Ragin Cajun Hal Martin Plans to Finish Strong in Nationwide Racing Debut
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[/media-credit]Hal Martin has lived his entire racing life following the motto of his beloved hometown football team, the New Orleans Saints. So for this driver, known as the ‘Ragin Cajun’, there will only be one acceptable outcome to his Nationwide Series debut in Kansas this weekend, to ‘Finish Strong.’
Martin will be taking the wheel of a TriStar Motorsports Toyota Camry for the first time this weekend at Kansas Speedway and then will complete in three races for the remainder of this year. Martin intends to run a full season next year and to compete for the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Rookie of the Years honors.
“I’m very excited to be here in Kansas,” Martin said. “It’s been a lot of work getting here.”
“But finally, this is the weekend for my debut so all the hard work has paid off,” Martin continued. “This is what I’ve been working for all my life since I was a kid playing with cars in my back yard.”
“And now I’m competing against these drivers in the Nationwide Series, which is a huge step for me,” Martin said. “And I’m really looking forward to it.”
Martin has had an interesting racing journey, bringing him to his first Nationwide run. And, at the age of 26 years, it has been an unusual road to the say least.
“I don’t come from a racing family,” Martin said. “My dad was a fan of the sport but he never drove a race car.”
“I’ve always been a competitive person from the time when I was a kid growing up,” Martin continued. “I was the one who wanted to finish first, even it was just a race on the play ground. I’ve always been that competitive.”
“And I’ve always been a hard core race fan since I was five years old,” Martin said. “I used to be able to name every driver in the Cup Series, their car number and their sponsor right down the line.”
“It’s something I really followed as a kid as a fan and I grew that into a career,” Martin continued. “That’s something I tell everyone – that I know what it’s like to be a fan on the other side of the fence and I appreciate every single fan we have because I was once one of them.”
Even Martin’s first race experience, at age 15 years, was far different than the norm. While it was a competitive race, it was a charity event for which Martin had to meet with local businesses to raise money for the charity in order to even enter the competition.
“We finished fourth and I’ll never forget the first time I suited up and put that helmet on,” Martin said. “The feeling I had was indescribable.”
“That’s something I’ve carried on and that I still remember.”
From that memorable moment of his first time behind the wheel, Martin was hooked and went on to compete in multiple series after that. And he even took on racing and college at the same time to further his goals.
“I won a lot of races and the championship,” Martin said. “I progressed from there and moved on to asphalt late models and won a track championship in Mobile.”
“While I was doing that, I was also attending college full-time at the University of New Orleans and obtained a degree in mechanical engineering,” Martin continued. “It was a tough road to do both simultaneously but we were able to do it with great support from family and friends helping me out through the whole deal.”
“In 2009, I stepped up and raced multiple series across the country, including ASA, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Series,” Martin said. “I finished third in my second race in the ARCA Series in Chicagoland and that’s what propelled my career forward tenfold.”
“And now we’re doing the Nationwide deal, three races this year and looks like we will anticipate a full season next year, with the goal of winning the Rookie of the Year.”
While Martin is excited about the new opportunities, he has also set realistic goals for himself, his crew chief John Quinn, with whom he worked in the ARCA Series, and his TriStar Motorsports team.
“We’re building for next year is basically what we are doing,” Martin said. “We are building that relationship with our team and my crew chief John Quinn.”
“I worked with him last year in the ARCA Series for a few races and we had really good chemistry right off the bat,” Martin continued. “We have been reunited at TriStar Motorsports and we’ve been moving forward ever since.”
“Us racers want to win every race but the competition is fierce in this Series and this is a new team and my first time in the car,” Martin said. “I’ve always been known as a calculated driver, which I credit to my engineering degree.”
“So, I’m realistic with our goals and starting out this year, our goal is to finish every lap we can,” Martin continued. “That would be a win in our books.”
“We’re not going to overstep and I want to earn the respect of the drivers who race in the Nationwide Series.”
