Laprade Set For Pro Truck Debut At Auburndale

A rendering of Matthew Laprade's Pro Truck for his class debut at Auburndale (Fla.) Speedway.

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Making his first move into a full-size race car, Florida Legend car driver Matthew Laprade will make his Pro Truck debut Saturday night at Auburndale Speedway.

The 12-year-old from nearby New Smyrna Beach, Fla., will drive for Right Foot Down Motorsports – owned by longtime sportsman and late model racer Daniel Webster – at the quarter-mile oval.

After spending the bulk of his year racing in the Young Lions division, with appearances in premier Legend car events like the Cook Out Summer Shootout Series and Thursday Thunder Series, the young Laprade is eager to take the next step in his career development at a track close to home.

“I’m really excited to get to drive a Pro Truck for the first time this weekend and see what I’m capable of in a bigger vehicle,” said Laprade, who will have a practice night Friday to get his feet wet before race day on Saturday.

“Thank you to Daniel Webster and everyone involved with Right Foot Down for giving me this opportunity, and I hope to learn a lot and make them proud at Auburndale.”

After building into a top-five finisher at the Summer Shootout and securing a top-10 finish in Thursday Thunder points, Laprade’s father Damon

“We went through karting and into the Legend cars with a friend of ours who we live close to, who is two years older than Matthew, but I saw him go into the truck and got some positive feedback that, ‘Hey, once you can drive the Legend car and control it, the truck almost comes naturally because it’s got wider tires and a wider wheel base to where you’re a little bit more stuck [in the racetrack],” explained Damon Laprade.

“And then [fellow driver] T.J. DeCaire was a coach of Matthew’s who raced against him in karting as well, and T.J. is working with the NASCAR [Drive for] Diversity program up in Charlotte, so we brought him in to work with Matthew again at the Summer Shootout. He drove a [Pro] truck in Florida and said, ‘Yeah, there’s no reason why I wouldn’t have Matthew try that out,” continued Damon. “So I put some feelers out in the industry as far as available truck rides, and I got lucky to get hooked up with [Right Foot Down]. Matther got in the truck last week and ran some pretty impressive times [in testing] at Auburndale, where I feel like he can keep up and be able to learn some of the things we want him to learn.

“We’re just going to start down this path parallel with the Legend car and see where it leads us.”

Both Matthew and his father agreed that keeping the truck clean and earning respect as a rookie driver in the division are their main goals in this first race.

“I know we’ll have a fast truck, and I’d love to qualify and finish – or at least fight for – a top five, but we don’t want to tear anything up, that’s for sure,” noted Matthew. “Driving the truck, the line is a lot different and it’s more controlled through the corners [compared to a Legend car]. It doesn’t get loose as fast, so you have to definitely arc your corners a lot more to get through the corner.”

Added Damon, “This is all about getting him some experience without putting him in a bad situation. The Friday night practice session will be the first time he’s actually out on the racetrack with a bunch of other trucks, so we’ll see how he handles that situation going into Saturday, and then see how he works his way through the field to earn the respect of the competitors out there.

“Target number one is to get through the race and keep the truck in one piece,” he continued “It’s a 50-lap race, so that will be the most laps Matthew’s ever run at one time. He just needs to hold up in there and then we’ll move forward from there one step at a time.”

Webster is eager to have Laprade behind the wheel for his team and excited to work with him in the Pro Truck ranks.

“Man, I really love what Matthew does behind the wheel and we’re excited to have him as part of the Right Foot Down family,” said Webster. “He understands what’s going on inside the truck and he’s able to communicate that with us, which is an important skill to have as a young driver. We’re all looking forward to this first race at Auburndale as a group.”

Laprade will take part in Friday’s three-hour open practice night at Auburndale before strapping in for his first Pro Truck race on Saturday, Aug. 24.

The 50-lap event is part of a seven-division program which also features a 75-lap UARA Sportsman race, as well as Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Pure Stocks, Crown Vic cars, and Mini Cups.

Laprade would like to thank marketing partners Wade Tractor & Equipment, Adrenalin Powersports, Race Face Brand Development, and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation for their support of his racing efforts.

About Matthew Laprade

Matthew Laprade is a 12-year-old Legend car 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.

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.

A new website for Laprade is in development. In the meantime, fans can visit https://www.synergyspeedlab.com/m18 or follow Matthew Laprade Racing on Facebook to keep up with his racing endeavors.