Life in the fast lane
Matthew Butson balances racing cars professionally and pursuing a graduate degree in real estate and the built environment.
By Jordyn Reiland
Matthew Butson first spent time at the track when he was only as tall as a racing tire.
His father, Tim Butson, has been involved in regional and national racing for the two decades, but becoming a professional driver wasn’t a given for Matthew Butson.
“It was always a thrilling experience to go watch him, but I never thought I would be driving those cars,” he says.
Years later and after growing several feet taller, Butson is racing professionally in the Trans Am Series with Ave Motorsports and in the FRP Formula Atlantic Championship Series with K-Hill Motorsports—while also pursuing a master’s degree in real estate and the built environment from the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management.
Most recently, Butson and K-Hill Motorsports were crowned 2024 Formula Atlantic Champions.
“[Racing] is the most individual and team sport there is. Without your team, you’re nobody, but when you’re in the car, it’s very individual—you have to be in your own head. At the end of the day, without your team, you’re not even going to get the wheels on the grid,” Butson says.
Butson completed drivers’ school in Portland, Oregon, at 16 and received his Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) competition license, but he didn’t start professional racing until 2019.
He earned his first professional victory in Trans Am in 2020—what he considers a “breakthrough moment” in his racing career.
At that time, Butson was also focused on playing club hockey for Robert Morris University—a sport he’d played most of his life. As hockey was coming to an end, Butson felt strongly about continuing to participate in a sport after college.
“I believe there’s a strong importance in having a job and a school life, but also having a life outside of that which motivates you,” he says.
That’s when he decided to continue racing for the foreseeable future.
Butson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Robert Morris in 2023. He decided to go into the construction management field after spending a summer as a construction worker.
Growing up in Seattle, Butson has “always been fond” of the University of Denver, and it didn’t take long to determine this program would be the right fit. “I knew by talking to a handful of people that this was the place I wanted to be, and I knew that it would excel my career,” he says.
He was drawn to the fact that DU’s graduate program was primarily in person, but it’s been a balancing act with school and racing on the weekends.
To manage both, Butson utilizes a few life lessons he’s learned along the way.
Learning how to focus on one thing at a time and really “zone out” everything else has been incredibly beneficial. “If you’re getting in the car, you’re going to class, whatever it may be—you have to be able to block everything else out and be mentally stronger,” he says.
Knowing how to operate in stressful environments, whether that be on the track during a heated competition or in the classroom working with classmates on a project, has also been an important skill.
Butson has always appreciated the hands-on components of DU’s program, including visiting job sites as part of a course with Assistant Professor Eric Holt.
While his dad has taken his foot off the gas when it comes to racing, he and his mom, Aikui, have been with him every step of the way.
“It has been really cool to take that journey with him,” Butson says.
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