He was introduced to the sport of thoroughbred racing by his older brother, jockey Gregg McCarron.
Chris McCarron began riding professionally in 1974 at East Coast racetracks where he won the 1974 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in the United States.
In 2003, McCarron served as a technical advisor, racing designer and actor in the 2003 film Seabiscuit.
That same year he was hired by Magna Entertainment Corp. to serve as vice president and general manager of Santa Anita Park.
After resigning his job at Santa Anita in January 2005, he announced he would be opening the first ever riding academy in the United States: the North American Racing Academy which is part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.