Story by Chris Roy
Matt Grant of Windham, Maine is one of 12 rookie’s racing in the Amsoil NELCAR Series this season and, after the first 8 races Matt, is currently leading the NELCAR rookie points.
Matt raced Mini-Cups last season at Richmond Karting Speedway and made the move this season to race legend cars, “I’ve been interested in Legends cars for quite a while, and attended all the races I could over the years to help some of our friends that had moved up into them. I saw how well-run the NELCAR Tour was, and knew I wanted to be part of that. Everybody is friendly and willing to help each other out when they need a hand. I like how it is a ‘spec’ series, and all the cars are built the same, so it’s up to the driver to make a difference on the track.”
Though racing in a different type of race car Matt has found some similarities between the 2 types of race cars. “They are pretty similar, actually. The legend has a lot more power and they appear totally different, but you drive both cars the same way. I think my experience in mini cups has helped me make the transition to legends cars fairly quickly.”
This past weekend NELCAR returned to Speedway 95 in Hampden, Maine. Matt had a strong run avoiding getting caught up in a few wrecks and came away with his 1st top 5 of the season. “It was awesome to grab a top 5 so early into my rookie season, hopefully there will be more to come. The week before at Star Speedway, I collected my first top 10, so we are progressing. I had never even seen Speedway 95 until last Saturday. I thought it was a nice track. The top groove is the fast way around, a lot like Unity. It is over 3 hours away, but Im glad we went.”
This week NELCAR kicks off the first race of the season in the “Thursday Night Thunder” (T.N.T) Series and Matt is all set for the drop of the green flag. “I’ve been looking forward to this race the most of all. The Ridge is my home track, and I especially want to do well here. I’m going to have a lot of family and friends in the stands cheering me on, most of whom have never seen me race before. It should be fun.”
Though it is still early in the season Matt has stretched his points lead for “Rookie of the Year” ny about 140 points. “I’m pleased to be leading Rookie Points. When I started in karts and mini cups, it took me quite a while to get used to them. I’m glad I quickly got the hang of things in Legends.”
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