Most high school girls are thinking about the prom this time of the year and competing for a date

It is a heartbreaker when you have an intelligent, handsome 6-foot-3 blond hair, blue-eyed guy like Brandon Matus, who is 16 and chooses not to attend the junior prom because he will be dancing around the track in his Sprint car at Lernerville Speedway instead.

Matus is a fourth generation driver who raced in go-carts a few times when he was nine, ran two times in the Micro Sprints, and hot-lapped his dad Brent’s Sprint when he was 14.

Matus spent last season learning to drive a sprint. You might say that he has matured on the track in 2011, having finished with two fifth-places and an eighth at the highly competitive Sarver oval.

“I feel more comfortable on the track now and I understand the setups better,” Matus said. “I have been lifting weights to help myself physically.”

He is fifth in points at the track and his father is 10th. At Mercer Raceway Park, Brent Matus is ahead of his son by five digits in the point chase.

The Matus lineage unfolds with great grandfather John Matus, who was primarily a car owner. Dave McMillan and Bob Miley drove his midget racers.

For 10 years, Jerry Matus (Brandon’s grandfather) drove Sprints for his father John and they earned one track championship. Then Jerry teamed up with Martha Dionese in the purple No. 15 and together they garnered four more titles for a total of three at Lernerville and two at Tri-City Speedway.

Third generation Brent Matus has been racing for 27 years and has recorded 10 feature wins at area tracks.

“It takes a long time to become a Sammy Swindell or Ed Lynch,” Brent Matus said. “But at 16, Brandon is definitely ahead of people his age.”

Brent stresses safety when building cars and driving, since he once fractured two vertebrae in an accident on the track. He further emphasized taking care of equipment and tools. A positive attitude is real important in the Matus family.

If wishes do come true, Brandon will find himself on the World of Outlaws tour some day or in the NASCAR premier series. Keep an eye on him to secure his first feature in 2011.

On to NASCAR Trucks

Local Late Model driver Josh Richards’ dreams will soon become a reality.

Josh is the son of Mark and Tina Richards. Mark and Steve Baker co-own Rocket Late Model Chassis that many of the drivers use. Josh raced at Lernerville before touring with the World of Outlaws Late Models and winning the 2009 and 2010 championship.

Rising Star Management Group is pleased to announce a partnership between Joy Mining Machinery, Josh Richards and Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) for select NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races for the 2011 season, driving their Joy Mining Machinery Toyota Tundra.

Race track closes

Central Pennsylvania Race Track, formerly known as Clearfield Speedway, has closed its doors for the 2011 season.

The rough winter plus the continuous rain has washed away much of the dirt, leaving the asphalt underneath exposed. Owner Tim Bainey said these circumstances have made it impossible to operate the speedway.

Out and about

Lynn Geisler went to North Carolina last weekend for his grandson Noah’s third birthday. Substitute driver Mike Pegher put the Late Model in Pennsylvania Motor Speedway’s victory lane, capturing a career first.

Don Gamble and Danny Holtgraver attended the Franklin Regional Career Day. Gamble told the students what is was like to be an announcer and Holtgraver explained the profession of a Sprint car driver.

Carol Gamble is a racing columnist for the Butler Eagle