The Matt Diary

Ok... had to post this. Love the comment about the bulldozer..

Hi everyone,

Got to make it quick today. Most people think that this is an ‘off week.’ Well, it is in the fact that NEXTEL Cup isn’t racing. It’s our last off weekend of the year and that’s great for the crew guys. Those guys work so hard on these cars and keep them running good. This is their last weekend off and nobody deserves it more than they do. It’s their last chance to rest before Thanksgiving.

As for me, it’s been a busy week. I was in Oshkosh on Wednesday doing an appearance for Ford. It was pretty cool being at the air show and checking out a lot of planes. It’s no secret that I enjoy flying so it was pretty cool being out around all of the planes and stuff. We had a great turnout for the autograph session and it’s always fun to do things like that in my home state of Wisconsin.

Thursday I was helping Gatorade break ground on a new plant in Pryor, Oklahoma. They let me ride in on a bulldozer, which isn’t the first time I’ve done that but it’s always pretty cool. Someone asked me what I thought about it and I had to admit, I started visualizing the back of the 24 car. But, all joking aside, it was a cool to go down there and help them with that. Gatorade is a great partner and I’ve always enjoyed working with them.

Today is a brief break in the schedule so I’m going to spend the rest of it in my cabin with the family. Tomorrow I’m racing late models at Elko Speedway in Minnesota; then Sunday I’ll be at the Fan Club in Cambridge signing autographs. That’s the best autograph session of the year. A lot of loyal fans come out, and a lot of old friends and people that I haven’t seen in a while that have followed me since the first of my career. They’re all going to be there so it’s a nice way to kick off this final stretch and a good way to get pumped up before going to Indy next week. Hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend!

~Matt