By Ben Deatherage
CRESTVIEW, Fla. (Apr. 14, 2025) — For most racers, their story starts with a garage, a go-kart, and a weekend hobby. For Matthew Triefenbach, it started the same—but quickly got complicated by military orders, Arizona heat, and a first sergeant who didn’t care much for trailers in the dorm parking lot.
These days, Triefenbach is stationed at Eglin Air Force Base and calls the Florida panhandle home. But in Alabama on April 5, 2025, he made a major breakthrough. At Deep South Speedway in Loxley, he scored his first career Friesen Performance IMCA Modified win—a flag-to-flag run that ended with his hand in the air and a little redemption in his heart.
“It was good to come back to Deep South for our local area points racing and start the year off strong there,” he said. “I feel like we had unfinished business from The Clash.”
A Strong Start, a Tough Week
Just weeks before, Triefenbach had rolled out for the IMCA.TV Clash on the Coast—a growing showcase for the DeVilbiss Racing Eastern Region. He went up against some of the best and nearly pulled off something special.
“We had a rough start of the week at the Clash On The Coast at Northwest Florida Speedway,” he said. “But, Friday night at Loxley we had a good showing and almost made the main. Saturday night we had a good pill draw, led our heat flag to flag, and ran second for 22 laps of the main to Joseph Joiner.”
Then came the caution. Then came the contact.
“Someone wheel-hopped my left front, broke it, and I just rode around to finish the race.”
He left frustrated, but not discouraged. That’s not how he’s built.
Building It His Way
Triefenbach isn’t just a driver—he’s a builder. His current Modified runs a self-assembled Ford powerplant that wouldn’t turn many heads at first glance.
“I’m an oddball. I have this Ford motor that I built,” he explained. “It’s basically a motor out of a 1990s Ford Explorer. I’ve got $3,500 in it, and it’s just got such a smooth, linear power bank. It works great on tracks like Deep South—long straights, momentum, sweeping corners.”
And it’s all his.
The Long Road to a First Win
Triefenbach’s stepdad raced around the St. Louis area when he was a kid, and that’s where the spark started. Once he started earning his own money, he bought a go-kart. Two weeks after high school graduation, he shipped off to Air Force Basic Training.
Stationed in Arizona soon after, he bought an enclosed trailer and parked it outside the dorms. It became his garage.
Until one day it wasn’t.
“The first sergeant was doing a dorm room inspection and caught me working on my kart in 120-degree heat,” he said. “We weren’t allowed to do vehicle maintenance or store trailers in the dorm lot. I was doing both. So I had to sell everything.”
But not forever. He eventually found his way into Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites while still in Arizona, then raced Late Models when he transferred to Florida in 2021. By 2024, he was in an IMCA Modified and earning Rookie of the Year honors at Northwest Florida Speedway.
Service and Sacrifice
Before all of it—even before the Air Force—Triefenbach had his sights set on West Point. A strong student and an athlete in high school, he was a candidate for the United States Military Academy, but it didn’t pan out.
“I had a 30 on my ACT, which is a good score,” he said. “I could have gone to any college I wanted to. But college just wasn’t for me—I wanted to serve my country, and if college came with it, that was a bonus.”
When West Point didn’t work out, he turned his attention to the Air Force.
He originally dreamed of being a TACP—Tactical Air Control Party—for the Air Force, working with Rangers and calling in airstrikes. But after failing a depth perception test, that dream was dashed.
“I was crushed,” he admitted. “They told me I couldn’t drop bombs if I couldn’t see how far away the targets were. I was like “my depth perception is fine I had grown up racing, played sports, worked so hard for this”… it felt like a punch to the gut.”
Instead, he reclassed into Open Mechanical. That led him to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas, and a new role as an F-35 crew chief, handling everything from engines and hydraulics to electrical systems.
“I felt like God was looking out for me,” he said. “I love what I do now. It suits me with my mechanical background.”
He enlisted in 2016 and now, nearly nine years later, holds the rank of E-6 Tech Sergeant. Rising that fast takes effort—and resilience.
“There are guys who just do it for the education benefits. But I’ve worked my tail off. I’ve got more grit. And it shows.”
Tying It All Together
Triefenbach doesn’t just race on a budget—he lives it. He travels to each race in a 1997 RV, pulling an open trailer behind him. It’s not flashy, but it gets the job done. And along the way, he documents the journey through his YouTube channel, Triefenbach Racing, where he shares behind-the-scenes vlogs, race recaps, and life on the road.
In addition to serving full-time, Triefenbach is also studying Motorsports Marketing online through the University of Northwestern Ohio. His goal is to turn his love for racing into a well-rounded future.
“The online classes have taught me a ton about social media, marketing, networking, and developing these connections.”
His pit help? A retired Senior Master Sergeant named Mark Vincent who shows up each week. His family—wife, kids, and even his 8th grade history teacher—help support his racing efforts.
As for 2025? The momentum is real. So is the gratitude.
“I volunteered to come to Eglin,” Triefenbach said. “When I saw all these tracks within an hour and a half, I knew this was the place. I love it here.”
“I hope The Clash continues to come here. The competition is starting to skyrocket around here and it’s gotten really good. When I got here it wasn’t as tough especially coming from Arizona but now it’s awesome.”
With each race, he’s proving something—to the competition, sure. But mostly, to himself.
