Rockin' Off The Track Too

1999 Indy 500 Champion's Love For Music Leads To The Stage

Kenny Brack's love for rock n' rock actually started before his love for the racetrack.

The driver of the No. 15 Pioneer/Miller Lite Honda Dallara Indy car grew up in Sweden with a musical family. Kenny's father, Bert, played in a local band with Kenny's family and, by age nine, the younger Brack was learning the guitar.

"Actually, my father was a musician when he was younger," said Brack. "He played in a little trio with some friends and family. My cousin is a musician too and has traveled on tour with various bands but the most famous was my uncle who was a very accomplished accordion player in Sweden. So there are some musical roots for me."

With bands like Abba making the international music scene, the Swedish community was enthralled with contemporary music and young Kenny followed suit. But Brack was interested in a different musical form from his peers - blues and rock n' roll from the 1950s and 1960s.

"I was fascinated by the guitar sounds of Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins," said Brack, who began playing Berry songs at age 12. "That was a big influence for me. Later I listened to the Blues. I liked rock n' roll a lot and picked up more music on the guitar. I listened to ABBA and other Swedish bands as a kid."

But at the same time Brack was learning how to strum his guitar, the blonde kid was beginning to pursue his current occupation - racing. "There was no doubt that I wanted to race cars," said Brack, the 1999 Indy 500 winner. "That was my passion, driving race cars. It was all I really wanted to do. Music was still there but it took a backseat during my teenage years."

As Brack's racing career grew, his music became a great relaxation. "I found that playing the guitar was a great way to get away of the racing for awhile," explained Brack, who admits if he weren't racing that he would have pursued a career in music. "I enjoyed learning more on the guitar. But I never took that seriously. I just like playing the music. I never played with a band. Just jammed with friends and then sat in on a few gigs. But I am interested in all kind of music. I like AC/DC and a little heavier rock n' roll. Rockabilly was fun to me too."

Brack has jammed on several occasions in his native Sweden but became more intrigued with playing rock n' roll since his move to the United States in 1997.

"A few years ago, a bunch of drivers were visiting the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles and we started talking about playing music," said Brack. "I didn't know that several of the guys played too. So we had an idea of starting a band. That really got me excited."

Brack recruited some other musicians involved in open-wheel racing and formed a band.

"I've had the pleasure to play with top musicians like Michael Anthony of Van Halen, Howie D from Backstreet Boys and fabulous guitarist Ed King from Lynyrd Skynyrd. In Sweden I've played with the great guitar player and former Abba performer Mats Ronander and also singer/songwriter Mikael Rickfors. Now I have some of the best musicians around to play in my band" Brack said. "It is a lot of fun and exciting to play in front of a crowd. It's a different rush from the racecar. I'm looking forward to playing again this year at some races."