IHRA Harold Martin Pre Race Fact Sheet: Martin Multi-Tasks
to Prepare for Racing at "The Rock"
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Team ACDelco
IHRA Pre-Race Fact Sheet
Harold Martin, Owner/Driver
ACDelco Pro Modified Pontiac Grand Am
Event: 35th Annual Spring Nationals, the second event on the 12-race,
2005 IHRA Hooters Drag Racing Series.
Location: Rockingham Dragway
Rockingham, NC
Dates: April 22-24, 2005
1. Martin Multi-Tasks to Prepare for Racing at "The Rock"
After a three-week hiatus, the Hooters Drag Racing Series returns to
action this weekend with the running of the IHRA Spring Nationals in
Rockingham, NC. It has been an extremely active time for Harold Martin
and the ACDelco Pontiac Pro Modified Racing team, as they have had to
balance various activities while preparing for the race.
For example, in the week after the season-opening event in San Antonio,
Martin first flew back to the team's headquarters in Michigan to
coordinate the servicing and repair of his 2,400-horsepower hot rod
following the challenging weekend in Texas. Within 24 hours, he traveled
to North Carolina to participate in a two-day video shoot with his
fellow Team ACDelco members at the Richard Childress Racing facility
before returning north to work on, among other things, his engine
development program.
This short period represents a microcosm of Martin's schedule, as in
addition to his responsibilities with the race team, he must also
oversee the daily operation of his other company, Martin Technologies,
which is a tier one supplier to the major automotive manufacturers.
Being able to master this multi-tasking is something Martin views as
both an opportunity and a necessity.
"These are very tough economic times for all, and you have to be diverse
in your efforts, finding ways to be strong enough financially to do the
things you are passionate about," said Martin. "Few people understand
how hard we work to be able to do this. Certainly, it comes with a
great amount of sacrifice, requiring a great deal of effort and passion.
"We are all on a timeline, and you have to capitalize the energy that
you have each and every day. Sometimes I feel as though I've lived
multiple lives, any of which could have been a career. I thank the Lord
for having this opportunity, and the intelligence and energy to do what
I do. I make no excuses for it. I just get after it in the most
aggressive way possible each and every day. Yes, my plate is loaded,
but I accept it and charge forward with all the exciting things that we
are doing."
However, once he arrives at Rockingham Dragway, Martin's primary goal
will be to extract the maximum performance from his ACDelco Pontiac Pro
Mod in order to put himself in a position to qualify at the top of the
field and score his second national event win.
"The one great thing about having a great team of people within the race
team as well as my other company is that everyone understands that when
I am at the track, I am 100% focused on the race program, and they don't
disturb me," detailed Martin. "I won't even look at the other issues
until the following week.
"We have worked extremely hard on our program. Racing is such a
journey. We started off the year with a brand new car, and we feel
really good about its performance. It's unfortunate that we suffered a
few setbacks at the last race, but that hasn't deterred our confidence
in our program, both current and in the future. We're very confident in
our ACDelco Pontiac Pro Mod's performance potential, including the new
developments we're currently working on that we will look to incorporate
as the season unfolds."
2. Off-Season Testing has ACDelco Crew Excited about Rockingham
Throughout his Pro Modified career, Harold Martin has had a
roller-coaster relationship with Rockingham Dragway, site of this
weekend's event. This legendary facility located in the North Carolina
Sand Hills has seen the "EFI Wizard" rocket to his second career final
round at the 2003 World Finals, yet also witnessed the second-generation
racer having to deal with the consequences of a potentially disastrous
fire at this event in 2002. In each instance, Martin has found an
element to build on, with his team emerging even stronger from the
experience.
As they return to the Tar Heel state, the team's confidence is bolstered
by the results of a pre-season test held at the track, where they were
consistently among the quickest in the highly competitive Pro Modified
category. With unseasonably cool temperatures forecast, Martin is
cautiously optimistic about his chances.
"In pre-season testing at Rockingham Dragway, we ran career-best numbers
with a conservative set-up, which is the baseline we want to take into
this event," said Martin. "As much as we've worked on new ideas and
enhancements since that test, we've cautioned ourselves to use that
baseline as our starting point. It has us pretty excited that things
could go the ACDelco Pontiac's way this weekend.
"The unusual timing of the qualifying sessions, with two held in the
evening and one during the day can make the planning process extremely
stressful. The two night sessions bring in a completely new set of
circumstances, which make you vulnerable to someone hitting the magic
wand during the cool night qualifying session. You'd like to build as
much continuity as you can into the race day set-up, but you're
frequently challenged just to stay qualified.
"Of course, there is also some discussion as to how much variance there
will be in the weather. If there any delays in the execution of the
race program, it's possible there could be a late night session where
temperatures could get way cool and the track characteristics extremely
different. We've all seen many different things happen in Rockingham.
After all, it is "The Rock", and you have to expect the unexpected.
"At that point, you just have to race the race track, and the good thing
is we raced there a few weeks back in an environment where our
competitors were not experiencing a great deal of success, while we did.
Hopefully, that might mean we have good things to come this weekend, and
we'll work hard to make sure it happens."
3. Racing With a Heavy Heart
Harold Martin and the entire ACDelco team will be racing with heavy
hearts this weekend, as earlier this week they suffered the loss of
Martin's young cousin Gary Martin, who passed away from natural causes.
As such, the crew have dedicated their efforts in Rockingham to the
memory of a fine young man whose life was cut short.
"I come to Rockingham with a heavy heart, but at the same time I know
that Gary would have it no other way than for us to carry on with our
racing this weekend," said Martin, who flew directly from the funeral to
North Carolina. "Therefore, nothing would be better to honor his memory
and we will do our best to offer a fitting tribute to his life."
Harold Martin Fast Facts:
* Career best elapsed time: 6.183 seconds, Indianapolis, IN 9/04
* Career best top speed: 230.13 mph, Indianapolis, IN 9/04
* Currently ninth in the 2005 IHRA Pro Modified Championship
Standings
* Won his first IHRA Pro Modified national event on July 4, 2004
at the Western RV Rocky Mountain Nationals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
* Finished a career-best third in the 2004 Hooters Drag Racing
Series Pro Modified Championship Standings
* Nicknamed the "EFI Wizard" for his expertise with electronic
fuel injection, including the revolutionary system in his ACDelco Pro
Mod Grand Am, which he designed.
* Former GM engineer and holder of 10 worldwide patents
Event Schedule:
Friday, April 22 - One qualifying session at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 23 - Two qualifying sessions at 1:00 & 7:00 p.m.
Sunday April 24 - Final eliminations starting at 11:00 a.m.
TV Schedule:
Saturday, May 28 - 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. - Speed Channel
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