Jared Turner: Truck series driver David Starr is on the winning team in parenthood
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver David Starr holds his infant son, David Jr. // David Starr, Courtesy
COMMENTARY
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver David Starr has been a different man since the birth of his first child, David Jr., on March 12.
Not that this revelation, which Starr shared while speaking informally after a recent phone interview, is altogether surprising.
Becoming a parent, so I’ve always been told, is a life-changing experience for just about any new mom or dad.
For Starr, who competes for HT Motorsports in NASCAR’s No. 3 series, having a son has made him more passionate about driving but also caused him to adjust the way he views time away from the track.
“I’ve always had that burning desire to win and do good, but when my son was born, it was like somebody threw some more fuel on that fire,” he said. “I just want to win and race good for my family, but when I get home I let go a little bit of the racing and really enjoy my son. That’s the difference from not having a kid to having a son now.”
To hear a four-time Truck winner be so candid about his desire for a life outside the sport is a breath of fresh air in today’s busy NASCAR world, where family activities can get submerged somewhere in a sea of multimillion-dollar sponsorships, corporate jets and seven-post shaker rigs.
Don’t get the wrong idea about Starr, though. Racing and cars are still a huge part of his life. That’s why he continues to operate a showcar simulator business in his native Texas. The desire to run well and compete at a high level remains as strong as ever for Starr, who is currently a solid fifth in the Truck points standings.
But while racing still plays a pivotal role in Starr’s life, having a child has made him prioritize more than going fast in his No. 24 Toyota truck.
So instead of competing in his dirt-track car on off weekends back home in Texas, Starr finds himself spending more time with his wife, Kim, and now five-and-a-half month-old child.
“I think it kind of just puts life in perspective, you know what I mean?” Starr, 41, said of becoming a parent.
Of course, the whole reason for our conversation turning to the topic of children was my sharing with Starr that my wife, Jennifer, is a little more than nine weeks pregnant with our first child.
Starr quickly offered a heartfelt congratulations and also offered a couple parenting tips that could prove to be helpful down the road.
“They require a lot of love, a lot of attention, and changing diapers is cool,” he said of babies. “It’s a lot of work, but you don’t even know it’s work. It’s just a cool thing.”
Our new arrival is expected for the end of March, the same weekend the Sprint Cup and Truck series traditionally visits Martinsville Speedway, a track in my home state of Virginia and one that I lobby to have included on my travel schedule every season.
I confessed to Starr that the thought of sitting out next spring’s race weekend at Martinsville wasn’t completely appealing but that I certainly would gladly do so if all goes according to plan on the pregnancy front.
“They’re only born one time, so if you’ve got to miss a race, there will be plenty more races at Martinsville,” he said with a laugh.
Starr then reflected on how he felt the day his son was born.
“Shoot, I cried like a baby,” he said. “I’m like, 'Man, I’m glad there’s nobody videotaping me.’ It’ll make a grown, tough man cry like a little baby. It is just the most precious moment ever. It’s really cool. So you’ve got a lot of cool things ahead of you.”
It sounds as if we both do.
