From Subtle Beginnings to NASCAR’s Biggest Stage, Brennan Poole Goes the Extra Mile

The humble beginnings of NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender Brennan Poole have helped him learn the value of giving back to those in need, whether it's through advocating for safe driving, honoring the military or volunteering at food banks.

It’s easy to assume that most people don’t look Brennan Poole’s way during a race.

The NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender raced part-time last year in the truck series and his last full-time season was in the Xfinity series in 2017. Poole hasn’t finished higher than 15th (at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in August) this season, and he typically winds up in the 20s or 30s.

But during the Auto Club 400 in southern California on March 1, most eyes were on him and his car, which was decorated with unicorns, robots, giant multicolored ice cream cones, flowers and even Godzilla fighting with a giant octopus.

More than 30 drawings covered the No. 15 car. They came from patients at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County as a part of a fundraiser organized by Poole; his primary sponsor, Spartan Mosquito; and other community members for the nonprofit pediatric healthcare system.

While he finished 32nd that race, Poole was bombarded with fans.

“I can’t even count how many fans came up to me and said, ‘My child was treated at CHOC!’” Poole says. “It was so apparent how important this children’s hospital is to the community and how important our support for them is.”

Courtesy of Brennan Poole

This race is Poole’s favorite part of the season because CHOC’s "little champion," Hudson, and his family were able to go to the race. Hudson and his brother, Cole, walked the red carpet with Poole to the drivers meeting and even met some YouTubers along the way. As he showed the two around his hauler and out to the grid, Poole noticed Hudson’s Stance sock, which happened to be Poole’s favorite.

A few weeks after meeting Hudson and his brother, Poole received a package from the two. Opening it, he found three pairs of Stance socks, custom picked for him

“I basically just rotate wearing those three pairs now because they are so special to me,” Poole says. “They wrote me the best note, and now they watch every one of my races.”

Moments like these are why Poole keeps going.

“Any time I volunteer or I’m at an event, I leave with my heart full and my appreciation for life grows,” Poole said. “When you meet people and hear their stories, it just reminds me why we all work so hard.”

Courtesy of Brennan Poole

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Poole remembers vividly how his father would push him around on a tricycle inside their house in Sacramento, as if Poole were on a track. With hardly any furniture in the home, it was easy to do.

When his dad got a job with Midas, a chain of automotive service centers, in Houston, their lives changed forever. And while his family moved halfway across the country, his need for speed continued.

His parents bought him a plastic battery-powered Corvette when he was two, and it was nearly impossible to get Poole out of it. One of the mechanics at the Midas store his father worked at noticed how much Poole enjoyed driving the Corvette and suggested he and his dad go to the quarter midget track to see if Poole wanted to race.

He instantly became hooked.

“I remember hanging on the fence watching the midgets with my Dad, and from that point on, I always wanted to race,” Poole says. “I love competing, I love racing, I love driving cars and my life is racing.”

The simple upbringing kept Poole humble as he went through the highs and lows of his racing career. Sometimes, he wasn’t in the driver’s seat, but he was always involved in the industry. Growing up in Houston and rising from nothing to being in one of the top series in NASCAR taught him how to appreciate the little things and the value of giving back, whether it’s advocating for safe driving, honoring the military or volunteering at food banks.

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During the 2020 All-Star race in Bristol, it was hard to miss Poole’s bright red car as it sped around the track. Poole had chosen a design from Remember Everyone Deployed—the color with the matching logo would serve as a reminder of “those who are away fighting for our freedoms” to the onlookers.

Remember Everyone Deployed, a charity close to Poole’s heart and one he actively supports with his sponsor Spartan Mosquito, supports active military and their families, and it shows solidarity by wearing red every Friday.

“When the military members are being deployed, we throw parties for them and their families,” Poole said. “When they're away, we have dinner nights, movie nights and game nights for their wives, partners and their children.”

And when they return home, there’s a party waiting to celebrate the military members.

Before the COVID-19 global pandemic, Poole frequently invited veterans to the track. They spend a weekend in the garage, hauler and track with the team. They exchange stories and laughs, leaving an impression that’ll last a lifetime. For Poole, it’s a small thing he can do to thank them for their service.

“I've lost friends and I have friends that are in the military now that are stationed all over the place,” Poole said. “So to be able to do something for people I looked up to that fight for our freedoms, it’s super important.”

Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

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Memorial Day weekend—one of the most memorable races in NASCAR.

The sport prides itself in honoring the country’s military, and every year, each driver has the name of a veteran written on the car. But Poole took it a step further this year.

On his car, he and his team honored Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman from the 1st Special Forces Group, who, on January 4, 2002, became the first soldier killed in combat in the war in Afghanistan. Spartan Mosquito donated $125,000 in mosquito products to Houston’s Veterans, and Poole donated a portion of his salary, roughly $166,000, to the Houston Food Bank to provide approximately 500,000 meals in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was an incredibly humbling experience,” Poole said, “and it was so special to me to celebrate our nation’s heroes while giving back to my hometown during this unprecedented crisis.”

When Hurricane Harvey tore through Texas in 2017, Poole started reaching out to the Houston Food Bank to see what he could do to help. Since then, Poole has actively run food drives, volunteered and donated to food banks in Charlotte and Houston. Whenever he and his girlfriend and manager, Lindsey Giannini, have free time, you’ll most likely find them sorting food at the Charlotte Food Bank.

“They get in lots of donation items and food that are on the tail end of their expiration so a lot of the volunteer work is checking shelf lives, sorting items, and blacking out any barcodes with markers,” Poole says. “After the first time we volunteered, our hands were covered in Sharpie marks for days.”

Since the start of the pandemic, food insecurity has increased 93% in Houston. Food banks have the ability to get discounted bulk food, so a $1 donation can provide approximately three meals, Poole says. It’s the least he can do to give back to the city where he “became a man.”

“I’ve always felt like our purpose in life is to help others, and food banks in particular are so essential in fueling our communities,” Poole said. “When we support food banks, we directly get food into the hands of those who need it.”

Through all the highs and lows in Poole’s life, he learned how to keep fighting and how to never give up because of the people who support him and these communities he actively volunteers in.

“The people who believe in me have all made sacrifices for me in so many different ways, and I’m so grateful for that,” Poole says. “I’ll always fight for them.”