Anyone who has experienced parenthood knows that, although it can be a highly rewarding task, it is not easy. And when countless hours on the job and seemingly endless travel are added into the mix, playing the role of dad becomes even more challenging.
With this being Father’s Day weekend, here are some thoughts from fathers who are having to find ways to mix the two time consuming roles of Dirt Late Model drivers and dad:
Tim McCreadie
Tim McCreadie has two children- Gavin(son) & Cambria(daughter)
“It’s probably good and bad. Anytime you’re a dad and you feel like you’re doing the best you can for your kids it’s always rewarding, you know, when they’re happy and everything and life’s good. The hard part for me, a lot of times where I live, it’s hard because school is still going on up where we live so to get to bring them around is hard. I don’t always make it home every Father’s Day, which is probably like most things in life as a race car driver or a crew guy, the calendar doesn’t really always fall the way it does for everybody else in the world. But it’s rewarding, very rewarding.”
Jonathan Davenport
Jonathan Davenport has one child- Blane(son)
“It’s kind of miserable actually because I don’t get to be home to see my son a lot. I ain’t been home in three weeks but they’re coming here tonight so that’s going to be rewarding. He gets to come when he’s out of school but it’s tough, it’s just tough. Being away so much is definitely the hardest, but once again, when our schedule ain’t so busy, I get to be home more. There’s pros and cons to all of it.”
Chris Madden
Chris Madden has three children- Parker(son), Payton(daughter), & Avery(son)
“It’s very tough. You miss a lot of time with him at home doing his thing. They definitely grow up way quicker than you realize. It seems like he was just five yesterday and now I took him to try for his driver’s license because he’s 15 now. You look back and say ‘Man, where did all that time go?’. You question yourself a lot, obviously- ‘Did I spend enough time with him?’ and ‘Did I do this and did I do that?’. But also, I’m out here trying to make a living and give him the best life I can give him too. It’s difficult.
“He does have a few things on the other kids. Sometimes he gets to go to school on Monday and brag on dad. I’m fortune enough to have a great kid and I have two other kids too along the way in my time doing this. You miss a lot of time with them. I cherish every bit of the time that I do have. There’s a lot of late nights trying to get home from races to see him and to go to tournaments when he’s playing on Sundays. But I have to weigh things. I’m going to miss next week because we’re going to watch him play ball in Florida for a week so I will miss Lernerville. Sometimes you’ve got to put him first.”
Brandon Sheppard
Brandon Sheppard has two children- Jase(son), Addison(daughter) & a son on the way
“It’s definitely pretty awesome. My kids are my biggest supporters. Being gone from them as much as we are sucks at times but just seeing their smiles and their faces when we go home makes it all worth it. Like I said, they’re my biggest supporters and whether we win or lose, they’re always happy to see me. It’s pretty awesome and we have another one of the way. It’s definitely exciting and fun to watch them grow and get into racing a little bit.”
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