Although Matt Haufe is preparing to make the jump to the Overkill Enterprise OSCAAR Modifieds in 2026, he will not be leaving his route behind in doing so. He confirmed in an interview recently with Short Track Musings that he will also be racing the Legend on occasion throughout the 2026 campaign.

The current plan has Haufe running the full OSCAAR Modified schedule for Monty Farrell and Farrell Racing, while racing the Legend throughout the month of August when OSCAAR is off for a stretch of weekends in a row. He will then also run double duty at the three of the final four races of the season – Sauble Speedway, Flamboro Speedway, and Peterborough Speedway – with the Legend and Modified.

The thought to bring the Legend back out for Haufe is simple – it keeps him inside a racecar and battling at each track while the OSCAAR Modifieds take their break.

“I think the more you’re in a car, it’s going to keep you on your game as well as just keeping your timing and developing all those skills,” Haufe explained. “They’re both open-wheel cars, so I think it translates that way as well. The way they run as far as you have to move somebody or like it’s all front to rear bumper action, if there’s any kind of action like that. So it’s good to keep that like timing as far as getting close to being able to make that pass and not run into them and keep your momentum up. So to stay on the track in the legend, I think that’ll help translate back to the mod.”

Haufe’s experience in the Legends is very deep as he had won multiple championships in both Canada and across North America before making the jump into the modifieds last season. His initial decision to get involved with the Legends, though, was about the sanctioning body and how things are ran overall.

“We started in go-karting and go-karting has an overseeing governing body so there’s a lot of stuff with that like sealed engines and a very good rule package as far as what you can and can’t do, and all the procedures,” Haufe explained. “So when we were kind of looking at that and the fact that you could pretty much travel anywhere with cars – all over the United States, and have the same kind of rule package. That was a big draw in carts and with Legends, INEX has a rule package that is well laid out. It covers a lot more than a lot of local track rules, and with the legend cars, at least allows the ability to have similar rule packages to each series. 

“So you get a very good overall membership and ability to be competitive all over North America and really the world, if wanted to. I think there are now over 23 or 26 countries all running the INEX rule package. There’s like a few minor variations in Europe and stuff where they just have sound rules, so they have a program a little bit with mufflers and different things to kind of allow for that. But I mean, we’re running them over here now because they’re more horsepower and stuff.”

The versatility of the Legends is perfect for a driver like Haufe, who has always believed in trying different tracks each year, knowing it will help you get better as a driver in how you can adapt. It’s why he has always followed the motto that he will race anywhere. Although he has run several tracks across the United States, a trip down to Virginia and getting to Dominion Raceway is still on the bucket list.

“Like I said, it’s nice just to try a new track because they’re all just a little different,” Haufe commented. “Like they might be the same length or this or that, but they all have like a little quirk or something different about it or the track changes a different way. And it just adds to experience,”

Stay tuned to the OSCAAR website mid-way through April for a feature on Matt Haufe and car owner Monty Farrell talking about the upcoming season

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