Matt Stutzman dips into the 4-second range driving with just his feet By Craig Cook

That ’ s exactly what Matt Stutzman – better known as the Armless Archer – has been doing since 2014 . A professional archer by trade , the 40-year-old from Eddyville , Iowa , has won a litany of medals and championships at events all around the world , including at the Paralympic Games . Most recently , he won the world championship in Dubai . He even holds a Guinness World Record for the longest , most accurate shot with a bow and arrow . Yet his true passion lies in the automotive world .

“ A lot of people know me as the Armless Archer ,” Stutzman says . “ But the reality is , when I was eight or nine , I told my dad I was going to be a professional race car driver . He tossed me the keys to our farm truck and said , ‘ Figure it out .’ I learned how to drive tractors and trucks , and even a motorcycle . I ’ ve always had the love of cars and racing ; it just took a little while to get to where I ’ m at .”

Where he ’ s at currently is running Top Sportsman at local events in his 1968 Camaro , powered by a 540ci big-block Chevy with a 10-71 High Helix blower running on methanol . It ’ s the result of nearly a decade of work , learning how to race by driving with only his feet – from diesel trucks to street cars , to now piloting what he says is essentially a Pro Mod .

“ The reason I picked drag racing and archery , and fell in love with them , is because both sports don ’ t care that I have no arms ,” says Stutzman . “ The car doesn ’ t care . It just wants to be driven . I can get in a car , go compete against people with hands , and do well at it . I feel kind of normal . And everyone I have met at the track has been amazing . They see me as a racer , not a guy without arms .”

The combination of Stutzman ’ s determination and unique talent was rewarded recently when he ran his first sub-5-second pass in the eighth mile , clocking a 4.97 at 145 mph at Central Illinois Dragway in Havana , Illinois .

“ I wasn ’ t planning on getting into the 4s right away ,” Stutzman says , laughing . “ But it was a good track . I was ecstatic . Honestly , I didn ’ t even realize it right away . I only ran 7 pounds of boost , and I thought I would go out there and run another 5.0 pass . It was crazy .”

After posting in-car video footage of the pass on Facebook , Stutzman has gained a bit of celebrity status . The video has currently been shared over 4,000 times , something even he didn ’ t see coming .

“ I expected it to do a little bit , but I didn ’ t expect it to do what it did ,” says Stutzman . “ Some people know about me locally , but to the level we ’ re taking it now , it ’ s just now getting some attention . It ’ s been amazing .”

And while the overwhelming majority of comments have been positive , Stutzman admits there are those that have concerns about what he ’ s doing , and whether it ’ s actually safe to compete at such speeds . While he understands their trepidation , he says he has taken every precaution to maintain safety .

“ I know what I ’ m capable of ,” Stutzman says . “ It ’ s not like one day I woke up and said , ‘ Hey , I ’ m gonna run 4 seconds .’ I ’ ve been racing a long time , and driving with my feet forever . I ’ ve thought everything out strategically with my team . But I want people to know I ’ m doing it safely . I want the guy beside me to feel safe . That ’ s important to me .”

Stutzman is hoping to get the car down into the 4.70s by the end of this year , and from there , continue to push his limits . If both he and the car seem comfortable running . 70s , he ’ d like to drop into the 4.50s within three years . And from there ? Well , he ’ s got even bigger plans in mind .

“ I want to run NHRA stuff ,” says Stutzman . “ I want to travel and go to other tracks . I ’ m not content with just racing at local tracks for points . I want to race big events like the Million Dollar race . Who knows if I ’ ll ever win it , but I want to try . That ’ s where I see Matt Stutzman in the next 5-10 years .” DI

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MATT STUTZMAN

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