Jay Orlov

Jay Orlov

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Nationality	American
Born	15 January 1991
	Milford, Connecticut, United States
Achievements	2021 U.S. Sports Car Champion 2019 24 Hours of Daytona Winner 2020 and 2021 12 Hours of Sebring Winner 3-Time (2008, 2010, 2011) Snowball Derby Winner
World Stock Car Championship
races run over 8 season(s).
Rookie Season	2016
Team(s)	77 Race Engineering, Team LSR, Thompson Brothers Racing
Championships
Pole Positions
Wins
World Stock Car Lites
races run over 3 season(s).
Rookie Season	2013
Team(s)	Team LSR
Championships
Pole Positions
Wins
Eurocup
races run over 3 season(s).
Rookie Season	2009
Team(s)	Chevrolet GTL
Championships
Pole Positions
Wins
WSCC Canon Driver

Jason Anthony “Jay” Orlov is an American racing driver and media personality currently competing for Thompson Brothers Racing in the World Stock Car Championship.

Early Life and Career

Orlov was born and raised in Milford, Connecticut to Danielle (née Manetti) and Anthony Orlov. He is the oldest of three sons and is the only one who pursued racing; the family is of primarily Italian and Ukranian descent.

Orlov began racing relatively late in life; his neighbor (who was part of a local stock car racing development program) offered him a chance to race his team's junior late model for the 2005 season in the Southern New England region (consisting of races at Stafford Motor Speedway, Waterford, Seekonk, and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway). Orlov won the championship, becoming the first 14-year-old in history to win the SNE Junior Late Model championship; he repeated as champion in 2006 and signed a development contract with General Motors on his 16th birthday. He ran two seasons in the American Stock Car East championship, before joining Eurocup for the 2009 season.

Indianapolis 500

While competing in Eurocup, Orlov was on a shortlist of drivers Team CJR was looking to scout for a potential full-time ride in Champ Car. Ultimately, Orlov was not approached for the ride, the team preferring to sign Australian Whit Palmer to a full-time contract for 2010 and beyond. Team CJR and Orlov would team up three times in the Indianapolis 500, with a best finish of 7th in 2017.

Orlov has thus far competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times: four times with Chevrolet affiliated teams and once with Fullman Autosport. His best finish was fourth, which he accomplished in 2021. He has finished all but one lap in the five races he has run.

Endurance Racing

Orlov has gained a reputation as a "super sub" in endurance racing; multiple teams have called on him to fill-in for a driver who has to miss a race due to sickness, injury, or suspension. Orlov has thus far not competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but has confirmed plans to do so in the future.

Orlov has stated that he uses endurance racing to improve his own stamina. He stated that "regularly running 1000 kilometer or more races makes the 300 mile races that we [the World Stock Car Championship] run a lot more bearable."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Orlov was asked to drive select races with Team CJR in place of David Cooke, who was unable to travel to the U.S. due to quarantine restrictions in London. Later in 2020, Orlov announced that he would run the U.S. Endurance Cup DPi schedule with Team CJR in 2021. Orlov, alongside Cooke (and along with José María Beltrán and Taylor Dawson at Daytona) won seven races en route to an overall points championship, his first in endurance racing.

24 Hours of Daytona

Orlov has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona eight times. His first outing was with the Quothraven Motorsports team, which placed 4th in the GT Class and 16th overall.

Orlov ran the 2012 race with Mellon Autosport; a brake change in the 16th hour relegated the team to an 8th place finish.

In 2014 and 2015, Orlov competed with Pike Motorsports, the Corvette factory Prototype team, finishing 4th and 3rd in class, respectively.

In 2016, he raced in the GTLM class for PMR Engineering in one of the factory Corvette entries, taking the overall class win alongside Gavin Ray and Luke Stevens.

From 2017 through 2019 he partnered with Team CJR (with whom he would also enter the Indianapolis 500) as the Cadillac factory team; they finished second in class in 2017 and won the 2019 race overall. He partnered with CJR again in 2021, finishing 4th overall in the team's Acura.

