Collegiate Times

When senior Matt Inge was growing up in Fort Myers, Fla., he wasn't like most kids.

While his friends were busy signing up for sports like soccer, baseball and basketball with far out dreams of becoming professional ballplayers, Inge had different ambitions.

He wanted to become a professional racecar driver.

Growing up, Inge spent much of his time watching his dad race in an amateur series. From that point on, he wanted to be a racecar driver and nothing else.

"He always expressed an interest in racing and watched every race he could on TV," Ron Inge, Matt's father said. "When he was much smaller, he had a 'Big Wheel' that he used to race around a track that he designed in our driveway and out into the street."

While most parents would worry seeing their son jump into a racecar and compete at top speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, Inge's parents supported his dream."I was very happy to see him try," Ron Inge said. "Racing has become much safer over the years, so I wasn't too worried. Accidents can happen anytime and in any sport, so racing was no different. I thought that, by starting at a younger age, he may have opportunities to move onward in racing since it's primarily a sport for younger folks to make their name early."

When Inge turned 16, he immediately went to driver's school to get his "novice" license so he could start competing immediately. After he passed the test on his first attempt, he entered his first race - and won.

Years later, he continues to succeed on the racetrack.

This season, Inge competed in the F2000 season championship. In just 12 races, Inge collected two wins in addition to finishing in the top five in six races in a row.

Going into the final two races of the season, Inge was in an intense points battle with Chris Miller for the top spot in the series.

"The run for the championship was a great experience for all of us," said Matt Satchell, Inge's engineer. "I think we may have pressed a little too hard at the last race by adding some new parts to the car. They didn't quite work with our current setups and we were trying to play catch-up the rest of the weekend."

Despite two strong finishes, Inge was not able to catch up to Miller and took second place in the final standings.

"We probably should have stayed with what we knew at that point," Satchell said. "But with the way Chris Miller ran that weekend, it would have been tough to overtake him anyway."

One of the problems that hindered Inge's shot at the championship was inconsistency in two starts because of damage to his car, which occurred because of ill-advised moves by other drivers.

"A series is all about consistency, so you can't win a few races and expect to win the series," Inge said. "That just doesn't happen. You have to be consistently near the front and be aware that every move you make can potentially lose the series for you."

Despite the second place finish, Inge is moving up the ladder. Though he's not sure exactly where he will be competing, Inge knows that he won't be back in the F2000 series.

"The 2000 series was good, but I feel I can make it on the next level," Inge said. "It just takes the right amount of sponsors to go out on a limb. If I can, I would like to get in the Star Mazda or Indy Lights - just that next step up."