Franklin, PA; The Oil Region Labor Day Classic is quickly becoming one of the largest races held in Western Pennsylvania each year.  The 2008 version saw throngs of fans and cars come to Tri-City Speedway to catch a glimpse of the World of Outlaw late models and to enjoy the Labor Day festivities.  Matt and crew welcomed the trip back to their hometown, having last competed at Tri-City Speedway two years ago this weekend.  Saturday's action began with Matt registering a 20th place qualifying effort in time trials.  Matt raced from his 5th place starting spot in the heat to a 3rd place finish, which qualified him to take the green flag from the 12th hole in the A Main.  The feature went off without much excitement as Steve Francis drove away from the field to collect his 2nd WoO feature win in as many nights.  Matt piloted the AlturnaMats, Equipment World Magazine, Dica Outrigger Pads, Rocket Chassis #21 to his first top 10 of the season aboard the WoO tour as he crossed the line in 9th place.  The top 10 finish earned him the "Bonus Bucks" award for being the top finishing non-outlaw driver, paying an additional $500.

"The car was great all night," commented Lux.  "The guys did a nice job with the car and we feel like we may have hit on something for tomorrow.  We are expecting the same type of track, so we expect to be competitive again." 

Night two of the Labor Day Classic started off great with Matt popping a 7th fast qualifying run that locked him into a 2nd place starting spot in his heat race.  Matt finished 3rd in his heat behind WoO points leader Darrell Lannigan of Union, Kentucky and Shannon Babb of Mowequa, Illinois.  Third place in the 3rd heat race results in an 11th place starting spot in the A Main, one place better than the previous evening.  Unfortunately, the results were different from the night before.  Matt faded throughout the contest and limped home with a 17th place finish.  Post-race car inspection revealed that the #21 suffered a broken torsion arm during the feature, causing the slip in position. 

"All in all, it was a good weekend," added Lux.  "It was exciting to get back to Tri-City and see our friends and fans.  We are appreciative of all of the support of the hometown fans."

Backtrack to Friday evening's MACS event at Lernerville Speedway.  The racing began in frustrating fashion as Matt finished 6th in his heat race, placing him 4th in the 1st B Main.  It appeared as if the woes of the MACS tour were again inflicting the team, but the evening only got better after the heat race.  Matt started 4th in the B Main and finished 2nd behind Ripley, New York's Mike Knight.  Starting 19th in a star-studded field is not a terrific position to be in, but Matt picked his way through the field on the icy surface.  Matt eventually made it into the top 5 as he battled with polesitter and fast time winner, Coleby Frye for several laps side-by-side.  Frye edged Matt at the finish line by 0.033 seconds to capture the 5th spot.  The 6th place finish was the best MACS finish for the team this year and one to build on in the upcoming weeks.  

The team will set off for Eldora Speedway on Thursday night for the World 100.

Chilicothe, OH;  A quick glance at Matt's biography reveals that his favorite racetrack is one in which he has visited just once during his 12-year racing career: KC Raceway.  That one visit proved to be a successful one as Matt captured the 30 lap AMRA modified feature while piloting the Scott Bidwell-owned #21 Pierce Chassis.  In addition, Matt also competed with his late model and earned a top 10 finish on that May evening in 2006.  Fast forward two years to find Matt driving the AlturnaMats #21 super late model against the World of Outlaws series.  A subpar qualifying effort placed Matt starting 6th in his heat.  Matt lost a close battle with the veteran Delmas Conley for the final transfer spot, forcing him to the B-main.  Matt raced his way into the A-main by virtue of his 3rd place finish in the consi.  In the feature, Matt was able to advance from his 21st starting position to finish the 50 laps in 16th position - a respectable run given the misfortune the team has encountered. 
"We were off a little bit in every race," stated Matt following the race.  "All in all it was a good night, though." 

The next two weekends are jam-packed with high-paying, prestigious races, starting in Matt's backyard.  The MACS series returns to Lernerville Speedway on Friday evening for the Jim Shank Memorial 50-lapper.  The team will be back home on Saturday and Sunday for the Oil Region Labor Day Classic World of Outlaws $10,000 to win shows on consecutive evenings.  The five minute commute will be welcomed given the amount of traveling that the team has done this year. 

The team will then hit the road for the jewel of the season, The World 100 at Eldora Speedway.  Matt narrowly missed qualifying for this race one season ago, finishing 7th in the B-Main.  The team hopes to utilize the knowledge gained from both last season's World 100 along with June's Dream 100 to get over that hump on their third visit to the historical oval. 

