Laprade & Kirby Honeycutt Team For Five Pro Truck Races
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Race Face Brand Development driver Matthew Laprade has inked a deal to compete in five Pro Truck races at Houston (Texas) Motorsports Park this season with team owner Kirby Honeycutt.
Laprade will kick off his association with Honeycutt, the father of recent Snowball Derby winner Kaden Honeycutt, on Saturday, April 19 at the three-eighths-mile paved oval.
He’ll then return to Houston on July 5, Aug. 16, Oct. 18, and Nov. 8 behind the wheel of Honeycutt’s No. 10 Pro Truck.
It’s the next step forward for Laprade, a Legend car graduate who first debuted in the Pro Truck division last August at Florida’s Auburndale Speedway.
“I’m really excited to team up with Kirby for these Pro Truck races at Houston and looking forward to learning a new racetrack,” said Laprade. “After the success we had in Pro Trucks last year in just a few races for Daniel Webster, I’m ready to put in the effort to grow even more this year and fight for victories at HMP against some of the top short-track racers in Texas.”
In addition to his races for Honeycutt, Laprade will also race Pro Trucks in his home state of Florida for Webster’s Right Foot Down Motorsports team this season, as well as tackle a pair of races for John Thompson and Grant Thompson Racing.
Laprade will supplement his busy Pro Truck schedule with Sportsman division events for Webster when his calendar permits.
Kirby Honeycutt hopes to build Laprade’s skill set and guide the young racer toward success, much like he did with son Kaden before the latter exploded onto the national scene in late models and in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
“It’s an honor to be a part of Matthew’s development and I’m glad to have him and his family as a part of our team this year,” said the elder Honeycutt. “Houston will be a new challenge for him, but I’m confident we can give him the tools and confidence necessary to battle for wins over the five races he runs with us. I look forward to seeing him succeed and grow through this process.”
Laprade’s full 2025 schedule will be released soon, but he’ll kick off his year driving for Webster on Feb. 1 with the Melon Man Pro Truck Series – supported by NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain – at Cordele (Ga.) Motor Speedway.
About Matthew Laprade
Matthew Laprade is a 12-year-old Legend car and Pro Truck racer from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., who is competing at Cordele (Ga.) Motor Speedway this season in the Young Lions division, as well as in the Cook Out Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and the Thursday Thunder Series at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. He drives for Right Foot Down Motorsports in the Pro Truck category.
Laprade began his driving career at six years old in dirt go-karts, now having raced for 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 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.
Fans can visit https://matthewlapraderacing.com/ or follow Matthew Laprade Racing on Facebook to keep up with his racing endeavors.