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The adage is you never know what you have until it’s gone.

For Portland’s Jackson McLerran, that’s precisely what he experienced when he decided to step away from racing for time to grow and focus on what he truly enjoyed.

“When I stepped away, I wasn’t into it (racing) as I should have been,” McLerran said. “I was young, had other interests, and the economy wasn’t good at the time, but I knew I wanted to get back in, but only when I was ready. I never didn’t love racing.”

The now 23-year-old Portland native has hit the ground running since returning to the sport he has loved since he was 8.

McLerran and his dad and grandfather’s racing team have two more races left in the season, including at Highland Rim Raceway and the All-American race at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville.

Jackson will compete in the pro-late model race at the All-American 100 race before the running of the 400.

“Winning that race would help do a lot for our name,” McLerran said of the last race of the season Oct. 29-30.

As good as McLerran is at driving the race car, he insists he couldn’t do it without his team of sponsors.

Mid South Electric is McLerran’s oldest sponsor, supporting him since he was racing at eight years old.

TNN Transport and Precision Care Tire and Auto in Portland are new sponsors for the McLerran’s this season. Broad Leaf Tree Care and Subway of Celina, Tennessee, and Thompkinsville, Kentucky, this season, and Fire Mark Property Management also joined the racing team in 2019.

Made by Mosley does the graphic work for his car, and Mr. Wayne Day employs him at 31W insulation and Day Racing, where he works in the machine shop making parts for race cars.

“There are so many people in the racing world that have helped us out,” McLerran said. “Whether at the track, shop, giving us advice, they’ve all been a big help. I also can’t thank my mom and sister enough for all the support they have given me. There are a lot of people that have helped us get to this point.”

With only a couple more races left in the season, McLerran and his team are focusing on finishing the year strong in hopes of catapulting them into the stratosphere in 2023.

“This year has been pretty good so far,” he said. “It’s been a learning year, but it’s been one of my best seasons so far; I couldn’t ask for more.”

After the All-American 400 weekend at the end of the month, McLerran and his team will transition to the long offseason months until March or April.

Once 2023 rolls around, McLerran will turn his attention to being one of the consistent winners in the limited late model division.

“I want to come back better and more improved so that I’m consistently a top racer,” he said. “I want to run bigger late model races; I want to get our feet wet in about two to three bigger races. I want to keep learning, growing, and improving with every run.”

A 2017 graduate of Westmoreland High School, McLerran played football and ran track and cross country for four years for the Eagles, but as a Portland native, he gets a lot of pride for representing the 37148.

“I know a couple of guys that race at Highland Rim from time to time but there aren’t too many people to turn pro late model ranks or higher; it’s a cool experience. I hope to keep representing Portland well in the future.”

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