Franklin, PA; The most exciting time of the year is upon us as the racing stakes and prize money reach epic levels.  Starting this Saturday evening, the M3 will begin the final leg of their '08 season...a leg that is filled with famous races with huge purses.  The team will do battle against the most intense racers in the nation and compete in the biggest series' in late model racing including: the World of Outlaws, Lucas Oil, UMP, MACS, IRS, and UFO.  The smallest winning purse on the schedule is $5,000, but includes races that pay up to $50,000.  The highlights on the remaining tour include: a visit back to Matt's home track at Tri-City Speedway, the World 100 at Eldora Speedway, regarded as the biggest dirt late model race of the year, a trip to Knoxville, Iowa, and the Dirt Track World Championship at K-C Raceway.  Other events are likely to spring up in the remaining 2+ months of the season, so check back to the site often to follow the M3 team. 

Jamaica, VA; Last season Matt battled through his first season on the MACS tour and finished a solid 5th place in the overall standings and earned the Rookie of the Year honors.  The team decided to follow the MACS tour again in '08 in hopes of improving on their top 5 finish from a year ago.  Unfortunately for the MACS organization, inclement weather has cancelled three of the events while some tracks have cancelled their shows due to unforeseen circumstances.  As a result, there have only been five official MACS events during the '08 season.  The only feature that Matt has finished this season was the very first one held at "The Rock" in Cumberland, Maryland in April.  Since then, a wreck at Bedford and two damaged engines on successive nights at Portsmouth have all but eliminated the team from repeating last year's top 5 effort. 

The latest chapter in the season drenched with misfortune occurred at Bill Sawyer's Virginia Motor Speedway, the fifth stop on the MACS tour.  Despite his affinity for the track, Matt has never had too much luck at the fast 1/2 mile venue.  Starting 11th in the first main in which the top 11 advance to the 50 lap A main, Matt was hit by a spinning Austin Hubbard on the first lap.  Front end damage and a loss of brakes derailed Matt's attempt to qualify for the USA 100 as he limped home in 15th place, four spots out of the transfer.  The team will attempt to rite the ship on August 22nd at Lernerville Speedway as the MACS tour invades the Sarver, PA oval and pays $7000 to the winner.   

Bedford, PA; On August 8th, the M3 team ventured to Bedford Speedway in Southern Pennsylvania to compete in a regular Friday program.  Bedford Speedway boasts a very impressive contingent of regular racers and, resultantly, is no easy stop on the late model circuit. The track also happens to be one of Matt's favorite tracks, so the team took advantage of an off Friday evening on their way to Virginia in order to gather more lap time on the super-fast oval . 
     Despite a late arrival and, consequently no hot laps, Matt led all 10 laps of the heat race claiming the win over D.J. Myers.  The 25 lap A main would feature plenty of side-by-side racing as the drivers did their best to widen the narrow racing groove.  Matt took the green from the 10th position and was clearly one of the fastest cars on the track.  As the laps ticked away, Matt would methodically move toward the front of the field, using both the extreme bottom as well as the cushion to maneuver past cars.  As Matt was reeling in fifth-place running Greg Fetters, a caution slowed the field with 8 laps to go.  Since the car was good all over the track, the strategy on the restart was to go where Fetters did not.  Entering turn 1, Fetters started on the high side then shot to the bottom of turn 2.  Caught in the middle, Matt was forced to check up in turn 2, opening the door for Scott Haus to work past both drivers on the high side.  One lap later, Matt secured 5th spot as he passed Fetters on the backstretch.  With only two laps to go, Matt rapidly closed the distance on Haus, but ran out of time and had to settle for a 5th place finish.  Myers was able to advance from his 9th starting spot to capture the win, followed by Wayne Johnson, Jeff Miller, and Haus.  The top 5 is exactly what the M3 team needed, given their recent stretch of bad luck.  The team will head to Virginia Motor Speedway for the USA 100 MACS-sanctioned event the following evening.  

