 For most motorsports fans, their focus is solely on NASCAR, IndyCar, and other major forms of motorsports. For Matt Wiernasz, his life revolves around grassroots racing.
Modified racing is one of the oldest forms of motorsports in the United States and for a race fan like Wiernasz, he spends a lot of his time at home tracks around the country. "I started attending races at Riverside Park Speedway in Agawam, MA when I was little," Wiernasz said. "My dad was one of the track announcers at Riverside Park Speedway. That's where the track had modifieds. The northeast to me is always Modified country...In 2004, I really wanted to cover racing and I got into photography and it fell all into place." Getting into the motorsports industry, any aspect of it, is not easy. Like most jobs, you have to start from the bottom and work your way up. Getting out there and making your name known in the media industry is the key to success. "Getting in is tough but staying in is a lot tougher," he said, "and I am very thankful for the opportunities I have been given in this sport... getting to cover all sorts of racing from NASCAR to Indy cars, to Indoor Racing." "I think when you have a passion for this and your dedicated and you take it very seriously, the rewards are going to come. Most of us in the sport travel a lot or cover weekly racing at some of the local tracks. You look at that and that's a lot of time away from your family and friends." Like any motorsports fan, being able to travel to the race track any given weekend is a reward in itself. There is nothing quite like the sounds of the motors, the smell of the gas, and the atmosphere of the race. "I look at it this way anytime you can be at a race track is a cool thing because your doing what you love and that's living the dream," Wiernasz said. For any individual trying to work their way into the industry, support is the most important thing. For Wiernasz, his family and friends have been there every step of the way. "A lot of people have been just very supportive and letting me do what I love and that is such a great feeling," he said, "I love hearing good and bad feedback...it wants to make you (be) a better journalist." No matter how many races he may cover or attend, there are always those few special moments that stick out. "My biggest one is going to Bristol Motor Speedway in March of 2012 and getting to cover the Food City 500 weekend that was an awesome feeling," he said. "The Indoor races are amazing. The TQ Midgets are the main division and it brings some of the best drivers from all over from open wheel racing to dirt car racing. I have gotten to opportunity the cover NASCAR, Indy Car, Grand-AM, World Of Outlaws. I think some of the tracks we have in the country have such a rich history." Some of the greatest tracks in the country are small dirt and paved tracks in our own backyards. Getting to see these tracks up close is something very few get to do. Wiernasz has been to 30 different tracks in 10 different states, including many NASCAR, IndyCar and Grand-AM races around the country and he hopes to make it a career one day. "It would be cool if I could do the Motorsports Journalism all the time but I know it's a tall order. You have to take what you can get in this sport and just be thankful for it."
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