Matt Latino knew if he had the opportunity, he’d make the most of it.
The Director of Business Development for Global Emmissions Systems Inc. [GESI] completed his Pro Stock licensing process last week during a test session at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Not only did he earn his driving credentials, but the son of former Pro Modified racer turned Pro Stock pilot Eric Latino, did so with an exclamation mark.
Before the session, the second-generation drag racer had dabbled with a deceptively fast ’64 Valiant and later a ’72 Duster Pro Street car. In this instance, his racing level graduated from second grade and directly into college in terms of complexity.
“I got comfortable really quickly,” Latino said. “I think everyone, including myself, was pretty surprised how well it went. Typically, the way it would work with the licensing, especially if you’d never driven one of these cars before, you’d get in a car, you’d make several burnout attempts, and once your burnouts looking pretty straight and solid and where it needs to be, you’d line up. You’d make a few launch attempts, maybe bang the one-two a couple of times, and slowly make your way out.
“It came so quickly. By the second time, my second burnout attempt, I was not on the chip at all. Just nice smooth burnouts through the beams and just nice and clean, lined up a couple of times, letting the clutch out.”
Just how good was he in those dumping-the-clutch moments?
He had a .010 reaction time—beginner’s luck, one might suggest. But consider this: Latino’s first full pass netted a 6.58 elapsed time at 209 miles per hour.
“I’m very comfortable in the car,” Latino said.
Latino understands there’s a big difference between making runs in a private test session and the overwhelming presence of an NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series national event.
“That’s one thing that I’ve tried to humble myself a little bit on,” Latino admitted. “I know I did quite well in the licensing session, but I certainly don’t want to let that get to my head because I know that things may very well be different once there’s another car next to me and you get a couple of drivers in there trying to throw some intimidation my way. Staging the car on my own didn’t seem like a problem. You get another car next to you; that may throw me off a little bit. So I guess we’ll see when the time comes.”
There’s also the intimidation factor, something Latino admits he’s not immune from but feels it isn’t much of an issue.
“I want to feel like I should be scared or I should be intimidated, but so far, I’ve been nothing but excited and confident,” Latino said. “Ever since jumping in the car, I’ve just been really excited to get after it, and I don’t yet feel that.”
Latino made his first runs before a gaggle of established Pro Stock drivers and never missed a beat in his procedures. He credits coaching from Dallas Glenn and his father for getting his head wrapped around the procedures.
“No one else is here. It’s just you and the car, just focus on what you’re going to do, how you’re going to pull your gears and that’s all you got to worry about,” Latino said of his counseling. “That’s it. Both days, I didn’t think about anything else. [In my mind], no one was even watching me. I’m just doing my own thing, doing what I’m supposed to do, and I hope that I can keep that mentality through, especially during qualifying and race day.”
Additional counsel came from Cory Reed, a rookie in Pro Stock last season, who transitioned from Pro Stock Motorcycle.
“I consider Cory to be a good friend of mine, and he was actually there at the shop,” Latino said. “I drove down to Florida before doing the licensing session. He was there working on some stuff at the shop, and he gave me a couple words of advice on the burnout and on the staging and just, ‘Relax, be comfortable, take it easy. No one else is around you.”
“He’s had some comforting words for me as well, and seeing him jump in the car and having so much success, I’m thinking, ‘Is he a natural? Has he just got the experience through the bike?”
“Regardless, I’d like to think he and I are similar people in terms of mentality and how we look into this type of thing. So it was certainly encouraging seeing him doing well in the car, and I was just hoping that I could also hold up my end and then perform well.”
Latino credited Rob Downing and Dave Connolly for also helping him to make the transition. It’s been a natural pathway for the newly licensed driver who grew up working the clutch on his father’s Pro Modified.
“Back before everyone was on torque converters, we were in a clutch and we had to pull levers and shift gears,” Latino said. “So I was always in there. I was adjusting base and counterweight. I was the one to pull the drive shafts and then the transmission out. I’d be changing gear ratios. So I was always right in there and I always dreamed of the day I could drive a Pro Modified. But once things started changing for Pro Mod and everyone was using an automatic transmission and torque converters, that kind of lost a little bit of interest for me, and I think it did for my dad as well.”
While Latino believed destiny would carry him down a certain path, it actually steered him down another.
“I have learned so much over the years that it’s, the timing’s perfect and I got to a point where I said, “Okay, I think it’s my time now, I got to get behind the wheel,” Latino added.
Latino said he is working on sponsorship funding to run as part of KB Titan in 2025, which will dictate how many races he runs. Until then, Latino has been focused on being the best version of himself.
“I’m very disciplined, and I don’t know if this separates myself from anyone else,” Latino explained. “I take health and fitness very seriously. I’ve put pre-race routines in place every single morning no matter what. I don’t care how little sleep I got, I’m up. I’m at the gym, I’m working out. I want to make sure that I’m in the right physical health and mental being. I am focused. I’m relaxed. I don’t stress out at all.”
Latino already has his sponsorship pitch prepared before he has even competed in a national event.
“In terms of representing a brand, I like to think I’m relatively well-spoken and knowledgeable, especially if I’m going to be representing a product,” Latino said. “So I think just all around, I think I have the mental clarity I need to run this class because you do need a lot of that to run this class. It very crucial that you’re focused. And it comes down to the thousandths. I think I carry the mental capacity that needs to run these cars, and I think I can run them very well.”
Given the opportunity to represent a brand while racing Pro Stock Latino will be as equally focused.
