Jeffrey Elmer Schwartz was born on June 12, 1958, in
Bemidji, Minnesota, to Dale Elmer Schwartz and Patricia (Leseman) Schwartz. A lifelong automobile and motorcycle enthusiast, Schwartz subscribed to
Hot Rod Magazine and learned to weld when he was 12 years old. He went on to become an accomplished
machinist with an extensive career in manufacturing and product design. Spending most of his career managing automotive parts and equipment manufacturing plants, Schwartz raced whenever possible. Schwartz started his racing career as a Motocross rider in the 1970s. Competing in an average of 36
American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) sanctioned events per year, Schwartz won awards on
Puch and
Monark motorcycles that were modified and equipped with his own custom designed long travel suspension systems. His competitive automobile racing began in 1979 when Schwartz won the National Council of Corvette Club Midwest Regional Championship both in Overall Points and Speed in his first year of competition. In the 80's, his professional road racing put Schwartz in control of various race cars from four and six-cylinder front-wheel-drive Sport Compacts to V8-powered
GT1 Corvettes and
IMSA Camaros. Throughout the 1982 Central Division race season, Schwartz was inspired by Jerry Hansen, the father of TV Host and personality
Courtney Hansen, to adopt a more refined racing style noting Hanson's aggressive but smooth style. Schwartz continued on to win numerous races, including the
June Sprints, setting a new Showroom Stock B record at Road America, set 5 SCCA National Track records and be named the 1982
SCCA Chicago Region "Rookie Driver of the Year". His 1982 SCCA year was highlighted by earning Pole Position at the
SCCA National Championship Run offs in which Schwartz, as Tom Mulhern wrote, "turned some heads with his performance, especially considering he was the only rookie in the field of 18 drivers from across the country" but lost due to mechanical failure. He was featured in several
Goodyear Tire magazine ads and in 1983 moved to
IMSA Pro Races, setting fastest race laps, leading and finishing on the podium at several events and receiving more public exposure. Late 1983, Schwartz earned a spot in the Renault Elf
Winfield Racing School at
Circuit Paul Ricard in France to try out for a full-time ride with Renault Racing in Europe. Losing his chance by two-tenths of a second, Schwartz was the USA group runner-up for the ride that was ultimately earned by
Gerhard Berger, who went on to
Formula One Racing fame. ==Pro-touring-car building==