BRIGHTON, Ont. – August 5, 2016 – It’s not too often a rookie driver is rubbing wheels with the top-five drivers in any division let alone competing for wins. Port Hope, Ont. native Matthew Moore is doing just that. Moore earned a second-place finish last week after leading 13 laps in the Bill’s Johns Comp 4 division. It was his eighth top-five finish of the season and has earned him Campbellford Chrysler Driver of the Week for the week ending in July 30.
The 20-year-old GM Automotive Technician student at Centennial College is a rookie in the truest sense of the word. He had just one race worth of experience to draw on before hopping behind the wheel of his Farl’s Auto Body sponsored No.14 this season. And those laps weren’t the most conventional.
“I did the van race two years ago, but that’s all the experience I had,” Moore laughed.
It hasn’t made a difference thus far. Through 12 races, Moore is second in the championship standings and over the last month has been a threat to win nearly every week.
A big part of his success has been help from fellow competitors and a number of helping hands in the pit area, including his father Lloyd. With a little guidance, Matthew quickly grasped that dirt track racing is more complicated than four turns each lap.
“It’s not that simple. I’ve had a lot of help from my dad, Tyler French and Stan King. We’ve used his shop quite a few times,” Moore said of King, the father of Late Model driver Austin King. “All the help we’ve gotten is through Tyler, Shelby and Justin (Ramsay). They’ve helped me a little bit here and there.”
Dad is both his biggest fan and primary crewmember.
“He helps me with figuring out what I should do. He’s a second mind and we bounce ideas off each other. We try different things each week to figure out what works and what doesn’t,” Moore said happily.
Moore is a third generation driver in his family. Matthew’s grandfather, Howard Moore, raced at Brighton Speedway throughout the 1970s and was 1981 Late Model track champion. Lloyd Moore has never competed in any of Brighton’s stock car competitions, but has fun racing with the Vantastics each season.
“What really got me in to racing was my grandfather. He didn’t really like to talk about it, but in a sense he did. I always worked on cars when I was younger and that’s kind of what got me in to it,” Matthew explained. “Whenever we needed to do work to our vehicles, we always went to my grandfathers and worked out of there.”
Over the off-season, he purchased Shelby Mills’ 2015 championship car after she progressed to the Canadian Modified division. He adorned the No.14 on the car after NASCAR champion and dirt racer Tony Stewart and the rest is history in the making.
“The beginning was a learning curve for me, but we’ve figured it out. We’re going from there and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully we can get a win in there somewhere,” Moore said confidently.
Now, an early Sunday morning phone call to grandpa Howard follows Moore’s Saturday nights under the lights at Brighton.
“I talk to him every Sunday and tell him how I did. He’s always excited to hear and calls early. It’s exciting to have him excited about me racing,” smiled Moore.
The always humble Moore is happy to have begun his racing career. He’s in no hurry to rush it along, instead choosing to enjoy his time in the racecar.
“I didn’t have too many expectations since it’s my first year, but my goal was top-five in points. I’m second in points right now so that’s a bonus,” he said. “Next year I’ll be in a Comp 4 again and we’ll see what happens from there. Hopefully I do as well as we did this year.”
At his current pace, Matthew Moore won’t have any issue with that.
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About Campbellford Chrysler/JJ Stewart Motors: Campbellford Chrysler and JJ Stewart Motors have a strong and committed sales staff with many years of experience satisfying their customer’s needs. JJ Stewart Motors, located in Norwood, and Campbellford Chrysler, located on Hwy.30 just south of Campbellford, are among the top dealers for Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep in the area. The Brighton Speedway Dodge Ram pace truck is provided by Campbellford Chrysler. Receive a FREE family pass to regular Saturday night racing at Brighton Speedway when you test drive at Campbellford Chrysler. Visit them online at www.campbellfordchrysler.ca and www.jjstewart.ca.
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Brighton Speedway’s 2016 season is proudly supported by the following corporate sponsors: ABC Taxi, Adecco, AeCON, Bainer’s OilGARD Anti-Rust, Battlefield Equipment Rentals, Bay Marine, Behan Construction, Belleville Boyer Nissan, Belleville Transmission & Auto, Bellevue Fabricating Ltd., Bicknell Racing Products, Bill’s Johns, BJ McColl Fams, Bonn Law, Boyer Chevrolet Napanee, Brighton Automotive, Brighton Recycling, Budweiser, Campbellford Chrysler, Canadian Energy, Canadian National Autism Foundation, CANEX, Classic Hits 95.5, Classic Rock 107.9 The Breeze, Coca-Cola, Comfort Zone Heating & Air Conditioning, The Community Press, Cool 100, CSC Products, Davis Auto Repair, Deerhaven Farm and Garden, Dibbits Excavating, Eastern Overhead Doors, Electro Cables, Excel Tower Service, First Place Trailers, Gerow Propane, Gilmour’s Meat Shop, Gord’s Water, Greig Truck & Trailer, Hellraiser Race Bodies, Hewbrook Incorporated, Hits FM 95.5, Hotch’s Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire, Humber Nurseries, ImageFactor.ca Motorsport Designs, JJ Stewart Motors, John’s Equipment, Jones Automotive, KD Transmission, Kiwanis Club of Trenton, KOA Campground of Brighton, Krown Rust Control Trenton, Lange & Fetter Ford, Larry’s Towing, Leaf Racewear, Leclair Electric, Lester’s Hot Dogs, Lucas Oil, Maestro’s Painting, Mark Heating & Cooling, McDougall Insurance and Financial, Mix 97, Monacoe’s Hair Salon & Day Spa, Monster Energy, Motosports of Trenton, Muskoka Aircraft Refinishing My FM 100.9/93.3, Mystical Distributing, NecksGen Head and Neck Restraint, NOCO Fuels, Owasco RV, Part Source, Peter’s South End Garage, Qunte Mall, Quinte Septic, Rapid Rad, Read’s Accounting, REMAX (Saoirse Graham & Nicole Parks), ROCK 107, Rona Trenton, Sanderson Tire and Automotive, Stewart Electric, Stix & Stones Billiards, Stoneridge Specialty Insurance, Target Fabrication, TAS Communications, The Trentonian, Therapeutic Massage Centre, Towne and Country Liquidation, Turris Communications, UCB Radio Canada, Ultramar CST, Vanderlaan Building Products, Vandermeer Toyota, VanZuylen Tire and Alignment, The Vinyl Solution, Vito’s Restaurant, VP Racing Fuels and Workman’s OK Tire.
About Brighton Speedway: Brighton Speedway is a 1/3-mile clay stock car racing oval located on the shores of Lake Ontario in Brighton, Ont. The speedway hosts five weekly stock car divisionson Saturday nights from May to September.
Brighton Speedway mailing address: 775 County Road 64, Brighton, ON, K0K 1H0.
Media Contact: Clayton Johns Media
claytonjohns@brightonspeedway.com
Photo Credit: Rod Henderson
Photo Attachment 1: Matthew Moore drives his No.14 Honda during Bill’s Johns Comp 4 action at Brighton Speedway. (Rod Henderson photo).
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