Kelly Bires Is Driven

His small, yet fit and athletic stature and the "badge or honor" called cauliflower ear would lead you to believe he was still involved in wrestling – not wrestling a 3,400-pound race car.

 But Kelly Bires has turned in his singlet for a firesuit. He’s quickly made his way up the NASCAR ladder and finds himself among the top young drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

The native of Mauston Wis., won a go-kart race at age 9 at Sugar River (Wis.) Raceway and the racing bait was set. “I was 15 when I won my first stock car race in Lake Geneva (Wis.),” he said.

He also raced Late Models at his home track, Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells and was the 2001 Allison Legacy Series champion.

During his high school years, he also was pulling “double-duty” as a two-sport standout. In addition to his racing, Bires was a two-time Wisconsin state prep wrestling champion and fielded Division I college scholarship offers.

His success at the local level caught the eye of one of NASCAR’s legendary racing families, the Woods. He proved himself quickly by winning the inaugural ARCA race at Iowa Speedway for the Wood Brothers organization in 2006 and also made his national series debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at that season’s fall race in Atlanta.

In 2007, Bires made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Nashville Superspeedway in the No. 47 Ford as a substitute driver for Jon Wood and finished 15th. He remained in the ride for the remainder of the season and was awarded a full-time opportunity in the No. 47 for JTG Racing this year. He’s a teammate of Australian star Marcos Ambrose.

What inspires Kelly Bires? Simple. “The fact that I made it to this level by working extremely hard. Nothing has been given to me. I want to win all the time and probably won’t be satisfied until we can,” he said.

He says Lowe’s Motor Speedway is his favorite track. “It’s a home field advantage for everyone (Bires now lives in Kannapolis, N.C.) and that’s where you always want to run well. I’ve only run there once and ran in the top-five all night. That definitely make you like the track as well.”

The most memorable moment thus far in his young racing career was in 2006 when he dominated the ASA Late Model season and won the First Supply All-Star race in Madison Wis.

In his free time he enjoys hunting, fishing, listening to live bands, “trying to play golf,” going to baseball games, and grilling.

Here’s more with Kelly Bires:

If you weren’t a race car driver, what would you be?
I still would work in the racing industry. Not sure which level, but I always have had a passion for racing.

Craziest/nicest thing a fan has ever done for you?
I don’t really have one that sticks out. Let me be around this business for a little longer and I will have some good ones.

If you could have dinner with two people who are no longer alive, who would they be?
Alan Kulwicki and Vince Lombardi.

Describe yourself in three words or less.
Driven for success

Nicknames?
There’s many my buddies call me. They aren’t G-rated so I can’t tell you.

Most prized possession?
My dog, Raven.