12 Hours of Sebring

Orlov has competed in the 12 Hours of Sebring twice, both times with Team CJR, the first as a last-minute substitute. In 2020, he substituted last-minute for David Cooke when the latter tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to sit out the race. In 2021, he ran with Cooke and José María Beltrán, and ultimately won the race alongside the two.

Non-Racing Ventures

Orlov is one of the most prolific racing drivers on social media; he has consistently ranked in the Top 5 for followers on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube among racing personalities, and is the most followed male driver. Orlov is widely credited as being the first driver to use and understand social media as a form of fan interaction and connection, and has utilized these platforms more effectively than many of his peers. He stated that he saw social media as "an opportunity to engage with fans outside of the typical sponsor-oriented relationship, and a way to build a stronger fan base while still in the lower tiers of the ladder."

Orlov has made three appearances on the web series Hot Ones, and was the first professional racing driver to appear on the show. He appeared for the first time in 2016 (episode 44), a second time alongside fiancé Mari La Tavares in 2019 (episode 145), and once during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 (episode 200).

Reality TV

The Masked Singer

Orlov competed on the third season of the U.S. version of The Masked Singer, placing third; he is the highest-placing athlete (and non-professional singer) to date. He was unveiled as the Zombie, and performed the following songs:

• "Ladies and Gentlemen" by Saliva (episode 1)
• "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton (episode 2)
• "Zombie" by the Cranberries (episode 3)
• "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran (episode 10)
• "Dance Macabre" by Ghost (episode 11)
• "We Could be the Same" by maNga (episode 13)
• "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" by Johnny Cash (episode 14)
• "Fade to Black" by Metallica (episode 15)
• "Mama, I'm Coming Home" by Ozzy Osbourne (episode 16)

His performance of "I See Fire" went viral after the episode aired, catching particular attention for integrating pyrotechnics into the performance, a first for the show.

YouTube

Orlov currently runs the Argonaut Media Group, which has multiple channels on YouTube. Orlov currently hosts the following series; the series names all follow the same format "Jay Orlov _____":

• Vlogs - a vlog that primarily focuses on racing; this channel has the distinction of being the first channel of what is sometimes referred to as his media empire, having been established in 2007.
• Makes - a DIY, woodworking, and modelmaking
• Cooks - cooking, recipe testing, and kitchen mythbusting
• Gaming - a gaming channel, focused mostly on grand strategy and 4X games, but with occasional racing games included

Podcasts

Orlov hosts three podcasts through his media company, Argonaut Media:

• Broken Ice - a weekly motorsports podcast focused on World Stock Car Championship results, news, rumors, and interviews.
• Radio Clear - a weekly general interest podcast focused on news, entertainment, and sports.
• Torch Snuffers - a Survivor-focused podcast featuring episode reviews, interviews, and discussions of various elements of the show.

Orlov is listed as the executive producer of multiple additional podcasts, including:

• The Race Shop - a podcast hosted by race engineers Claire Gardner, Ansel Linder, and Ryan Weiss.
• Drop Towers - an amusement park and roller-coaster enthusiast podcast

Personal Life

Orlov currently resides in the Fenwick neighborhood of Old Saybrook in a colonial-inspired home overlooking Long Island sound. He has a second residence in Florence, Italy. He is an avid fan of New York sports teams: the New York Mets, New York Giants, Brooklyn Nets, New York Red Bulls, and New York Rangers.

Orlov identifies as primarily pescatarian; he occasionally eats red meat and chicken, but sticks mostly to sustainable fish and vegetarian cooking.

Orlov was romantically linked to fellow driver Taylor Dawson in 2014; the two later confirmed they had dated, but did not pursue a serious relationship and remain close friends. Orlov began dating Brazilian heavy metal singer Marisela "Mari" La Tavares in 2016, after being introduced in Tavares' hometown of Rio de Janeiro by a mutual friend after that year's Round of Brazil. They announced their engagement on Instagram in 2017, and were married the following year. They currently have a daughter, Amelia Cristina.

Orlov is often considered a polyglot, though he does not describe himself as such. Aside from his native English, he is fluent in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. He's joked that "calling yourself a polyglot when three of your languages are 80% similar is a little bit cheaty."

