Meet the Driver of the #55

Driver: Matt Barndt

Age - 17
Hometown - Bethlehem, PA
Height - 5' 8"
Weight - 145 lbs
Occupation - Senior at Saucon Valley High School
Hobbies - 4 wheeling, hunting
Sports - racing, cross-country
Competing in his 13th full year of racing

Favorite Things:
Mentor- Dad (Tim Barndt)
Food - Filet Mignon and Crab Legs
Beverage - Cherry Cola (Coca-Cola/Pepsi??)
Color - Blue
Movie - Gone in 60 Seconds (the remake)
TV Show - anything racing
Racecar Driver - Martin Truex Jr.
Music - Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pet- Mateus (boxer)
Restaurant- Outback Steakhouse

Racing Info:
Type - Asphalt Late Model
Chassis - Howe Chassis
Car Owner - Tim Barndt

Matt is a 17 year old Senior at Saucon Valley High School just competeing in his thirteenth full season of racing. From 1995 through the present he has been pursuing his dream of auto racing while maintaining a high standard in the classroom. He currently holds a GPA of 3.819 and has a class rank of 30 out of 209 students. He also is on the High School Cross Country Team. On the racetrack he has been very fortunate to achieve some notable results.

* 1995 - 2004 - Raced Quarter Midgets at both local and national events placing in the top 10 in 9 out of 10 National appearances also setting track record and fast times.
* 2005 - Advanced to Mini Cup Competition ( 1/2 Scale of a NASCAR)
* 2005 - Won the Long Island Mini Cup Championship (Sr. Class Adults)
* 2005 - Won the Poughkeepsie Speedway Track Championship
* 2005 - Received Rookie of the Year Award
* 2006 – Won the New York Mini Cup Racing Series Championship
* 2006 – Won the Poughkeepsie Speedway Track Championship

* 2007 Season Update
Matt just completed his first season in the Asphalt Late Model Ranks racing in the MAARA Touring Series (Mid Atlantic Asphalt Racing Alliance) and a few other high profile races. Astoundingly, Matt received the 2007 MAARA Rookie of the Year Award and finished sixth in overall points while racing in this highly competitive series at some of the most challenging tracks in the northeast.

In 2008 Matt will be racing in the ASA National Touring Series which covers many states such as Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, as well as a few high profile races in New York and Pennsylvania. By racing at challenging tracks in a series of this caliber it will gain him the experience he needs to continue his development process toward reaching his goal. Matt recently tested in a Busch Series Car in North Carolina as part of his training with “Team Full Throttle”, the NASCAR based driver development team that he is under contract with. He will be doing further training and testing to prepare him for the 2009 racing season.