Dirt late model driver Matthew “Mac” Huey has endured his toughest battle to date. A dirt bike accident left him near death on December 28. As Huey begins rehab, hospital bills and other related expenses have begun to mount for him and his family.
Huey, 21, of Blackstock, South Carolina, races limited late models near his home at tracks such as Carolina Speedway, Cherokee Speedway, Lancaster Motor Speedway, and Laurens Speedway. He was making preparations for next season when his accident occurred on the family’s farm in Lexington, South Carolina.
“Mac had a motocross bike he had been working on all day to get it ready for sale,” said his mother, Sarah Beth Huey Clowney. “He decided he liked dirt late model racing more than dirt bike racing, so he was selling the bike to fund his late model. He went out on a test drive without wearing a helmet.”
When Huey did not return, family members set out to find him. Clowney’s brothers, Mike and Robbie; along with Mike’s wife, Michelle, traced his tracks in a farm field. They first discovered his hat. Then, they found Huey. He laid in the field barely alive. His bike was on its side nearby, with grass embedded in its front wheel and its foot peg dug into the ground. Robbie and Michelle, who work as first responders, found Huey had a faint pulse. Michelle administered CPR. Robbie, knowing the extent of the injuries, immediately called for a medevac helicopter.
“He had been laying out there in the field for two and a half hours,” Clowney said. “Upon arrival at the hospital, they found he had a brain bleed and a lacerated liver.”
Clowney rushed to the hospital, but their staff told her she could not see her son. Huey had tested positive for Covid, and they had to isolate him. The medical team put Huey on a ventilator and heavily sedated him.
“It was two weeks later when I first saw him,” said Clowney. “He opened his eyes, but gazed off into space. He had swelling so bad that they had to remove the left part of his skull. They froze it so it could be reattached in three months or so.”
In the days that followed, Huey showed signs of improvement. First, he squeezed his mother’s hand. Then, he gave her a thumbs up. After that, a wave. Huey began to speak through the aid of a communications board.
“The boy needed his momma,” Clowney said. “They took his trach out and he began breathing on his own. Yesterday, he began drinking through a straw, which showed his ability to swallow is back. We are thrilled.”
It wasn’t until yesterday that Huey learned that he had a hemicraniectomy. Clowney showed him his head with an iPad on selfie mode. She explained to him that he must wear a helmet at all times until they reattach his skull.
“He reached up, touched his head, and said, ‘Mom, I’m freaking out a little bit,’” said Clowney. “His days are spent watching Lucas Oil super late model races on YouTube. He still loves everything about racing, even with a brain injury.”
The next chapter for Matthew “Mac” Huey begins today. They move him to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, four hours away from his home. Clowney said she’ll head to Atlanta to be with her son while her husband, Bill, stays in South Carolina with Huey’s younger brother, Liam.
Prior to the accident, Huey had just started a new job. His insurance did not begin until January 1 — four days after he entered the hospital. Clowney set up a Venmo account to help defray the cost of her son’s uninsured injuries.
“His treatment in those four days is easily a half million dollars, and the helicopter ride alone is another $60,000,” Clowney said. “We’re asking friends, fans, and loved ones who wish to donate to send money by Venmo to @sarah-huey-clowney.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