Franklin, PA; Engulfed in arguably the most frustrating stretch of races of their partnership, the M3 Team has failed to finish 8 consecutive races.  The "silver lining" of this information is that the team has seen some very promising runs cut short by uncontrollable occurrences.  Whether it be engine problems, transmission problems, or even other overzealous competitors, the team has had their share of misfortune.  This should not come as a surprise as the racing "hobby" is not for the weak.  For as exciting and addicting as racing can be, it can be equally demoralizing to the racer.  Racing will rip your heart out if you let it.  That said, the team continues to persevere with intense preparation and a positive outlook...well, most of the time.  You are familiar with the law of averages, aren't you?  You know, the belief that outcomes of random events shall eventually even out over time.  This writer certainly buys into that philosophy and is patiently waiting to see that #21 sitting in victory lane with Matt holding one of those oversized checks for a ridiculous sum of money.  How do you cash those damn things, anyway?  Oh well, we shall find an answer to that question soon enough.  Until then...

Sarver, PA; It appeared as the laps ticked away in Friday's feature at Lernerville Speedway that Matt was going to capture that elusive first victory of the '08 season at the Sarver, PA oval.  However, a late caution and some fine driving by the eventual winner, Gregg Satterlee, prevented Matt from visiting victory lane; his second runner-up finish this season. 

Matt started the feature in the 9th spot and used the extreme bottom of the track to methodically work his way through the field.  By lap 13, Matt had grabbed second place from Kenny Schaltenbrand and set his sights on pole-sitter and race-leader, Satterlee.  Working through lapped traffic, Matt eventually reeled in Satterlee and waited for him to make a miscue, a little mistake of any kind.  That was not going to happen as the young driver hit his marks on the super-slick surface, preventing Matt from making the pass.

A late race caution, only the second of the entire feature, slowed the field as Satterlee was about to take the white flag.  The dramatic, end-of-race restarts have become a staple at Lernerville the past three seasons since adopting the double-file procedure that lasts throughout the race.  Two things were working against Matt on this restart: first, he would have to start on the outside, a line that nobody was having success racing because of the lack of available traction, and second, lapped cars were put to the back, allowing third-place running Alex Ferree to restart behind Satterlee.  Matt appeared to make the high side work coming to the white flag as he gained a slight edge on Satterlee heading into turn one.  Satterlee was able to power off the bottom of turn two and move ahead of Matt heading into turn three of the last lap.  Matt was unable to get enough bite from the middle line that he tried and came home second, 0.27 seconds behind Satterlee.  Ferree crossed the line in third while Schaltenbrand finished fourth in the exciting feature.  The team will take next week off but will be back in action on June 27th and 28th at Lernerville for the Firecracker 100. 

Rossburg, OH; Hoping to improve on their success from the 2007 World 100, Matt and the team made their second visit to the historic 1/2 mile high banks of Eldora Speedway for the Dream 100.  On Friday, rain showers negated the first qualifying lap for the team, giving Matt one more lap to improve.  He did just that, knocking 0.7 seconds off his first lap time and placing him in the top half of the field (55th out of 122).  Saturday's heat lineup saw Matt starting outside the fifth row of the first heat race; a heat that was stacked top to bottom with talented, proven drivers.  Matt battled the field to come away with an 8th place finish, earning him the right to start 7th in the C Main.  Needing to finish in the top 6 to advance to the B Main, Matt did just that and came away with the final transfer spot.  Matt had advanced into 4th by the first caution on lap 2, but contact with 3rd place running Vic Hill derailed his run to the front.  Starting shotgun on the field for the B main that featured a "who's who" of giants in the late model division, Matt only raced for about 7 laps before pulling pitside.  The boys are getting closer and the more laps that Matt can get on the super-fast surface at Eldora, the better their chances are of qualifying for one of the monumental events held at the Tony Stewart-owned venue.  Congrats to the team on another strong showing at Eldora.  The team will be back in action this Friday evening at Lernerville Speedway and Saturday at Virginia Motor Speedway for the third MACS race of the season. 

                                   6.3.08: Matt Lux Grabs First Win, Eldora’s ‘Dream’ This Weekend

Franklin, PA (June 3, 2008) The 2007 Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) Rookie of the Year Matt Lux and his M3 Motorsports, Inc. race team picked up their first win of the 2008 season on May 24th during the event tabbed as the ‘Double Nickle’ at Stateline Speedway in Busti, NY. Matt drove his AlturnaMATS® / Equipment World Magazine / DICA / Maloney Tool & Mold / Wedge Motorsports Cornett powered Rocket Chassis #21 to a fourth place finish in the first of two 30 lap, $5,000 to win events and held off World of Outlaws Late Model Series star Chub Frank to lead all 30 laps of the second feature event to collect a cool $5,000.

