Photo – Kip Childress Twitter page
Kip Childress, Series Director of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West is our next guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, December 15, 2014 at 9:30 pm ET. Call 714-202-9918 during the LIVE broadcast with any questions or comments.
Within NASCAR there are a number of families carrying their love of racing throughout generations of the sport, including several legendary names such as Petty, Earnhardt, Jarrett, and more recently the well-known families of, Burton, Blaney and Elliott. And among all the familiar names in the sport there are some lesser known families carrying their love of the sport across generations and from behind the scenes.
For anyone carrying their family name throughout generations of their shared journey, there’s a sense of pride in knowing one’s roots run deep within their career path. And for Kip Childress, Series’ Director of NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West those roots span three generations of memories.
“My grandfather, Gaither Childress, was a Chief Steward at Bowman Gray Stadium and helped promote and organize many other events throughout the Carolinas in the 1960’s alongside Enoch Staley, Alvin Hawkins, and of course, Big Bill France. My father, Lance Childress, also got his start at Bowman Gray and went on to be an official at many levels of the sport including serving as director of the Baby Grand Division – which later became the Goody’s Dash Series – and the Budweiser Sportsman Series – which is now the Nationwide Series and in 2015 is becoming the Xfinity Series.
“It was great being a kid at the race track in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I had the opportunity to meet many of yesterday’s and today’s stars before they became the superstars of NASCAR. During several summers I spent almost as much time around drivers like Jack Ingram, Sam Ard, Tommy Houston, and Morgan Shepherd as I did some of my friends in my old neighborhood. I saw Dale Earnhardt win his first race at Bristol Motor Speedway and Richard Petty win his last at Daytona International Speedway.”
Childress’ childhood memories of those drivers before they were superstars of NASCAR are only part of what inspired him to continue his family interest in the sport.
“As an official’s son, I grew up around some of the people who helped mold and guide our sport to where NASCAR is today.
“My earliest memories are of a giant of a man in Big Bill France and of course, his son Bill France Jr. I remember sitting in the back row of race control at North Wilkesboro Speedway next to Bill Jr, during a Winston Cup event. I was no more than nine or ten years old, and he kept passing peppermint after peppermint my way. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to keep me occupied or pump me full of sugar for the 45-minute ride home with my dad after the race. Either way, he took the time to point out different things throughout the race, something he surely didn’t have to do. I admired him then, and still do to this day.”
Other legends inspiring Childress throughout his childhood include, his great-uncle Enoch Staley, who was his grandmother’s brother. Helping along with other family members at North Wilksboro Speedway, Childress’ first job in racing was a social media coördinator, distributing advertising brochures of their upcoming events as fans came into the gates of the track. Childress recalls, that gave him a chance to meet another behind the scenes family, Earl and Winston Kelley, who were responsible for the public address announcing duties for many years at North Wilkesboro. Winston Kelley now manages NASCAR’s Hall of Fame.
Many behind the scenes families influencing Childress and the sport, include Bill Galick, who managed races in Virginia and North Carolina. David Hoots, NASCAR’s Managing Event Director, whose influence is only surpassed by his dad as someone he’s known longer than any other official. Hoots started working for Lance Childress after graduating from high school. Pete Babb, Bobby Scruggs, Carl Simmons, Dennis Dillard and Tim and Marion Hudson – all from southeastern short tracks – went on to work in the Busch Series (now the Xfinity Series). Hoot Auton and his sons Buster and Wayne are from the Hickory area. Buster manages NASCAR’s fleet of vehicles that go from track to track and Wayne is the Xfinity Series Director. Morris Metcalf, Gene Painter, Jimmy Howell and so many others – more than can possibly be named – are all influential.
“While many boys my age grew up dreaming of being a race car driver, I had the dream of being a NASCAR official and following along in the footsteps of my father and my grandfather. I am proud to say that I am a third generation NASCAR official, and the fact that our Chairman and CEO, Brian France, is a third generation NASCAR leader makes me even more proud to part of this unique family.”