Leadoff hitter providing spark for NSU
March 5, 2013
NSU culinary cooking up new digs
March 5, 2013
Phoenix Post Race Report
Let me start off by saying WELCOME to my weekly race report segment of the Tri-Parish Times. I am excited to give you, the reader, an in depth look at what life is like as a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver.
I will be writing about my previous race, plans are for my next race, as well as any cool things going on while on the road or back at home.
Since we have already raced at both Daytona International Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway, I will give a brief summary of what those races were like. My American Custom Yachts Toyota Camry team members at TriStar Motorsports had been working extremely hard starting as soon as last season ended in November. We were not only preparing our racecar for the race at Daytona, we were preparing cars for the first few weeks of the year. Cars that are built are tailored for different size racetracks, i.e., the car we raced at Daytona is completely different from the car we will race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Daytona is always a very unpredictable race because we are racing in packs utilizing drafting to keep everyone bunched up. Unfortunately, this type of racing also leads to wrecks involving a large number of cars. I was racing my way up toward the front of the field and was in the 12th position with only 5 laps remaining in the race when I was caught up in a wreck involving 11 cars, thus ending my day. My finishing position was 28th.
The last race I participated in was at Phoenix International Raceway this past weekend. I had never seen this track in person before, so everything was new for this race- new track and new racecar. I was able to learn the track and get up to speed quickly in practice. The track was redesigned a couple of years ago which provided for more banking and elevation change, almost giving the track a roller coaster characteristic. During the race, I encountered brake issues starting on lap 1. The brake pedal was very inconsistent, providing for a “fluttering” pedal. Every time I used the brakes, they reacted differently. Fortunately, I was able to keep the car under control, though not up to optimal speed, for the entire race. I finished the race in 23rd position, which is my best NASCAR finish to date. It was a little frustrating to have the brake trouble the entire race because I felt that I had a much better racecar than our finish position. But mechanical problems do occur in auto racing.
My goals headed into Las Vegas this weekend are to continue building on last weekend. My goal is to finish in the top 20 this race. Las Vegas is a mile-and-a-half racetrack with higher speeds than Phoenix. We are taking a new car to Vegas, so hopefully we will have a successful weekend.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter, @HalMartinRacing as well as Facebook, Hal Martin Racing, for all the latest race updates.
My website for those interested is www.halmartinracing.com.
Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!
Hal Martin
The Ragin’ Cajun