Matt’s big night was sandwiched in between two disappointing nights as Lux finished 13th at Lernerville Speedway on May 23rd and 25th at the MACS sanctioned ‘TC Warehouse Late Model Spring Championship’ at Bedford Speedway on May 25th. Matt’s only event this past weekend was at Lernerville Speedway where he finished fourth behind race winner Jared Miley, Gregg Satterlee, and 2007 Lernerville Champion Alex Ferree.

Up next for the M3 Motorsports Inc. team will be the $100,000 to win ‘Dream’ at the legendary Eldora Speedway in New Weston, OH. Friday June 6th will be qualifying for the event with heats, consolations, and the 100 lap feature on Saturday, June 7th.

For more information on these events please visit www.eldoraspeedway.com

For more information on Matt Lux and M3 Motorsports, Inc. visit their website www.mattlux21.com

Matt Lux and M3 Motorsports, Inc. would like to their supporters for the 2008 season: AlturnaMATS®, EquipmentWorld Magazine, DICA, Maloney Tool & Mold, Wedge Motorsports, Hilltop Beverage, Fame RV Center, JNJ Motorsports Media, Rocket Chassis, Cornett Lightning Racing Engines, American Racer, Simpson Race Products, Fluidyne.

Written and Distributed by:
Jason Shank – JNJ Motorsports Media
www.jnjmotorsportsmedia.com   

5.26.08: Matt Captures 5G Payday at Stateline Speedway to Highlight Busy Weekend

The team made their first visit of the season to Stateline Speedway in Busti, NY this weekend for the "Double Nickel"; two 30 lap features paying $5,000 to win each.  In the first feature, Matt advanced from his 13th starting position to finish 4th as he was the man on the move at the end of the 30.  David Scott, of Garland, PA, was the feature winner.  Matt started the second feature from the pole position and led all 30 laps en route to his first career victory at Stateline Speedway.  The victory did not come easily as Matt fought off Chub Frank for the better part of 15 laps, finishing a car length in front of the Bear Lake superstar.  Unfortunately, bad luck struck again on Sunday evening as Matt was caught up in an evening-ending crash on a restart in the 50 lap MACS feature at Bedford Speedway.

The team raced at Lernerville Speedway on Friday evening where they came home with a disappointing 13th place finish on a night that was riddled with misfortune.  Matt nearly rolled over twice and suffered a flat tire in the feature.  The team will be back at Lernerville on Friday and is tentatively set to race the WoO show at Hagerstown Speedway on Saturday.   

5.22.08: Big Weekend Scheduled for M3 Auto Sports Team

Franklin, PA; Memorial Day weekend is often viewed as the gateway to summertime.  Within the racing community, this weekend marks the time of the year when the season kicks into overdrive.  Special shows pop up all over the schedule while series begin to run on a more consistent basis.  The last time that Matt hit the track was on May 9th at Lernerville Speedway.  Two extraordinarily damp weeks have passed in Western Pennsylvania since then and it finally appears like the racing community is going to be treated to some events again.  The M3 team has opted to remain at home this Friday evening as they will again battle the other regulars at Lernerville Speedway in search of that elusive first '08 win.  The team travels north to the Empire State on Saturday evening to Stateline Speedway for the twin $5000 to win shows which promise to feature some tight, aggressive racing.  The MACS season gets back underway this Sunday at Bedford Speedway at the fairgrounds, where Matt scored his '08 series best finish last season.  Mother Nature looks like she is going to be smiling on the racing community this weekend, so come out and support the M3 AutoSports Team.   

Sarver, PA; It seems that poor pill draws have been the norm of late with the M3 AutoSports team.  Friday night, however, the team was handed an ace and got to start on the pole for the 25 lap late model feature at Lernerville Speedway.  Early in the race, Matt looked untouchable as he opened up 10 car length leads on two occasions before cautions slowed the pace.  As Matt was cruising comfortably in the lead, Alex Ferree was dicing his way through the stellar field from his 7th starting spot.  Ferree eventually made it to 2nd place on lap 11, immediately before another caution dropped.  With Matt running the cushion and Ferree running the middle-to-bottom groove, the two waged a fantastic battle for 6 laps.  Matt would pull away from Ferree coming out of two only to see the Saxonburg wheelman pull even with him coming to the flagstand.  As the two completed lap 18, and with heavy traffic in their sights, Ferree was able to make the winning pass on Matt.  Matt maintained second place en route to collecting his first top 5 and fourth top 10 of the season.   

