Matthew admitted to being a little nervous and his father wondered if he would like it or not. All doubts were erased when Matthew drove back into the pits with a huge smile on his face. His next pass was even better than the first and now he’s hooked on drag racing.

For the Roberts family, it brought huge smiles to their faces as well. His grandfather, Dennis Roberts, who retired from a long military service, is a longtime IHRA racer who formed Roberts’ Family Motorsports back in 1977. His wife, Carol, loved the sport when she saw and heard the Super Stock Plymouth Barracuda that Dennis raced before they were married.

It wasn’t long until Carol tried her own hand at drag racing and won her first time out. Passing on their love of the sport to the next generation, both Nathan and his brother Jason, also won their first time racing down the drag strip.

So no pressure on Matthew, just as long as he wins his first time out.

All kidding aside, the family is elated that he enjoyed making the passes down an IHRA-member track so much. He certainly has their support and has made them proud carrying on the drag racing tradition to a third generation of the Roberts family.