2007 News Archives

Latest news at the top of ths page....

Matt featured in the local newspapers

MATT BARNDT NAMED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR FOR MAARA SERIES

(Bethlehem, PA) – Team Full Throttle NASCAR Driver Development Racer Matt Barndt has been named the 2007 MAARA Late Model Series Rookie of the Year. The 16-year old former Mini Cup Champion had a season best third place finish and impressed series officials with his consistency and progress throughout the season.

“All things considered we really had a good first year,” Matt said. “We had some good runs at each of the tracks we went to with the series, and we learned a lot in the process that will help us for next year. We really had a good time running with everyone from MAARA and I want to thank them, my family, my crew, and of course our sponsors because without any of those people I’d be lucky to still be racing Mini Cups.”

Team Full Throttle founder and Vice President Tom Baker reflected on Matt’s first season in the program. “Matt did very well considering the circumstances,” Baker said. “He didn’t have an experienced Crew Chief, and he was stepping up from a Mini Cup car into a highly competitive series at some of the most challenging tracks in the Northeast. We’re very proud of his accomplishments, and we’re excited about the future with him. We tested him in a Busch Car a couple of weeks ago, and he left no doubt that after one more year of Late Model racing he’ll be ready for the next step.”

Galaxy Motors, Junkyard Dog Industries, Roland and Roland, Inc., Sabelt, Ringers Gloves, ISC Racer’s Tape, Butler Built Seats, Auto Meter, National Auto Stores, ARCO Protection Systems, Deichman Walker Chevrolet, Hammerhead Promotions, Impact Racing, Automotive Technicians Alliance, and Team Full Throttle are all marketing partners for Matt. Matt is a member of the Team Full Throttle NASCAR Driver Development Program and is represented by Driver Development Services, LLC of Charlotte, NC. For more information about Matt, visit his website at www.mdbmotorsports.com or the Team Full Throttle site at www.goteamfullthrottle.com.

MATT BARNDT FROM 33RD TO TENTH AT LAKE ERIE

(Bethlehem, PA) Team Full Throttle NASCAR Driver Development racer Matt Barndt charged from his 33rd starting spot to finish tenth in the 200-lap MAARA Series race at Lake Erie Speedway last weekend. The 16-year old says an early race yellow helped shape the eventual strong finish.

“I had gotten to about 25th or so when an early yellow came out,” said Barndt. “The leader was less than six car lengths from me at that point. I tried to pace myself through the first 100 laps and I think we got to 16th or so at the break. The last 100 laps we just worked our way steadily from about fifteenth to tenth, and we were challenging for ninth at the end. There were a lot of good cars there. Considering where we started, we’re pretty happy with the finish. We had an awesome car for the feature. If we’d have been able to start further toward the front I think we could have ended up in the top five. I want to thank everyone on the team for a great day.”

The next race for the Pennsylvania racer will be this weekend’s 40-lap feature at Jennerstown Speedway. “I love racing Jennerstown,” Barndt smiled. “We’ve got a really good setup for that track. It’s big, fast, and suits my driving style perfectly. I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Galaxy Motors, Junkyard Dog Industries, Roland and Roland, Inc., Sabelt, Ringers Gloves, ISC Racer’s Tape, Butler Built Seats, Auto Meter, National Auto Stores, ARCO Protection Systems, Deichman Walker Chevrolet, Hammerhead Promotions, Impact Racing, Automotive Technicians Alliance, and Team Full Throttle are all marketing partners for Matt. Matt is a member of the Team Full Throttle NASCAR Driver Development Program and is represented by Driver Development Services, LLC of Charlotte, NC.

MATT BARNDT TAKES THIRD AT JENNERSTOWN!

Bethlehem, PA – 16-year old Team Full Throttle racer Matt Barndt’s day at Jennerstown Speedway didn’t start off as he’d planned it, but the team overcame a tech officials’ mistake and charged from the thirteenth starting spot to finish third in the 100 lap Late Model feature on the fast ½-mile Pennsylvania track.