Martin also expressed gratitude for his sponsors, American Custom Yachts and US Forensics, both of whom are helping make his step up to the Nationwide Series possible.
“I hail from South Louisiana and am a Cajun born and bred,” Martin said. “And I’m proud of my heritage and where I come from and we have a lot of support from there.”
“This year, we have as a sponsor American Custom Yachts, which is a full construction and repair company with ties to Louisiana,” Martin continued. “They’re our primary sponsor for the three races this year and also into next year for select races.”
“We also have US Forensics, a forensic engineering company, which is the company that gave me my first job out of college,” Martin said. “They’ve come on board as my sponsor for this year and next.”
Martin also acknowledged that in his Nationwide debut that he will be following the lead of one of his racing idols, one with a very similar last name.
“I’ve always really looked up to Mark Martin,” Martin said. “We had common last names and he was to me a driver that was well-respected, competitive and family-oriented.”
“Mark Martin was the guy I pulled for growing up and the one I want to be most like.”
But most of all, Hal Martin will be following the credo that he has lived by for all of his life as he settles in behind the wheel for the first time in a Nationwide car in the Kansas Lottery 300.
“One of the things that I’ve always followed, which I stole from my New Orleans Saints foot ball team is their motto when they won the Super Bowl, ‘Finish Strong’,” Martin said. “That’s the motto I follow too, especially in racing.”
“You can start out strong but you have to finish strong too,” Martin said passionately. “That’s what I intend to do.”
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: HEY TOTO, I THINK WE’RE BACK IN KANSAS
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[/media-credit]The elite teams of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be making their second trip of the season to the Kansas Speedway for Sunday’s running of the Hollywood Casino 400. The NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup championship is now 50% complete and we’re seeing a clearer picture regarding who’s in and who’s out in the title run. We’ll also be watching the drivers compete on the “new Kansas Speedway.”
THE STORY BREAKDOWN
Mathematically speaking, NASCAR hasn’t officially eliminated any one of the 12 drivers in the Chase. In all fairness, there are indeed some special mathematical and racing scenarios, fancy words for miracle, that could dramatically elevate those drivers currently in the lower half of the points standings.
However, with five of the ten races in the the books, it appears that reality has quickly overshadowed arithmetic. Reality says we’re now looking at a basic three man battle for the championship. Going into Sunday’s race, five time winner Brad Keselowski continues to sit on top of the points standings with three time winner, and five time champion, Jimmie Johnson right behind him and only seven points away. The third man in the title picture is Denny Hamlin who is only eight points behind Johnson and 15 points away from first.
It’s also way too early to dismiss driver Clint Bowyer whose win at Charlotte last weekend, his third of the season, propelled him to fourth in the rankings and 28 points behind the leader.
Two time race winners Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle are fifth and sixth in the points but, at 35 and 43 points respectively from the top, they are going to require one of the aforementioned special mathematical and racing scenarios to become major players in this title run.
Regarding the drivers ranked seventh through 12th: with all due respects to the hard work it takes to make the Chase line up to begin with, reality says that it’s time to pull them out of the oven and stick a fork in them. They’re done.
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When the green flag falls on Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, every team in the 43 car field will be dealing with the same unknown factor: “the new Kansas Speedway.” The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ last race there was back in April. Since that time the speedway received a new layer of asphalt as well as new variable banking in the turns, 17 to 20 degrees, and the front stretch which is now banked at 9 to 11 degrees.
Essentially this means the teams will be racing on a “new Kansas Speedway” and that led to NASCAR’s recent decision to stage a test session this week to allow teams to accumulate the data they will need for Sunday’s race. It was immediately noticed, during the course of last Wednesday’s test session, that there was going to be a significant increase in speed from the new surface. A reported 47 cars were on hand for the test. From that field, 30 of the teams topped the track’s qualifying record, 180.856 MPH, set by driver Matt Kenseth back in 2005. Roush Fenway Racing Ford driver Greg Biffle topped the speed charts, last Wednesday, with a lap of 184.900 MPH.
