In The Spotlight – Jared Materas
Jared Materas, Thompson Speedway’s 2012 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models, had wanted to drive a race car for a long time. After all, he had been working with his racing dad for many years. “My father has been racing for some 15 or 16 years and that’s how we got started. I would sneak into the pits at age 14 to help work on his car and I’d also work in the garage. But, I had wanted to get into the car for a long time,” he said.
Materas, who lives in Palmer, MA, is a 27 year old physical education teacher at the Chestnut Middle School in Springfield, MA where he also serves as the coach for the school’s soccer team and track and field programs. He is competitive by nature and participated in soccer, track and field, wrestling and baseball in high school and continued his track and field interests in college. But racing has been a big part of his life since he was a kid.
He recalls the fact that both his dad and racer Roy Ethier worked construction together. “They were pretty close friends and my dad would go to the track to watch him race. That’s how we got into it. Roy offered my dad a chance to race and it started there. I was along for the ride,” he said. The “ride” proved to be a good one and his dad, John Materas, has had a very successful career at Thompson. The highlight, thus far, has been the 2009 Late Model championship trophy.
“My opportunity came up last year,” said Jared. He continued by saying, “I was able to get into my father’s car and we ran about ten races. I always wanted to run Thompson because I liked the speed of the track, I liked the tack itself and that’s where my dad got started. Just getting in the car for the first time you get the itch and it made me want to come back for more. We ran a few practices, without mom knowing, and I got hooked on it. Heading down the straight-aways seems like forever. But, you get hooked on it. The sound and the feel just make you want more and to go even faster”, he exclaimed.
His rookie year was an impressive one. Even with a late start, he managed eight top tens, a top five and finished 9th in the final point standings. When asked about his Rookie of the Year award, he said “that was my goal. It felt great. I’m a very competitive person and even with the good finishes we’ve had I want to get better and better and get up there near the front. Hopefully in three to five years I’ll still be in a Late Model and I’ll be competitive and going for wins,” he stated.
Materas’ involvement in racing is not limited to driving his Late Model at Thompson. He also works with famed car owner Ted Marsh. “I’m a tire changer on Ted’s Grand Am Rolex Series car. I’ve had to miss a few Thompson races because of this but I get to travel all over. We travel from Lime Rock Park to Laguna Seca in California and we’re heading to the Brickyard in Indianapolis.” When asked if he would ever like to drive the Grand Am Rolex car, he was quick to say that he’d love the opportunity to take the Grand Am for a spin.
Materas has not limited his racing activities to driving and working on cars. He has taken on a cause that is near and dear to his heart. His car bears the Team Fox logo. Team Fox is the grassroots community fundraising program at the Michael J. Fox Foundation. “We put the Team Fox logo on the car in honor of Sonny Whelen who drove for Teddy Marsh until last year,” said the young driver. “Sonny has Parkinson’s disease. I am going to take ½ of my winnings and donate that money to the Foundation. Sonny drove for about five years but had to retire last year due to his illness. But, he is still involved.”
Jared Materas, the Late Model Rookie of the year in 1012, has a clear vision of where he would like to go in racing and how he’d like to get there. Watching Jared further develop his talent and knowing that this young man has dedicated so much time to the students he teaches and the sport that he loves will certainly add a new dimension to the Jared Materas story in the years ahead.
Sources: ThompsonSpeedway.com