Matt Swanson, Boehler Racing Enterprises Modified Team Parting Ways



Matt Swanson and the Boehler Racing Enterprises No. 3 Ole Blue car (Photo: Shawn Courchesne/RaceDayCT)

Ole Blue will have a new look behind the wheel for the 2022 racing season.

Boehler Racing Enterprises team owner Mike Boehler confirmed to RaceDayCT Saturday that the team will part ways with driver Matt Swanson.

“There were no issues,” Boehler said. “They’re first class people. A great family. They helped a ton. We just kind of stalled out. We really weren’t going much forward.

“Three and a half years together. What are you going to do? A lot of top-five’s, a lot of top-10’s. A few times leading, couple times could have had a win. It just didn’t work out. That’s racing.”

Swanson said he felt blindsided by the news Saturday.

“It’s kind of so fresh to me I don’t even know what to say right now,” Swanson said. “Definitely [took me by surprise]. We normally wait until the race season dies down a little bit and then we all go down to the shop and kind of discuss what we’re going to do. When you get a phone call like that it kind of blindsides you. But it is what it is. I guess it comes down to kind of sitting down as a family and figuring out what we’re going to do and going from there.”

Swanson has been behind the wheel of the iconic No. 3 ride since midway through the 2018 season.

“It definitely feels good to know that I was able to drive such an iconic race car,” Swanson said. “It’s definitely unfortunate that I wasn’t able to get it to victory lane because that was obviously the goal from the start. I wanted to win in that car more than anything. It’s unfortunate that it came to such a sudden end. Obviously we’re all racers. We’ll rebuild and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

It was actually a relationship between BRE and Swanson that began by surprise when Swanson was asked to fill in for Rowan Pennink the day before a Whelen Modified Tour event at Thompson Speedway on Aug. 8, 2018. Pennink was forced to miss the race because of the birth of his first child and Swanson finished second in the event.

Later that month Pennink announced his retirement from racing due to a lingering back injury, and Swanson stepped into the BRE full-time.

Swanson was fifth in the Whelen Modified Tour standings in 2019 with four top-five finishes and nine top-10’s in 16 events. He was sixth in the series standings in 2020 with six top-10’s in nine events. The 21-year old Swanson made his Whelen Modified Tour debut in 2015 and has made 79 series starts.

The BRE team chose to run a hybrid schedule in 2021, running five Whelen Modified Tour events, all six Tri-Track Open Modified Series races and other selected Open Modified events.

Boehler said he’s not sure what the future holds for the team.

“We’ll hopefully figure something out,” Boehler said. “But I’m not going to be calling people on Monday morning or anything like that.”

Comments

  1. Okay, who is available?

  2. David Fisher says

    Doug Coby

  3. Boehler not sure what the future holds aye. Drops a well resourced driver with no plan? I’m thinking that dog don’t hunt.
    Coby and Ole Blue.
    Could this be the reference one certain contributor to the forum known to be right more times then not was eluding to but could not say more?
    Finally Swanson said it. He was blindsided and it’s good to read someone actually say it. Then he says everything right after that.
    He’ll land somewhere and it may work out better for he and the 3 fingers crossed.

  4. When was the last time this car was truly competitive and won races? Was it the driver or the car?

    There’s more to this than we know.

  5. Sidewinder says

    I’d really like to see Matt in a well prepared Troyer or LFR. Kid has talent and there’s absolutely no doubt about it. Matt’s first time ever turning laps at Loudon at age 15 showed good speed at a time when SPEC motors were taking over and Matt was still running a built motor. Qualifying rolls around and he time trials 14th, ahead of Christopher, silk, Preece, and a host of others. Someone please put this kid in a car he deserves!

  6. Average NWMT finishes

    Pennink
    2016 12.8
    2017 8.9 (one win)
    2018 6.44 (9 races then retired)

    Swanson
    2018 16.2 (6 races taking over for retired Pennink)
    2019 10.9
    2020 10.7
    2021 17 (5 races)

    You can decide for yourself if it was a car or driver thing but it’s seems pretty clear a change was in order.

