T.J. Semke almost wasn’t here on pit road, working as a jackman for Chase Elliott’s team in the NASCAR Cup Series. Instead, he might’ve been in the NFL as a defensive end.
During his junior year at Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North High, Semke fractured a vertebra, and was left with a fork in the road—keep playing and risk having surgery at an earlier age or step away from the game and have surgery later in his life. He competed during his senior year, even played in the Kansas–Missouri high school all-star game, before stepping away from the game.