After A Bumpy Ride, Martino is ready to cruise in Florida
Farmingdale, N.J., March 15, 2002 - The state of Florida is one of the primary vacation spots in the United States, offering rest and relaxation to people of all ages. For example, throughout the month of March, college students will head south to celebrate "Spring Break" in a variety of locations such as Daytona and Panama City. This weekend, the Sunshine State will host another annual tradition, as the NHRA will open the East Coast drag racing season with the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville. For Pro Stock pilot Tom Martino and his Jesel Motorsports Grand Am crew, this return to action will be most welcome after a tumultuous few weeks, which started at the conclusion of the last POWERade Drag Racing Series event in Arizona. "During our normal post-race inspection in Phoenix, we discovered that we had hurt the motor," detailed Martino. "Normally, we would have taken care of it during the rebuild at the shop and been fine. However, when we put the repaired engine on the dyno, the power had dropped off dramatically. In addition, we were suffering an unusually high part failure rate, which we had to correct. Not only did that give us some very anxious moments, but it tripled our workload." Adding to the drama was the news that Martino was among several drivers being considered for another, high-profile Pro Stock ride. Although some would see this as a potential distraction, the team's actions during that time would quickly dispel the notion. The primary focus remained preparing for the next race, with Martino heading their efforts. "I was honored to have my name mentioned among the finalists for the Nickens entry," stated Martino. "My relationship with David Nickens goes back to our days in Comp, and his teams have always been among my toughest competitors. To be honest, the idea of becoming a hired driver and putting our current sponsorship troubles behind us was tempting. "But through it all we never backed off on getting our Jesel Motorsports Grand Am ready for Gainesville. Racing is a lot more than getting a car down the track - it's about relationships. There are a lot of people who have helped us get to this point, and every time we race, we want to make sure and do our best to represent them well." The final stop on Martino's whirlwind tour was a pre-race test session at Bradenton Raceway in Tampa. The objective was to confirm the health of their powerplants and to ensure their race car was ready for another weekend of dealing with the most competitive division in all of motorsports. Their task will be further complicated by the lightning-fast Gainesville Raceway surface, which offers the potential for national record performances. Through it all, Martino remains quietly optimistic. "Every drag racer wants to win the Gatornationals, and it's even more important if you're from the East Coast," explained Martino. "But you have to be on your game right off the trailer, because we traditionally have some of our quickest fields at this race. "As if that's not enough, we'll have the added motivation of a lot of friends and family here cheering us on. But after the last two weeks, I'm confident this team is ready to handle whatever gets thrown at us." - more- Tom Martino - Pre Gainesville 2-2-2-2 Martino Moments: This will be Tom Martino's 7th appearance at the Firebird International Raceway … Tom's previous best qualifying performance at this event came in 2000, when he was the No. 7 qualifier… Tom advanced to the quarterfinals of the Gatornationals in 1996 & 1998. Fast Facts WHAT: 33rd Annual Mac Tools Gatornationals, the third race on the 23-race 2002 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Schedule. WHEN: March 15- 17, 2002 WHERE: Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Florida SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying begins with two sessions on Friday, March 15, and Saturday, March 16 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Final eliminations will start at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 17. TV: ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, with an additional two hours of final eliminations coverage on Sunday, March 17 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. The NHRA's weekly magazine show, NHRA2Day will on Sunday, March 17 from 11:00-11:30 a.m. (Times given are Eastern. As always, please check your local listings.)