He once was blind and now hes racing: Bowman Gray driver regains his eyesight, credits his faith

There are a myriad of reasons drivers show up faithfully each Saturday for the lure of racing at Bowman Gray Stadium.

For Jaxson Casper, however, his reason is rather simple.

"It's what I've wanted to do since I was 6 years old," said the 24-year-old Kernersville resident who is a rookie in the Modified Division.

Casper's family has long been associated with the track as either a driver or working on various race teams, so when it was time to take the plunge, he was ready.

So far, he's learning on the fly and has found himself in several spins or wrecks through the season's first two races. But that smile is still there, mainly because about 18 months ago he wasn't sure if he could drive anymore.

"I got diagnosed with ankylosis spondylitis," he said of a rare form of arthritis that can sometimes affect eyesight. "It's an autoimmune disorder that just popped up on me. It attacks your spine, and it basically grows your bones together, but I really had a rare condition."

Casper, who is an electrician, says he hasn't had any of the major conditions where his bones are growing together, but it did attack his eyesight.

"Doctors said it was like one out of a million getting that bad," Casper said.

At one point, Casper decided to keep racing despite having blurry vision in one eye, so he put on a patch and raced at Caraway Speedway. That didn't go so well because he couldn't see parts of the wall.

For his treatments, he first tried the needle injections, but that didn't go well. "I'm deathly afraid of needles so that didn't last very long," he said.

There was another alternative and that was strong medicine, but he didn't like how that was treating his body.

Casper, who is a big believer in his faith, decided to go off the medication and prayed.

"I prayed a lot and got on my knees and prayed every night," Casper said. "I eventually stopped taking the medication and here I am a year later, and I've got no problems with my eyesight."

He said doctors have told him it's in remission, so it's something that makes him even more appreciative of racing again.

"I've been blessed by the Lord and that medication, but it kicked right out of my system," said Casper, who has 20/20 vision and has never worn contacts or glasses.

"When it was bad, I had no sight in my right eye and it was a solid red," he said, describing the worst time in his life. "Now, everything is fine."

Casper's father, Jay, tells a story that about 22 years ago when Junior Miller was in Victory Lane it was Jaxson who was there with him.

"There's no adrenaline rush like it to see him doing what he's dreamed about doing," Jay said. "He's wanted to do this, and he was here when his grandpa had a car here and he was in victory lane with Junior Miller when he was about 2 years old."

Jay Casper, who raced about seven times at Bowman Gray Stadium back in 1996, said he bought his son a Go-Kart to get him started.

"When he was 6 years old, he wanted to go racing, so we got a little go-kart together," Jay said. "And he's been in love with racing ever since."

Not only did Jaxson's grandfather race at Bowman Gray Stadium, but so did his grandmother.

"My grandmother (Linda Gray) actually raced here back when they had a Powder Puff division for women to drive," Jaxson said.

David Riggs, who is Casper's grandfather, ran for several years at the stadium.

Jaxson's heroes growing up around the track - Melvin "Puddin" Swisher, Miller, Tim Brown and Burt Myers - have been idols for a long time.

Jay said he watched closely how Gary Myers got his two sons, Jason and Burt, into racing.

"I watched Gary groom Jason and Gary didn't want Jason to have any bad habits and that's what we are trying to do with Jaxson," Jay said.

With what Casper has been through, he looks around the pit area at Bowman Gray Stadium and doesn't seem rushed. He seems to be soaking all of it in and learning as much as he can.

He's got a good crew starting with chief Reggie Newman and the support of his family.

"I appreciate life even more everything, just waking up, seeing the green grass, of being able to see faces," Casper said. "I mean, for a while, I couldn't even see your face standing this far apart."

Jay Casper says he's been impressed with how far his son has come with his health scare.

"He's been doing what the doctors have said but doesn't want the medicine, so we don't know where that came from," Jay said. "He's doing OK now, but we thank the Lord and he just keeps going."

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 4:11 AM.