drivers, it might be plenty intimidating. But when your last name is Martin,
and racing is in your blood, it’s just another step in your young racing
career.Recently, Matt Martin tested a Legends car at Orlando Speedworld, a 3/8ths-mile high-banked oval. As if moving up to the high-horsepower Legends car wouldn’t be intimidating enough (top speeds at Orlando Speedworld can reach 90 mph), imagine this: being 11 years old and trying to gauge your performance against a NASCAR legend.
On Sunday, January 19, Matt and Mark Martin ran hot laps in a pair of Legends cars at Orlando. Mark started out front, in order to show the kid the way around the track, and gradually get him up to speed. It didn’t take long.
“I was driving the car hard trying to keep him behind me but he was picking up speed in a hurry,” said Mark. “After about 25 laps, I noticed that he was gaining on me in the corners, but I was pulling him on the straightaway.”
Both Martins pulled their cars into the pit lane, and Mark decided it was time for a father-to-son talk.
“I told Matt that you are supposed to go as fast as you can on the straightaways and then slow down for the corners,” Mark said.
After the coaching session was over, the two returned to the track. This time, the younger Martin took the point, with Dad right behind. It soon became apparent that the kid was up to the challenge of racing his famous and talented father: Mark couldn’t catch him.
“I was running as hard as I could, just to keep up with him,” Mark admitted.
“In fact, I turned it completely sideways at one point trying to catch him.”“After they were finished, Mark told me that he was running as hard as he could, and he just couldn’t get away from Matt,” said Shane Henry, of Matt’s crew. “It was really incredible to watch. It’s hard to put into words how good the kid is already.”
Most impressive to Mark is his son’s ability to step up his performance, when he moves into faster and heavier race cars.
“Every time we step up in class, he rises to the occasion,” Mark said. “We gave him a monumental challenge this time and he stepped right up to it. To see him turning laps on a superspeedway was incredible. He is really starting to impress me.”
Henry reports that Matt will have a full year of testing ahead of him before he can officially compete in the Legends car. The minimum age for driving in the series is 12. When Matt turns 12, he’ll likely drive his Legends car both at Orlando Speedworld and at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
For more on Legends cars, visit www.600racing.com.