“This is just incredible,” said a smiling Barndt after the race. “We had a really long day. We went through tech prior to qualifying and they measured the tracking width on the front end of the car. They told us we were an inch too wide. We couldn’t imagine how that could be the case, and had no adjustments we could make to the car to make it any more narrow. We decided to put left side tires on the right side of the car for qualifying so we’d pass tech, and we knew it was going to make the car push in the turns. We didn’t qualify well, and when we went back through tech all of a sudden we were an inch and five eighth’s too narrow! It turns out they had put the template on our car improperly when we went through before qualifying, so we had to scramble to change everything back to where it was and get the car ready for the feature. The team did an awesome job, because we had a perfect race car for the race!”

Commenting on the feature, Barndt says his approach to driving changed for this race and it definitely worked out in his favor. “I was a lot more patient this week. I sat down after our first couple of races and told myself that I needed to do something a little different. Last week we got ninth, and today I knew I had 100 laps to get to the front. So I just decided to take it easy. When I saw cars in front of me banging on each other, I stayed off them a few car lengths and waited for them to wreck or settle down. I missed a few wrecks doing that today. Mike and Tom from Team Full Throttle preach patience to us drivers all the time, and it definitely worked out today. I was right on the bumper of second place going across the checkered, and I believe we were faster than the leader as well. This is definitely something we can be proud of. I know I’m still learning, so we’ll have good weeks and bad, but hopefully more good than bad!”

Galaxy Motors, Junkyard Dog Industries, Roland and Roland, Inc., Sabelt, Ringers Gloves, ISC Racer’s Tape, Butler Built Seats, Auto Meter, National Auto Stores, ARCO Protection Systems, Deichman Walker Chevrolet, Hammerhead Promotions, Impact Racing, Automotive Technicians Alliance, and Team Full Throttle are all marketing partners for Matt. Matt is a member of the Team Full Throttle NASCAR Driver Development Program and is represented by Driver Development Services, LLC of Charlotte, NC. For more information about Matt, visit his website at www.mdbmotorsports.com or the Team Full Throttle site at www.goteamfullthrottle.com.

MATT BARNDT EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS AT ADIRONDACK INT’L
SPEEDWAY
(Bethlehem, PA) – When 16-year old Team Full Throttle Driver Development racer Matt Barndt took to the track at the Adirondack International Speedway in New Breeman, NY on Saturday, he wanted to qualify and finish the 101-lap Late Model feature. What he actually did was qualify seventh in his first ever Late Model event, finish second in his heat race, start on the outside pole for the feature and then get clipped by a fellow competitor on lap one, ending his day early.

Barndt, who was also among the fastest at a recent open practice session at the Jennerstown Speedway in Pennsylvania, reflected on his first day of racing a Late Model with great optimism. “This was way more than we ever could have expected out of our first race,” Matt said. “It was a lot better. The wreck in the feature was weird, because even after I got spun I’d have been fine until a driver from a second wreck that happened back further in the pack got started back up again and drove straight into me. I guess his front end was bent up enough that he couldn’t see where he was going. I was stopped. The car was pretty messed up
but it’s fixable. We came in here just hoping to qualify and get laps, and we showed we could
really be competitive so we’ll just fix the car this week and head to Lake Erie Speedway to the MAARA race and see what we can learn there.”

Tom Baker, the Vice President and Founder of Team Full Throttle, says the Pennsylvania racer has definitely exceeded the program’s expectations thus far. “When we signed Matt back in the fall of last year, we figured this was going to be a learning year for him because we knew the size and power of a Late Model would be a huge adjustment from his Mini Cup car. What we
liked about him was his desire and his ability to learn quickly, and he’s certainly shown a great deal of maturity so far. He’s been fast at every track on which he’s tested, and his poise behind the wheel at Adirondack shows he’s not going to be easily rattled on the track even while he’s learning as a rookie. He’s got a very supportive family and a strong team behind him, and we believe he has the marketability and the talent to take him a long way in the sport. He’s a lot of fun to work with and an asset to our program.

