CHARLOTTE, NC :: One of the surprises in the 2013 NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model season so far has been 18-year-old Myatt Snider.  Snider made his Late Model debut at Daytona in the UNOH Battle at the Beach and currently sits ninth in the National Standings with eight top-ten finishes.  Snider has been running at a variety of tracks trying to figure out the handle of the Late Model Stock Cars.

“I’m enjoying running the late models a lot,” Snider said.  “It’s really fun to run them.  It’s hard to figure out at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s a lot of fun.  I’d definitely like to make a career out of racing.  It’s been my dream for a while now and I’d be very happy but I’d also be satisfied if I did work behind the scenes.  I love racing in general and to be involved in any way makes me happy.”

Snider has been competing in Legends cars the past few seasons but recently decided to move up to the Late Model Stock Car ranks where he currently competes at Southern National Motorsports Park, South Boston Speedway and Caraway Speedway.  Snider, who is the son of NBC Sports Network broadcaster Marty Snider, began racing when he was in sixth grade and has been doing it ever since.

“I was in school and my dad was involved in racing and my family was involved and my friend, Corey Jordan, he had a Bandelero team so I asked him if I could get in on that deal.  He and my dad and his dad talked and set up a deal for me to run a Bandelero so we bought one.  We started to run when I was about 10.  I moved up after a couple seasons to a Legends car with Mark Green and ran really well in that and won in my sixth race.  I enjoyed them for about two years racing with them and I’d occasionally run at Atlanta with Doug Stevens and Advance Technology Motorsports.  After two years or so, I decided to move up to Late Models at Hedgecock Racing.”

Snider says he has gotten a lot of attention because of his dad’s work in motorsports.  Marty Snider has been covering NASCAR racing and other forms of motorsports since the late 1990s.

“I get attention because of my dad,” Snider explained.  “There was one race I had where I was on TV since they were broadcasting it and they called me Marty’s boy.  I’m always being recognized as Marty’s boy even when I’m at work for Joe Gibbs Racing.”

When Snider’s not racing, he works under Jeff Chandler in the prep shop at Joe Gibbs Racing.

“I’d definitely like to make a career out of racing,” Snider commented.  “It’s been my dream for a while now and I’d be very happy but I’d also be satisfied if I did work behind the scenes.  I love racing in general and to be involved in any way makes me happy.”

Snider says he enjoys the challenges of racing at South Boston, Southern National and Caraway and appreciates the level of competition he learns from and races against.

“I have fun racing at South Boston but it’s difficult to figure out and the competition is pretty tough there but I do love having a run for my money.  It’s exciting to learn at Southern National from Deac McCaskill.  I’d rather be running against tough competition and national title contenders then a bunch of guys in easy mode who aren’t a challenge.  Winning is fun and all but, if it’s just lapping them, it’s not as fun as having a good race and being door to door bumper to bumper.”

Snider also plans to add Motor Mile Speedway to his schedule later this season.

“We had plans to run at Motor Mile but they’ve been put off somewhat.  I haven’t checked with my dad and Jay (Hedgecock) to see if we’ll run there soon.  We should be running there at least once but we’re sticking with the other three tracks for the most part.”

As for his expectations for the rest of the season, Snider would like to compete for wins.

“I think I have a chance to win a race before the season ends.  I feel I’m improving as best I can and working with my team and crew chief as best as I can.  We’re communicating well and improving how I race and how I give feedback.”

Snider hopes Late Model success can propel him up the racing ranks and, maybe, he’ll be interviewed by his father during a NASCAR telecast.

“It’s a fantasy to run ARCA or Nationwide.  I’d love to run them although it’s expensive so we’d need a sponsor before we get there.  Working at JGR helps and it gets my name out in the inside as well as racing on the outside.  It’d be a great experience having my dad interview me during a race like a Ned and Dale Jarrett thing a while back.  I just can’t thank Jay, Jeff and my dad enough for the opportunity.”

Myatt Snider is supported by Jay Hedgecock Racing and by MyattSnider.com.