Reigning Carteret County Speedway champion Tyler Matthews will compete in Saturday night’s Solid Rock Carriers Crystal Coast 125 presented by Sportsman’s Wholesale – his second career start in the series and his first Carteret start of 2018.
Matthews, 21, from Richlands, North Carolina won the track championship in 2016 and has eight career Late Model victories at Carteret County Speedway. On Saturday night, Matthews will square off with the elites of Late Model racing, but he comes in with eight wins against a field where only one other driver has ever raced at Carteret County Speedway.
“I think the experience we have here will help us a lot,” Matthews said. “I haven’t run there in a while so I’m hoping to pick back up where we left off. I’m actually racing the car that we ran the last race of the year with last year, which is Tyler Horne’s car. We had some good speed in that car and I feel like, if we can get it back to the way it ran there, that we should have a good shot at a strong finish.”
Matthews has made only one start in the CARS Response Energy Tour, which came earlier this year at Orange County Speedway, finishing 14th. This weekend, with his experience, he expects to run well and contend for the win.
“I expect to race for the win given my experience there,” Matthews remarked. “I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a strong run. Those guy that run that CARS Tour regularly are fast everywhere they go so it’s going to be tough.”
With his experience, not just at Carteret but also at Southern National Motorsports Park where he won a championship in 2016 and East Carolina Motor Speedway, Matthews knows what it will take to win.
“It’s the same everywhere you go,” Matthews explained. “You need a fast car and good people to work on them. Wes Burton has a really good setup package for Carteret County Speedway and, with Doug Barefoot calling the shots, we should have a fast car.”
After the CARS Tour race on Saturday night, Matthews plans to race again in Late Models some more, but he has no concrete plans. Matthews is considering racing in the $15,000-to-win Solid Rock Carriers 150 Limited Late Model race on July 7th, but no plans have been finalized yet.
“I’m not sure when our next race is,” Matthews commented. “We are building another Late Model so it jus2t depends on when it is finished.”
Matthews is supported by Dowart’s Garage, Emerge Ortho and Richlands Insurance.
The Solid Rock Carriers Crystal Coast 125 presented by Sportsman’s Wholesale will commence on Saturday night with the green flag scheduled to wave after 7pm. In addition to the 125 lap Late Model Stock Car race, the event will feature the Carolina Mini Stock Challenge and a $1,200-to-win Legends feature. Tickets are $20 for adults at the gate with kids 10 and under admitted free.
