NHRA: Martino ready for some hard, fast times at Joliet
3 June 2000
Parsippany, New Jersey, June 2, 2000 - With the running of this weekend's Prestone Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Illinois, the NHRA will bring to a close its first "East Coast Swing", a particularly demanding segment of the schedule that saw national events run on three consecutive weekends. In addition to the extensive travel necessary to cover the 2,500 miles between races, crews have been faced with the challenge of tuning their racecars for different tracks and a wide range of weather conditions. As the owner, driver and engine builder of the CENTURY 21 Pro Stock Firebird, Tom Martino is in the unique position of offering several perspectives on this situation. "From the driver's point of view, you always want to race, so I look forward to these back-to-back races," said Martino. "However, looking at it from the owner's and engine builder's sides, I see the demands put on the team to get ready for these events. The bottom line, however, is that it is the same for every competitor out here. For that reason, we prefer to simply concentrate on preparing the CENTURY 21 Firebird for competition. As close as the field is in Pro Stock, we can't afford to miss a trick." Although consecutive races are the norm in many other racing series, they pose a greater challenge for the world's fastest quarter-milers. For example, where their oval-track cousins rely on large crews and multiple racecars, the five-person Martino crew has but one Firebird which, barring any unforeseen circumstance, they will use at every event on the circuit. Therefore, there is extensive between-race maintenance to be performed. For example, the bottom of the chassis is cleaned to remove any excess rubber that may have accumulated. The team's arsenal of engines and transmissions is put through a complete inspection, and rebuilt as necessary. Sets of tires are prepared, including balancing and the insertion of several screws that secure the sidewall to the rim. The entire vehicle is inspected, looking for signs of wear and repaired as required. With no time to return to their New Jersey shop, the CENTURY 21 team must perform these tasks on the road. To them, it's all part of the game. "The last few weeks have been tough, but we've been making consistent progress with our CENTURY 21 Firebird," stated Martino. "Our qualifying package is solid, but we're still looking to put it all together in final eliminations. We know we're knocking at the door of our first win of the season. It's just up to us to kick it in. I think we have as good a chance as anyone to leave Chicago with the trophy. That's the way we want to end this road trip." CENTURY 21 Real Estate Corporation (www.century21.com) is the franchisor of the world's largest residential real estate sales organization, providing comprehensive training, management, administrative and marketing support for the CENTURY 21Ò System. The System is comprised of more than 6,300 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in more than 28 countries and territories worldwide. CENTURY 21 Real Estate Corporation is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE:CD) and is part of the move.com family of relocation, real estate and home-related service companies. MARTINO MOMENTS: This will be Tom Martino's third Pro Stock appearance at Route 66 Raceway, where he looks to improve upon his quarter-final finish from 1998…Martino's best qualifying performance in Joliet is 7th, which he accomplished in 1998… Martino currently sits 10th in the Winston Points Standings. Fast Facts WHAT: 3rd annual Prestone Route 66 Nationals, the tenth event on the 23-race 2000 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Schedule. WHEN: June 1-4, 2000 WHERE: Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Illinois SCHEDULE: Pro Stock qualifying sessions start with two rounds on Friday, June 1 at 2:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., concluding on Saturday, May 27 with another two rounds at 11:30 a.m. and 5:35 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 4. TV: ESPN2 will air two hours of qualifying highlights from 8-10 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, followed by two hours of final eliminations coverage on Sunday, June 4 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (Times given are Eastern. As always, please consult your local listings)