NHRA Houston pre-race: Timing of Houston event couldn't be better for Martino
Farmingdale, N.J., April 11, 2002 - According to an old saying, timing is everything. This is particularly true in the sport of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, where the primary performance indicator is the elapsed time in which competitors cover the quarter mile. However, this axiom takes on added meaning for Jesel Motorsports Grand Am pilot Tom Martino as the NHRA circuit winds its way to Baytown, Texas for this weekend's race. Martino is looking to put his 2002 campaign into high gear, and believes the O'Reilly Spring Nationals will provide the perfect setting for delivering the required breakout performance. "This weekend's Houston race could not come at a better time for this team," stated Martino. "Houston Raceway Park is one of our favorite tracks, and has been pretty good to us over the years. At every race this year, we've been inching forward, getting a better handle on our Jesel Motorsports Grand Am. This could be the weekend where we put it all together and make some noise." A quick look at the popular Farmingdale, NJ driver's career shows the reason for his cautious optimism. Houston Raceway Park was the site of Martino's first national event win in the Pro Stock division, when he defeated Texas native Bruce Allen in the final of this event in 1997. The South Texas speedplant has also accounted for over a quarter of Martino's final round appearances (3 of 11 total), with the most recent coming in 1999. Finally, Martino has been equally successful in the pre-season Pontiac Excitement Pro Stock SuperBowl, which is another annual Baytown tradition. However, as Martino is quick to acknowledge, prior accomplishments are of little value other than boosting the team's pre-race morale. The Jesel crew's confidence is further bolstered, however, by the significant gains they believe they have made with their race car over the last few weeks, pointing to their third place qualifying effort at last week's race in Las Vegas. This weekend, they hope to continue this positive trend by advancing to the latter stages of Sunday's final eliminations. "Going rounds is our top priority," explained Martino. "Although winning the race is always your ultimate goal, you first have to put yourself in a position to do so. Last week in Vegas, we got the job done in qualifying, and felt we had a good shot on Sunday. Unfortunately, we were a tick off in the first round, and it cost us. "We took a couple steps forward with our program last week, and we need to keep it moving. For whatever reason, the Houston track always seems to come to us, and we certainly hope that continues this weekend." Martino Moments: This will be Tom Martino's 11th appearance at Houston Raceway Park, where he will be looking to duplicate his winning performance from 1997 … Tom's previous best qualifying performance in Baytown came during his rookie season in 1996, when he was the No. 5 qualifier... Tom is looking to move up from his current 13th place in the NHRA POWERade Points standings. Fast Facts WHAT: 15th Annual O'Reilly Spring Nationals, the fifth race on the 23-race 2002 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Schedule. WHEN: April 12 -14, 2002 WHERE: Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, Texas SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying begins with two sessions on Friday, April 12 at 3:15 and 6:15 p.m., and concludes with two more sessions on Saturday, April 13 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Final eliminations will start at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 14. TV: ESPN2 will televise two and a half hours of qualifying highlights from 7:30-10:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, with an additional two hours of final eliminations coverage on Sunday, April 14 from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.. The NHRA's weekly magazine show, NHRA2Day will on Sunday, April 14 from 11:00-11:30 a.m. (Times given are Eastern. As always, please check your local listings.)