Image Source: ABC [1]

Jan. 1 is New Year's Day, but (arguably) more important, it's the season 22 premiere [2] of The Bachelor [3]. We haven't seen the leading man, Arie Luyendyk Jr., since he was the runner-up on Emily Maynard's season [4] of The Bachelorette [5] in 2012. So, of course, we want to catch up his life before the premiere. If there's one thing you need to know about this 36-year-old, it's that he has a seriously cool job.

Luyendyk Jr. followed in his father's footsteps as a race car driver. He's competed in the Indy 500 [6] and snagged a bronze medal in the 2015 X-Games. The new Bachelor has also put the petal to the medal in the Indy Lights Championships, where he has earned second, third, and fourth place medals. But get this — he was also named most popular driver for four consecutive years during his Indy Lights career. No wonder he was brought back years after his Bachelorette appearance! Check him out in a 2003 photo shoot:

Image Source: Getty / Jonathan Ferrey [7]

Luyendyk Jr.'s career takes him to some fun places. Over the Summer, he headed to Toronto to represent Honda [8]. He also races trucks, which looks equal parts exhilarating [9] and terrifying.

The race car driver is also a realtor in Scottsdale, AZ [10], having earned his real estate license [11] in 2016. Who can resist a handsome man who knows both cars and homes?