4.18.08: Team Rallies From Mechanical Problems to Score Top 10

Sarver, PA; On the way to the racetrack this Friday evening, the car transporter suffered mechanical problems and delayed the team's arrival to the track by about 3 hours.  Luckily, repairs were made in time for the guys to get the car to the track in time to start at the tail of the B-main.  Matt made quick work of the 9-car field and won by nearly 2 seconds.  Starting 19th in the A-main, Matt took advantage of the several early cautions and double-file restarts to work his way into 8th position by lap 7.  Looking to crack the top 5 on lap 10, Matt was the victim of some inadvertent contact between two other racers.  Matt was using the high side of turn 3 to go around the #40 of Dutch Davies and the #5 of Alan Dellinger when the two drivers made contact, sending Davies sliding to the high side of the track.  Davies slid up into Matt, sending him over the turn 4 cushion, dropping him 7 positions.  Unfortunately, the race ran caution-free the remaining 15 laps as Matt tried to claw his way back to the lead pack.  He was able to advance back to 9th spot, but felt as if he was the car to beat in the feature. 

4.15.08: Matt Scores a 15th Place Finish Against World of Outlaws

Sarver, PA; The Achilles' Heel for the M3 team the past few years has been qualifying.  A DNQ can usually be attributed to a poor qualifying effort and subsequent poor starting spot in the heat race.  On Tuesday, Matt qualified 6th fast out of the 51 cars in attendance, locking him into a second place starting spot in the second of four heat races.  Matt survived two restarts en route to his first career World of Outlaws heat race victory over Rick Eckert, Chub Frank, and David Scott.  Matt drew the sixth starting spot for the $10,000 to win "Showdown in Sarvertown" 50 lap feature event.  Unfortunately for the team, they struggled throughout the race.  Matt spent the majority of the 50 laps running  in the low teens, eventually coming home in the 15th spot, courtesy of a photo finish pass of Shannon Babb.  The race seemed to represent the exact opposite of Saturday's race.  On Saturday, Matt qualified poorly, did not qualify from the heat race or consolation, but was good in the feature.  This night, Matt was great out of the blocks, but struggled in the feature.  It's no time to get down as this team is coming together and shows signs of greatness.  Early predictions say that this could be a fun year!

  4.13.08: World of Outlaws Headed to Lernerville This Tuesday

Sarver, PA; On Tuesday, April 15th, the World of Outlaws Late Models will make their annual springtime visit to Lernerville Speedway.  As usual, the Outlaws will be greeted by a contingent of local racers determined to show these invaders that they are serious about defending their home turf.  The race will mark the first event at the historical Sarver oval as the first three scheduled events have been cancelled due to inclement weather.  Track conditions could play a vital role in the outcome as the damp and cold conditions over the area the past several weeks could create rough racetrack conditions.  Early weather forecasts look promising for the event, with little rain in the area and highs expected in the upper 40's and lows in the mid 30's.  Dress in layers and come out to support the M3 AutoSports team as they look to rebound from disappointing efforts against the traveling Outlaws during the 2007 season.  Stop by and visit the trailer and pick up a Matt Lux Racing sweatshirt...you may need it!  See you at the races.        

  4.12.08: Matt Competes in MACS 2008 Opener at "The Rock"

Cumberland, MD; The M3 AutoSports team opened the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) at Allegany County Speedway (a.k.a. "The Rock") in Cumberland Maryland, the site of the 2007 MACS finale.  The team got off to a frustrating start as a poor qualifying effort exposed a broken shock mount on the blue Rocket Chassis.  Relegated to pull out the green Rocket and start at the tail of the heat race, Matt failed to qualify for the feature out of the heat race, finishing 7th.  Matt started the consolation race outside of the third row and could only muster a 7th place finish, compounding the frustration of the entire team.  Due to Matt's fifth place overall finish in the MACS standings a year ago, he was eligible to use a provisional starting spot for the 50 lap feature event.  Matt battled his way from his 23rd starting spot to a 15th place finish on a racetrack that made passing extremely difficult.  Although not satisfied with the evening, Matt's efforts did earn him the Wrisco Aluminum Hard Charger award.  The team will seek to repair the shock mount damage on the blue car in time to race it on Tuesday at Lernerville Speedway for the Showdown in Sarvertown against the World of Outlaws.