Photo – Courtesy of Myatt Snider
Myatt Snider, son of NBC Sports sportscaster Marty Snider will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in two weeks at Phoenix International Raceway for AM Racing.
Snider will drive the No. 22 AM Racing Toyota Tundra typically driven by Austin Wayne Self in the penultimate Truck Series race of the season. Snider confirmed the news to CATCHFENCE.com on Oct. 28, but made the announcement official on Twitter the following day.
Snider will be guided by crew chief Rick Ren, a two-time NCWTS championship crew chief.
“My goal is to learn,” Snider told CATCHFENCE.com. “And to complete all of the laps. My goal in lie has always been to learn and take every step I can towards making myself better. And this, I think is a great move to achieve said goals.”
Steadily, Snider has worked his way through the ranks of Motorsports despite a late start. Finding success with strong finishes in the CARS Tour Late Model Series last season, Snider leaped to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards this season competing in nine races for Cunningham Motorsports.
In his series debut at Toledo Speedway, Snider started third, led 35 laps en route to his first career victory. Since then, Snider tallied two more top-five finishes at Iowa Speedway and Lucas Oil Raceway before being plagued by mechanical issues and a crash in his final three races at Chicago, Kentucky and Kansas respectively.
Overall, he grabbed three top-five and five top-ten finishes as a teammate to series champion Chase Briscoe.
“Competing in ARCA with and alongside A+ guys like Cunningham Motorsports, Chase Briscoe, and others was an absolute blast,” said Snider. “And it was also an eye-opening experience because you take a person whose only experience of intermediate racing is passive and from the sidelines.
“Then throw him into a race on one of the more treacherous intermediate race tracks in the country. You have to learn fast. And somehow I managed to lead the most laps in that race too after winning in my debut in the ARCA Series. “So, I’m very thankful and blessed to be where I am today thanks to the guys at Louisiana Hot Sauce for giving me a chance to run with the best with Paul Andrews, Kerry Scherer and Briggs Cunningham. And now I’m even more blessed to continue this chance with a truck debut at Phoenix.”
Dabbling in the Truck Series will be a big step for Snider, but the 21-year-old is surrounded by veterans in the sport – in and out of the garage that will make the transition smoother.
“I’ve been trying to watch (Phoenix) film all the time,” added Snider. “But, I’m gonna say that I’d be really happy with a top-ten (finish) or better.”
No doubt, a top-ten finish will be tough – but Phoenix, the final round in the inaugural Truck Series Chase could open the door for some surprises for those in and out of the championship fight.
AM Racing in their inaugural season in trucks is owned by Texas entrepreneur Tim Self, father of Austin Wayne and has earned a season-best ninth place run at Eldora Speedway in July.
K&N Pro Series East competitor Justin Fontaine made his series debut for the team in Saturday’s Texas Roadhouse 200 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.