Arie Luyendyk, Jr. was dumped by Bachelorette Emily Maynard this spring on ABC, but the 30-year-old race car driver wasn't interested in getting a second shot at love as the network's next Bachelor.
"I passed on Bachelor this season, just to concentrate on racing," Luyendyk told Us Weekly at Thursday's Los Angeles Confidential Magazine Pre-Emmy party in West Hollywood. Intending to resume his career as a professional driver, the former reality TV contestant — whose rejection of the spinoff gave way for Roberto Martinez and Sean Lowe to be considered — credits his time on The Bachelorette with helping him refocus his priorities.
"I've moved on from the Bachelor franchise and I'm doing well. When I was in that environment, I gained a lot of clarity on what I wanted to do in life and for me it really made me just focus on my career when I got out," says Luyendyk. "That's my first love and I'm pursuing that right now."
That said, Maynard's ex — who placed second on the May finale to Maynard's new fiance Jef Holm — isn't shutting the door entirely on a future in television.
"I'll never say never. You just never know what the future can hold," he told Us. "I'm open to everything as long as it doesn't conflict with racing. Hopefully I won't be off the TV set for too long."
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