59-year-old Dan Jansen is a key figure in the Chevrolet’s camp in the NASCAR Cup Series. He trains drivers to develop their mental and physical strength and has been a great aid to drivers such as Kyle Larson. While he might look to be just another regular face in the garage at first glance, a more scrutinized gaze would reveal that he has an incredible past and story that few can boast of.
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Jansen is a speed skater who represented the United States in the Olympics for the first time in 1984. He failed to win a medal after finishing fourth in the 500 meters. He shot again in 1988 but failure followed. 1992 was a repeat of the same. With neither the 500 meters nor the 1000 meters showing him favor he was on the verge of giving up. But 1994 rewarded him for holding out.
He set a world record in the 1000-meter event that year and received worldwide acclaim along with an Olympic Gold. President Clinton made a congratulatory phone call to him in the aftermath. Decades after that life-changing phone call, he received another. It was from the grounds of NASCAR this time and Team Penske wanted him to speak to employees at a year-end meeting.
The speech he gave impressed many and it led to him training the drivers of Brad Keselowski Racing, a former Truck Series outfit. Amongst those he taught were Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick. His work put him in touch with Josh Wise and Scott Speed, former racers who were running a driver optimization program. It is with them that he now works on developing the biggest names in the sport.
Why Larson and Chastain love working with Dan Jansen
The maturity that Jansen’s experience has given him is something that many drivers in NASCAR never develop. It is his mission to make sure they do. Teaching them to have willpower and a formidable mentality are parts of his job. He also plays an equally important role in making sure that his clients are physically strong enough to take on the demands of a stock car.
Chastain tells NASCAR about his relationship with Jansen, “I love Dan. Gosh, he’s motivating just seeing what he’s done in his life and to go win gold and hear his stories of how he got there and the trials and the failures and the successes to get there. It’s incredible. I don’t think my legs will ever be that strong, but I’m going to keep trying.” Getting there might be a tad bit easier with the master for guidance.
The trio of Jansen, Wise, and Speed have incredible chemistry between them. They were a big part in Larson’s training for the past Memorial Day Weekend when he aimed to complete the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. NASCAR is certainly lucky to have its own Olympic hero.
