Meet Jake Ripperger, a homegrown NASCAR fan, who developed his passion for the motorsport through his Grandfather. The sport of NASCAR was embedded throughout the Ripperger household ever since Jake was a child, “Our grandpa has been a NASCAR fan since I can remember and that is where we got it from. I have been going to both Michigan races since 5th grade and the past 4 years my brother and I have gone.”  Jake’s Grandfather would also annually host a Daytona 500 and Homestead race party and even started a fantasy league among family.

Growing up, Jake and his brother Knute began to grow closer through NASCAR. Knute would eventually become a Daniel Suarez fan; “Knute never had a true driver until Daniel entered the league and now he has all of Daniel’s gear”.

Knowing how big of a fan his brother had become, Jake wanted to plan something special for him for his high school graduation. Jake reached out to Daniel in an attempt to meet Daniel at the race track. The meeting almost happened, however, Jake lost a member of his Grandfather’s family before race weekend.

As a gesture to share his condolences, Daniel organized a special message for Jake and his brother, along with some autographed gear, “Jake-I want to thank you and your brother for your continued support. Please accept this autographed shirt as a sign of my appreciation.”

Knute was grateful by Daniel’s gesture and had this to say, “I think it’s cool how Daniel stays close with his fans…for him to send the gear to me and responding to my tweet is awesome.  It’s so cool how he connects with the fans which is a reason why I became a fan in the first place.”  Daniel was equally as thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with a family passionate about the sport as well, “It is incredible to connect with people through this sport, the passion that fans have is unlike no other and I truly value that as a driver.”