Former MLB pitcher CJ Wilson never kept his love of cars or racing a secret during his 11-year career in the majors.
He frequently competed in amateur car races and formed his own sports car team – CJ Wilson Racing – in 2010, which participates in International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) series races throughout North America. He also recently bought a Porsche, Audi and BMW dealership in Fresno, California.
But baseball was always the priority.
“It’s possible to love more than one sport,” Wilson told For The Win. “A lot of people have seen how much I love cars over the years, and they’ve understood that’s a part of my life. I think sometimes they felt like that was disrespectful to baseball, which I think is totally wrong.”
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At 36, Wilson – who pitched seven seasons for the Texas Rangers and four for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – said he wished he could have played baseball well into his 40s. But the left-handed, two-time All-Star was forced to call it quits when five surgeries on his pitching arm and bone spurs marred his ability to play.
So he turned to racing – capitalizing on the rare opportunity to be a professional athlete in more than one sport – and will compete in his first race Thursday in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida.
Despite starting a new era of his life, nearly everything is comparable to baseball.
Following a decade of baseball offseasons filled amateur races, he’s ready for a higher level of competition, which he said isn’t that different from advancing in baseball. Neither is the elite-level pressure.
Photo courtesy of CJ Wilson Racing
“You play baseball in college, you play baseball in the minors, and the game doesn’t really change,” Wilson said. “It’s who you’re playing against and where you’re playing. The goal is the same. It’s not like I’m inventing a sport – I’m just a new helmet on the grid.”
The style of competition is the obvious major difference with one winner and potentially dozens of losers in each race. He likened it to constantly competing individually in a home run derby.
But Wilson is embracing the familiar with the foreign, eager to jump into the weekend-long IMSA event with his No. 33 Porsche 911 GT3.
Despite 10 years as an amateur, he knows there is ample room for improvement and expects his skills to be a little rough around the edges. In racing, he’s not limited by his weakened arm or age and believes he can mold himself into a stronger driver. Sure, racing takes a physical toll, but it’s certainly not like the self-inflicted damage caused by pitching.
Photo courtesy of CJ Wilson Racing
With baseball now in the past, he’s “living and breathing racing,” which he said could give him a legitimate shot at competing in the field. Although he’s not exactly expecting a warm welcome from the other drivers.
“If someone just rolled up off the street and tried to play Major League Baseball, the kind of reception he would get is going to be very similar to the kind of reception I’m going to get as some guy that’s been doing other stuff and then just rolls into the racing (world),” Wilson said.
“Some people aren’t going to take me seriously at all. They’re going to think I’m a joke, and I have to take advantage of that situation.”
For more coverage of IMSA racing, head over to USA TODAY Sports.
