Matt Poole Tops the Hot List in the Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge

Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) has teamed up with Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil to offer the opportunity of a lifetime to aspiring race car drivers.

Michael Waltrip, the founder and co-owner of MWR, says “the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge is a really big deal for all the men and women across the country who feel they could be professional race car drivers if they were just given a chance. Our sport is always trying to usher in a new generation of driving talent as well as spread our passion for racing with everyone, and PEAK is giving us a really unique opportunity to do so.”

Matt Poole originally saw the tweet about the ‘Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge’ on Twitter.

“I clicked on the link,” Matt said, “and my heart skipped a beat. I knew this could be the chance I have been working towards for the last 10 years since I began chasing my racing dream. The first thought that popped into my head was ‘oh, this is me’. It’s a very fair contest. They are not picking just one person from all of the contestants but are picking 10 drivers to have a three day competition in July at Charlotte Motor Speedway.”

For those who are not familiar with his story, Matt explains, “Everyone who knows me knows how I have been ‘chasing the racing dream the hard way’ for the last ten years. My dream is all about honoring the memory of my mother, Peggy Poole, who passed away from a heart attack in 2003 and my best friend Tonya Schultz, who was murdered by her husband in 2005. When I ran my very first race in the Street Stock Series at Hickory Motor Speedway, I had their pictures taped to the dash of the car and I donated my winnings to the American Heart Association and the Victory Junction Gang Camp in their memory.

My dream is not about being rich and famous; my dream is about racing and winning. I plan to donate race winnings from any race the same way, to honor their memory. They meant the world to me and this is my way of making sure they are not forgotten.”

The contest runs through May 31. Each participant must submit a video audition and fans can vote for their favorite up to five times each day. Points are awarded based on a variety of factors including votes, video audition views and the number of times the driver profile is shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Matt read through the rules and submission guidelines, made a video and submitted his entry.

“When I submitted it,” he told me, “I had no clue that it would explode the way it has. I knew that the people who know me best would be behind me but they took the ball and ran with it. The votes started rolling in. Then out of nowhere, both Kelley and Rene Earnhardt shared my contest page on their Facebook pages. Next, the ‘Fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr’ Facebook page shared my link. I started getting requests for interviews, was a guest on several different radio shows and the votes continued to pour in.”

At the conclusion of the contest period, ten drivers will be chosen to participate in a three day Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) race program. The Grand Prize Winner/PEAK Dream Driver will be chosen from these ten participants using the following criteria: (1) performance and ability during the 3-day RPDE program including input from RPDE personnel and other personnel chosen by Sponsor; (2) attention to the PEAK brand; and (3) attention to racing subject matter and demonstrated enthusiasm for racing.

The winner will become the next Michael Waltrip Racing Development ‘PEAK Dream Driver’ and will, subject to verification and subject to qualification as provided in the rules, have the opportunity to compete as a competitively licensed driver in a PEAK-sponsored stock car in a sanctioned race of Sponsor’s choosing in the Summer or Fall of 2013.

Being on the Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge top ten ‘Hot List’ is no guarantee that a driver will be selected.  But Matt Poole believes that first place takes him one step closer to his dream.

He is amazed at how quickly he achieved his goal, thankful to everyone who continues to support him and appreciative of the opportunity.

“It took only 2 weeks for me to reach the top five on the “Hot List,” he said, “and less than a week later, I was in first place. Now I am sitting on a 15,000 plus point lead over second place.

Everyone is still sharing the link every single day, encouraging all their friends to vote 5 times a day. The response has been literally mind blowing. But we would not even have this opportunity if it weren’t for Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil who is sponsoring the contest. I cannot thank them enough for giving me this opportunity. There will never be enough thanks for everyone who has voted for me five times a day and shared the page every day. All of my friends, fans and my family are the ones who have gotten me to where I am today.

This is my childhood dream of being a race car driver coming true. This is what I have worked towards for ten years. I’m in it to win it.”

If you would like to vote for Matt Poole, please visit his profile page at . You can also visit his website at .