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The conclusion of the Hollywood Casino 400 could also turn out to be a little on the “fuelish” side. Fuel mileage has a tendency to become a deal maker, or deal breaker, at these so called 1.5 mile “cookie cutter”, tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. We certainly saw evidence of that last Saturday night at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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THE LAS VEGAS BREAKDOWN
To obtain a clearer picture regarding which driver is going to park his car in the Kansas Speedway’s victory lane on Sunday, we again turn to the number crunching professionals at the Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, (WSE).
The WSE this week is favoring drivers Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. They’re backing that with six to one odds. Hamlin won at Kansas this past April and also has three top five and three top ten finishes. His average finish ratio, (AFR) at Kansas is a respectable 14.1. Hamlin also has an emotional attachment to this speedway. His first ever Sprint Cup start came at Kansas back in 2005.
However, it’s Jimmie Johnson who owns all of the stout stats at the Kansas Speedway. He’s a two time winner there and is also the defending race champion. Johnson has also collected five top five finishes and ten top tens and has an outstanding, and series high, 7.9 AFR. In qualifying at Kansas, Johnson has a series’ high three poles. Also, bear in mind that Johnson, and crew chief Chad Knaus, are very good at playing the fuel mileage game.
Kasey Kahne is ranked at 7 to 1 despite the fact he’s still seeking his first win at Kansas and has a 16.1 AFR there. The line of thinking here might be the fact that Kahne has a history of strong runs at mile and a half tracks and he’s also good at conserving fuel.
At 8 to 1 odds is the trio of Brad Keselowski, Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch. Keselowski has a win at Kansas along with a pair of top fives and tens and a 10.2 AFR. He’s also very good at the fuel game despite the gas miscue observed last weekend at the Charlotte race.
Biffle is a driver who also owns some strong Kansas stats and, at 8 to 1, is a very good wager consideration. He’s a two time Kansas winner with seven top fives, nine top tens and a very healthy 8.0 AFR,
Busch ranked at 8 to 1 seems to be somewhat mysterious. The Kansas numbers certainly doesn’t support the theory. His best efforts at this track has only netted him a pair of top ten finishes and a hefty 20.0 AFR. Busch’s 2012 effort has been sidelined with uncharacteristic mechanical woes and bad racing luck that kept him out of the Chase line up. Perhaps the line of thinking here might be: sooner or later his disappointing season has got to turn around.
At 10 to 1 odds is Clint Bowyer who has a single top five, three top tens and a 15.0 AFR at Kansas. Bowyer and company has been one of the big surprises this year. He’s a three time winner this year in events where saving fuel was critical and that has turned him into a bonafide player in the championship run. At 10 to 1, this driver is a solid wager consideration.
Jeff Gordon is ranked at 11 to 1. While the four time NASCAR champion’s drive for five has been derailed this year, he still has shown some strong moments during the 2012 season. His Kansas numbers are strong and include two wins, eight top fives and a healthy 11.1 AFR.
The WSE has the Roush Fenway Racing tandem of Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth ranked at 12 to 1. Edwards’ 2012 season has been nothing short of a mystery and the law of averages says all that disappointment has to turn around somewhere. He’s still seeking his first win at Kansas but does have a 10.5 AFR there. Kenseth is also win less at Kansas and the 16.7 AFR is a little on the high side.
At 15 to 1 is the duo of Tony Stewart and Mark Martin. Stewart is a potential long shot wager worthy of consideration. He has two wins at Kansas and a healthy 12.2 AFR. Martin is a previous Kansas winner, with a 14.6 AFR, and is driving for a team that has shown a lot of strength this year.
The WSE’s Kansas list closes with Martin Truex Jr at 17 to 1 and Kevin Harvick at 20 to 1. Any driver not listed by the WSE this week is automatically ranked at 6 to 1 odds.
