Profile On: Brett Mather!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Brett Mather, #54 360 Sprint
(Joanne Cram) Brett Mather and his #54 are off to a great season for 2008! With consistency on his side, the purple 360 machine is making its way to the front of the pack!
By weekday, a collision and auto finishing expert for Karl Chevrolet, by weekend, a sprint car pilot, the 41 year old Ames native says he is right at home with anything involving cars. Spare time is spent watching races, or working on cars, or doing anything remotely related to cars for that matter.
This past winter was busier than most winters for the Mather clan, with a December 22nd wedding to wife, Angie. The Mather’s also have a two and a half year old son, Garrett, who is probably daddy’s biggest fan. Brett says that Garrett can pick out Dad’s car out of any group of sprint cars and knows a lot about racing for a little guy his age.
Mather began his racing career at the age of 23, when he decided to race mini sprints for himself. The #12 car took him to Clarion, Marshalltown, and even into Minnesota for races. Brett spent four years racing mini sprints and even won a few points championships, when he decided to hang it up. After that year of owning his own mini sprint team, he needed some time off, and took the following season off of racing completely, selling all his mini sprint equipment.
As most racers find, once a racer, always a racer- so the time away from racing wasn’t lengthy. At the age of 28, he bought some of Larry Pinegar’s previously used 360 equipment to race weekly at Knoxville under his mini sprint’s number 12. Over the next four years of racing for himself, Mather found that he made steady improvements in his racing abilities. With frustrations in the 360 draw for position, always seemingly against his favor, Brett was done owning his own sprint car and again took some time off from the sport.
Fate has a way of bringing racers together though! With a recently unoccupied cockpit, the Burnham’s were looking for a driver- and one with a chassis to boot. Lee Nelson (of Ostrich Motors) had done Brett’s motors as well as the Burnham’s, and suggested that Boyd and Lisa give Brett a call. When the conversation had concluded, the Burnham’s had a chassis to put their motor in, and Brett had a car to put his seat in!
The first full season together was a trying one however. Brett says that his racing has always been about determination and perseverance. This 2003 season was no less. The team blew three motors, and finished the season in the top ten in points at Knoxville on a rented motor. Brett laughs about it now, but looking back on it, says it shows a lot about his team’s determination to get out there and race.
Over the past several seasons, Mather has shown a steady progression in his racing abilities. He has continued to improve his skills and has finished consistently higher in the points standings each season, even though points are a point of contention with Mather. His only goal is to go out and race hard, but only if the team is having fun doing it. Mather gets frustrated with the importance that are placed on points standings, and says he has a much more fun time when the team is able to just focus on their racing as opposed to placing such importance on the points. Not to get him wrong, winning is always the ultimate goal! The team had their first 360 feature win together in 2005, and he actually won three races that season. The team has a lot of fun together, and they are able to race within their means and be successful, which makes the racing so much more exciting. The Burnham team works extremely hard according to Mather.
This year, Mather is striving for a top five in points in the overall standings- even though he hates to admit that the team is focusing on those dreaded points! They are always in the backs of their minds, but as long as they are all having fun and working towards winning, the points will fall into place.
Sponsors for the season include: Iowa Diamond - Des Moines, Hickory Park - Ames, Konek, P.C. - Prairie City, KCL Farms - Otley, R & N Sales - Ames, Burnham Vinyl Graphics - Otley, Four Seasons Yard Care - Pella, Corigliano's Pizza - Des Moines, de Roomijs Winkel - Pella, Iowa, Liquid Landscape Designers - Huxley, Iowa, Keizer Wheel, Goodyear, & M&W Aluminum Products
Owners of the #54 are Boyd and Lisa Burnham, with crew consisting of Jeff, Jeff, Goose and Troy.
Burnham Racing have t shirts for sale this season as well.
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