IHRA Harold Martin Pre Race: Harold Martin Hopes Home Track
Advantage Will Provide Winning Edge in Milan
IHRA Pre-Race Fact Sheet
Harold Martin, Owner/Driver
Pro Modified Pontiac Grand Am
Event: Third Annual Dukes of Hazzard Motor City Nationals presented by
the GM Performance
Division, the sixth event on the12-race, 2005 IHRA Hooters Drag Racing
Series.
Location: Milan Dragway,
Milan, Michigan
Dates: July 15-17, 2005
1. Harold Martin Hopes Home Track Advantage Will Provide Winning Edge in
Milan
The competition in the IHRA's Pro Modified division is arguably as close
as it has ever been in 2005, with the first five races seeing five
different winners and only one driver making more than one final round
appearance. With such close competition, teams will welcome any
advantage they can get in order to reach the winner's circle.
Entering this weekend's Dukes of Hazzard Motor City Nationals, Harold
Martin and the ACDelco Pontiac Pro Mod Racing team hope the site of the
race will provide such an edge. Located only 44 miles from the Martin
Motorsports shop in New Hudson, Milan Dragway is the team's home track,
where they conduct the bulk of their in-season testing. Armed with this
extensive experience, Martin looks to improve on his solid semi-final
finish from a year ago and score what would be a very popular win.
"Racing at your home track comes with several benefits, as well as its
own set of challenges," said Martin. "Certainly, we would love to
leverage our experience at Milan Dragway. We are very familiar with the
track, having tested there often, giving us a knowledge base that we
hope to capitalize on.
"On the other hand, you can really relate to our Detroit Pistons, who
showed that they were better as an away team than they were at home,
simply because of the added distractions of the 10,000 friends who are
now calling, each wanting, in our case, to be the new wrench in your pit
area. This ACDelco Racing team knows the importance of maintaining our
focus and staying in the game, but we'd be less than honest if we didn't
acknowledge that we'll be waving to people a little more than normal
this weekend.
"Having said that, however, there would be nothing better than to win at
home in front of those same 10,000 fans and friends. One thing that is
great about the Milan race is that it brings out a heritage of fans,
dating from my dad's racing days to the people who have followed my
racing career. It is truly wonderful to see the generations come
together, and there would be nothing more special than to display our
ACDelco Pontiac Pro Mod's great performance and score what would be a
tremendous win."
2. Martin Aims to Use Final Race of First Half to Start Second Half
Charge
As the Hooters Drag Racing Series approaches the midpoint of the 2005
season, the Pro Mod championship battle is the tightest among the IHRA's
four professional categories. The top ten in points are separated by
only seven rounds of competition, with each having a legitimate shot at
this year's title.
However, as the number of remaining races dwindles, so does the pressure
to perform increase. Therefore, Martin enters the final race of the
first half determined to have a strong showing at his home track as he
pushes towards the top of the standings, the first step in what he hopes
will be a second half surge to his first professional championship.
"This year has been a showcase of what makes Pro Mod racing so
exciting," detailed Martin. "These cars are constantly on the edge
between a career best run and one where monstrous tire shake brings you
to your knees. As such, the fastest car does not always win the race.
That is why we have had such a variation in winners so far this year.
"I think this will start to settle down soon, as racers realize they
have to start focusing on the points race in order to have a shot at the
championship. As it stands, the race for this year's title is wide
open, and the opportunity is there for any one who is able to string a
few strong performances together, which is clearly where our sights are
set.
"Therefore, repeatability is a focal point of our program. In the early
races, we had an aggressive set-up that we felt could run at the front
of the class and potentially be a new record holder. However, we have
now converted our ACDelco Pontiac to a calmer tune-up designed to
consistently deliver good, solid performance. That is our strategy as
we move forward in the rest of the season, and we will do whatever we
need to optimize around that."
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
* 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, July 15- One qualifying session at 7:30
p.m.
Saturday, July 16 - Two qualifying sessions at 3:00 &
7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 17 - First round of eliminations starts
at 11:00 a.m.
TV Schedule:
Saturday, September 3 - 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. - pee
Channel
