Billy Plourde is heading back to the place where his racing story began, trading the roar of North Carolina’s pit boxes for the familiar hum of New Hampshire’s backroads. As crew chief for Cody Ware at Rick Ware Racing, Plourde will experience a NASCAR weekend in Loudon that feels like a homecoming, a chance to reconnect with family and celebrate the progress his team has made.
Early Roots in the Seacoast
Plourde grew up in Barrington, New Hampshire, and attended Dover High School before spending weekends at Lee USA Speedway and Star Speedway in nearby Epping. Those local tracks taught him the fundamentals of car setup and racecraft, laying a foundation that would later support his move into professional motorsport.
After graduating, he worked as a mechanic at Portsmouth Ford, where his father’s own racing ambitions inspired him to pursue a career in racing. Determined to break into the sport, Plourde sent resumes to NASCAR teams, eventually catching the eye of Joe Gibbs Racing, which offered him a foothold in the organization.
Climbing the NASCAR Ladder
At Joe Gibbs Racing, Plourde honed his technical expertise and learned to manage personnel, sponsors, and data‑driven strategies — responsibilities that mirror those of a head coach in traditional sports. His role as crew chief now places him at the center of race‑day decision‑making, overseeing the team’s performance on the track.
Despite operating with fewer resources than the sport’s powerhouses, Rick Ware Racing has shown steady improvement thanks to its alliance with Richard Childress Racing. Plourde credits the Ware family’s unwavering commitment to racing for the team’s ability to punch above its weight, noting that Rick Ware’s success in other racing disciplines has helped attract sponsors and talent.
Family, Legacy, and the Upcoming Loudon Weekend
The upcoming NASCAR weekend in Loudon is more than a calendar entry for Plourde; it is an opportunity to showcase the journey that began on New Hampshire’s short tracks and to celebrate the growth of the team he now helps lead. Surrounded by friends and relatives, he will reflect on how far he has come — from a local mechanic to a key figure in the Cup Series — while looking forward to the next chapter of his career.