2013 Hall of Fame


 

The Mattera Family

E.G. and Mary Lou Mattera are not racers at MIR themselves, but they raised a clan that made a definite impact on the Budds Creek facility for more than 20 years. Seven different members of the Mattera clan have won events at MIR and four of the seven have won track championships. Only the youngest Mattera brothers and grandson have yet to do that and it may only be a matter of time.

The Mattera racing family covers three generations. E.G. and Mary Lou provided the education, support, and encouragement. Their sons Joey, John, Bobby, Tony, and Danny all won at MIR, and grandsons Christopher and Jacob look to continue the family tradition.

E.G. was the mechanic and then manager of the police vehicle shop for Prince Georges County, Maryland. Using his mechanical expertise, he helped sons Joey and John build their first cars. He also introduced them to Danny Fitzmaurice. Danny got Joey started in drag racing. Joey, in turn, got his brothers involved. The youngest Mattera Brothers were nowhere near driving age when Joey hit the strip, but one by one, as they came of age, each Mattera brother entered the sport and eventually entered the MIR record books.

Joey began with a Chevy Nova that he raced from 1986 to 1995. He won most of his races with that car, but eventually took his first championship in a dragster. Joey was the Super Pro track champion in 1997 and 1998, and finished number two in points a number of times. Among his accomplishments, Joey made a perfect run in a foot brake car in 2003. That Pontiac Grand Am sits waiting for his son Christopher to come of driving age. Joey is 49 and does Maintenance and Operations for a public school system. He is married to Tracie and has two kids, Christopher and Nicholas.

John raced a Chevy Camaro right out of high school. At times, he dominated the Heavy Eliminator/Mod ET category, winning more than a third of the overall track championships in that category since 1990! John’s amazing eight track championships began in 1991 and continued through 2006. They included championship years in 1992, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2005! John won the Rick's Jewelers Ring for the Queen championship. Even when John didn’t win the track championship, he was close. John finished number two in points many times, and finished no worse than third for many straight years. John is 48 and a Truck Driver. He is married to Dawn and they have a son Brandon.

Bobby began driving in 1987 and began racing in 1989. He didn’t race for as long as his brothers, but he certainly left his mark! Bobby won the track championship in the Super Pro category in 1991 while brother Joey finished second! Bobby is 44 and is a Federal Government Employee. He is married to Laura and they have twin girls, Megan and Allyson.

Tony came next. Using his street driven machine, Tony delivered pizzas by day and raced at MIR by night. He won the Rick's Jewelers Ring for the Queen championship and regularly finishes in the top ten in Heavy Eliminator/Mod ET. In fact, Tony led the Bracket Finals team in Mod ET in 2008 only to fall short of the eventual track championship by 10 points. Tony is 38 and a Fire Alarm Technician. He is married to Lora and they have four kids, Caylee, Jacob, Leah, and Gillian.

Danny is the youngest brother at 35. He hasn’t racked up a track championship yet, but was a top ten finisher in 2006 and 2007. Among his accomplishments, Danny won two $5000 races in one day at MIR in his Camaro. He also won races at other tracks. Danny took a break after the 2007 season, but began racing again last year. He is a Fleet Manager for a communications company. Along with girlfriend Jenna Peterson, they take care of Albert the dog and Thumper the cat.

Joey’s son Christopher was the first Junior Dragster racer in the Mattera clan. He won the MIR Junior Dragster track championship in 2012. Christopher finished number two in 2010, and only a redlight in the final round of the championship race prevented him from winning that year. Christopher has 5 Raider ET challenge wins, an Ironman, and quite a list of weekly wins. He has already won 4 races so far this season (2 of them Raider ET races). By the way, as of last weekend, September 8, 2013, Christopher’s win in Junior Dragster marked the sixth consecutive week that a Mattera has won at MIR.

Tony’s son Jacob rounds out the Mattera Racing Army. He is just getting started, but racked up top ten finishes in 2010, 2011, and 2012. If history holds true, Jacob too will one day grace the wall of champions near the MIR winner’s circle.

Racing families like the Matteras are what keep the sport of drag racing vibrant and healthy. Their dedication and work ethic transcends the generations and offers other racers and spectators alike something to aspire to. MIR is proud to recognize the Mattera Family as 2013 Legends of Budds Creek.