GREEN RIVER — Whenever Joe Renfro straps into his IMCA Sport Compact at Sweetwater Speedway, the 2024 Green River High School graduate steers with his right foot and works the gas and brake with his left. Once the green flag drops, however, his focus is the same as every other driver on the track, finding speed and chasing the checkered flag.

Born without arms, Renfro has spent a lifetime adapting to challenges. Racing became another opportunity to prove that determination and hard work can overcome obstacles.

“I have just been getting consistently faster and faster and I’ve been getting way more comfortable,” Renfro said. “This year I want to get a feature win.”

His passion for motorsports started at a young age, watching his father race and wanting to race just like him. He finally got his shot behind the wheel in 2020 to race with his family, and he hasn’t looked back since.

His first race came at Intermountain Speedway in Cheyenne on asphalt, an experience he remembers well.

“My first ever race was terrifying because we had a lot of kinks we had to work out still,” he said. “But once we started racing on dirt we haven’t looked back.”

Making racing possible required both creativity and teamwork. Renfro drives using extended pedals installed by his father, allowing him to operate the throttle and brake with his left foot while steering with his right foot. Grip tape was also added to the steering wheel to give him better control.

Finding that setup took experimentation.

“When I first started driving, I tried steering with my left foot and using the gas and brake with my right and that didn’t really work too well,” Renfro said. “So we knew I had to think of something else if I wanted to drive and race.”

His father remains the biggest influence on his racing career.

“My dad is the number one person who has helped me the most,” Renfro said. “He works his butt off to keep my car running and to keep me at the track racing.”

Renfro races alongside his family under the RRR (pronounced “Triple R”) race team.

“They help me out by supporting my racing journey by helping me at the track and at home,” he said.

Before becoming known around Sweetwater Speedway, Renfro built a reputation in another sport.

As a swimmer for Green River High School, he earned All-State honors after winning the special event 50-yard freestyle for adaptive athletes in 31.69 seconds.

Renfro said the transition from the pool to the racetrack wasn’t as different as some might think.

“There are definitely some similarities,” he said. “For example, being consistent is incredibly important in both.”

Consistency has become the focus of his rookie season at Sweetwater Speedway.

Competing in the IMCA Sport Compact division, Renfro currently sits 11th in the season standings among 34 drivers. He has already collected two top-10 finishes while learning the local dirt track.

“I have been working on staying consistent and keeping my car clean,” he said. “This year is also my first time running at Sweetwater Speedway, so I am also just figuring out the track.”

His biggest improvement has come through patience.

“I feel like this year I have improved the most on keeping my patience and not wrecking the car,” Renfro said. “I am still working on being consistent and being faster and faster,” he said.

Race days are family affairs.

A typical Saturday begins with a long drive before unloading multiple race cars, making final adjustments and preparing for competition. Since several members of the family race, they often don’t get the opportunity to watch each other compete.

Away from the speedway, Renfro’s focus rarely shifts far from racing.

“When I’m not at the track, I’m either at the shop working on the car with my dad or I’m on the simulator trying to learn how to become a better driver,” he said.

When he isn’t immersed in racing, he enjoys spending time playing video games, especially racing titles and first-person shooters.

I want to be remembered for the kind of driver I am.

Joe Renfro

Renfro hopes his story encourages others who may feel limited by physical challenges.

“Don’t let your limitation control you,” he said. “If you put your mind to it, you can do it.”

When asked if he ever imagined he’d one day be competing in race cars, Renfro said the idea once seemed improbable.

“I would have thought, ‘No way, you are crazy,'” he said.

Now, with each lap at Sweetwater Speedway, Renfro continues building a racing career that is about far more than overcoming adversity. It’s about competing, improving and chasing the next checkered flag.

Asked how he hopes people remember him years from now, his answer is simple.

“I want to be remembered for the kind of driver I am.”