4/21/2025
Bloomington Speedway
Matt Thompson: Within his Reach
Matt Thompson: Within his Reach
The list of sprint car racers who long to put a Bloomington Speedway win on their resume is lengthy. Then there are those, like Matt Thompson, for whom it would truly mean the world. It is easy to understand why. Bloomington is his hometown, and by extension the Historic Bloomington Speedway is his home track.
Like so many of his peers the idea that racing would be his primary occupation never entered Thompson’s mind. The opportunity to climb behind the wheel in earnest came relatively late in life, and by then there were real world concerns at hand. In fact, on a snowy Sunday afternoon in January he wasn’t consumed with preparing a racecar for Florida or the Chili Bowl. What was most on his mind was besting his children in the card game UNO. When asked to report faithfully on the final results of this competition like a good racer he had a readymade excuse claiming, “I think I lost on a technicality.”
Born in 1989, his entrance into the sport was driven by his half-brother Bobby Stines. Stines, who is nine years Matt’s senior was a terrific sprint car racer who nailed down a Lincoln Park Speedway championship before a back injury derailed his career. Well before he gave sprint cars a try Stines was racing micros at the now shuttered Bakersfield Raceway Park in Linton. “Bobby and his dad built cars and engines to fund his racing,” Matt recalls, “so I was in the shop nearly every weekend helping out and soaking everything in.”
What happened next was inevitable. He yearned to give racing a shot. It was a short lived experience. “When I was about thirteen or fourteen, I pressured my dad into buying a micro,” he says, “and we did that for a couple of years. It was just me and him and my dad really isn’t a mechanic. Bobby helped out, but our fate was kind of sealed. Then we ended up selling everything. It was tough.”
This chapter of his life could have been closed forever, but in the back of his mind there was always a glimmer of hope that another opportunity would arise.
Nearly a decade ago Thompson took a position as a CNC programmer at Statt Engineering in Martinsville. It is a firm headed by a man Matt deems “a brilliant engineer” -- Bobby Stines. Many of the company’s customers are in the aeronautics industry, and consistent with this time in history some of the work involves drones. When he describes the nature of his occupation he says, “there are times you are working on a part, and you have no idea what it does.”
Yet, even in this environment racing conversations fill the air. For time sprit car regular Colin Parker was on staff, and Stines’ son Charlie is currently involved in high-level karting. At some point Thompson reckoned he was stuck at the crossroad. “I realized,” he recalls, “that if he was ever going to race again It was now or never.” He decided that he did not want to live with regrets.
His first impetus was to get into 305 racing. Then the minute he broached the idea aloud he received plenty of free advice. Among those weighing in was multi-time Paragon Speedway champion Josh Cunningham who had officiated his wedding. Parker, Cunningham, and Stines all convince him to go 410 racing. Heeding the suggestions, he purchased a traditional sprint car from Hall of Famer Jon Stanbrough and first competed at the 2018 Fun Fest at Brownstown Speedway.
At this time, he was living in Spencer and was operating out of a two car garage. He was going to need some help, and he had an idea where to turn. Steve Rone had worked with Stines, former racer and owner Dan Roberts, as well as Luke Bland. He saw no harm in asking for assistance, and somewhere in his mind was the idea that this could also be beneficial for Rone. “When Steve’s dad passed, he was down and out about racing because that was their thing,” Thompson says, “but when I bought a car, I called him and said hey maybe you could help us out a bit. He said he might be able to help on some nights at Paragon. He has been involved ever since. We wouldn’t be racing without Steve.” Rone became even more vital to the team when Thompson lost an engine. It could have been a crippling blow. Now Rone owns two engines and Thompson owns everything else. They also decided to move to the car into Steve’s shop. “His shop is clean,” Matt says, “he is organized and meticulous. There is nothing out of place.”
Taking on fifty to sixty races will never be in the cards. However, he can still construct a healthy schedule. Now back in Bloomington he notes that he is fortunate to have three good sprint car tracks close to his home base. What fans came to understand was Thompson is a steady performer. In his initial full season, he landed sixth in the final points at Paragon. Last year was his best season to date at Bloomington as he only trailed Brayden Fox and Harley Burns in the final standings. It was the second time he had closed the year in the top five. “We had some struggles in 2024,” he says, “but that’s racing. I feel like we are getting pretty close at Bloomington. I have watched some films and we’re looking to try a few things with the car. I’m one of the bigger guys and I noticed that we are a bit lower in the rear of the car. We need to get that up and get some weight transferred.”
Given his experience he would seem to be in an advantageous position to contest the Ford Performance Driving School Championship Series and take a crack on winning the Ticket to Tulsa. It’s complicated. His wife Katie is a 3rd grade teacher at Edgewood Primary School and the family likes to camp and do things together during the summer. That rightfully impacts how much he can race. However, when he takes a moment and shares his experience at the two venues involved in the series, he makes it clear that one goal matters most of all. “Paragon is tough,” he says, “although we do a little bit better there. I don’t know if it is the long straightaways, but there is a lot of speed there, but you have time to navigate your entry. Bloomington is just a blast. There is nothing I like better than making laps at Bloomington. There’s no time to think. There’s no time to breathe. You just try to point the car in the right direction and go. I love it. If I picked up a win there, I might have to hang my helmet up. That is a dream because I spent a lot of time watching my brother race down there. It’s my home track. If I won one anywhere, I would want it to be there.”
Photo: Tommy Kelly kfmediaphotos
Article Credit: Patrick Sullivan
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