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Did You Know Reba McEntire Has a Race Car Driver Son? All About Her "Best Accomplishment"
The Voice’s new Coach Reba McEntire has plenty of accolades to her name, but she sees her only son, Shelby Blackstock, as her “best accomplishment” yet.
As the “Queen of Country,” Reba McEntire’s career is filled with Grammy wins and chart-topping hits, but as she sees it, her “best accomplishment” is her only son.
Who is Reba McEntire's son?
The new Coach on The Voice shares son Shelby Blackstock, a married race car driver, with her ex-husband Narvel Blackstock and it’s clear the mother and son duo have a tight bond (McEntire also remains close with her three former stepchildren Shawna, Chassidy and Brandon).
McEntire is frequently featured in photos on Shelby’s Instagram account, including one adorable shot of the country legend, Shelby, and his wife, Marissa Branch, wearing matching overalls and smiling at the camera during the family’s “first annual chili cook off.”
McEntire took to social media herself earlier this year to commemorate her son’s 33rd birthday with a slideshow of photos highlighting his life.
"Happy birthday Shelby! Best accomplishment I’ve ever done in my life! Love you so much!" she wrote, according to Taste of Country.
So, just what do we know about McEntire’s only son?
What to Know About Shelby Blackstock
Shelby was born on February 23, 1990, just months before McEntire released her 16th album Rumor Has It. The album included the fan-favorite hit “Fancy,” which, according to PEOPLE, McEntire sang for her son and his new bride during their Disney World wedding reception in 2022.
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Despite having famous parents, McEntire told the news outlet in October 2022 that she never wanted her son to grow up with a feeling of privilege and instilled the same values in him that she learned growing up in Chockie, Oklahoma.
"When we would play games or cards, I'd never let Shelby win," she said. "He wouldn't have learned anything that way. I always told Shelby, 'I'll always love you, but I want other people to like you. So don't be a little jerk. Don't be a spoiled brat.'"
She called Shelby her “gift from God,”
“We’re very close,” she said. “I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby. But then there’s a little character who you are given the job to protect and nurture and love and teach, so all the attention’s not on you anymore.”
Despite her demands as a recording artist, McEntire did her best to make sure she was home to take her son to school and pick him up when his day ended, often taking him on the road when her schedule allowed.
How did Shelby Blackstock get his start as a race car driver?
As a teenager, Shelby headed off to college, but he soon cashed in his collegiate dreams for something a little more fast-paced.
“He came to me when he was a freshman in college and said, ‘I don’t want to go to college anymore. I want to be a race car driver!” McEntire once told podcast host Cody Alan.
McEntire confessed she had “no idea” her son was considering the shift, but her son’s need for speed didn’t exactly come as a surprise either.
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She told Alan Shelby got his “feet wet” growing up chasing geese in a golf cart on the family’s farm.
“Shelby would jump on a golf cart, and he would be driving. He could barely touch the gas pedal. He would drive me around the place, and he would say, ‘Hang on! It’s going to be a bumpy ride!’ and we would chase the geese all around,” she remembered.
Shelby made his professional race car driving debut at the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and his mom couldn’t have been more proud.
"I'm very happy that he's racing because that's his passion,” she said. “I'm from a rodeo family. The scare tactics and everything are very similar in rodeo. The adrenaline does flow very fast, but I'm used to that."
Shelby has gone on to race with Andretti Autosport and LAP Motorsports, according to Country Fancast, and won the GT World Challenge America Overall Champion in 2020.
Who is Shelby Blackstock married to?
When he isn’t on the track, these days Shelby can often be found spending time with his wife, Marissa Branch, and the couple’s two dogs.
Branch, a self-described Disney aficionado, told PEOPLE the couple met on Tinder in 2014.
They got married at Epcot and Magic Kingdom in 2022.
Branch walked down the aisle to the Disney classic “Tale as Old As Time” from Beauty and the Beast.
"Though I've loved the tune long before I ever had any real ideas of marriage, its lyrics perfectly capture what any bride would be feeling," Branch said. "I know once I reach the altar it will be a true fairytale moment, with my handsome (fortunately not beastly), almost-husband waiting for me."
As for McEntire, the country legend will take over Blake Shelton’s seat as a Coach on Season 24 of The Voice, premiering Monday, September 25 at 8/7c on NBC.
Her son will no doubt be cheering her on.
