CLARKSVILLE, TN – Van Drugmand knew he wanted to be a NASCAR driver from the moment his father brought him to the Talladega Superspeedway, where he saw a pack of cars tearing across the iconic track at nearly 200 mph.

Over 10 years later, Austin Peay State University is helping him make that dream a reality. Drugmand is representing the Govs with a university-branded vehicle in the 2026-27 eNASCAR College iRacing Series, and will make his next appearance in the final round of the Peachtree Pursuit on Sept. 30. Events will be livestreamed via YouTube.

“I’m the biggest NASCAR fan you’ll probably ever meet, and I knew once I got to college, I was going to do this series,” said Drugmand, a freshman sports communication major. “I’m excited to represent Austin Peay because it’s my hometown college and the place my mom graduated from. On top of that, I think it’s the first time anyone from the university has ever done this.”

The series features eight tournaments with realistic simulations of tracks from Daytona to Watkins Glen, and the competition is stiff. Drugmand will need to measure up against hundreds of other students in time attack rounds just to qualify for each point-scoring event.

He is already off to a strong start, having earned 5th and 11th place finishes in the first tournament bracket at EchoPark Speedway to secure a spot in the finals.

“It’s a full-throttle track, and now that we’re onto the main race, track position is going to mean a lot,” he said. “There are two strategies you can run on these types of tracks: stay in the back and let everyone wreck in front of you, or play lanes and go on the offensive. Making the right moves and having a strong game plan is ultimately what it’s going to come down to, and I feel like I’m going to have to try to be up toward the front as much as I can.”

Thanks to his years of iRacing experience, he is confident he has what it takes. He started practicing at 12 years old and is currently ranked among the top 0.5% of players.

“I’ve always taken it very seriously, because I know this is one of my only chances to get opportunities as a racer,” Drugmand said. “There are a lot of successful drivers that came from iRacing, like William Byron, Josh Berry, and Rajah Caruth. If I’m able to make a NASCAR start one day, that would be amazing.”

The skills Drugmand picked up from iRacing have already allowed him to compete in real-world events at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. He also aims to participate in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, and a strong performance in collegiate events could take him there.

“My practice schedule is really about to ramp up,” he said. “This is my freshman year, so I have four years to do the college series. My name is already out there, and when it comes down to the free agency next year, [teams in the Coca-Cola series] are more likely to sign me if they see what I can do.”

Ultimately, Drugmand’s goal is to become a sports analyst or anchor. He hopes to gain experience through student media organizations like APSU-TV and WAPX-FM after settling into college life.