  7. i don’t believe that Boehler ran a full tour schedule last year.. so Coby would likely have to bring something to the table,, makes it interesting,, believe Coby might have the resources to do that.. how about our boy Rocco on a limited tour schedule??

  8. After all his recent success I seriously doubt that Coby would drive anything but a LFR chassis.

  9. The last real success they had was their 3 championship seasons in ‘94 Wayne Anderson, ‘95 & ‘96 Tony Hirschman. Since those 3 championships they have struggled achieving sporadic results with a multitude of different drivers.

    A lack of tech support being they build and design their own equipment must make it difficult as well.

  10. captain obvious says

    just say it ..its too much money to race and to be competitive on the tour …cost outweighs the reward

  11. wmass01013 says

    So telll me Mr. Oblivious, what series or track does the cost Not Outweigh the reward racing Modifieds????????

  12. I hope it works out for all parties involved. They seem like good people. A few quick comments.

    1 I would agree with Doug, I wouldnt think you get rid of Swanson without another driver in mind. Unless they plan on scaling back or not running. I really hope we see Ole Blue number 3 is running next season. Whether its on Nascar or the local opens the car is Iconic and needs to be out there. If it is the end of the legend, it will surely be missed
    2 Coby name certainly comes up anytime there is an open ride. I dont know if this is a good fit unless Ole Blue is going to start running a chassis that is not their own design. Doubt Doug would leave LFR at this point with all the success they had together.
    3 Didnt Rocco run for Boehler at one point. Its been awhile maybe 10 years ago. If it didnt work out then not sure they revisit it now. Besides Rocco has so much tied up in his SK rental business not sure he could run anything that would take him away from Stafford Friday nights.
    4 . I hope Matt Swanson can find a ride for next season. He deserves a good ride.

  13. Have to think that Boehler had something in the works already.

    So who else could be available?

  14. A fans view says

    It would be great to see Lutz in the 3…

  15. ……..another young driver, possibly a rookie Whelen driver that’s not a rookie modified driver.
    Could be a great combo.

  16. Walter A Fike says

    I think the team will fold up only because look how much money you have to put in to any racing tour organization except the top nascar racing and they don’t get there money’s worth when you race in the tour any more

  17. McKenna. Reynolds. Coby

  18. Local HOT SHOE Jake Johnson may be considered for OLE BLUE . They sponsored the # 3 with the Propane Plus Business that the Johnson Brothers run in Rehoboth Ma …. When you read the BOOK the Soul of a Modified…. Driver Changes are very very common with Old Blue , even after Winning Seasons and Championships , Lenny would shuffle Drivers in and out.. Well documented in the Book… If you don’t WIN you don’t have a seat … It’s really that simple… Jake Johnson has a Brand New LFR Modified and had top 3 Finish at Seekonk’s Haunted 100 , Jake is a Hungry Driver with limited experience in Tour Type Modifieds , But has lots of Pro Stock , Super Late Model, Late Model & Legend Experience.. It may be time for the # 3 Team to change Chassis and Driver all at once , Propane Plus could handle the Sponsor piece and has a Brand new Car to run Tour or Tour Type open shows and see how things go …???

  19. magic shoes drove for Boehler back in the 80s, maybe his son Max drives for them in 2022?
    it seems Max likes to race often and in all types of cars, but im sure to land a talent like max the Boehlers would work with him….

  20. I just don’t see it. The brand is racing your own chassis. It’s not like these guys are novices doing it. You don’t earn a pole position in the Sizzler without knowing something about how to build a car. Nor do I see the merit of putting a person in the car that you’d have to train on the job. Especially if there’s an experienced tour modified driver with sponsors, notebooks full of race setup data and personal experience on the tracks being raced.

    “Just Me – The Original says
    October 9, 2021 at 5:46 pm
    I might have jumped the gun on the Coby prediction (Coby to Stuart Motorsports).. There’s something else in the works since I made the original post. Unfortunately, I can’t say. But if comes true, it would be better than the 85 deal.”

    That’s still hanging out there and from someone who is friends with a lot of people and is generally right on things.

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