Jake Callen's Racing Career

Jake Callen (left) sitting on the back of his Subaru WRX with Cannon Spelman (right). Photo taken by Nate Ely

Many students here are passionate about sports, some like to play video games, but there are also other hobbies that students here love to do at Moeller. Getting your license is a big deal for teenagers and especially for those who love cars. Today, car enthusiast Jake Callen ’21 is in the spotlight.

Jake first sparked an interest in cars at a young age due to his father's passion for automobiles. "I've been racing since I was five years old," said Jake, "It's like second nature to me."

The racing season spans from April to October. Jake competes at both the local and regional levels. Most of the season races at the local level are held on weekends at Trader’s World. At each race, competitors earn a certain amount of points depending on your placement among the cars in your same class. On weekends on the front end of the season, they have tune days. This means that the races aren't scored for points. These days are put in place to allow the racers to test their cars and resolve any issues before the races begin being scored for points.

In the summer, Jake competes in several tournaments. His favorite tournament is the St. Louis tournament, where he competes against a wide range of cars and gets to meet people from all around the region. "What makes the tournaments so special is that you get to see so many amazing cars and get to compete among them," said Jake.

"There are many social advantages to driving my car," said Callen. "I meet a lot of people with the same passion for cars through racing and car meets." In social settings, it's a conversation starter for sure," Jake explained. "Girls love it," Jake affirms.

Jake plans to continue his studies in automobiles at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He will be pursuing a degree in Motorsport Engineering and hopes to one day own his own car shop, working as a mechanic on high-end cars.