win every race every weekend and that will lead us to winning the championship, and keep moving up the ladder.

What track are you most excited to get to on the schedule?

That is a tough one. I have a lot of favorites. Barber (Motorsports Park), VIR (Virginia International Raceway) I’ve always done really well at. I guess the track I am looking forward to VIR. I love VIR and I’m good there, and it’s always a fun track that is good for racing.

You mentioned this being your second year. What’s the biggest thing you learned last season that you feel will be beneficial for 2024?

Really, already just having a year under my belt and knowing how everything works, and how everybody races, I just have the confidence in the car. It’s my second year that I’ve been driving the car – I’ve been running for a  year, a year and a half now. So I have that experience advantage over everybody and that will give me the confidence to really be more aggressive and not be afraid or hesitant out there in knowing I have a clear experience advantage.

How did you get started in racing originally?

My father used to race cars back in his day, and the Christmas in 2015, I was nine-years-old and he bought me a go-kart for Christmas. We just went out to the local track and I started driving and he said I was really good, and had a natural ability to be fast. So we met a couple people and they told us about bigger national races across the (United) States in go-karts so I started racing nationally and winning lots of races.

I even got the chance to represent Team USA at a couple World Finals, one in Portugal, and one in Italy. The Portugal one was 2017, and Italy was in 2018. After that, we made the jump to Lucas Oil cars and I won the championship my first year and then  I met Michael Duncalfe at Exclusive Autosport and we went for USF Juniors.

And here we are now. So what was the most memorable moment for you as you look back on your go-kart success?

The most memorable – there was a lot, but it was probably my second year of go-kart racing when I won the ticket to go represent Team USA in Portugal. I remember I was ecstatic, my whole family was ecstatic for me and happy, and we were all just thrilled and tears of joy that my second year I am going overseas to represent the USA at World Finals.

Obviously right now you’re focused on moving up the open-wheel ranks. But motorsports wise, is there something else that you’d be willing to try?

I’m always open to driving any car. The whole goal is to become a professional racecar driver and get paid for it, obviously. But I’d be open to SportsCars, any other Formula car – I’m open to anything where there’s an opportunity provided, as long as it leads somewhere. I’m not going to do something that’s a dead end as it has to lead somewhere. If it leads somewhere, like IMSA racing or just anything, I’m open to it. I’d love to get behind the wheel of a LMP car or GT car.

Who do you consider racing hero?

My racing hero ever since I started racing was Ayrton Senna. I’ve always looked up to him. I’ve always watched all the documentaries about him. I’ve watched back footage of him and every time he got in the car, he was brilliant and I think that’s why I look up to him.

Based on what you’ve done in your career so far, what would be a piece of advice to someone getting started?

Honestly, if deep down you have the skill and talent to make it all the way, and you just need to put in the work ethic, don’t for a second ever doubt yourself. Because the moment you doubt yourself, that’s the moment it will go downhill. As long as you know you have what it takes and don’t doubt yourself, you will make it, no matter the circumstances your family is in. Don’t ever doubt yourself and don’t think twice.