CJ Wilson retiring from baseball, going into car racing

Former Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson is retiring from baseball, but he’s not quite ready to take it easy and golf seven days a week. Instead, Wilson is seeking a bigger thrill than the one he got on the diamond.

In an interview with KFSN in Fresno this week, Wilson revealed that he is hanging up the cleats and going into car racing full time. The 36-year-old already owns a racing team, and he recently purchased the BMW, Audi & Porsche dealerships in Fresno.

Wilson was asked if there are any similarities between pitching and his new venture.

“As a pitcher, generally, faster is better. It’s kind of like driving, and at the same time it’s also about control,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. Mentally, not allowing yourself to get so amped up that you get muscly and kind of flex or whatever. In a car when you’re driving on a race track, you have to be mindful and very zen in terms of how you try to do stuff with the car. If you’re going 100 mph and you do the wrong thing, it goes really bad really fast.

“It’s the same thing if you try to reach back and throw the ball by somebody. If you don’t have it in the tank that day, the dude’s gonna hit it over the fence and you’re gonna lose. I’ve been there. I’ve made all my mistakes as a baseball player that I’ll ever make, so that’s good. No more home runs to give up. As a race car driver, I’m sure I’m gonna have crashes and stuff like that ahead of me.”

You can see Wilson’s full interview below:

Wilson missed the entire 2016 season with a shoulder injury, but a recent report made it seem like he still planned on pitching. Apparently his other passion has fully taken over.