Matt Sielsky

{{short description|American racing driver}} {{BLP sources|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox racing driver | name = Matt Sielsky | image = | image_size = | caption = | nationality = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|2|12}} | birth_place = | prev_series = ASA National Tour NASCAR Busch Series Atlantic Championship USF2000 | prev_series_years = 2000-2001 1999 1998-1999 1997-1996 | titles = | title_years = | awards = Team USA Scholarship | award_years = 1997 | updated = | medaltemplates = |module = {{Infobox NASCAR driver|embed=yes |Total_Busch_Races = 1 |Years_In_Busch = 1 |Busch_Car_Team = |Prev_Busch_Pos = |Prev_Busch_Year = |Best_Busch_Pos = 116th (1999) |First_Busch_Race = 1999 Kroger 200 (IRP) |Last_Busch_Race = |First_Busch_Win = |Last_Busch_Win = |Busch_Wins = 0 |Busch_Top_Tens = 0 |Busch_Poles = 0 }} }}

'''Matt Sielsky''' (born 1 May 1978) is an American former racing driver. Sielsky competed in USF2000, Atlantic Championship, NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, among other series.

==Career== The Chicago, Illinois based driver started his racing career in karting. In 1993 Sielsky won his first World Karting Association national championship. Sielsky won the Restricted JR and US820 Junior class championships beating other drivers such as Sam Hornish Jr.<ref>{{cite web |title=MANUFACTURER'S CUP SERIES - ARCHIVED STANDINGS 1993 FINAL* POINTS STANDINGS |url=http://worldkarting.com/pg/series/mc/season_archives/mc-standings-1993.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202064633/http://worldkarting.com/pg/series/mc/season_archives/mc-standings-1993.html |archivedate=2 December 2010 |accessdate=13 August 2017 |website=World Karting Association}}</ref> After a year without national championships in 1994, Sielsky won two out of four classes he competed in 1995. Sielsky won the Piston Port and 100cc Pro Street classes.<ref>{{cite web |title=MANUFACTURER'S CUP SERIES - ARCHIVED STANDINGS 1995 FINAL* POINTS STANDINGS |url=http://worldkarting.com/pg/series/mc/season_archives/mc-standings-1995.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202064707/http://worldkarting.com/pg/series/mc/season_archives/mc-standings-1995.html |archivedate=2 December 2010 |accessdate=13 August 2017 |website=World Karting Association}}</ref>

For 1996 Sielsky and fellow competitor Jeff Shafer landed Kool sponsorship after a talent competition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ron Kantowski: Young drivers get boost from Kool program|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/1997/jan/31/ron-kantowski-young-drivers-get-boost-from-kool-pr/|website=Las Vegas Sun|date=31 January 1997 |accessdate=13 August 2017}}</ref> With the sponsorship deal Sielsky joined Team Green in the USF2000 for 1996 and 1997. In his debut season the young driver finished third at Watkins Glen International and scored enough points to secure tenth in the championship. For 1997 Sielsky scored four pole positions, in the streets of St. Petersburg, at Phoenix International Raceway, Pikes Peak International Raceway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Unfortunately, he failed to finish better than second during the season. The total of four podium finishes resulted in a second place in the very closely contested championship.<ref>{{cite web|title=MATT SIELSKY - OVERALL START/FINISH POSITIONS (CLASS POSITIONS NOT SHOWN)|url=http://usf2000.com/teams-drivers/career-stats/1162|website=USF2000|accessdate=13 August 2017}}</ref>

Sielsky remained kept the Kool sponsorship as he graduated into the Atlantic Championship for 1998 racing with D&L Racing. In the second race of the season, at Nazareth Speedway, he scored his first podium finish. Two additional podium finishes came at the Molson Indy Vancouver and Mid-Ohio. The young driver finished sixth in the series standings.

