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NHRA: Martino maximizes short week heading into Atlanta

4 May 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

CENTURY 21 Racing Team tests in preparation for the Advance Auto Parts NHRA Southern Nationals

Parsippany, New Jersey - With just over five days between final eliminations in Richmond and the first qualifying session for this weekend's Advance Auto Parts NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta, most teams planned a relaxing schedule. For example, the majority looked to use the time to simply perform between-race maintenance on their racecars, using a second day to make the eight-hour drive south. However, Tom Martino and the Century 21 Racing team had different ideas. After battling to solve two separate problems with their racecar over the weekend, they saw Monday as the perfect opportunity to make several test runs with their Pro Stock Firebird and gather valuable information on its performance characteristics.

"The combination of the short week and the short drive (from Richmond to Atlanta) convinced us to stay," explained Martino. "Since we were already set up and the Richmond track was open for testing, we took advantage of the situation to get in some extra runs. Although we were happy with how the Century 21 Firebird had performed during the race, you're always looking to do better."

Martino's reasoning is justified even further when reviewing the circumstances surrounding this weekend's event. Since the NHRA's last visit a year ago, the racing surface has been totally reworked, including having the concrete "launching pad" extended. Therefore a team's success will depend on their ability to fine-tune their cars to the new conditions. For some, this assignment will be slightly easier, as a few teams tested on the reconfigured Georgia quarter-mile a few weeks ago. Although information gathered at that time will provide a good baseline, set-ups will have to be adjusted to account for changing weather conditions. In any case, the challenge to hit on the right combination remains the same, and the Martino crew knows that data from Monday's runs could prove critical in helping them reach their goal.

"The reports from the teams that tested here is that the new surface is pretty nice," said Martino. "I know we're looking forward to racing on it. But anytime you introduce a new variable, which in this case is the reworked track, it's vital that you are already in sync with the other pieces of the performance puzzle. That way, you can focus on one area.

"In this case, we'll need to know exactly how our Century 21 Firebird responds to changes, from the clutch to the four-link, all the way down to tire pressure. That way, we'll be able to match the set-up to what we feel the track will hold and consequently maximize our performance. Obviously, the more information you have, the easier it is to find the answer. You never know, something we learned during one of our runs on Monday could be the difference between winning and losing in Atlanta. It may have been an extra effort to test, but we see it as time well invested."

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 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 fifth visit to Atlanta Dragway, where he looks to improve upon his semi-final finish from 1996--Martino's best qualifying performance in this event is 4th in 1996--Martino currently sits 10th in the Winston Points Standings, just one point out of 9th

Fast Facts

WHAT: 20th annual Advance Auto Parts NHRA Southern Nationals, the seventh event on the 23-race 2000 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Schedule.

WHEN: May 4-7, 2000

WHERE: Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Georgia

SCHEDULE: Pro Stock qualifying sessions start with two rounds on Friday, May 5 at 1:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., concluding on Saturday, May 6 with another two rounds at 10:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 7.

TV: TNN will air ninety minutes of final eliminations coverage on Sunday, May 7 from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. (Times given are Eastern and Pacific. As always, please consult your local listings)

Text provided by Jon G. Knapp

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