He’s back! The 2017 World Champion Matt Cash is ready to reclaim a spot on the winner’s podium after taking a mandatory year off from the competition. This is Cash’s fourth time competing in Las Vegas, and he’s never been more determined to win it all. “A quarter of an inch [on the head joints] is what cost me last time. I’ve been mad about it ever since,” cash said. He’s put in a lot of practice since then, reaching brick totals as high as 770.

“It’s down to a science for me, if I’m ahead of schedule I know how many brick I’m going to lay, and if I’m behind I know what I have to do to get caught up. Experience is so important in this competition; you can’t practice this on the job. The more you do it, the more things you’re going to figure out how to deal with, especially when you’re going so fast.”

Cash laid 702 brick in the North Carolina regional qualifier, and knows with the right conditions he can do a lot better. He said, “If I want to do something, I’m going to try to be the best at it. It’s a pride thing for me. I’m coming for the title.”

37-year-old Cash is married with an 11-year-old son. He’s been with his company, the Huntley Brothers, out of Mint Hill, NC for seven years, where he is a supervisor and safety coordinator.