Ryu Taggart began working on the brakes of a Chevrolet pickup Thursday afternoon in his black NASCAR hoodie.
The sweatshirt was a memento from a whirlwind week in late October and served as a reminder of where he wanted to get back to in his racing career.
"It's more disappointment," Taggart said at first. "It's all right."
Taggart, 17, was selected for NASCAR's Drive for Diversity Combine in October and given a chance to compete with 11 other drivers for six spots in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Drivers use the K&N Series as an entry point into NASCAR's three national series and as a way to lay the foundation for a racing career. Four returning drivers from the Drive for Diversity program and two new drivers were selected from the combine's class of 12 participants, but Taggart did not make the cut.
As he builds his racing resume, Taggart said he plans this week to keep racing toward NASCAR's Monster Energy Cup and follow in the footsteps of Missourians such as Carl Edwards and Jamie McMurray.
On Thursday afternoon, he was one of about a dozen students in an auto tech class at Nichols Career Center. In the class, Taggart was just a regular Jefferson City High School senior, laughing with his friends.
Still, he's much more media savvy than most of his classmates.
On the first day of the combine, the participants went through cognitive testing, physical testing, a photo shoot and a mock-press conference. All of this helped NASCAR determine the marketability of the drivers in the sponsor-driven sport. The next day, participants drove in two on-track tests in New Smyrna Speedway in eastern Florida.
Despite not making the cut, Taggart got valuable feedback that could help him if he continues to pursue racing. He already worked on strength and cardio training by lifting weights at gyms, running and riding exercise bikes before he went to Florida. At the combine, he learned he needed to work on his agility.
Racing between 150-200 miles per hour takes quick reaction skills, Taggart said. Improving his agility will make it easier for him to respond quickly to situations, like maintaining pace behind other cars.
"If you're behind the leader, they get to choose when they're going to accelerate as long as it's in the (restart) zone," he said. "Without that quick reaction time, the guy on the outside, they're going to pass you."
The Drive for Diversity program is a 15-year-old avenue NASCAR uses to encourage more minority and female drivers to enter the sport.
In a letter informing Taggart of its decision, the Drive for Diversity program encouraged him to apply again. Already, he beat poor odds when he was selected out of more than 400 drivers from across the U.S. who applied for the program.
For now, he is focused on his immediate future and his friends in Jefferson City.
Taggart said he will likely attend Lincoln College of Technology in Indianapolis. He's also considering the University of Northwestern Ohio because it has a club racing team.
As he looks for sponsors for next season and dreams of starting his own race team, Taggart said he just hopes to work in the racing industry one day.
"I'm interested in any type of racing," he said. "As long as I am behind the wheel and there is an engine and four tires, then I'm in it."