Good ol' Matt (from Don West)

We were on our first lap at Virginia International Raceway and it was getting tense. Motors were racing, tires squealing and attitudes flaring in a friendly (no holds barred) race between the skilled and the unskilled. I was behind Matt as usual and tried to follow his line in hairpin turns and s curves. One of the other skilled drivers tried to get around me and we wrestled a turn pushing into the tire lined corners and wham...tires went flying. One bounced off my cart as we headed into the straightaway when I realized something was wrong....Matt was at a standstill and 20 feet wasn't enough to stop. Screeeeeeech...bam! It was a practice lap and apparently, I was the only one who didn't know. I was following Matt and he was not practicing...he never practiced...he raced. We had a few choice words and the race began. That first lap was the last time I saw the back of his cart and at the end of the race we laughed.

So was the four years we worked together. We raced and most of the time I watched from a distance as he ran his course. Every once in awhile I saw his tail lights but never the brake light.

We spent a lot of time together making IT work. He loved our work...put up with my half baked ideas and challenged me to LEARN. He was a true friend (not the ones who tell you what you want to hear) a natural leader/teacher and formidable challenger and one of the finest people I've ever known. That was Matt to me. We love him and miss him. I often reflect and catch myself wanting his opinion and most of the time I know it. He left an indelible mark and I'm so much better for knowing him. He was truly good and part of his legacy rests with me to carry on and provide for the other 94 employees and 400 relatives in his "Southland Family".