Joe Renfro is a freshman at the University of Wyoming. He is majoring in Elementary Education and plans on graduating with his Bachelor’s degree in the next four years. Throughout his life he has dealt with a number of challenges due to being born without arms and with a leg that is much shorter than his other. Renfro has not allowed this to hold him back. Renfro was on his high school’s swim team, and graduated from Green River High in 2024. Growing up alongside his father and siblings in the racing community, Renfro was determined to follow in his family’s footsteps.
“I found my passion for racing 13 years ago while watching my dad. He’s my biggest inspiration, that’s for sure,” Renfro said.
Not only does his father race and support Joe’s passion for it, but he is also responsible for all of the modifications on Renfro’s 1993 Toyota Celina Gt. The car has modifications that allow for Joe to control everything by foot. This involves starting the vehicle, along with steering and controlling the accelerator and brake pedals.
His first race was in 2022 in Cheyenne at the paved Intermountain Speedway. Since his first race, Renfro has transitioned into dirt track racing as it provides more of a challenge for the driver in comparison to an asphalt track.
“I run in a division called the Warriors,” Renfro said. “It’s a division of Colorado with Joe Bellm, BST (Blood Sweat and Tears) promotions. [Bellm] created the division, it’s not sanctioned by any racing division.”
His father Jim, and (step)brothers J.D. Renfro, Jonus and Josiah Aragon all race in Bellm’s Warrior division with races typically being in Colorado.
Renfro says his proudest accomplishment is his improvements over the course of his racing career and “getting faster, and faster, and faster.” One of his recent accomplishments being winning the Warriors class Championship at the Phillips County Speedway in Holyoke, Colo.
“My favorite memory was when I got the Real Racer of the Year award at PRI (Performance Racing Industry) in Indianapolis last year,” Renfro said. “…It was such a special moment that I got to share with my whole family.”
You can follow along with Joe and his family’s racing endeavors at Rookie Racing on Facebook.
