Matt Taliaferro

Matt was hooked on NASCAR in the early ‘80s while watching races with his dad before, during and after Sunday dinner each week. Being a native of Owensboro, Ky., he felt a natural affinity toward Darrell Waltrip, who was at his racing peak at the time, and spent many Sundays painting Matchbox cars to resemble the Winston Cup machines that were circling the track on TV.

However, what hooked him on racing for life was attending short track races at Kentucky Motor Speedway, a 3/8th-mile asphalt oval just outside his hometown. Matt had the privilege of watching Jeff and Mark Green as well as Jeremy Mayfield cut their teeth on a grassroots track as relative unknowns.

Twenty years later, Matt found himself in the right place at the right time (isn't that how it always works?) and accepted the role of Racing Editor for Athlon Sports. He continues to work for Athlon, where he champions the sport of NASCAR at athlonsports.com.

When not reading, writing or discussing those that drive fast, Matt spends time at Lake Barkley in Kentucky, fishing and spending time with family. He's also a huge Atlanta Braves, Tennessee Titans and University of Kentucky sports fan, having been lucky enough to attend UK when the basketball team won their two most recent titles in 1996 and '98.

Matt currently resides in Nashville, Tenn., where he can be found at the Music City Motorplex (formerly the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway) on Saturday nights enjoying short track racing that is often more entertaining than the "big shows" on Sunday.

Some of Matt’s favorite sites include:
Athlon Sports
OverStock.com
Bass Masters
The Onion

Click here to email Matt with your questions for Scanner Static!

Past articles By Matt Taliaferro

May 2008

05/15: Fanning the Flames: Be Careful What You Wish For... Like It Or Not, NASCAR Personality Is Back [15]

05/08: Fanning the Flames: All Darlington, All The Time

05/01: Fanning the Flames : The Latest On Labonte, Lepage, And Looking Forward To Richmond [3]

April 2008

04/24: Fanning the Flames : Fishin' For Some Answers to Stewart's Likely Defection [3]

04/17: Fanning the Flames: "Smack" Talk, Engine Issues, And That Damn Gopher Cam [4]

04/10: Fanning the Flames: Texas Testing, Kyle Is Testy And "Creative Arrangements"

04/03: Fanning the Flames: Petty, Childress, Earnhardt Shaking Things Up [5]

March 2008

03/27: Fanning the Flames: Marching to Martinsville, With Goodyears In Tow [4]

03/20: Fanning the Flames: Busting Brackets, Splitters, and NASCAR Comeback Dreams [2]

03/12: Fanning the Flames: Speed = Distance Divided By Time

03/06: Fanning the Flames: Palm Sweat, Vegas Blackjack, And Taking Your Chances With The NSCRC [1]

February 2008

02/28: Fanning the Flames: Plotting The Forecast For Vegas, For Robby, And For Bobby Labonte [2]

02/21: Fanning the Flames: Casual Questions From "Hard Core" Fans -- And Vice Versa [5]

02/14: Fanning the Flames: Yo, NASCAR! This Is A No Spin Zone!

02/06: Fanning the Flames: Buyouts and Point Swaps ... A Greasy Affair for NASCAR [4]

January 2008

01/24: The Best Of The Frontstretch : The Daytona 500: The Next Victim Of NASCAR's Greed?

01/23: The Best Of The Frontstretch : Passion Fuels Waltrip's Past, Present and Future

November 2007

11/15: Fanning the Flames: Go For The Jugular, Or Play It Safe? [1]

11/07: Fanning the Flames: Another "Official Explanation," The Scoop on Bogus Rumors, And A Visit From Hee-Haw's Roy Clark [5]

11/07: SMI Acquisition Of New Hampshire Serves to Benefit Sport, Fans [8]

October 2007

10/31: Fanning the Flames: It's Time For A NASCAR Change At The Top [20]

10/24: Fanning the Flames: Talkin' Safety, Driver Shuffles, And Engine Troubles [5]

10/17: Fanning the Flames: Talkin' Smoke, Specs, and Wrecks [2]

