Aaron Jeansonne

Growing up in rural Southwest Louisiana and now residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, 27-year-old Aaron Jeansonne has become one of the more unique and unlikely stories in modern-day sports car racing. Starting his journey later in life than most professional drivers, his story began on the short dirt ovals of Central Louisiana in dirt oval go karts at 16 years old. As a big fan of NASCAR growing up, this was a taste of his lifelong dream.

With no connections and little financial resources, Jeansonne took a leap of faith at age 18 and competed in open-wheel cars via the Lucas Oil Formula Car Series. This path was due to the opportunity he noticed through merit-based scholarship programs up the U.S. road racing ladder. He saw this opportunity early on, at age 19, when he won the Team USA Scholarship and gained European racing experience through National Formula Ford. His career showed early promise, but for years, he relied heavily on these scholarship programs.

Determined to move forward, he saw a slow trajectory toward a professional career that included plenty of gaps and uncertainty. Networking and coaching others led him to the notice of the Wings and Wheels Foundation in 2021, where founders Mark and Alora McAlister witnessed at the time a hungry rookie scholarship winner in IMSA’s Mazda MX-5 Cup series that had all of the potential in and out of the car, but needed support to not only propel up the ranks, but to continue racing.

Since joining the foundation as a driver ambassador, Jeansonne completed an additional three seasons of MX-5 Cup competition, a season of Porsche Carrera Cup North America, and has heavily expanded his network of partners.

Aside from racing, his valuable experience through the ladder has made him a versatile coach for drivers of different levels and platforms. His ability to teach different disciplines to up-and-coming drivers, hobbyists, and advanced amateur drivers effectively, paired with strong leadership qualities, makes him a valuable asset to racing teams at all levels. Jeansonne’s ultimate goal is to continue the ladder to the highest levels of sports car racing in the world.

With the recent rapid growth of American sports car racing, he may be sitting in the right place at the right time to be a breakout star in the sport for years to come.