Chad Hackenbracht – Kyle Busch Motorsports
Michelle Hoskin, January 20th, 2015
Racegear.com
This week we are profiling another promising young driver, Chad Hackenbracht. In 2003, Chad started racing quarter midgets at the age of 12 and has progressively been climbing the ladder to success. During the off-season between the 2012 and 2013 season Chad and his father, Greg, met with a few teams and soon inked a deal with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports for a partial schedule throughout 2013, as well as a deal with TriStar Motorsports for a partial NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Chad drives the #51 truck part time for the NASCAR truck series.
Chad comes from Ohio, and has been in North Carolina since his middle school years.
#51 Truck (In 2014, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones split the 51 truck, with Busch driving 10 races and Jones driving 12 races).
Our Interview:
Michelle: At what age did you start racing?
Chad Hackenbracht: I started racing at 14
M: Your greatest achievement?
C: Greatest achievement has to be winning at Pocono in 2012 in ARCA, as well as being a part of the #51 KBM 2013 Camping World Truck Series owners championship
M: Your favorite track to race at?
C: Favorite track is a tie between Salem, Indiana and Pocono, PA
M: Your least favorite track?
C: Langley Speedway in Virginia.
M: Your ‘model/idol’ in racing?
C: Mark Martin, he was very well respected and raced everyone clean.
M: Does anyone else in your family race?
C: I am the only family member to be in racing
M: What team/sponsors are you under?
C: In my career I have been under Tastee Apple, Kyle Busch Motorsports, TriStar Motorsports, Ingersoll Rand, Trane heating and cooling, Eibach springs, and Sparco racing equipment to name a few
Chad with Kyle and Samantha Busch next to the 51 truck and championship trophy.
M: Ever been in a wreck and were you scared?
C: The closest to scared in a wreck would be after I flipped at Daytona in 2011 and after the wreck I was sitting in the middle of the track and was almost hit by another car a lap after the wreck happened.
M: What series do you race in?
C: Most recently, I have raced in the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series.
M: How many races a season?
C: I raced 55 races when I raced legends cars, 22 in ARCA, and combined 11 in Nationwide and Trucks in 2013
M: Your thoughts on the Chase point system?
C: I love the new eliminator format. Sometimes not so fair, but keeps things exciting and that’s what the sport needs currently
M: Your thoughts on the fines doled out last season for fighting?
C: Most recently I believe NASCAR laid off the fines for fighting which I think is great.
M: Your family?
C: My immediate family lives down here in NC, all transplanted from Ohio. I have an older brother and an older sister
M: If you weren’t racing, what would you be doing for a living?
C: If I weren’t racing I would own my own business. I’m not sure what, but I would be working towards a goal of owning my own business or businesses.
M: What message would you give other young drivers just starting out?
C: Never give up, and treat everyone you ever come into contact with, with respect. You never know who the CEO or owner of a company may be, or that driver you just got into it with, you never know some day down the road he may be sidelined for whatever reason and need a relief driver.
M: If you could race one-on-one with ANY racer, who would it be and why?
C: That’s a tough one. I’m not exactly sure, I would say, all things even racing in the same level of equipment, Kyle Busch. I believe he is one of the greatest race car drivers there is.
Chad, 2013
M: Favorite food?
C: Japanese, I could eat Japanese all day for weeks on end.
M: Favorite music?
C: Everything, I’ll be listening to rap on song, then change to country. Though, country I listen to the most
M: Your future in racing? Where would you like to be in say, 5 – 10
years?
C: I would like to be full-time in any of the top 3 series and be happy.
External Links:
http://chadhackenbracht.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ChadHackenbrachtPage?ref=stream&fref=nf
http://www.kylebuschmotorsports.com/
Twitter: @Hockensomethin
