In the highly competitive world of NASCAR, Tyler Ankrum’s rise from a Southern California ranch kid to Truck Series title contender turned many heads. But behind success as a young driver is the steady hand of family. Born in San Bernardino in 2001, Ankrum often credits his grounded start to parents who traded easy living for their son’s dirt tracks and dreams. As he looks to win this year’s Truck Series championship, a peek into Rick and Michelle Ankrum’s lives reveals the roots fueling his fire.

Who are Tyler Ankrum’s parents?

Rick Ankrum, Tyler’s dad, runs Modern Meat, Inc., a family business in San Bernardino right off Waterman and Baseline avenues, where he’s served as president for years. Growing up in the Inland Empire, Rick also tried quarter midget racing as a kid, but couldn’t pursue it further because of the cost. But later, he channeled that competitive mindset into roping events alongside his own father on West Coast circuits.

These days, he splits time between California operations and visiting the family’s North Carolina setup, keeping his businessman mindset alive that mirrors Tyler’s track grind.

Michelle Ankrum, Tyler’s mom, anchors the household ends, also looking after a 474-acre farm in Mooresville, North Carolina, with the help of her husband, Rick. There, she and Tyler also tend their cows and other livestock during off-weeks. The couple shares one daughter, Lauren Ankrum, who lives in California with Rick after the partial family move east in 2014 to chase Tyler’s racing dreams.

While Michelle’s professional details stay low-key, her role in steering family decisions speaks volumes, like when she denied Tyler’s dream of being a professional bull rider like his childhood hero, Lane Frost. As Tyler said in an interview, “I wanted to become a professional bull rider, but my mom wasn’t having a son for a cowboy,” which showed her grounded yet strong influence. And the Ankrums still support local ranch traditions.

That ranch lifestyle didn’t just shape daily chores; it sparked questions about how Rick and Michelle first met to share a life together.

Where did Rick Ankrum and Michelle Ankrum meet?

Details of exactly where or how Rick and Michelle Ankrum crossed paths stay hidden in their family tale. What surfaces instead is their shared Southern California roots. They might have met in the Inland Empire communities around San Bernardino and Yucaipa, where ranching and local events attract crowds from nearby towns and villages.

No public records point to a fancy meetup, but their shared bond clearly helped them live their lives happily, creating a healthy home together that defined early Ankrum days.

By the time Tyler came along in 2001, Rick and Michelle had already settled into that Yucaipa ranch life, raising their kids amid weekend roping sessions and riding their grandpa’s 10 horses. “My grandpa had a stable of six to 10 horses, and every single one of us rode,” Tyler shared his childhood memories in 12 questions by Jeff Gluck.

What ethnicity are Tyler Ankrum’s parents?

Public records don’t have much about Rick and Michelle Ankrum’s ethnicity, but their story points to an American rancher lifestyle with deep Southern California ties. Born and raised in the San Bernardino area, the family shares a diverse yet predominantly Caucasian Inland Empire blend, shaped by generations of Western settlers drawn to land and livestock. No standout immigrant tales, though, just the everyday mix of U.S.-born people who’ve called the desert valleys home for decades.

Tyler’s own path from Yucaipa roping to North Carolina farms mirrors that low-key American heritage, though there’s no known record of their ethnicity, but they are rich in practical traditions. This also suggests that they see ethnicity as background noise to their forward drive. Yet it’s how their parenting together molded Tyler’s bond with them that’s truly amazing.

Now, let’s look at their bonds with Tyler and how these bonds shape Tyler’s mindset and his performance.

Tyler Ankrum’s relationship with his parents

Tyler’s tie to Rick runs deep in their work mode, with Tyler admitting he snagged his dad’s quick temper and relentless ethic, like getting “hotter than a tea kettle” when his friends did not do things the right way. “I act like the boss out there,” Tyler shared, noting how Rick’s push for 110% effort mirrors his own race-day fire, a trait teammates spot right away. That ranch grind and those Saturday rodeos gave Tyler a no-quit attitude till the work’s done.

And with his mom, Michelle, it’s a mix of clashes and close calls, like when they bump heads on farm tasks now, her quipping, “Why do you act so much like your father?” Still, her denial of bull riding steered him toward NASCAR, and their shared interest in a farm over a lake house keeps them connected amid his travels.

Tyler credits the farm for keeping him grounded amid the flashy life of a star, when getting distracted is as easy as cutting a cake with a knife: “It really keeps me based… I don’t know what I’d do without this place.”

Rick and Michelle’s blend of tough love and quiet backing of his son’s dream as a racer since he saw a picture of his dad in a quarter midget and yelled instantly in his grandma’s lap, “I want one,” when he was just seven, has clearly turbocharged his rise from quarter midgets to Truck Series contender.

Today, the Ankrums stand united across coasts, with Rick and Lauren in California and Michelle and Tyler farming in North Carolina. It’s a family network that cheers every lap while holding the line on real-life roots.