It had been 10 years since Mathew Porter last raced a late model. He returned to the driver’s seat this season, following much of the schedule of the Dirt Rich TV American All-Star Series Presented by PPM Racing Products, where he earned the tour’s American Racer Rookie of the Year award presented by Warrior Race Cars.
Porter had only raced a late model for barely a year in 2015. He earned a win but also struggled with many common rookie issues — mechanical woes, setup struggles and a few wrecks. Porter packed it up, sold the car and went on with his life. Then he, his father (who used to own race cars) and his father’s former driver were reminiscing about their racing days.
“In April, on a Saturday, we were talking about how cool it’d be to go racing again,” Porter, of Austinville, Virginia, said. “I then had a car on Tuesday, practicing at Wythe Raceway.”
The late model didn’t drive like how he remembered 10 years ago.
“It’s a night and day difference,” Porter said. “Everything is just so much more technical.”
In his first race in May, at a local show at Princeton Speedway, he finished seventh out of 10 cars. Porter had a lot to learn.
“People just think you hold it wide open and turn left — you don’t,” Porter said. “There’s a lot of finesse.”
He attempted his first American All-Stars Series race at Natural Bridge Speedway in May. He finished seventh again, but in the B feature, failing to make the main. Fortunately, other series regulars started helping Porter.
“I met Trevor Sise, Zach Sise and Tyler Arrington, and they took me under their wing,” Porter said. “They got me running good.”
Porter also hooked up with seasoned Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series crew chief J.C. Crockett, who got him up to speed on the technology of today’s cars. Meanwhile, the rest of his team consisted of two racers, barrel racers, that is: his daughter Emily and girlfriend, Paige. Together, with the help of his competitors and team, Porter finally started running with the lead pack. However, to win the Rookie of the Year, he had competition from Phillip Ramirez. The race for the award came down to the final event at Natural Bridge Speedway.
“[Phillip] parked next to me and his carburetor was messed up,” Porter said. “So, I gave him one to run in the race. His crew guys helped me with deck height. We helped each other. We both rooted for each other. That says a lot.”
The comradery among competitors is what drew Mathew Porter to the American All-Star Series. He’s thankful for the friends he made, as they pointed him in the right direction to make him not only a better racer, but perhaps a better competitor, too.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
