I recently had a chance to sit down for a quick chat with Hyundai racing driver AJ Muss to discuss his career behind the wheel as well as how he transitioned from Olympic Snowboarding to racing driver. Muss is currently driving for Bryan Herta Autosport in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Series, racing the #2 TCR Hyundai Elantra N. We also chatted about my recent track day with Hyundai where I got to take the street version of the Elantra N around Atlanta Motorsport Park.
AJ: I've always chased adrenalin, from snowboarding to skydiving, to drifting and eventually road racing, it's just something I'm drawn to.
TGR: Tell me about what happened in 2014, you had a major health scare?
AJ: I was having surgery on my shoulder, and I ended up with postoperative pulmonary edema. The doctors weren't too optimistic that I would recover, or ever compete again. I was put into a medically induced coma for two weeks. Due to the lack of oxygen, I suffered minor brain damage. I had to relearn everything, including walking and talking, it was an intense process, but I wasn't going to give up.
TGR: You've had a bit of an unlikely path for a racing driver, most drivers start in karting and work their way up through the ranks, but you kind of jumped right into professional racing pretty quickly.
AJ: Yeah, I started out in drifting and quickly transitioned into Formula D as a pro. It was through a friend that I met Brent Brush, who I hoped was going to help me find some more support for my drifting career. Brent introduced me to Hyundai and I ended up driving for Copeland Motorsports in the (IMSA) TCR class in a Hyundai Veloster.
TGR: What do you like most about driving for Hyundai?
AJ: The cars are very good considering how short of a time that Hyundai has been in motorsports. The Elantra N is very balanced, but what is most impressive is its reliability. We run multiple races on the same engine and could likely run a whole season if we wanted to.
TGR: What are your next plans for your racing career?
AJ: Of course, every driver wants to race Le Mans and other big races, but I believe you have to learn to win at every level, so for now I am focused on winning in TCR.
You can follow along with AJ on Instagram @ajmuss, where he shares his passion for racing as well as some pretty cool skydiving shots. For his current racing schedule and more on his career visit AJMuss.com.
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