Front-wheel-drive racer Nathan Adams (center) and his wife, Amber, named their children “Chevy” (left) and “Chelbi” (right). Chevy, 10, takes his name after the iconic car brand.
“I’ve always liked Chevrolets, and that was our first kid, so me and my wife agreed that [Chevy] would be a good name,” Adams said. “I have an ’87 Chevrolet square body [truck], with a big block, that I drive every day. [I haul my race car with a] 2007 Chevrolet dually.”
Chelbi, 5, got her name for different reasons than her big brother.
“We wanted to stick with the same [first] letters in their first names,” said Adams. “My wife chose that one. [Having two kids with names after cars] was a coincidence after we had thought of it.”
Incidentally, Carroll Shelby’s beginnings as an automobile designer includes a brief connection with Chevrolet. During the late 1950s, Shelby pitched GM the idea of a Chevrolet Corvette with a new, lighter, sleeker aluminum body from Carrozzeria Scaglietti. GM rejected Shelby’s proposal, fearing Shelby’s version would outsell the GM’s. Fortunately, Adams said he loves both Chevy and Chelbi alike. While Carroll Shelby went on to work with Ford for many years, Chevy and Chelbi don’t battle tooth and nail like Chevrolet and Ford typically do.
“They don’t usually fight or argue,” Adams said. “They really look out for each other.”
Despite his love for Chevrolets, Adams has raced other makes.
With a Ford LTD, he won five street stock races, with victories coming at a pair of Tennessee ovals — Crossville Speedway and I-75 Raceway outside of Sweetwater.
“[Other racers] weren’t very happy about it,” said Adams. “It was a Ford and it was outrunning the Chevrolets.”
With a Honda, Adams won the 2013 front-wheel-drive (FWD) championship at Mountain View Raceway in Spring City, Tennessee.
“It was trouble after trouble,” Adams said of the Honda. “They make good power, but aren’t as reliable as a Chevrolet or Dodge.”
With a Dodge, he earned another FWD championship, winning the 2019 title at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, Tennessee.
Nowadays, Nathan Adams steers a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt SS in FWD competition.
“[Chevrolets] are reliable,” said Adams. “They come with enough horsepower stock, and they’re always up front.”
As his children grow older, both seem interested in following their father’s footsteps.
“[Chevy and Chelbi are] always outside with me in the garage, helping me with the cars,” Adams said. “You tell [Chelbi] we’re getting ready to go to the racetrack, and she’s the first one in the truck. We’re looking into getting [Chevy] one of those Sharp mini late models.”
A Chevy racing a car with a Suzuki engine? It may sound strange, but if the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, expect Chevy to continue the family’s winning ways, regardless of what’s under the hood.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
