“Last Saturday went really well in the Johnsonville Super Stock,” said the Ayr, Ontario racer. “We started fifth in our heat and made it to third at the end. In the Dash, we were ninth for the start and finished sixth.”
But it was the feature that would be the highlight of Adam’s night, and clearly demonstrated that he’s knocking on the door of victory lane.
“We started third in the feature and we were in a pack of three cars that kind of got away from the field. It was the No. 58 (Stan Coe), the No. 2 (Brendan Adams) and myself. We were battling for the first 15 laps until there was a caution. After that, it was pretty much down to the No. 58 (Coe) and I. I just couldn’t get around him. At the end, I tried to go to the inside and we came up half a car-length short. It was a really fun race.”
All week long, Martin has been counting the minutes until he can get back on the track at Sunset to try and collect his first feature checkered flag. “I feel like we’re really close with the Super Stock… hopefully, it’ll happen this weekend!”
In addition to being in the championship chase for the Super Stocks, Martin is also ramping up his Late Model program. He’ll be part of the Late Model action on Saturday night, as well, taking to the oval in the No. 97 Johnsonville Ford Late Model, for the second time in 2015.
“We’re going to race both the Super Stock and the Late Model on Saturday. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of work, too. I’ll be on the track in one car and as soon as that’s done, I’ll jump into the other one. And while I’m on the speedway, the guys on the crew will be in the pits working on the other car. It’s going to be a busy night for everyone.”
On top of his driving duties, Adam must also find time to work with his crew throughout practice and the heat races in order to get both cars handling well for the features. The two cars are very different, in terms of their performance capabilities. More than just driving, Adam must also be able to communicate, to his team, what the cars are doing.
“It takes a bit of getting used to, learning what things feel like in the two cars and what needs to be done to solve the problems. The better the information I can give to the team, the better they can make the cars.”
Asked about competing in two divisions on the same night, Adam replied, “It’s just a matter of knowing the different spots for braking and accelerating. The Super Stock and the Late Model are very different. So far, I’ve really enjoyed driving the Johnsonville Late Model and I’m looking forward to driving that more.”
RECENT ACTION: On Saturday, July 25, Martin started 12th in the Super Stock feature at Sunset and brought the No. 97 Johnsonville / Candy Tree / Reser’s Fine Foods / Little Potato Company / SecureDrive / Stihl / Beyond Digital Imaging / GoTire / Micks Motorsports / Permatex Ford home in sixth-place. Prior to that, on July 19, Adam finished sixth in a rare Sunday make-up race for the Super Stocks at Sunset. The same day, he took part in one of two Late Model races. He qualified 17th out 30 competitors and recovered to 22nd-place, at the finish, after being involved in an incident that sent him to the back of the pack. The night before (July 18), Martin finished ninth in the Super Stock feature.
SUNSET SPEEDWAY NASCAR SUPER STOCK POINTS (AS OF AUGUST 7, 2015): 1. #76 Cayden Lapcevich (882); 2. #58 Stan Coe (842); 3. #97 Adam Martin (841); 4. #46 Lane Zardo (823); 5. #21 Matt Bentley (818); 5. #64 Ryan Semple (818)
ABOUT JOHNSONVILLE SAUSAGE: Founded in 1945 by Ralph F. and Alice Stayer, Johnsonville is the most popular brand of sausage in the United States, and is available in 30 other countries, including Canada. The company’s headquarters are in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. Their award-winning product lines include Brats, Italian, Smoked, Breakfast, and Snack sausages. More information about Johnsonville products and recipes featuring the products can be found at www.Johnsonville.ca.
ABOUT ADAM MARTIN RACING: Seventeen year-old Adam Martin is in his second season of action in the Super Stock class at Sunset Speedway, near Barrie, Ontario. Affiliated with the successful Micks Motorsports NASCAR team, Martin plans to be competing in both the Super Stock and Late Model divisions before the end of the 2015 racing season. For more information about Adam Martin, visit www.Johnsonville.ca, follow him on Twitter at @johnsonvilleCA and on Facebook at Johnsonville, or call the team at (519) 658-7447. You can follow the team’s progress in Sunset Speedway’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at www.SunsetSpeedway.ca.
Photo by DaveFranksPhotos.com.
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