Martino Looks for a Repeat Performance in Pomona

Parsippany, N.J. - As the time draws near for the opening event of the National Hot Rod Association's 50th anniversary season, competitors are working frantically trying to make sure every aspect of their race team is ready, not only for the season-opening AutoZone Winternationals, but also the rigors of the entire Winston Drag Racing season. Starting this weekend in Pomona, the circuit will wind its way around the country, making twenty-four stops from California to New Jersey and back before returning for the finale at this same facility.

However, with the command to start their engines just a few hours away, the focus is firmly on this first event, with final preparations underway. As any racer will agree, the key to a successful season often lies in how you do in the early races. One year ago, CENTURY 21 Grand Am pilot Tom Martino got precisely the start he wanted, a performance he looks to duplicate this year.

"Last year, our season got off to an awesome start in Pomona," explained Martino. "I qualified third, and if I had been in the good lane during the best session, I believe our Century 21 Firebird could have won the pole. Jim Yates got us by a hundredth, and there was at least a two-hundredths difference between the lanes. We followed that up by going to the semi-finals on Sunday. Even though we're going back this year with a new Grand Am, I think the information from last year should prove fairly helpful.

"You can pretty much predict how the track is going to be. Thursday it will be horrible because it's the first day. It will improve on Friday, and by Saturday it should be in good shape. It should stay that way until after the first round on Sunday. Our job will be to keep up with it and get the most out of it."

However, if the Martino crew is to stage a repeat performance this weekend, they will have to shorten the learning curve with their new racecar. The team knows the potential is there, as evidenced by their 200-mph top speed on the car's first full pass. However, complications which arose over the winter prevented them from completely familiarizing themselves with their vehicle through testing. Although confident in their ability to adapt under the pressures of competition, and armed with the information gathered during last year's impressive run, they lack the one ingredient which would erase any doubts - time.

"Mentally, I'm ready to get back to racing," stated Martino. "However, as far as having our new Century 21 Grand Am dialed in, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we had time for some more testing. Normally, we'll make about a hundred runs in the off-season but this year, we were only able to get in about thirty. To be honest, we could use another full week.

"The natural assumption would be that we were held up by switching to the new car, but it really had nothing to do with it. Both Jerry (Haas) and Rick (Jones) did an excellent job of getting the cars to us on time. Unfortunately, we had some problems in the engine department that we had to address, so we really couldn't go testing. But even though we aren't as familiar with this racecar as we'd like, we're cautiously optimistic heading to Pomona. We may end up surprising a few people, including ourselves."

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 21 System. The System is comprised of more than 6,300 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in more than 25 countries and territories worldwide. Century 21 Real Estate Corporation is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation

Martino Moments: This will be Tom Martinos' 11th appearance at the Pomona Raceway, and 6th at the Winternationals … Tom's previous best qualifying performance at this season-opening event is 3rd, which he accomplished in 1996 & 2000….Tom will be looking to improve upon his semi-final Winternationals finish from a year ago… On Saturday, February 3, between the first and second qualifying session, Tom Martino will help award a limited-edition 2000 Pontiac Trans Am Convertible to Joanne Goebel of Diamond Bar, CA, who was the grand prize winner in the 2000 CENTURY 21 "Drive it Home" Sweepstakes.

Fast Facts

WHAT: 41st Annual AutoZone Winternationals, the first event on the 24-race 2001 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Schedule.

WHEN: February 1- 4, 2001

WHERE: Pomona Raceway, Pomona, California

SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying begins with single sessions on Thursday, February 1 and Friday, February 2 at 2:00 p.m., and concludes with two additional attempts at 12:00 & 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 3. Final eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, February 4.

TV: There will be three shows originating from Pomona, starting with 2 hours of qualifying highlights on ESPN2 from 9:30 - 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 3. On Sunday, February 4, coverage of eliminations will start on ESPN with a one-hour broadcast of early elimination rounds highlights from 8-9 p.m. and will conclude on ESPN2 with one hour of highlights from the semi-final and final rounds from 11:00 p.m. - midnight. (Times given are Eastern. As always, please check your local listings.)

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