Arie's Racing Days May Be Few & Far Between

In Bachelor Nation, things aren't like they are in the real world. A key example is everyone's professions. For years, Bachelors like Nick Viall have nondescript job titles like "software salesman" or something. This year's Bachelor, Arie Luyendyk Jr., however, may have the most unique job title yet: race car driver. But is The Bachelor's Arie still a race car driver? He was first introduced to viewers in Season 8 of The Bachelorette way back in 2012, when some believed the world was going to end and everyone was singing "Call Me Maybe" (well, more so than they do now at least). He didn't win then-Bachelorette Emily Maynard's heart, but now he's getting a long-awaited second chance at love.

I know, I know. I wanted Peter Kraus to be the Bachelor too. Alas, it was not meant to be — but hey, Arie is the Bachelor around six years after his appearance on The Bachelorette, so anything is possible. Anyway, we can follow Peter the personal trainer on Instagram and watch all his stories... OK, I'm getting off track here. Point is, Peter had a quintessential Bachelor job: personal trainer. If there's someone mildly buff in the Bachelorette lexicon (oh, and there is), they're usually something like a trainer or "professional bodybuilder" or a perpetual student. Arie is different, though.

As I warm up to the idea of "Arie the Bachelor" (but mark my words, I will never forgive ABC for branding the month as "Janu-Arie"), I'm more and more curious about his profession. Arie's dad, Arie Sr., is also a race car driver — and a legendary one at that. NASCAR driver Arie Luyendyk Sr., known as "The Flying Dutchman" because of his heritage and also because he's fast AF, won the 1990 and 1997 Indianapolis 500 races. He was also inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2014. Arie followed in his dad's footsteps and also became a professional driver.

Beginning in 2002, Arie competed in the Indy Racing League's Indy Pro Series (now known as the Firestone Indy Lights) full-time for three seasons. According to his website, a career highlight for him was finishing second, third, and fourth in the Indy Lights Championship. He was also named "Most Popular Driver" for years running. He was active in the series up until 2008 and made a brief return in 2010, but then in 2013 (post-Bachelorette) switched to off-road racing. In an article by NBC Sports at the time, it said that that year Arie returned to racing full-time for the first time in five years.

Arie started racing Stadium Super Trucks. In 2015, Arie took home the bronze medal at the X-Games. While this year, Arie represented Honda for the "Fastest Seat in Sports," the Today Show reported that he's a former professional driver. So, then, what is the future Bachelor up to in order to make money these days? I'm sure the Sugar Bear Hair sponsorships haven't started rolling in yet. As it turns out, Arie does have a "normal" job, at least for now: a realtor. Arie is a realtor in Scottsdale, Arizona and earned his license last year. He even shared the news on Instagram:

In the caption, he mentioned that it was his "winter career" but...I'm not sure what his "summer career" is, or if it was a joke. While Arie doesn't seem to be racing full-time anymore, it's definitely still part of his life (and his family). I wonder if he'll be taking any of the contestants for a ride this season — except, this is The Bachelor, so I know he will be.

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