Laprade Set For Asphalt Modified Debut At Houston

Matthew Laprade (MDL Racing photo)

HOUSTON, Texas – Coming off a runner-up finish in Pro Truck action at Mobile Int’l Speedway, Matthew Laprade will tackle his next challenge in full-size pavement racing.

Laprade will return to Houston Motorsports Park for a double-duty short track Saturday night on Aug. 16, racing not only a Pro Truck for Kaden Honeycutt Racing, but also making his asphalt modified debut.

The 13-year-old from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., will take the wheel for John Heil and the BMF Shocks & Chassis squad as he learns a new vehicle in his racing career.

“It’s super exciting to get to head back to Houston and know that we don’t just get another shot with the Pro Truck, but that I’ll get to race the modified for the first time as well,” Laprade said. “I can’t thank John enough for all the work he’s put into the car so far and I’m really looking forward to finally getting to take it out on the racetrack.”

Laprade will have test days on both Thursday and Friday to acclimate to the modified before racing it Saturday night at the three-eighths-mile oval in Southeastern Texas.

“Having the extra track time in the modified is really going to help me, I feel like, because I know it will be a different feel than the truck even though the track is the same,” he noted. “It will be a challenge to learn the little things that make it go fast, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”

The overall season to-date for Laprade includes seven wins, 16 podiums, and 19 top fives in 21 starts. Five of Laprade’s seven victories came during INEX Legend car competition at Auburndale in February.

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.

BCO Roofing & Construction Night at Houston Motorsports Park kicks off Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, with a driver meet and greet scheduled as well.

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.