Queens University of Charlotte Sophomore Races Against All Odds

In September, with a Queens University of Charlotte sticker proudly placed on his car, Jayson Alexander ’25 made his racing debut at the Anderson Motor Speedway in Williamston, South Carolina.

“My debut race was a rollercoaster. During qualifying, my car ended up catching on fire. Because of the fire, we were forced to start at the very end of the field,” he explained. “During the race, around lap 20, I ended up losing 100% of my brakes. This made slowing the car down for each turn a little trickier, especially at the end of the race. Nevertheless, we were able to secure a top-10 finish with not a scratch on the car!”

On top of recently being named a driver for Costner Weaver Motorsports, a NASCAR ARCA Menards series team, the McColl School of Business student is setting records with his diverse extracurricular involvement at Queens. Having just begun his sophomore year, Alexander is a member of the Men’s Lacrosse team and participates in Army ROTC as part of the 49er battalion at UNC Charlotte.

For the Apex, North Carolina native, the road to Queens began when he was recruited as a student-athlete. Queens provided Alexander with the ability to attend a small school where he could receive personalized attention in the classroom and on the lacrosse field, all while making strides toward his dreams of becoming an officer in the United States Army upon graduation. Now, he is pursuing another dream he has held since childhood as he seeks to make his first NASCAR national series start by 2025.

“In the fall of 2021, I became an intern for Reaume Brothers Racing, a NASCAR Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup team,” said Alexander. “I loved what I was doing, but I dreamt of racing stock cars. So, when I met Caleb Costner, owner and driver at Costner Weaver Motorsports, I pursued making that dream a reality. I have since become a driver on the team and have also been able to leverage my business background to lead our team’s marketing efforts.”

In the face of much adversity, Alexander persevered and is making progress toward his goals. As he challenges himself on the Speedway, he leans into the support of faculty, staff, and friends he has come to know at Queens.