Mooresville native and professional race car driver Lance Fenderson was a junior in high school competing for his school in a lacrosse game in 2019 when he collided with a player from the opposite team, which resulted in an injury leaving Fenderson paralyzed from the chest down. In an instant, Fenderson’s life changed forever, and any dream he had of pursuing racing as a full time career came to a halt. But, because of Fenderson’s resilience, that halt was only temporary. It had been more than five years since Fenderson had raced competitively when, this past October, he found himself behind the wheel again in competitive fashion and with something to prove. This is Lance Fenderson’s story – and it’s only the beginning.

Fenderson first began racing go-karts when he was five years old. Fenderson described racing up until the point of his injury as “a massive part and arguably most important part” of his life. Over the course of the next decade-plus, he went from racing go-karts to F1600s to sports cars. During those years, he accumulated many race wins and found himself competing against well-known drivers such as Logan Sargent, Enzo Fittipaldi, Ty Gibbs, Sam Mayer and Devlin DeFrancesco. As Fenderson put it, “I knew how much racing meant to me, and I knew I was good enough to make it as a career,” but after his injury happened, he started to think it probably wasn’t an option anymore, so he pivoted and began to focus more on his education. Fenderson currently attends North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC and will graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering this December which gives him more of a well-rounded approach to the world of motorsports, now understanding not only the racing side of it, but also, the business side.

After years of rebuilding his strength both physically and mentally, Fenderson began to see entering back into racing as a definite possibility and was eager to start training and working out all the details in order to compete again. On February 29th, 2024, he got into a racecar again, describing that moment as “honestly terrifying.” Prior to his injury, the driver’s seat had always been a comfortable space, not requiring any thought. Being behind the wheel had always “felt like home,” but getting back into one again was completely different, at least in the beginning. In order for Fenderson to compete again, adaptations such as a reduced steering rack allowing him to drive with one hand as well as a push and pull handle for the gas and brake had to be made.

Not only has he had to prepare physically and mentally, he has also been faced with the challenge of finding a series willing to license him to race. Though it wasn’t easy, he ultimately was able to obtain a BMW CCA (Car Club of America) Club Racing license, and during his first time back racing at the track, Fenderson accumulated four wins in four races. When asked how it felt to have a comeback like that, Fenderson said, “Being on a competitive stage felt amazing, moreso because of the hard work that’s taken place in the last eight months. Countless people have told me what my limitations will be, and there’s been lots of doubt and speculation, so it has taken a lot of mental strength and baby steps in the right direction.”

Fenderson describes himself as “not one of the people who expects others to look at me and feel bad for me,” but rather, he is the opposite. When driving a race car, Fenderson says, “It’s the only thing I’ve found so far that allows me to compete and be even better than some able-bodied people at the exact same sport, and they have no idea I’m doing it any differently.” He continued, “In a way, I’m hiding behind the sheet metal and carbon of the doors, being able to be a physical athlete…it’s a really empowering feeling I’ve loved to experience.” Fenderson is now currently in the process of getting approved for a NASA (National Auto Sport Association) license and is hopeful that, by 2026, he will reach his larger goal of being approved for a license to race in the IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) series, which is the highest level of sports car racing.

Fenderson is the kind of guy who is defying odds and seeks to inspire others, but who inspires him? Fenderson shared, “The more inspiring people to me are the ones who are going through the pain and suffering now; the people who are in the same place now as I was five years ago. They inspire me to keep going and be successful, so they can see there’s still possibility and opportunity out there.” Fenderson doesn’t take for granted the incredible support system and access to resources he has had that helped him get to this point. He says it is because of their support that he is able to “get out of bed every morning” and not let his injury swallow him whole. His support system is made up of his dad, his mom and his younger brother, as well as his girlfriend and many friends and extended family members. Notably, his dad has “always been the biggest person” to Fenderson as far as racing goes. His dad has never missed a race Fenderson has competed in, and it has been a dream come true to be able to share that with him again.

As stated in the beginning, this is only the beginning of Fenderson’s story. It’s clear he has more to prove in his racing career and, in the long term, he has high hopes to create a foundation to provide opportunities for others with spinal cord injuries to experience the same feeling he has when driving a race car. Be on the lookout for what is to come in Fenderson’s story by following him on instagram @lancefenderson23 or check out his website at lancefendersonracing.com.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about who Fenderson is and what he’s been up to. Most importantly, I hope you’ve felt inspired.

Full throttle,

Clair