Another Pro Truck Runner-Up For Laprade In Pensacola

Matthew Laprade (MDL Racing photo)

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Matthew Laprade earned a runner-up finish under the Friday night lights at Five Flags Speedway, continuing his summer-long speed with Grant Thompson Racing.

In a 25-lap sprint race at the half-mile oval, Laprade ran second for nearly the entire duration, though he did lead one lap after getting past early pacesetter Kyler Bean on the ninth rotation.

Season-long dominator Steven Davis got past Laprade on lap 10, however, and the teenager from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., spent the rest of the race chasing Davis in an effort to claim the bounty money put up for anyone who can beat the longtime veteran.

It didn’t happen on this night, however, as Davis won by 3.474 seconds over Laprade, George Gorham Jr., Keeton Harris, and J.T. Chastain.

“Honestly, I was super happy with the truck,” said Laprade, who watched crew chief Grant Thompson drive the No. 54 to victory over Davis in mid-August at Mobile (Ala.) Int’l Speedway.

“He proved it could be done, and now for the rest of the season, it’s my job to continue getting better and work to do the same thing,” Laprade added. “We know the truck has the speed. It’s capable. I just have to keep learning and gaining so I can reach the maximum potential of what it can do.”

Friday night was Laprade’s 25th race of the season. He has seven wins, 19 podiums, and 22 top fives across Legend car, Pro Truck, and asphalt modified competition.

Thanks go out to marketing partners Wade Tractor & Equipment, Adrenalin Powersports, Synergy SpeedLab, Race Face Brand Development, and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation for their support of Laprade’s racing efforts.

Friday night began a double-duty weekend for Laprade, capped by his Sportsman late model debut Saturday night at Auburndale (Fla.) Speedway with Right Foot Down Motorsports.

About Matthew Laprade

Matthew Laprade is a 13-year-old Legend car and Pro Truck racer from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., who is competing primarily in Pro Trucks this year across the Southeast, as well as in high-profile Legend car events, including the INEX Winter Nationals at Auburndale (Fla.) Speedway.

He drives for Right Foot Down Motorsports, Grant Thompson Racing, and Kaden Honeycutt Racing in the Pro Truck category.

Laprade began his driving career at six years old in dirt go-karts, now having raced for more than half his life. He shocked the karting world in 2019 during his rookie season by winning the Vega Florida State Championship in the Rookie Division.

Invited to the nationals as a result, Laprade went on to capture the Vega National Championship that season in the Rookie Division, cementing his place as a young racer with prodigious talent.

Laprade’s second major championship came in 2021, when he claimed the Florida Dirt Championship Series title in the Junior 1 division, and he also added a victory in the prestigious World 100 karting event in Junior 1 that season as well.

After racing Bandolero cars for back-to-back seasons in 2022 and ’23, highlighted by a third-place finish in the Bandolero Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway in his sophomore Bandolero season, Laprade made the move to Legend cars for 2024. His Winter Nationals mini-series championship at Citrus County Speedway came on the strength of five race wins in five days from Feb. 12-16.

Laprade’s summer stretch in 2024 was highlighted by a top-five finish during round nine of the Summer Shootout, as well as a ninth-place finish in the Thursday Thunder Young Lions standings.

Away from the racetrack, Laprade’s competitive interests include golfing and fishing, and he golfed rounds with the PGA Junior League this year during downtime from his racing schedule. He is also a supporter of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation’s efforts to fight pediatric cancer.

For more information, visit his website at www.matthewlapraderacing.com.