Galaxy Motors, Junkyard Dog Industries, Roland and Roland, Inc., Sabelt, Ringers Gloves, ISC Racer’s Tape, Butler Built Seats, Auto Meter, National Auto Stores, ARCO Protection Systems, Deichman Walker Chevrolet, Hammerhead Promotions, Impact Racing, Automotive Technicians Alliance, and Team Full Throttle are all marketing partners for Matt. Matt is a member of the Team Full Throttle NASCAR Driver Development Program and is represented by Driver Development Services, LLC of Charlotte, NC. For more information about Matt, visit his website at www.mdbmotorsports.com or the Team Full Throttle site at www.goteamfullthrottle.com.

Printed in the Dec. 8 edition of The Valley Voice, Saucon Valley's Weekly Newspaper
Lower Saucon’s Barndt, 15, inks race driver development deal

Lower Saucon Township mini-car racer Matt Barndt, 15, capped off a stellar season when he was signed to race next year in the Team Full Throttle Motorsports Driver Development Program.

This year, Barndt won the New York Mini Cup Championship and the Poughkeepsie Speedway Track Championship. Under the guidance of Team Full Throttle, he will move to late-model competition.

"It’s been an awesome year for us," the 15-year old said. "So much has happened in such a short time. When we first talked to Tom Baker [Team Full Throttle founder and driver coach] we believed the program was the right step for us. Once we put the mini cup championship behind us, we knew it was time to step up to a full size car so I could begin to get some experience there."

Baker said Barndt’s off-track personality and maturity made his decision to sign the teen to the Charlotte-based program easy.

"He is well-spoken, has an easy smile, and enjoys talking to and working with other people. His GPA is over 3.9 and he’s 22nd in his class of more than 200 students at Saucon Valley High School. Matt’s a born leader and that’s what we look for when scouting talent for Team Full Throttle."

Barndt finished the year with 10 feature wins, three which came after being signed by TFT. He joins 24 other racers in the program designed to cultivate kids for NASCAR-level competition. The teen’s goal next year is to run the Northeast Late Model Series, the Mid-Atlantic Asphalt Racing Alliance touring series, and some ASA Series races. He is also being prepared for an opportunity in the NASCAR Busch East Series.

"There is no doubt that Matt will play a strong role in helping generate excitement for our program next year. He’s one of the strongest prospects we’ve seen come out of the northeast in a while," Baker said. "Matt’s the type of racer that will have a huge fan base because you can’t help but like him. He is quick to help other racers with advice on setups and driving, and he’s earned the respect of his fellow competitors. "

The teen is seeking corporate sponsorships. For details, e-mail mdbmotorsports@yahoo.com

Matt gets good ink - 12/7/06

Click to part 1 of the story

Click to read part 2

MATT BARNDT JOINS TEAM FULL THROTTLE
DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Bethlehem, PA (September 27, 2006) – Team Full Throttle Motorsports Driver Development Services announces the addition of 15-year old Matt Barndt of Bethlehem, PA to their racing lineup for the 2007 racing season. He will be competing with the Northeast Late Model Assocation (NELMA). He will also be racing against stiff competition in the Mid Atlantic Asphalt Racing Alliance (MAARA). Matt will also attempt to run a few select races with the American Speed Association (ASA).

Team Full Throttle founder Tom Baker says Barndt is a welcomed addition to the ground-breaking program. “We’re proud to have Matt with us. He’s shown tremendous talent both in Quarter-Midgets and in Mini-Cups, and this year was actually being asked by some of his older competitors to set up their cars for them. He’s very articulate, and displays the type of professionalism and leadership qualities that we look for in a racer. We’ll move him into the Late Models next year and take our time getting him the experience he needs to eventually be prepared for a NASCAR Busch East opportunity. He comes from a strong family background, and will be an excellent role model for some of our younger team members to follow.”

“I’m proud to have been chosen to be in the Team Full Throttle program,” Matt said. “I’ve always dreamed of racing in NASCAR, and I’ve worked very hard to make that happen. Now Mike (Calinoff) and Tom have given me my chance. I’m definitely excited about next year, and looking forward to doing whatever it takes to be successful.”

Barndt is a member of the Team Full Throttle Motorsports Driver Development Program, and is represented by Driver Development Services, LLC of Charlotte, NC. For more information about Matt, go to www.driverdevelopmentservices.com or email teamfullthrottletn@yahoo.com.