All Throttle...No Bottle

Matt and his wife Trish each rode their own Harley’s early in their relationship.  When they decided to start a family in 2003, she sold her bike for some appliances and Matt sold his for a 56 Chevy drag car. They sold their final Harley to buy a tricked out 1983 C-Class RV…to not only tow the race car but to also tow their growing family to the track.

Way before that though, Matt was introduced to drag racing at a young age by a neighbor, Gene Striegle of Lisbon, Iowa, who took a load of neighborhood kids to Cordova Raceway during the summers.

In the late 90’s, Matt became seriously interested in drag racing after calling on a company called Digital Delay and the late Ike Hamma- through his job selling electronics. Matt claims that he would not be where he is today with out the help and advice of Ike's son Charlie and business partner Dwain May, of Digital Delay Inc.

Matt started drag racing in 2004 with a back-halfed 1956 Chevy. One of his proudest moments while racing the 56 Chevy was in 2005, winning a Wally award for King of the Track and another Wally award for the National Dragster Challenge.

After racing at various tracks around the states of Iowa and Illinois, Matt says that he has realized that this sport allows him to satisfy personal interests and goals. Additionally, the race tracks offer an environment that enables his family to enjoy the experience as well.

In July 2007, Matt sold the 56 Chevy and purchased a 1996 Beretta tube chassis from Omaha, Nebraska. He and his father Ken, picked the car up on a Saturday and spent that week putting the motor in and rewiring the car--- just in time to race the following Sunday. After a few weekends of working out the bugs, Kohl Racing won back to back races to secure the points lead at TriState Raceway in Earlville, Iowa, another proud moment for Matt.

Matt wants to give a shout-out to his dad Ken and friends Kelly Main and Shawn Carter all from Lisbon, Iowa, for helping him get his car going that week. (Talk about a major over-haul!)

Over this past winter, Zoo Keeper Chassis added a rear anti-roll bar and reworked a few things to make the car more consistent. Sputs Engines in Owatona, Minnesota, freshened the motor. Matt also set the car up for some Super Gas racing in 2008.

Matt would like to thank his wife for her support, for taking care of their three kids through out the summers, and for encouraging him to pursue his passion.

Matt's dad has also been a great support for him. Matt feels lucky to be able to spend quality time wrenching on the car with Ken--- getting to know him as a mentor and a friend. "I enjoy the time that we spend together and I look forward to doing the same thing with my kids when we start them up with Jr. Dragsters…my girl has three more years until she’s eligible and the boys will be right behind her," says Matt.