10/12: Passion Fuels Waltrip's Past, Present and Future [2]

10/10: Fanning the Flames: Single-File Questions After A Single-File Sunday [3]

10/03: Fanning the Flames: What A Weird Week For NASCAR It's Been [8]

September 2007

09/26: Fanning the Flames: New Schedule, Same Ol' NASCAR [5]

09/19: Fanning the Flames: Crazy Eights, Busted Tapes, And Can Kasey Relate? [5]

09/12: Fanning the Flames: Yahoo's Boo Boo, Chase Musings, And No, It Ain't Got A Hemi! [7]

09/05: Fanning the Flames: The Second Coming Of Bobby Ginn? A Word Of Warning For Jeff Moorad And Company [1]

09/03: "Dale"; A Film For Fans And Non-Fans Alike [5]

August 2007

08/30: Fanning the Flames: No NASCAR Drug Testing? No Bristol Bumping? And ... No AT & T? [3]

08/22: Fanning the Flames: Kurt Delivers, Herman Is Saved, And A Season Finale At... Bristol? [2]

08/15: Fanning The Flames: Who Wins In A Fight...Montoya Or Harvick? The Blind Leading The Blind, And More... [2]

08/08: Fanning the Flames: Robby Gordon's Problem, Joe Gibbs' Reality, And Why Kurt Busch Is Craving...Miller Lite? [8]

08/01: Fanning the Flames : ESPN Overload, Merger Madness, And Political Correctness [5]

July 2007

07/25: Fanning the Flames: One Team's Folly Is Another's Fortune [3]

07/18: Fanning the Flames: NASCAR Silly Season Could Be Worse - We Could Have Steinbrenner [4]

07/11: Fanning the Flames: Frances Among Several Families Searching For Strength While Facing Tragedy [1]

07/06: The Daytona 500: The Next Victim Of NASCAR's Greed? [17]

07/04: Fanning the Flames: Tony Eury, Jr. Does Some Fanning Of His Own [1]

June 2007

06/27: Fanning the Flames: A Confused Writer Has A Question Of His Own For NASCAR [8]

06/20: Fanning the Flames: Explaining NASCAR's Scoring, Contemplating NASCAR's Diversity, And Revealing Free Agents [3]

06/17: Bubble Breakdown: Michael Waltrip Racing Finally Delivers [7]

06/13: Fanning the Flames: NASCAR's Rich Get Richer

06/06: Fanning the Flames: France Was NASCAR's Guiding Force

May 2007

05/30: Fanning the Flames: Fuel for Thought [5]

05/23: Fanning the Flames: At Least The All-Star Race Didn't End In A Tie

05/16: Fanning the Flames: What's In A Name? For NASCAR's All-Star Race, Not Too Much [2]

05/09: Fanning the Flames: Kenseth Alone In World Dominated By Chevrolet

05/03: Fanning the Flames: NASCAR's Seasonal Shift [3]

April 2007

04/25: Fanning the Flames: Chasing Legends, Dodging Beer Bottles [1]

04/18: Fanning the Flames: NASCAR's Most Popular Cliché

04/11: Fanning The Flames: Don't Hate The Players, Hate The... Owners?

04/04: Scanner Static : Don't You Just Love Short Track Season? [2]

March 2007

03/28: Scanner Static : Veteran Drivers, Half-Mile Racetracks and... New Cars?

03/21: Ready Or Not, Here It Comes : Splitting The Difference On The CoT [2]

03/14: Autumn Madness [1]

03/14: Scanner Static: Finishing Orders? We Don't Need No Stinking Finishing Orders!

03/07: Scanner Static : Fans Write In...When At A Loss, Just Quote Hank [4]

February 2007

02/28: Too Early To Worry? Not Necessarily.

02/28: Scanner Static : Racing Around The Western Hemisphere

02/21: Scanner Static : Broadcasts, Street Cars, And Last Lap Finishes

02/17: Start Your Engines, Already!

02/14: Is There A Crew Chief In The House?

02/07: NASCAR Fans, Let's Talk [1]