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Before the podium champagne, before the Corvette smoke clouds, before “Beast of the Bay” was a thing, Matt Field was just a Bay Area kid with race fuel in his veins. His dad wasn’t a spectator; he was out running desert races, stacking over 30 wins and four championships. Matt was in it from the start — quads at four years old, quarter-midgets at eight, and riding shotgun in his dad’s off-road truck before he even had a license.
Weekends meant tools on the ground, the smell of fuel in the air, and whatever track or dirt course was next. Thunderhill was a regular stop, the kind of place where you learned by messing up, fixing it, and trying again.
Sit back, grab a cold bevy and crank the volume and watch as Matt lets his c8 Corvette rip Thunderhill West.
Matt grew up obsessed with skateboarding, but once he saw drifting in person, that was it. He went from daily beaters to building S-Chassis cars on a shoestring, thrashing in the paddock to keep them alive. The budget was whatever was left over after paying bills, and parts came from whoever had spares. Thunderhill saw plenty of those test laps.
Years ago, somehow, between Business Management classes at San Jose State, Matt was also running events, fixing cars, and figuring out how to make drifting his life. That turned into Drift Cave. Part race shop, part clubhouse, part proving ground. It started in Vallejo, but now it’s down in a Morgan Hill warehouse, and the vibe hasn’t changed: build it right, drive it hard, help the next guy do the same.
When Matt ran his first Formula Drift season, everyone told him he had to go to SEMA to meet sponsors. Problem was, he didn’t have money for a plane ticket, let alone Vegas hotels. He went anyway — splitting a gross Circus Circus room with five guys, walking to the convention center with a Word-doc proposal in hand, introducing himself to literally everyone. No sponsors, no big team, just a plan and the grind to back it up.
Like many of us, Matt started out racing out of an open trailer with a borrowed toolbox, borrowed parts, and borrowed time. Over the years, that hustle turned into a full professional program — multiple cars, a semi, a canopy, and a team that keeps evolving. Still, the same guy is under it all: the one willing to stay up until 2 a.m., thrash on the car, and keep pushing.
Getting into Formula Drift as a privateer meant long hauls across the country, sleeping in the hauler, and trying to convince sponsors you belonged. Over time, he went from “who’s the new kid?” to “oh crap, I drew Field in Top 16.” Now he’s one of the guys you have to beat if you want a shot at a win.
This August, Matt took down Formula Drift Seattle after a wild finals battle with James Deane. Yeah, there was plenty of chatter about judging calls and strategy, but at the end of the day, the trophy’s his. From where we sit, it’s just another chapter in a career built on grit, skill, and NorCal pride.
You know Matt’s been family around here, and now we’ve got merch to prove it. The Thunderhill x Matt Field collab is live in our Pro Shop—limited-run, so grab it before it’s gone. Best part? The killer artwork was cooked up by Harris Lue, the design studio famous for their retro motorsports magic. These are the same cats behind vintage‑style merch for NASCAR, McDonald’s, Heatwave Visual, RFK Racing, and a ton of others. Wear it proud— especially next time our hometrack hero hits Thunderhill again.
From growing up at the track to sleeping five-deep in Vegas hotel rooms chasing sponsors, to standing on the FD podium — Matt Field’s story is proof that if you’ve got the drive, you can take it anywhere.
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At Thunderhill, we’ve been delivering a superior motorsports experience for over 30 years. Our track remains one of the finest, safest, and cleanest road courses in America. Beyond the track, our team continues to set the standard for world-class customer service, exceeding expectations at every turn.
