HAL MARTIN KANSAS SPEEDWAY PREVIEW
Driver of the No. 44 American Custom Yachts Toyota Camry
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES * KANSAS LOTTERY 300 * KANSAS SPEEDWAY
No. 44 American Custom Yachts Toyota Camry
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES – RACE 30 OF 33 – KANSAS SPEEDWAY
Debut from the Bayou? Martin, a Galliano, Louisiana native, brings his Bayou roots to the Midwest this weekend at Kansas Speedway. A longtime racer of Gulf Coast historic tracks like Mobile Speedway and Five Flags Speedway (home of the Snowball Derby), Martin hails from an area best-known for seafood, beautiful beaches, Mardi Gras and Drew Brees. He hopes to not only make his home state proud, being the only current Louisiana driver in any of NASCAR’s elite three series; but also have a learning experience going into his bid for NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2013.
Repave Benefits a Rookie: Martin, an unlikely “rookie” at 26, got his start in racing at age 15. An engineering graduate from the University of New Orleans, he also continued racing as he could during school and his first job out of school (with sponsor US Forensic). During his debut race at Kansas, he feels synergy with the entire series based on a repave since the last race. “It’s the great equalizer at a track, we’re all assessing a new surface, handling and finding the grooves. That should help take the pressure off, when we’re all learning together.”
Sailing Away – to the Midwest; Plus “CSI” Hits the Track: Martin’s primary sponsor, American Custom Yachts, will don the hood of the No. 44 this weekend. In addition, Martin’s first employer – forensic engineering firm US Forensic – joins as an associate sponsor.
“Luck Be a Lady” at the Kansas Lottery 300? Martin, on behalf of Kansas Speedway, will visit with special guests of the track on Thursday and Saturday – all previous winners of the Kansas Lottery. “I’m hoping their luck will rub off on our team a little – everyone’s superstitious in racing, so maybe it’ll ‘pay’ to be around other winners this weekend!”
Restoring the Louisiana Coastline: RestoreOrRetreat.org raises awareness for the erosion crisis along the Louisiana coastline – one of the busiest shipping & oil drilling hubs in the USA – & will be Martin’s charitable focus in NASCAR. His “Waterway Ridealong” this race is the Barataria Basin. Thursday through Saturday, Hal Martin Racing will donate $1 for Twitter retweets of specific coastline-related tweets & this precious ecosystem – with the use of hashtag #SaveLACoast.
Chassis History:The American Custom Yachts team from TriStar Motorsports has prepared chassis No. 17 for competition at its debut race of the season. It has made no previous starts in 2012 – a brand new chassis for the team.
Hal Martin on Kansas Speedway
Are you ready for your first race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series?
“I am beyond excited to make my debut! I have put in a lot of hard work and effort to get to this point in my career, and it is truly an honor to make my debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It many ways it feels like a long time in coming, but it has been worth the wait and all the effort from so many people to help get me here.”
What are your goals for 2012, versus your bid for 2013 Rookie of the Year honors next year in NASCAR?
My goals for 2012 are to be as consistent as possible and to complete every lap of every race I enter. Starting out, I’d like to bank some top 20s. I feel like I have a great team and a great group of guys supporting me, and we are capable of top 20 finishes. From there I’d like to catapult those results into top 15s and then eventually top 10s into the 2013 season. My goal for 2013 is to compete for Rookie of the Year honors while learning from the veterans in the series.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received so far, going into Kansas?
“The best advice I’ve received so far is to complete every race and just use these 3 races at the tail end of the 2012 season as sort of an exhibition to prepare us for running for Rookie of the Year in 2013.”
What does it mean to you to have so much hometown support – from the Gulf Coast and your home state of Louisiana?
“It is truly an honor to have the hometown support. The fans I have back home in Louisiana and around the Gulf Coast are second to none. They are a unique bunch in the fact that there aren’t many racetracks back at home, yet they are diehard fans. The friends and family from home follow the sport and support my career completely! The sponsors we have on board supporting my NASCAR Nationwide Series effort are all based around the Gulf Coast. I am proud to have local support on board. They have been a great group of sponsors and I look forward to working with them this year and next!”
The burning question – are you a New Orleans Saints fan?
“Without a doubt! I have been a Saints fan since I was a kid and still am today. I even follow one of their mottos – “Finish Strong.” It really applies well over to auto racing. WHO DAT!”
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Kansas Speedway
1.5-mile D-shaped oval
Kansas Lottery 300
200 Laps/300 Miles
Broadcast Info:
TV: ESPN will broadcast live at 3:00 p.m. EST
Radio: MRN will broadcast live at 3:00 p.m. EST
Team Facts:
Crew Chief: Jon Quinn
Chassis: 17 (inaugural use)
Engine: PME
Hal Martin
Career Highlights at Kansas
Martin will be making his first NNS career appearance at Kansas
American Custom Yachts, Inc.
American Custom Yachts, Inc. is a 63-acre one-stop custom construction, repair, service and storage facility in the Southeastern United States. Our services range from construction, fully-equipped carpentry, custom wheel work and electrical upgrades; to Fiberglass, Kevlar, steel and aluminum repair, mechanical repair and repowering, bottom maintenance and transmission/running gear repair. With unsurpassed resources – including a dedicated paint prep building and 43′ clearance paint bay; covered dockage with a 52′ clearance; three haul-out bays; 150-ton, 75-ton and 35-ton marine travel lifts; 24 deepwater slips accommodating vessels up to 135 feet; and boat storage for up to 250 vessels – American Custom Yachts has a solution to your boating needs. Whether it is a custom-built yacht or your own vessel, we give best-in-class service from the best-trained in the business. For more information, visit www.AmericanCustomYachts.com.
US Forensic
U.S. Forensic, LLC is an employee owned forensic engineering firm. U.S. Forensic specializes in forensic engineering with an emphasis on determination of cause, origin and extent of loss of failures and accidents. Primarily we focus on determining the cause and extent of damage from storms, construction activity, fires and accidents, and prepare a written report of findings along with repair recommendations, schedules and costs when requested. Since forming in 2006, U.S. Forensic has inspected hundreds of structures and written subsequent reports in the course of our daily business for homes and businesses damaged by storm, fire, third parties, improper design, construction maintenance or misuse with capacity for much more. Additionally, U.S. Forensic evaluates the cause and origin of mechanical or electrical failures, as well as vehicle accidents, slip and fall cases, and air quality/environmental issues. For more information, please visit
www.USForensic.com.
