The 21-year-old was invited to the test by the NASCAR star - who currently pilots the #38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.The car he tested was from the race-winning David Gilliland Racing Late Model stable. The team competes in one of the early rungs of the NASCAR ladder system.
Matt got up to speed very quickly on the 0.363 mile (584m) Hickory oval, lapping within a tenth of a second of the pole position time at the most recent Late Model event held there.After being accustomed to the nimble characteristics of Indy Lights and FIA Formula E, Matt impressed the team in his first ever drive of a NASCAR-style racecar.“It was certainly a new experience for me, to be honest it was actually eye-opening,” said Brabham. “The team did its utmost to make sure I was comfortable in the car. It had a lot of power and was quite responsive.
“To have someone with so much experience like David Gilliland there as well was really awesome. He was right by my side the whole way - the day was great and really enjoyable to work with such a professional team.”
Brabham - who is based in Indianapolis, Indiana - drew comparisons between Indy and Charlotte after spending a few days in what’s considered the home of NASCAR.“It was interesting to see, in Indy everyone’s involved in open wheel racing and knows each other - in Charlotte it was exactly the same - but NASCAR - so it was pretty cool to see that first hand.”
Gilliland heaped praise on the youngster.
“Matt did real good,” said Gilliland - who has 308 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts to his credit. “He listened to what we were saying and was able to adapt to what we were talking about pretty quick.“He did everything we asked of him and got up to speed very quickly, I think his transition into this style of car was good.
“Hopefully we can do some more - it would be fun to go out together and try and win a race. He even learned how to leave his hat in the car like a real NASCAR driver!” Gilliland quipped.
Brabham’s summation of the day was positive.
“The opportunity to do this was awesome. Any time you get to drive a racecar is good,” Matt added. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in, as the NASCAR-style of vehicle and racing is just a whole different world to what I know and what I’m used to.
“It became pretty clear pretty quickly that this style of racing is insanely competitive and very professional.
“It was a really positive experience and a lot of fun.
“I can’t thank David, his son and his team enough, also Joey Dennewitz at Spire Sports Inc who put the deal together for us with David Gilliland Racing.”
Whilst Matt's grandfather - Sir Jack - was synonymous with open-wheel competition; his father Geoff made one NASCAR premier division start (then Winston Cup) at the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in 1994. He took two IROC (International Race of Champions) Victories on the Michigan International Speedway oval in 1992 and 1993 respectively and is a four time IMSA Sportscar Champion.
Matt Brabham is continuing to work on a number of arrangements for the remainder of the 2015 season with more news expected in the coming weeks.
DAVID GILLILAND PROFILE:Born: Riverside California39 years oldMarried, 1 son, 1 daughterDrives For: Front Row Motorsports308 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts3 Pole Positions8 Top 10 FinishesOwner, David Gilliland Racing
