It was the night before his NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series driving debut, and second-generation drag racer Matt Latino wasn’t the least bit fazed with the pressure others were likely to heap on him. He had an overwhelming appetite on this Thursday evening in Phoenix, but not for dumping a clutch, shifting gears, and keeping his Bear Grill-sponsored Pro Stocker in the groove.
“I’m hungry,” Latino said. “I had a long day, a long flight. I’m about to sit down and have a nice meal. I feel calm and ready to go.”
That’s the MO of Latino, whose father is Eric Latino, a fellow Pro Stock racer and one of the principals in the KB-Titan operation. He didn’t lean on his family connections to get a ride. Latino knew that for this to work the best, he had to bring money to the table to fund his racing efforts. In other words, he had to pull his own weight.
Even when he was testing, Latino was a sponge, soaking up all the information to calculate his moves on and off the track. He stuck to his guns on not willing to race until he had a marketing partner, going as far as sitting out the NHRA Gatornationals.
“I definitely don’t want any handouts, and I certainly can’t afford to do this on my own,” Latino admitted. “So, we are only doing it if we can get the financial support from sponsorships. So I have a few that I’m working with with Global Emissions. We work with a lot of trucking fleets and companies that are involved with trucking fleets.”
Latino’s day job as a Global Emissions Systems, Inc. executive, a leading catalytic converter firm, and used his connections to build business-to-business relationships with those who could benefit from drag racing exposure. Additionally, Bear Grill is a company that came on as a marketing partner at the 11th hour for this weekend’s event.
AirIQ is a company that Latino has worked with through his role at GESi.
“They do telematic systems for trucks, so they’ll monitor tire pressure sensors and wheel tire temperatures so they can alert drivers if they’re going to have a blowout or if they’ve got a bearing freezing up,” Latino explained. “This is a company that we knew of through Global that we had a great relationship with. We worked a B-2-B deal out where we connect them with some of our fleets.”
Additionally, Ace Race Parts is another company GESi works with.
“I’m very grateful that some great companies have come on board with me and support me for the next few races,” Latino said.
Latino earned his Pro Stock driving credentials ahead of the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Fla., when his father was forced to the sidelines with a lingering knee injury. He climbed behind the wheel and made more than a dozen passes, recording runs in the top five percentile of those recorded in the test session.
“The event was very instrumental in my learning experience,” Latino said. “I’m extremely grateful for that opportunity. It gave me a chance to work out a lot of the kinks. Right after the event, I spoke about some bad habits [I’ve been able to overcome], and I think it was a great opportunity to make the mistakes that I needed to make and learn from them so I could come into my first NHRA race much more prepared.”
Friday, when Latino rolls out in the first pair of cars attempting to qualify in Pro Stock, he’s confident butterflies have no place in his gut.
“I’ve been ready for this moment for a very long time,” Latino said. “I thought I’d be a lot more nervous than I am, but I don’t know, I haven’t really even been thinking about it. Before the PRO race, I was really in my head every night before bed, running through the procedures. I don’t know. I got comfortable really quickly, and it hasn’t been a worry. I’m excited, don’t get me wrong, but not nervous, not shaken or overwhelmed. I’m just ready to go.”
