492
438
437
423
410
394
381
354
325
315
311
309
308
288
282
Championship
Point Standing
2 Moses Smith
3 J. Gomez
4 David Mayhew
5 Luis Martinez Jr
6 Eric Holmes
7 Brett Thompson
8 Michael Self
9 Daryl Harr
10 Greg Rayl
11 Jim Inglebright
12 Carl Harr
13 Jack Sellers
14 Ryan Philpott
15 Stan Silva Jr
16 Thomas Martin*
Iowa
05/21/11
LAST RACE: 28th Place Finish
Mechanical Failure
Miller Motorsportd Park
Tooelle, Ut
04/30/11
Martin MotorSports
Vegas Bound
May 1, 2010
After a strong top 5 finish at Orange Show Speedway, with no testing and a short-handed crew, driver Thomas Martin, in the Strictly Toy-Ondas, American Body and Frame # 85, is headed to the “Bullring” in Las Vegas, Nevada. The “Blackjack 121“ on May 8th will be the 3rd race of the season for the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series and it’s first of two trips to the “Bullring“. The “Bullring“ is a 1/3 mile track located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Park north of the famous “Las Vegas Strip”. Sitting second in points after two races, Martin MotorSports and driver Thomas Martin, have found just enough support to make it to the next race while still trying to secure full funding to compete for the 2010 Championship in the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series. “My crew is all volunteers and we are having a great time. I’m at the point in my life where I don’t NEED to race, I WANT to race. With this attitude, everyone involved is giving everything they have to make this season enjoyable. I can’t thank everyone enough for what they have given whether it has been their time or money.”
Anticipating a full field, the competition is expected to be as hot as the temperature outside. “We flew under the radar showing up late at Orange Show Speedway and we did what we needed to do, but I expect to make more noise this time around,” states Martin. “Even though I haven’t raced at the Vegas track in fourteen years, because of the configuration I think we will have a car that will rotate and drive hard off the bottom. With a good handling car, a great crew, and a little luck, I am looking forward to contending for the win. I would like to thank all my sponsors for making this possible, Strictly Toy-ondas, D&D Detail, American Body and Frame, Watkins Engine Development, Drooling Dog BarBQ, Harris Industrial Gases, Auburn Iron Works, MJM Vehicle Design and Fabrication, 24 Seven Fire Protection and Race Media Group (RMG)".
For more information or the latest news concerning the Spears SRL Southwest Touring Series please visit www.srlsouthwesttour.com. For information on becoming an advertising partner with Martin MotorSports please visit www.martinracing.com.
Another Top 5 for Martin
April 30th, 2010
Short, Tight, Flat, Exciting are all expressions that come to mind when talking about Orange Show Speedway, a tiny racetrack in San Bernardino, Ca. The Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series made its inaugural trip to the speedway on April 17th for the “Citizens Business Bank 135” and it did not disappoint the large crowd in attendance.
The week leading up to the Orange Show was filled with uncertainty as Martin MotorSports was still unsure about making the trip down south. There was no pit crew, no set-up, and no accommodations in place. That all changed quickly Thursday night after a few phone calls were made and some very dedicated racers jumped into the truck Friday after work and drove all night to go racing.
Twenty-six SRL teams were practicing and fine-tuning their race machines Friday night while Martin and team were still driving. This started Martin and the #85 team behind the eight ball and playing catch up. “Saturday morning entering the track was the first time I had ever laid eyes on the track. First thought that came to my mind was this track looks fun, fast and tight,” said Martin. First thoughts are usually correct, as was this one.
Practice started as the short handed crew of Jake Koens, Chris Scribner and Ray Bateman were setting up pits, getting the car through tech, picking race tires, along with the rest of the morning pre-race jobs. Martin finally rolled out for his first laps on the speedway just before midway point of the first practice session. Getting acquainted with the track was more important than chassis set up and the first session came to a close with Martin holding the 10th fastest lap. The second session led to some frustration for Martin due to old tires and trying to find a rhythm around the tight speedway. Grip was hard to come by in the hot Southern California weather as Martin ended practice in the 14th position.
Qualifying showcased each team’s hard work during their two qualifying laps as Derek Thorn set the pace for the second straight race with a time of 12.719. Martin’s time of 12.918, with a speed of 69.7mph, placed him 12th in the field which was shortened to 23 cars for the start of the evenings race.
The “Citizens Business Bank 135” started with Martin sitting in the 6th row outside. The worst possible situation came true on the first lap of the race when the leaders made contact and sent outside pole sitter, Eric Richardson, #40, spinning in the middle of turns 3 and 4. “All I thought during the pace laps was I have half the field in front of me waiting to wreck and half the field behind me ready to run me over .” As cars scattered everywhere, Martin shot to the high side and made it through unscathed. Martin restarted 9th and maintained a top 10 spot all race long. “We had a great racecar all race long, but just never had any track position. I had to let the race come to me and wait for all the other cars to start fading before I could make my move”. Just over half way the field strung out with a long green flag run and that’s when Martin was able to make his moves. On the final restart Martin found himself in the top 5, bringing home a solid fifth place finish while maintaining his second place points position in the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series.
The next scheduled event is the "Blackjack 121" at “The Bullring” in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information or the latest news on the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series please visit www.srlsouthwesttour.com