With severe limitations to cigarette sponsorship in sports, Sielsky lost his primary sponsor. Forced to look for other opportunities. In 1999, he made a single appearance in the Atlantic Championship. With BBGP Racing Sielsky substituted for John Brooks at Mid-Ohio. Sielsky finished the race in fourteenth place.<ref>{{cite web|title=Matt Sielsky|url=http://www.champcarstats.com/atlantic/drivers/SielskyMatt.htm|website=Champcar Stats|accessdate=13 August 2017}}</ref> Sielsky also joined Emerald Performance Group testing the teams NASCAR Busch Series car. He got the chance to race in the Busch Series with Hillin Racing. At Lucas Oil Raceway, Sielsky qualified 39th for the Kroger 200. Sielsky finished the race 31st, six laps down.<ref>{{cite web|title=Matt Sielsky 1999 Season Results NASCAR Busch Series|url=http://thethirdturn.com/wiki/Matt_Sielsky/Results/NASCAR_Busch_Series/1999|website=The Third Turn|accessdate=13 August 2017|archive-date=13 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813230612/http://thethirdturn.com/wiki/Matt_Sielsky/Results/NASCAR_Busch_Series/1999|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Sielsky had a partial racing season in 2000 racing in the ASA National Tour. The season was a preparation for his first full-time stock car campaign in the 2001 ASA National Tour. Fielding his own team Sielsky finished nineteenth in the season standings. His best result was a ninth-place finish at Concord Speedway, after starting 34th.<ref>{{cite web|title=Matt Sielsky 2001 Season Results ASA ACDelco Challenge Series|url=http://thethirdturn.com/wiki/Matt_Sielsky/Results/ASA_ACDelco_Challenge_Series/2001|website=The Third Turn|accessdate=13 August 2017|archive-date=13 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813230840/http://thethirdturn.com/wiki/Matt_Sielsky/Results/ASA_ACDelco_Challenge_Series/2001|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After his racing career, Sielsky, with the support of his mother, started a Chicago-style hot dog restaurant in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Sielsky sold the restaurant, Matt's Chicago Dog, in 2010 before rejoining the restaurant as its Chief operating officer in 2016. Following that Matt has enjoyed a successful career of working with friends to help them reduce operating costs through Buyers Edge Platform.<ref>{{cite web|title=Matt Sielsky|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattsielsky/|website=LinkedIn|accessdate=13 August 2017}}</ref>

==Motorsports results== ===American Open-Wheel racing results=== (key) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position, races in ''italics'' indicate fastest race lap)

====USF2000 National Championship==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" ! Year ! Entrant ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! Pos ! Points |- | 1996 ! Team Green |style="background:#FFCFCF;"| WDW DNQ |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| STP 9 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| PIR 23 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| DSC 44 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| MOS 6 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| IRP 27 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| RIR 22 |style="background:#FFDF9F;"| WGI 3 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| WGI 4 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| MOH 8 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| NHS 7 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| LVS 25 ! 10th ! ??? |- | 1997 ! Team Green |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| WDW 12 |style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''''STP''''' 2 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| '''PIR''' 25 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"| DSC 23 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DSC 4 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| SAV 8 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"| '''PPI''' 10 |style="background:#DFDFDF;"| CHA 2 |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ''CHA'' 26 |style="background:#DFDFDF;"| '''MOH''' 2 |style="background:#FFDF9F;"| WGI 3 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| WGI 5 ! 2nd ! 177 |}

====Atlantic Championship==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" |- ! Year ! Team ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! Rank ! Points |- | 1998 ! D&L Racing |style="background:#EFCFFF;"|LBH 24 |style="background:#FFDF9F;"|NAZ 3 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"|GAT 7 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"|MIL 4 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"|MTL 4 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"|CLE 10 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"|TOR 4 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"|TRR 8 |style="background:#FFDF9F;"|MOH 3 |style="background:#EFCFFF;"|ROA 23 |style="background:#FFDF9F;"|VAN 3 |style="background:#CFCFFF;"|LS 18 |style="background:#CFEAFF;"|HOU 9 !6th !109 |- | 1999 ! BBGP Racing |LBH |NAZ |GAT |MIL |MTL |ROA |TRR |style="background:#CFCFFF;"|MOH 14 |style="background:#EFCFFF;"|CHI 14 |VAN |LS |HOU | ! - ! - |}

===NASCAR=== (key) ('''Bold''' – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

====Busch Series==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%" !colspan=39| NASCAR Busch Series results |- ! Year ! Team ! No. ! Make ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! 19 ! 20 ! 21 ! 22 ! 23 ! 24 ! 25 ! 26 ! 27 ! 28 ! 29 ! 30 ! 31 ! 32 ! {{Tooltip|NBSC|NASCAR Busch Series classification}} ! Pts ! Ref |- ! 1999 ! Hillin Racing ! 8 ! Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | TEX | NSV | BRI | TAL | CAL | NHA | RCH | NZH | CLT | DOV | SBO | GLN | MLW | MYB | PPR | GTY | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| IRP 31 | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAR | MEM | PHO | HOM ! 116th ! 70 ! <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/sielsma01/1999/B|title=Matt Sielsky – 1999 NASCAR Busch Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=April 29, 2023}}</ref> |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{Racing-Reference driver|Matt_Sielsky}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sielsky, Matt}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers Category:Atlantic Championship drivers Category:NASCAR drivers Category:World Karting Association drivers Category:Racing drivers from Chicago Category:Sportspeople from Chicago Category:Racing drivers from Illinois Category:Businesspeople from Chicago Category:American restaurateurs Category:20th-century American sportsmen