RPW Exclusive: Matt Brewer Chasing Three-Peat in 26′ after Back-to-Back Track Championships
Column By: JOE PHILLIPS AND SHANIA WELCH / RPW – CENTER LISLE, NY – Matt Brewer was introduced to racing at a young age. Brewer’s mother Cindy introduced Matt and his brother Michael to the local racing scene by bringing them to tracks throughout their childhood years.
One night, she purchased a pit pass for Matt. That night, Harry Marvin III let Matt drive his race car off the trailer. Normally in any young person’s life, the first sign of adulthood is when a father lets their child pull a car out of the garage. But this wasn’t just a normal car, this was a RACECAR! The real deal! Needless to say, Matt was hooked on racing from that day forward.
As the years went on, Cindy unfortunately passed away. One day, Michael texted Matt randomly out of the blue. “Hey, if I buy a race car, will you drive it?”
Matt naturally thought his brother was joking at the time.
“No, I am serious!” was Mike’s reply.
Mike figured that racing was a family activity that both had enjoyed with their mother, and the race car would be one thing the brothers can share and do together. The brothers decided to purchase a Bicknell chassis and the rest was history.
In 2015, the #39B Sportsman machine owned by Michael and Matt took to the tracks of the Southern Tier for the first time. Since then, Matt and Michael have spent the last decade or so continuing to build their program into what it has turned into today.
As of 2025, Matt has 14 career victories and has now won back-to-back track championships at Thunder Mountain Speedway in 2024 and 2025. Aside from Thunder, one of Brewer’s biggest victories came at the Penn Can Speedway, as he was able to bring home the trophy for Penn Can’s “King of the Can” race. Other tracks Brewer has competed at in the past include Five Mile Point, Afton, Outlaw, and Skyline. In 2025, an attempt was made to tackle Fulton, but that unfortunately led to mechanical difficulties.
2025 was another successful year for the team, as the #39B was able to win the DIRTcar Sportsman Track Championship at Thunder Mountain for the second consecutive season. This was no easy feat. The consistency was there and of course the team was able to score a couple of wins.
One night during the middle of the season, Brewer got entangled with a spinning car on the front stretch during their feature. The result wasn’t ideal, as the team DNF’d and now had a car that needed a new front clip. The team made repairs and was able to get the car back together for action the following week. Brewer praised his crew for the effort they put in that week to save their season.
After the car was damaged in the incident, it was all hands on deck. A new clip was fabricated by Rusty Smith, and Doug Polhamus at Fresh Chassis Fabrications was able to get the chassis welded back together.
From that point, the Brewer crew took over and had the car back together in time to race the following week.
At the season ending awards banquet, crew member Justin Welch stated “The car became a race car after we had to replace the front clip. It really came to life.”
Matt speaks highly of his crew and acknowledges all of the hard work they put into the car.
“At the track, I rarely touch the car and that says everything. Everyone busts their butt all week. During the week, they’re a huge help maintaining the car, which saves time for me to focus on everything else. The only thing they sometimes struggle with is showing up for wash day after race night.”
Matt and the crew have quite the dynamic with one another. They like to joke around with one another but also know when to be serious. “If you didn’t know us, you’d think we didn’t get along, but that’s just what happens when everyone is comfortable enough to pick on each other and is fully invested.” said Brewer.
Brewer’s team consists of many hands, which helps lighten the load for each person. His brother/co-owner Mike performs weekly maintenance and bolt checks. Matt’s father Wayne Brewer helps keep the car spotless each week. Jackson Franks hauls the racecar to and from events and specializes in tire prep at the track. Zeke Raub is responsible for the shocks, carburetor, and car set-up. Justin Welch performs tire pressure checks. Mark Hawk contributes by raising Matt’s blood pressure and fuels the car. EJ Cortazar assists Mike by pumping brakes at track, and Shania Welch handles the team’s PR and social media pages.
Having a great crew helps, but when the green flag drops, Matt is the only one person that can determine the team’s fate on a particular evening. Matt is a solid driver. Every race is his to win or lose.
In racing, many features do not result in a win, and Matt acknowledges this. “You need to learn to accept failure. You’ll fail far more in racing than you’ll succeed.” When asked how Matt deals with losing he quickly replied, “I am just too dumb to quit.” Brewer being self-deprecating? Of course.
On nights when the team struggles, Matt can be seen leaning on his Bicknell, attempting to reason out what went wrong in the feature.
Looking ahead to 2026, the goals are simple. Brewer hopes to travel more and be more consistent at different racetracks. The team will remain in the DIRTcar Sportsman ranks, as they feel it allows them to race at more DIRTcar sanctioned tracks in the area without having to change tire manufacturers or adjust the body. Evidently, the formula they have in place is producing results, so why change it?
When he is not racing, Matt runs MB Landscaping Solutions and rebuilds Penske shocks. Like many racers, Matt is an avid fisherman. Matt also says that he enjoys a round of golf from time to time. “I dabble in golfing — and by dabble, I mean I swing the club and usually miss.” said Matt.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Brewer is also very optimistic about the future of motorsports.
“It is only going to get more expensive. I feel that the racing world is going in the right direction with trying to get more people involved and increasing the value of racing to new fans/drivers. The publicity of racing and sponsors are going in the right direction.” said Matt.
You can count on the 2026 season to be another successful season for the Brewer and the #39B team, as they chase their third consecutive track championship at Thunder Mountain while also hitting up races at a few other facilities in the process. If anyone wants to follow the team’s journey, their Facebook Page is Brewer Racing, and they can bound on both Instagram and TikTok at @brewer_racing_39b.
Matt would like to thank all of his sponsors and marketing partners for their continued support:
MB Landscaping Solutions, Snap-On MTB Tools Inc., Timberline Lawn & RV, Snake Creek Marine, Darrow Catering, No Mow Worries, Scarlett Oak, Stone Bros, Mira-Rose Creations, Susquehanna Beverages, BRS Shocks
