Singer and actor Reba McEntire had a part in helping her son, Shelby Blackstock, get his feet wet in the racing world. What activity has the country superstar been watching on their farm that may have helped Blackstock prepare for his profession? And did she know then that he dreamed of becoming a racing driver?
Shelby Blackstock drove Reba McEntire around their farm on a golf cart
Although McEntire has claimed several children while counting stepchildren from two previous marriages, Blackstock is her only biological child. He was born in 1990 during her marriage to former manager, Narvel Blackstock.
As McEntire recalled, the younger Blackstock got his racing feet wet on their family farm under her supervision.
“Shelby would jump on the golf cart and he would drive. He could barely touch the accelerator,” she explained to CMT’s Cody Alan After Midnit. “He would drive me around everywhere and he would say, ‘Wait a minute! It’s going to be a bumpy ride!’”
But that doesn’t mean McEntire wanted to jump into a race car with her son. “I’ve never been on the track with him,” she said. “Don’t mean it either.”
Of course, his biggest fan is sometimes in the stands.
Reba McEntire ‘had no idea’ Shelby Blackstock wanted to be a racing driver
According to McEntire, Blackstock’s love for cars started when he was a “little boy” and he could name the makes, models and years of vehicles they saw on their travels. But she was surprised when he came to her in his freshman year of college and told her he wanted to be a racing driver.
The multi-talented country superstar told CMT she “had no idea” and at the time wondered, “Who are you and what have you done with Shelby?”
In a video narrated by McEntire and shared on YouTube, she explained how much Blackstock’s announcement surprised her. “You could have punched me in the face, and I wouldn’t have been more shocked,” she said.
However, he explained to her how unhappy he was in college and thought he would be more satisfied in life as a race car driver. And although she was initially “horrified” by it, she did what she could to support him in pursuing his dream.
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Reba McEntire compared Shelby Blackstock’s love of racing to her own passions
While McEntire admitted to being surprised by Blackstock’s choice to become a race car driver, she revealed that the nature of the business seems really familiar to her. It reminds her of two of her own passions: music and rodeo.
“It’s like being in the rodeo business. You know everyone and it’s all like a family,” she said of racing. “And then the music business – it’s all like a family.”
And while she confessed that she still gets a little nervous watching Blackstock at times, she concluded she “couldn’t be happier” for him. “Boy, that roar is awesome,” she commented of the sounds of racing.
RELATED: Reba McEntire Said About Divorce From Narvel Blackstock: ‘It Was Best To Take My Marbles And Go Play Somewhere Else’