For tire specialist, heading home to Kansas is special

DOVER, Del. -- Even while Bryan Kincheloe was patrolling Wichita, Kan., as a sheriff's deputy, he was thinking to himself, "There's got to be a way to get a job in NASCAR."

Kincheloe grew up in a racing family and drove cars throughout his teen years, but set that aside to major in criminal justice at Kansas State.

"When I got out of college, I worked for the sheriff's department in Wichita for a little while," Kincheloe said. "I just wasn't getting where I wanted there and the pay's pretty mediocre in law enforcement, which is a real shame.

"This was a dream of mine and something I really wanted to do, so I thought, 'Well, if I'm going to do it, I ought to do it now.' I packed up and moved to North Carolina, didn't know anybody, didn't have any plans, didn't know how I was going to do it. But it worked out."

Yes, it did. Kincheloe is now tire specialist for David Reutimann's No. 00 Toyota. Before that, the native of Glen Elder, Kan., was set on making law enforcement his career, even though at times, it can be a dangerous occupation.

"It depends on where you're at, what part of the country and city, but Wichita's pretty scary at times," Kincheloe said. "There's a lot of gang activity. It got pretty hairy, but it's exciting. I wouldn't have changed it. It was a lot of fun."

Still, Kincheloe's background was leading him in a different direction.

"Growing up, we had cars," he said. "My dad raced just about everything -- motorcycles, four-wheelers. When I was about 7 years old, my dad bought me a go-kart and I raced on little dirt tracks around Kansas, then moved up to Late Models and Modifieds all through the Kansas area. I always thought it would be a good career."

That got him to thinking about packing up and heading east. With little more than a few possessions -- and his dirt car -- Kincheloe came to North Carolina, hoping to pick up some work along the way.

"Actually I went and helped Jim and Chuck Bown, in their little shop," Kincheloe said. "They taught me a few things. I got to know Wes Ward through them and Wes hired me on a Busch team and it kind of went from there.

"It's pretty amazing. I've got a roommate who just moved out from my hometown living with me and he's just getting started. It's kind of fun to help somebody else."

As tire specialist, it's up to Kincheloe to make sure crew chief Frank Kerr gets the changes he wants at each stop.

"Tire pressures are pretty big and the crew chief's got a lot going on, so it helps if you've got a tire guy who can say, 'Well, you need to do this or do that,'" Kincheloe said. "That's what I try to do, is help him there and just make sure the tires are consistent so we can adjust on the car and not the tires."

At K-State, Kincheloe also played a little football as a walk-on, although he downplays his role with the Wildcats. Under coach Bill Synder, the team reached a No. 1 ranking in 1998 and won the Big 12 Conference championship in 2003.

"I was pretty much just a tackling dummy," he said. "I didn't have much to do with any of that."

Still, any chance to get home -- like this weekend, as the Nextel Cup Series visits Kansas Speedway for the LifeLock 400 -- is a big deal for Kincheloe.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Kincheloe said. "We always get the family together and all the kids you grew up with and their parents and go have dinners and hang out. It's always a lot of fun."

And even though he's in North Carolina now, Kansas will always be home.

"I had a great time growing up there," Kincheloe said. "It's a nice place. It's not a desert island like everybody thinks Kansas is. It's actually a pretty good place. Lot of good people, lot of good memories."