June 20, 2010
By Kim Roberson
Kim Roberson
|
I don’t quite know what is in the water down near Lake Norman, but it appears that some kind of fertility magic has been spread through the system.
The NASCAR baby boom is already in full swing, with Elliott Sadler welcoming son Wyatt back on February 15th, and Carl Edwards having welcomed daughter Anne just over a week later.
Jimmie Johnson is officially on baby watch as wife Chandra waits at home for the birth of their first child, a daughter. A plane will be gassed up and ready to take off at a moment’s notice every weekend until the baby is born, just in case Chandra goes into labor at any point during the weekend. Aric Almarola has been tagged to be on standby in case the call comes, and Jimmie needs to make a hasty departure before or during the race. Johnson says that even though today is Father’s Day, he isn’t a dad yet, and thinks of today as any other race day -- however he expects that will change a year from now. “I guess once I meet my daughter and experience all that, next year will be a whole different situation. Right now, I know (fatherhood) is out there but there is really nothing in my heart pulling me to it unless, she comes before hand, then it will be a whole different experience. We are excited. (Thursday) we had an appointment with the doctor and everything is great. We aren't expecting anything in the next couple of weeks to happen. Baby is healthy, Channi is doing great. She is at home. No more traveling for her at this point. We are just kind of wait and see."
Next on the hit parade is Jimmie’s teammate, Jeff Gordon. Wife Ingrid is pregnant with the couple’s second child, a son, and is set to deliver later this summer. Gordon is happy that Father’s Day is being spent in California this weekend, because it means he gets to spend time with his own father and step-father, but the exchange is he isn’t able to spend time with his daughter, Ella. “I’ve got my stepfather and my father here this weekend which is cool; the only thing on the unfortunate side is that my wife and my daughter were not able to travel this weekend, so I’m going to miss them for father’s day. We’ve got some big plans for when I get back, plus it’s my daughter’s birthday. Father’s day definitely takes on a whole new meaning when you are a father. This weekend, the focus for me is really going to be on my [dad and stepdad] that are here and are enjoying spending a race day together, and hopefully in victory lane with them.”
He says he has been giving Jimmie a few tips for being a first time dad, but admits a lot of the experience you learn as a parent is gained from hands on experience. “I still had no clue what (being a first time dad) really entails, and how exciting and challenging it truly is until you go through it. So I’m kind of at that stage where I look forward to when he and Chandra have the baby. I can say ‘well, how was it?’ and get that reaction. I just know how excited he is and what a great dad he is going to be. I know he’s going to light up like I did.”
As for whether he is making plans to dash off and be with Ingrid for the arrival of child No. 2, Gordon laughed at the idea. “Man, I’m on baby number two; you don’t make all those plans.”
Soon to follow the Gordon’s are the Montoyas. Juan Pablo and his wife Connie are expecting their third child, a boy, at about the same time as the Gordon’s.
Montoya, who has a five-year-old son, Sebastian, and a three-year-old daughter, Paulina, will be presented with the National Fatherhood Initiative award, along with fellow drivers Jeff Burton and Michael Waltrip, during pre-race festivities today. Montoya will be honored with this award for successfully balancing his busy career with the needs of his children and family.
The latest addition to the baby boom is Jamie McMurray, who announced this weekend that he and wife Christy will become parents sometime around December 5th. They will be racing SPEED TV reporter Wendy Venturini, who announced last weekend that she and husband Jarrad Egert (director of track operations at Joe Gibbs racing), are expecting their first child just after Christmas. Venturini made the announcement via Twitter last weekend, and added that she will “be off camera Homestead to Daytona, but not a single NASCAR Raceday will be missed! Be prepared to watch my baby bump grow!”
Matt Kenseth, who kicked off the special deliveries last year with the arrival of daughter Kalin (and happens to be the only non-Chevy driver involved in the recent baby race), says he isn’t surprised at the number of new parents popping up on the radar of late. “I think the sport and what it goes through with some of the older guys retired and then you’ve got younger guys in there that will eventually end up meeting someone and getting married, and naturally most of them end up having kids. It’s just that kind of time right now where everyone seems to be having kids, so it’s pretty fun." He added “Kalin will have some friends (her own age) around the track.”
Regardless of what is causing it, it is nice to spend this Father’s Day thinking about how the men on the track are preparing to be the best fathers they can be. Thanks to all the coverage on TV, radio, and on the internet, we’ll be right there with them as they welcome their new additions to the world, and we’ll be able to watch them grow and mature into the fathers they, and we, all hope they are capable of being.
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there -- including my own dad, who will be spending part of today flipping between the race in Sonoma, and the U.S. Open golf tournament down the road a bit in Pebble Beach. I love you dad!
You can contact Kim at..