A Turbocharged Partnership

Racer and aftermarket businessman Steve Matusek has partnered with Garrett Advancing Motion as he heads in to this year’s NHRA Pro Mod season. Matusek, who joined Elite Motorsports’ burgeoning Pro Mod camp in the off-season, will run Garrett Advancing Motion turbochargers on his Pro Mod Mustang.

“We want to work with companies that want to work with us and learn with us, and we have a great opportunity to work with a real high-tech company like Garrett Advancing Motion that will give us good feedback to advance our program quickly,” Matusek said. “It’s a very good, very safe product that will help us reach our goals and I’m very excited to work with Garrett in 2019.”

According to Garrett Advancing Motion, the company has been at the forefront of technology for six decades, and teaming up with Matusek and Elite Motorsports-as well as tuner Shane Tecklenburg and Modern Racing crew chief Justin Elkes-has provided an opportunity for Garrett to dive into the NHRA Pro Mod ranks on a larger scale and showcase its turbocharger program.

“For us, it’s extremely thrilling to partner with such a professional team and a guy like Steve with so much history in the sport,” said Tim Coltey, a marketing specialist at Garrett Advancing Motion. “This is the best of the best in the class and we’re really putting the product to the test. It’s a great opportunity to see what our products will do.”

Tecklenburg enjoyed previous success with Garrett turbos more than a decade ago, which only furthered his enthusiasm for the partnership between Matusek and Garrett Advancing Motion.

“I’m super-excited to be working directly with Garrett on a project once again,” Tecklenburg said. “I can’t wait to go feed one of these Elite Performance/Alan Johnson Hemis with the new offerings from Garrett and start Advancing Motion.”

Matusek, who founded fuel pump company Aeromotive Inc. in 1994, recognized the innovation that has been part of Garrett’s makeup for more than 65 years and has lauded the company’s dedication to performance without sacrificing safety.

“They’re concerned about more than just maximum performance,” Matusek said. “They’re not willing to give up safety for performance. Garrett has a product that can compete at a high level, but they also care about you and care about your safety. That’s really important and I have so much confidence with the team and I believe, in a short time, the car will be near or at the top. I don’t see how it can’t be successful and that’s what I’m expecting.”

The E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service starts in March at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.