Snider aims to be quick study with Kyle Busch Motorsports

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Even though Myatt Snider has been deeply rooted in motorsports since a young age, some may only hear his name for the first time this year.

Snider is part of a star-studded lineup at Kyle Busch Motorsports in the No. 51 Toyota in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. But while his teammates (Christopher Bell, Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson) have become well-known in racing circles, 2017 will be Snider’s first year in a large spotlight.

When asked, Snider describes himself as a “Goofy kid from Charlotte.”

The word nerd also gets tossed about, as Snider mentions his interest in space. Although he’s now taking a break from his education because of an increased racing schedule, Snider had been studying physics. In his spare time, he tries to get to as many concerts as he can to feed his “pretty big infatuation” for rock music.

Make no mistake Snider has always had a passion for racing. Grandfather Gurney Snider was a car owner in the early days of NASCAR; cousin Jay Hedgecock has experience as a chassis builder as well as a late model car owner, and dad Marty Snider has spent many years as a pit reporter, currently with NBC Sports.

As a young child, Snider took in races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and when he was 10, asked his father if he could race. It started with Bandoleros and then Legend cars. Eventually, Snider moved to late models and last year dabbled in the ARCA Racing Series.

Snider has also been well-educated along the way, having worked at Joe Gibbs Racing. A senior in high school, Snider did an internship in the fabrication shop because he wanted to learn what went into full-time racing. From the fabrication shop, Snider took the chance to move around and learn other areas.

“I moved over to the main shop floor where I was building and tearing down (Matt) Kenseth’s cars, and in general learning about what I could with these cars,” Snider said. “After working on Kenseth’s cars, I went to work in the CNC shop, the engineering department, just kind of worked around the place and learned what I could from everybody.”

Snider will have no problem fitting in with his teammates, having known all of them in some form the last few years. Kyle Busch Motorsports will not lack personality this season.

“It’s really interesting because we’ve got people from all walks of life,” Snider said. “(Team owner) Kyle (Busch) is definitely the most interesting one to work with because he’s the most experienced out of all of us, and he’s an expert on the sport. Running with him and being a teammate, and one of his drivers is such a great position because he’s such a great resource.

“He knows so much about the sport of racing. So, working with Kyle is probably one of the best assets about being a part of this team. And it’s going to be a great asset to me learning how to be a better driver.”