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It Looks Like Arie's Racing Days Are Far From Over, 'Bachelor' Fans

by Megan Walsh

As of right now, the defining quality of The Bachelor's Arie Luyendyk Jr. seems to be the profession he's spent nearly his entire life pursuing. Arie may also sell homes in Arizona on the side, but he's been racing cars since he was a teenager and he's competed in quite a few races over the years. But when was the last time The Bachelor's Arie raced?

Arie is no longer racing full time. Instead, he's racking up commissions as a real estate agent in Scottsdale and trying to win the hearts of 29 women on television. But that doesn't mean that racing is no longer a part of his life; getting away from it entirely would probably be impossible, since his father is also a retired driver and his grandfather owned a garage and raced as well. When the need for speed is embedded in your DNA like that, there's no avoiding getting behind the wheel.

Despite the fact that Arie has multiple responsibilities to juggle, he's still making time for racing cars. His last turn around the track was mere weeks ago. He posted a picture of himself on Instagram ready to drive on Dec. 16, 2017, captioning it, "We race again tonight! Feels good to put the suit on and do battle with @ssupertrucks. Come out and bring the kids to Lake Elsinore Diamond Stadium tonight!"

There were regular posts about racing on Arie's social media accounts throughout 2017, so he definitely hasn't retired yet. According to his Bachelor bio on the ABC website, Arie has "stepped away from the spotlight and focused on his new career in real estate," but there have been other indications that it's not all about open houses for him. When he announced that he had become a realtor on Twitter in September 2016, he referred to it as his "winter career." The implication seems to be that Arie sells houses during the colder months, but returns to race car driving once it warms up. He even links his two jobs by calling himself the "Racing Realtor."

Arie jumped right back into the driver's seat as soon as he was done filming The Bachelor, according to a tweet he posted in December. And apparently the competition had as many feelings as Bachelor fans did about Arie taking the lead spot ahead of Rachel Lindsay's runner-up Peter Kraus. They made their feelings clear to Arie by slapping a #NotPeter sticker on his truck, just so he wouldn't forget. That is a bold move, but I respect it. It's definitely one way to psych someone out before a race. Kidding! It seems like it was all in good fun.

Not only is Arie still racing, he's also taking home victories. He emerged as the winner of his Dec. 16 race at Lake Elsinore Diamond Stadium. Stadium Super Trucks announced that both Arie and the second place winner, Matthew Brabham, would be transferring to the main event. I don't pretend to be an expert at racing lingo, nor do I fully understand exactly how one progresses through a competition, but there appear to be more races in Arie's future. He hasn't revealed any 2018 challenges yet, but it's still January; there's no telling what the new year will hold for him.

Though fans can guess. In February 2017, Arie tweeted his excitement about "racing, real estate, and more TV appearances." If his schedule was that full a year ago, it's bound to explode now that he's back in the public eye looking for love. It seems like his career balancing act will be continuing into the next 12 months.

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