Now for the disclaimer. NASCAR wants us to remind you that these posted numbers should be viewed for informational and entertainment purposes only. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their races. But, if you’re going to do it anyway, and many of you will, then you may as well use the number crunching skills from the professionals at the World Sports Exchange. Why not? This race is sponsored by a casino that actually overlooks the Kansas Speedway. That alone is a sign that says place a bet.
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THE RACE BREAKDOWN
The Hollywood Casino 400 is 267 laps/400.5 miles around the Kansas Speedway’s 1.5 mile D shaped oval.
The race has 47 entries vying for the 43 starting berths. 12 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they are not guaranteed a starting berth because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speeds to make the race.
The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Kansas Speedway was held in September of 2001 and was won by Jeff Gordon.
There has been 13 Cup races at Kansas that has sent nine different winners to victory lane. Drivers Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart tops the win list with two trips to victory lane each.
Out of the 13 Cup races at Kansas, two have been won from the pole position and seven have been won from starting positions in the top ten. Nine of the 13 races has had a margin of victory less than one second.
Weather should not be a factor this weekend. The forecast on Saturday calls for mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 70’s. The Sunday, race day, forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and daytime highs in the upper 70’s. If a surprise turn in the weather does bring some rain, the Kansas Speedway has a fleet of six jet dryers who can dry the track in 105 minutes.
The Hollywood Casino 400 will be broadcast live by the ESPN Network with the “Countdown” show beginning at 1 pm eastern time. Race re airs will be presented on Monday, 12 am et, on ESPN2 and Wednesday, 12 pm et, on SPEED.
Late Models take center stage at Martinsville
Each year as many NASCAR fans are focused on the Cup Series’ Chase for the Sprint Cup, there is another major event taking place in the racing world. Late Model Stock Cars (LMSC), usually the premier division at most NASCAR home tracks and an important stepping stone for many drivers in the NASCAR ranks, will take to the track at Martinsville Speedway for what is arguably the one of the most prestigious events of the year for the LMSC drivers and teams.
The LMSC division is home to a variety of racers from up and coming NASCAR stars trying build a resume’ and gain valuable experience to weekend warriors who work full time jobs and race every weekend for the thrill and excitement of stock car racing at an affordable level. LMSC racing definitely has a blue collar feel to it. Take a stroll through the pits of your local short track and you will find neighbors, fellow church members, or the guy from the local auto parts counter, all living out a dream in a sport they love, though didn’t have the desire or maybe the opportunity to take it to a higher level. Many of these team members are family people with 9 to 5 jobs and deep roots in their community, so the idea of over 40 weeks a year on the road is not a viable option. Many of them are volunteers, working for nothing more than a grilled burger and a free pit pass. The great thing is, that being an unpaid volunteer means you want to be there. It’s not just a job, it’s a passion. Weekend warrior team members work as hard as, or harder than any race team member anywhere.
Every October, Martinsville Speedway hosts a 300 lap LMSC event to showcase the many great talented drivers and teams that compete weekly at short tracks around the country. Often, over 100 cars will show up and try to make their way into the main event. These entries are comprised of the best LMSC teams from the Southeast that include former NASCAR Whelen All American Series national champions, weekly track champions, and drivers that have competed in the NASCAR premier divisions. This level of talent leads to amazing competition at the legendary track. For many of these teams, this event is their Daytona 500. An event they spend most of the season preparing for. A win at Martinsville could be the key to landing that sponsor that permits them to take the next step to a higher division. Fans at the track this Sunday, could be watching the future of NASCAR. Many current and former NASCAR stars raced LMSC early in their career. Denny Hamlin, who is currently entrenched in the battle for the Sprint Cup Championship, worked his way up through the LMSC ranks in the VA-NC area.
Though many times overshadowed by the litany of NASCAR coverage now available on television, online, and satellite radio, the excitement and intensity that will fill the atmosphere at the Virginia is for racing lovers 300 will not be diminished. Hopefully, fans who cannot make it to this weekend’s NASCAR events, will decide to take the trip to Martinsville and support the grassroots racers. It just may be the best race of the weekend!
