Right on track: From oval racing to career blueprints
In Bellevue, Washington, while most kids were learning how to ride a bike, a young Matt Roberts was learning how to race cars, competing against some of the brightest up-and-coming racing minds. Today, Roberts is a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, and he uses his racing expertise as the chief engineer for the Sun Devil Motorsports Formula SAE student organization.
“I began racing when I was six years old," he started. “It was through the NASCAR Youth Series, kind of like miniature midget cars for kids aged 5 to 17. They had a racing track down in South Mountain, but they went out of business about a year ago.”
Racing in NASCAR's Youth Series was always more than just a hobby. It marked the turning point for his future career and life goals. The sport of racing taught Roberts the importance of focus and patience. The technical ability sparked a lifelong passion for mechanics and how things work.
“I don’t come from a family of engineers," he continued. “So, racing was actually my way in. And then, curiosity about cars, how they work, how they could be made faster, safer, and better led me into this passion for engineering.”
But now, as a senior pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, Roberts is putting all that curiosity into his future career goals. His aim is ultimately to combine his knowledge and skills as an engineer with his lifelong passion for racing in his career.
“I would love to be involved in motorsports,” he said. “That, of course, is a dream job, but it is also extremely competitive, and so I have kept an open mind and looked at firms that are headquartered within this metropolitan area, firms like Honeywell and Boeing, and have considered the opportunities that they present.”
Growing up in California, racing was not enough for Roberts; he got to race alongside future legends.
“Jesse Love, who is racing now in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, is somebody that I’ve raced quite a bit against, and Carson Hocevar is somebody that I’ve raced against one time, and it’s just kind of crazy that it’s people that you used to race alongside,” he said.
“Racing is a big learning experience, too," Roberts continued. “You learn discipline, responsibility, and handling pressure. You have all of this competitiveness, but it’s more of a community.” Everyone was there because they loved it.
This feeling of community is what continues to drive Roberts. At ASU, he has made an effort to stay involved through the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) club. As one of the club leaders, he reaches out to others who share his passion for engineering and innovation, connecting with them through their shared interests. Whether he is perfecting their race car or exploring aerodynamics, he brings the same passion and curiosity to the club that he had as a young race car driver.
Roberts is still a huge fan of racing as a sport. But, as he says, “I think that is one kind of racing that is most entertaining.” His favorite kind of racing is dirt oval racing, “where they have to push their cars as well as themselves to the limit.”
He used to compete at the South Mountain racing track when he and Preston Norberg were kids. And though he is a fan of all motorsports, there is one name that towers above all else.
“I’ve always been a fan of Jeff Gordon growing up," he said. “Absolutely, he is my all-time favorite.”
Even for Roberts, who grew from quarter midget racing into a college engineering program, life has been a series of turns.
“Racing taught me how to think and how to problem-solve," he explained. “It’s where I realized that engineering and creativity can be intertwined. And that is something that will stay with me wherever life takes me.”
Check out the Student Life Instagram page to see Roberts in action with the Formula SAE club!