As Led Zeppelin blares in the AirPods of professional racecar driver and Boise State senior Nick Persing, he leans up against his Lamborghini with his Bronco-branded cowboy hat.
Soon, the music is replaced by a V10 engine that erupts to life under his right foot.
Persing’s passion for racing started early. His father, Jon Persing, recalls his earliest memory of Persing and his hunger for speed.
“When Nick was six months old, if I slowed the car down below 80 miles an hour, he’d start crying,” Jon Persing said. “I’ll never forget when the light turned green and we were next to another car with a big wing on it, and he said, ‘one, two, three, go!’”
Persing first got behind the wheel of a kart at 8 years old. While most kids his age spent time with friends or playing video games, he was sharing stories from the racetrack.
Although the road to racing was, in some ways, as natural as breathing, it wasn’t without hurdles.
When the Persing family began traveling nationally in 2017, it became difficult for him to maintain a social life. However, his schools were supportive of his passion, making it easier to manage both schoolwork and racing.
“When he would go back to school, it was very tough, because most people at his school didn’t understand racing or even karting,” Jon Persing said. “He still had plenty of friends at school, but it made it hard for him to relate to the guys at the school.”
Because of racing’s lack of popularity compared to sports like football, Persing sometimes found it difficult to relate to his peers.
“It’s a very niche sport that people don’t understand and because of that, I have a deeper connection with my racing friends,” Persing said. “I still keep in touch with a lot of them, even from when I was like 12 years old racing go-karts.”
Persing lives in a fraternity house just off campus, “Tri Delta Grand Prix”.
“It’s really humbling when you see him go out there and perform at such a level that he does and then comes home and he’s just one of our best friends,” Matthew Sales said when asked what it’s like having a professional racing driver as a roommate.
By balancing the chaotic schedule of racing and classes, Persing motivates his friends to do the same. His time management and discipline show his roommates it’s possible to chase something demanding without faltering.
“It drives us to be better and better ourselves, because someone like him is out there doing so much, it makes us want to do even more,” Sales added.
Despite Persing’s early love for racing, his parents had to convince him to continue after a rough patch where he was on the brink of giving up. Coming off a karting season in which he struggled, he found himself questioning his racing future.
“I finished only two races that season because I either had a mechanical [issue] or something [else]. The next year, I was fully planning on quitting,” Persing said.
His parents’ reasoning for pushing him to continue another year was simple.
“It was in his soul,” Jon Persing said.
An equally impactful factor in Persing’s career comes in the form of a quote by legendary racer Michael Schumacher: “I’m not the greatest racing driver of all time, I’m the hardest working racing driver of all time.”
Persing’s hard work and determination led to his first karting win in 2011 at 12 years old.
Today, that journey has led to a seat with one of the best teams in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series, Wayne Taylor Racing. In 2025, his fourth year with the team, he experienced ups and downs but managed to secure three wins and finish third in the standings to close a strong season.
While many students balance work and school, the pressure is magnified for Persing. He has to track his carb and fluid intake before races to avoid heat exhaustion, as cockpit temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. His job is highly results-based; a bad season could mean demotion, a major setback in his pursuit of climbing the ladder to IMSA’s top level.
When he returns to campus on Monday, he blends in like everyone else. While completing his business administration degree, he also plans to add a minor in engineering — all while traveling in and out of Boise for race weekends.
This year, Persing was promoted to the top car at Wayne Taylor Racing alongside his Swedish teammate and defending champion, Hampus Ericsson.
Persing’s hard work and determination have pushed him through racing against more experienced drivers.
He recently delivered a strong performance with Ericsson, finishing second in both races at Sebring, Florida. Fans can watch him compete in the No. 1 car on IMSA’s YouTube channel or IMSA.com. He now prepares for the May 1–3 race at Laguna Seca, where he won in a photo finish last year.
