by Rich Fisher, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — If you asked Matt Adamczyk in high school where he thought he would be in 10 years, the answer would have been climbing under car hoods rather than climbing into a sulky.

But his road to being an auto mechanic took a few twists and turns, and instead of washing off grease and oil stains, Adamczyk finds himself standing in the muck and mud of Standardbreds and loving every minute of it.

On Nov. 21, the 25-year-old from Middletown, N.Y., earned his first driving win with Urban Renewal at Plainridge Park in Massachusetts. On Dec. 31, in his first Meadowlands race as a trainer, Urban Renewal took second place with Brett Miller driving.

And while he is still taking an online diesel mechanic course, Adamczyk admitted, “I’m kind of slacking a little on that.”

MelansonPhotography.com photo

Matt Adamczyk celebrated in the winner’s circle after his first driving win on Nov. 21 with Urban Renewal.

Instead, he has embarked on an unexpected harness racing career.

Adamczyk’s parents, William and Tina, owned and trained horses in Connecticut, and would drag Matt and his brother Andrew — one year his elder — to Yonkers to race them.

“We were really young, like, eight, nine years old,” Adamczyk recalled. “They’d bring us and we’d go sit upstairs in the paddock and just hang out all night and had no interest in the horses at all. We would find some trouble to get into.”

The Adamczyks moved to Monticello in the early 2000s and when Matt graduated high school in 2009, he put off his decision to attend mechanic school in order to earn some money. His mom hooked him up with trainer Chris Marino, “who taught me most everything I know.” Andrew also caught the racing bug at the same time.

“Once I got working with the horses, that was it,” Adamczyk said. “I lost interest in cars.”

Adamczyk got his trainer’s license at the end of 2014 and in 2015 earned his P license for driving. He started qualifying some of his dad’s horses at Yonkers and Monticello. In his third career start, Adamczyk drew the five hole in an eight-horse race at Plainridge and went off at 70-1.

Winning was the last thing on the driver’s mind that night.

“I thought I had no shot,” said Adamczyk, who also trains Urban Renewal for owner James Kurilla. “The horse missed three or four weeks going through the Harrisburg sale. I trained him a little bit. He didn’t really train through great. I figured I’d just get him around.”

But a funny thing happened when the gate opened up. While watching replays of Urban Renewal after the purchase, Adamczyk noticed the horse “Loved being out and moving, or being first up or coming through wide down the backside.”

Thus, Adamczyk tried putting him in a decent spot where he figured he could come first-up with him if he felt right.

“During the half he just felt real good,” Adamczyk said. “He was right up on the bit and kind of pulling pretty good. I knew he loved being out moving, I thought at 70-1 I’m probably stupid for pulling him but I might as well give him a shot.

“We got to the half and no one pulled. I pulled him down the backside and he felt strong so I just gave him a shot and he ended up getting head to head with the guy in the lead around the last turn. I just beat him by a neck, but around the last turn I was like ‘Wow, I might actually win this race.’ It was awesome.”

Win it he did, and he won two more races since with Urban Renewal, along with a win behind Macho Chick, another horse he trains.

On the morning of his Meadowlands race, Adamczyk could barely talk as he struggled with bronchitis, but when the night was over that didn’t seem to matter as his horse hit the board on the sport’s biggest stage.

“He raced very, very good,” Adamczyk said via text message.

Adamczyk is in hopes of a driving career and has 17 career starts, mostly with Urban Renewal or his father’s and brother’s horses.

“When I first started I was doing stalls and harnessing horses,” he said. “After about a year and a half, I sat behind a horse and I just fell in love with it. Originally I wanted to drive and I started training horses and was doing really good with that. But I’ve always wanted to drive, so I’d rather be a driver.”

One thing he does not plan on being any time soon is an owner.

“I’ve owned a couple and from my point of view every one I’ve owned has been a bad horse,” he said with a laugh. “Every one I train for people turns out good, so I’ll kind of take my time, find myself a good one.”

Adamczyk currently trains three horses, including Steuben Rudy and Hooves On First. He plans on driving at Plainridge when it re-opens in April, and is also looking at Monticello and The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

“My dad’s put me up on his at Monticello, My brother’s given me a shot, and there’s other guys I’ve talked to that said they would give me a shot,” he said. “I haven’t driven much for anybody else but I would like to. I know I have to show some potential. Obviously they want someone more experienced. But you have to do it to learn.”

Adamczyk feels every time he does it, he gets better.

“I’m just more aware, I have more confidence,” he said. “I’ve always felt comfortable in the bike, I just don’t feel as nervous. My first drive I was a little nervous, and then I won one. Even after that I was nervous, but I hardly get nervous anymore going behind the gate.”

And as an added bonus, he hasn’t totally abandoned his initial dream.

“I still,” he said, “change my own oil.”