Jason Alder Wins at COTA En Route to Finishing Third Overall in Championship
DRIVER
JASON ALDER
Maryland / Age 19
Jason Alder actively supports the mission of the Drive for Diabetes Awareness (DFDA) charity by donating 10% of all sponsorship dollars.
Jason’s big sister Jessica was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was just 2½ years old. Diabetes has been a significant part of the Alder family for over 20 years. Their hope is that one day there will be a cure for Jessica and everyone else who struggles with T1D every day. Jason and the Alder family estimate that they have raised well over $275,000 for diabetes research and awareness since Jessica was diagnosed.
Jason explains, “My Passion is to use my racing platform to help spread awareness".
Knowing the amazing work that DFDA does, Jason wanted to get involved! And we need your help too. DFDA is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit whose mission is to create public awareness for diabetes screening, particularly of young children, and to distribute information through pamphlets and similar communications at sporting events. DFDA seeks to inform the public about the symptoms of diabetes and the dangers of untreated diabetes and provides support for those dealing with a diagnosis.
THE BEGINING
In Jason's first full-time season in a Bandolero, Jason made 24 starts, winning eight poles and five features, including one at the INEX Winter Heat Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He also won four times that summer at Shenandoah (Va.) Speedway and claimed the track's Bandolero championship. He also tested his mettle in the INEX Bojangles Summer Shootout as a rookie, posting top-five finishes in three of four races against some of the nation's best.
2017 saw another jump — this time to a Legend race car — for an entire season of INEX-sanctioned events across Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland, where he finished second in the state championship.
In 2018, he scored his first feature win in a Legend car in The Gobbler event at Concord (N.C.) Speedway after qualifying on the pole. He snagged three more pole awards last season: at the Bojangles Summer Shootout and the INEX Winter Heat Series. He finished the 2018 campaign ranked No. 1 in the INEX Maryland standings.
In 2019, he all the major Legend Car Series championships, including the INEX Winter Nationals Semi-Pro, Texas Spring Battle Semi-Pro, Bojangles Summer Shootout Semi-Pro national championships, as well as the INEX Semi-Pro Asphalt National Points Championship, which brought his career total to six national championships. After an impressive 2019 season, Jason captured 22 wins and 34 poles and recorded another 41 top-fives in 50 starts.
2020 was a year of reflection, regrouping, and soul-searching for Jason and his entire family. Racing takes significant commitment from the whole team and takes a huge toll on all family members. 2020 was a blessing in disguise for the entire Alder family with all the shutdowns.
It was a break needed by all. In the summer, after several months of shutdowns, Jason was inspired to pursue racing but in a different direction. Jason felt a draw toward open-wheel road courses, where his career began.
He set out to test an F4 car and landed a deal with Dan Mitchell of Velocity Racing Development (VRD) for the 2021 racing season. In his open-wheel rookie season, Jason could mount five feature wins and four fastest laps and finish the series in 3rd place. After the conclusion of the F4US series, Jason moved up and competed in the final three rounds of the Formula Regional (FR) Americas series. As he did in his F4 United States Championship debut, Jason was victorious in his first-ever Formula Regional (FR) Americas Championship. Taking on the famed Circuit of the Americas, Jason drove to the front of the field and stood atop the podium. Earning three top-ten results and two top-five finishes on the weekend, Alder's debut in the series will be unforgettable.
2022 will be Jason's busiest season of his career. He has signed with TJ Speed out of Indianapolis, IN, to compete full-time in the FR Americas series. Jason has also signed with Stratus Racing out of Seattle, WA, to race full-time in the WRL series in an NP01-EVO car.