BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Two longtime members of the motorsports community, Billy Kann and Becky McBride have joined the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Board of Directors.
Kann, owner of an Interstate Battery distributorship, competed as driver and team owner over 13 seasons in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, now NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West. McBride, a NASCAR Cup Series registrar and ARCA West technical inspector, joined the industry as a teenager at Cajon Speedway.
“We are very pleased to have Billy Kann come aboard,” said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. “We have needed a greater presence in Arizona for some time and his appointment fills that need.
“No one is more present and connected within the NASCAR community than Becky McBride. She is visible year-round at functions and events and knows the racing business from the grassroots forward. We are very fortunate to have both Billy Kann and Becky McBride join us.”
A native of Elgin, Illinois, Kann, 61, began his career with Interstate Batteries in the Chicagoland area in 1980. He and his family – wife Becky and children Lyz and Bill – moved to Phoenix to start their own distributorship in 1990.
Kann’s B & B Motorsports team joined NASCAR West in 1995. Kann posted five top-10 finishes and also competed in a trio of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events. Kann’s final West race, at Phoenix Raceway in 2019, saw both father and son in the starting field.
Closure of Cajon Speedway in 2005 presented McBride with the opportunity to take a similar role with a number of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams, including Roush Racing for West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Greg Biffle, Jon Wood and Kyle Busch.
Over the past 20 years, McBride has been a part of all of NASCAR’s regional and national series in a variety of roles. She also worked for Global Rally Cross.