Public Image

Orlov is seen by the racing media as an "engaging, intelligent, challenging, and exceedingly authentic" figure, "unafraid to speak his mind or court controversy, and who largely eschews the clean-cut corporate image most drivers attempt to portray." He has been known for keeping his hair long and typically sports facial hair, leading to his nickname "The Rockstar".

Orlov has been widely praised, along with Taylor Dawson, for being open about mental health issues and handling the pressures of motorsports.

Feud with the French Press

Orlov has had an extensive feud with the French racing press, dating back to his rookie season in Eurocup. The racing press, in particular the magazine Monde de l'Automoble (Auto World), wrote several articles attacking the then 18-year-old Orlov, who had been signed to Chevrolet instead of French driver Charles Sarno. Orlov stated in a 2015 interview that "back then, I didn't have the ability to filter it out and ignore it. I took all that vitriol and hatred to heart, and it seriously damaged my mental health for a long time. It's a callous, evil thing to do to any person." Orlov has refused to sit for any interviews with the French media, stating that "until Auto World issues an apology, retraction, and cleans house of everyone involved in the decision to print those articles", he will continue to refuse. Public opinion on Orlov in France has swung wildly; in 2009, 80% of French motorsports fans had a negative opinion of him, but by 2016 65% had a positive opinion of him.

Orlov's refusal to sit for interviews extends to media appearances post-race, something that has at times gotten him into trouble with series officials. He refuses to directly answer questions posed by French reporters, typically responding with a variation of non-sequiturs, joke answers, and phrases that deliberately don't translate well to French. Orlov often jokes that he's "probably not the first person to learn French out of spite."

Politics and Activism

Multiple Sclerosis Society

Orlov has gained notoriety outside of motorsports for his extensive involvement with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. His mother was diagnosed with the disease in 1999, and he has been involved with the organization for almost 15 years. His mother died from complications due to multiple sclerosis shortly after the 2016 Round of Mexico. His current helmet design incorporates a lighthouse motif, a tribute to her.

The MS Society has been a sponsor on Orlov's cars at every level of professional motorsports, and he has hosted several charity events in their name, including charity raffles and benefit concerts. He has a clause in his contract that requires at least one primarily orange paint scheme per year - orange is the official color for MS awareness - and typically runs orange cars during MS Awareness month in March.

Black Lives Matter

Orlov has been an outspoken proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement since 2015; he has taken part in numerous demonstrations and rallies in support of the movement, and has been a vocal critic of motorsports' lack of representation of people of color at its highest levels.

In an interview on the Today Show in 2020 regarding the Black Lives Matter movement in motorsports, Orlov lambasted the show, its producers, and its hosts for bringing him on as the representative for motorsports. In his interview, he questioned why "when there are a litany of prominent black voices to choose from, including a race engineer, an owner, and multiple drivers, did you choose to have a white guy from Connecticut speak on their behalf?" He further criticized one of the hosts, Chris Miles, for an article he wrote in 2016 deriding Orlov for his support of the movement, stating that Miles only came around when "public opinion was too obvious for even you to ignore."

The interview went viral, with many commentators praising Orlov for calling out the hypocrisy of the media in light of the movement; the criticism of Miles (and greater sports media as a whole) for their sudden about-face regarding Black Lives Matter struck a chord with supporters, and Miles (and his former employer, The Sports Network) was forced to retract his 2016 article in light of the scrutiny.

Racing Record

Complete World Stock Car Championship Results

Year	Entrant	Number	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	WSCC	Pts
2014	Team Holden SV	77	Holden
2015
2016	Team LSR	23	Chevrolet
2017
2018
2019
2020	Thompson Brothers Racing	62	Dodge
2021

Complete World Stock Car Lites Results

Year	Entrant	Number	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	DC	Pts
2013	Team LSR	6	Chevrolet
2014
2015

Complete Eurocup Results

Year	Entrant	Number	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	DC	Pts
2009	Chevrolet GTL	96	Chevrolet Cruze
2010
2011

Complete Pacific Championship Results

Year	Entrant	Number	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	DC	Pts
2010-2011	Team Holden SV	77	Holden Commodore
2011-2012
2012-2013

Complete Indianapolis 500 Results

Year Team Car Start Finish Laps Led Retired 2016 Albanesi Autosport 26 12 6 200 0 Running 2017 Team CJR 06 5 7 200 2 Running 2018 Team CJR 06 4 8 200 4 Running 2019 Fullman Autosport 23 12 18 199 0 Running 2021 Team CJR 96 31 4 200 17 Running

Starts 5 Poles 0 Front Row 0 Wins 0 Top 5 1 Top 10 4 Retired 0

Endurance Racing

Complete U.S. Sportscar Championship Results

Year	Team	Class	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pos.	Points
2019	Team CJR	DPi	Cadillac DPi	DAY 1	SEB	LBG	DET	WGI	MOS	ELK	LAG	ATL				27th	35
2020	Team CJR	DPi	Acura ARX-05	DAY 3	DAY 4	SEB	ELK	ATL	MDO	ATL	SEB 1					11th	125
2021	Team CJR	DPi	Acura ARX-05	DAY 4	SEB 1	MDO 3	DET 1	WGI 1	WGI 1	LRP	ELK 2	LAG 1	LBG 5	VIR	ATL 1	1st	3577

Complete 24 Hours of Daytona Results

Year	Team	Co-Driver	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class
2011	Quothraven Motorsports	Alain Roberts Mateo Albanesi Eric Larssen	Chevrolet Camaro	GT	675	16th	4th
2012	Mellon Autosport	Alejandro Gonzalez Martin Galway Jos Linssen	Chevrolet Corvette	DP	746	8th	8th
2014	Pike Motorsports	Henry Pierce Felix Klein Markus Hertz	Chevrolet Corvette	P	693	4th	4th
2015	Pike Motorsports	Henry Pierce Mark Vultero Giovanni Martinelli	Chevrolet Corvette	P	734	3rd	3rd
2016	Corvette Racing	Gavin Ray Luke Stevens	Chevrolet Corvette	GTLM	722	7th	1st
2017	Team CJR	Carlo Fernandes Markus Lewald	Cadillac DPI	P	659	2nd	2nd
2018	Team CJR	Carlo Fernandes Markus Lewald	Cadillac DPI	P	793	10th	10th
2019	Team CJR	Carlo Fernandes Markus Lewald Taylor Dawson	Cadillac DPI	DPi	593	1st	1st
2020	Team CJR	Carlo Fernandes Markus Lewald Taylor Dawson	Acura ARX-05	DPi	833	3rd	3rd
2021	Team CJR	David Cooke José María Beltrán Taylor Dawson	Acura ARX-05	DPi	807	4th	4th
2022	Team CJR	David Cooke Taylor Dawson	Acura ARX-05	DPi	761	2nd	2nd

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring Results

Year	Team	Co-Driver	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class
2020	Team CJR	Sebastien Dubois	Acura ARX-05	DPi	348	1st	1st
2021	Team CJR	José María Beltrán	Acura ARX-05	DPi	349	1st	1st

Complete 8 Hours of Bahrain Results

Year	Team	Co-Driver	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class
2019	Scuderia Dolfini	Giovanni Rizzi	Ferrari 488 GTE	LMGTE Pro	235	14	2nd

Complete Lone Star Le Mans Results

Year	Team	Co-Driver	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class
2020	Scuderia Dolfini	Giovanni Rizzi	Ferrari 488 GTE	LMGTE Pro	172	15	3rd

Links

Sporting Positions
Previous Hector Carmona Ricky Boone	United States Sports Car Champion 2021 (with José María Beltrán)	Next Incumbent
Achievements
Previous Tito Karrico Fernando Almare Juan Borgia	24 Hours of Daytona Winner 2019 (with Carlo Fernandes, Markus Lewald, Taylor Dawson)	Next Sam Davidson Ricky Boone Roger van der Poel Kazuo Hasegawa
Previous Pedro De La Cruz Josh van Orm	12 Hours of Sebring Winner 2020 (with Sebastien Dubois) 2021 (with José María Beltrán)	Next Incumbent
Previous Arlo Daniel Lynn Sawyer	Snowball Derby Winners 2008 2010, 2011	Next Lynn Sawyer Vincent Scott