on high-banked ovals at 180 miles per hour.You get to meet Dad's cool driver buddies, superstars like Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. You fly to races in Dad's private jet. At the races, you hang out by pit row, listening through a headset as your dad and his crew chief talk during the race. Best of all, imagine that your dad gives you your own race car to run in a kid's division and his supersecret driving tips, ones that might one day make you a NASCAR star, too.
The Real Deal It sounds incredible, but it's a true story. Matt Martin, 9, doesn't have to imagine. He's the son of top NASCAR Winston Cup driver Mark Martin, and this is his life.
Matt races in the Quarter Midget Association's Junior Ronda Division in Florida, in which he's a rising star. Having a famous dad makes life exciting, but it doesn't guarantee success on the track.
"Sure I want to win...but sometimes you can't win," Matt says. "Sometimes I might not finish the race or I might finish second or third or fourth, but I always do my best and that's what counts."
Matt says it can be hard to tell if other kids like him for the right reasons. "Some like me because of my dad. Some don't, they just like me," he says.
Sometimes other kid drivers are out to get him because of his dad. 'The kid has a target on his back, but he's talented and tough," says family friend Kim Henry, who looks after Matt at the track.
A Pro already Matt can handle pressure. He's breezed through TV interviews alone with ESPN and TNN.
It's paying off in endorsement deals. He has signed with a major sports drink company, a breakfast cereal company, even with a kid's racing comic book series.
When he's in town, Matt's dad helps him with his car. His mom takes him to his races on Friday nights. Then, it's off on the jet to the weekend's NASCAR racetrack, where they stay with Dad in their motor home in the drivers' RV compound.
Racing can be a dangerous sport. Is he scared? "Nope," Matt says. What about when he hits the wall or crashes? 'We'll just get 'em next time," Matt says. Maybe the most important lesson Matt has learned from his father: "He teaches me to be fair to others on the track."*
MATT MARTIN AT A GLANCE
AGE: 9
HEIGHT: 4 feet
WEIGHT: 51 Lbs.
GRADE: Third.
FAVORITE RACING VIDEO GAME: NASCAR 98
RACE DIVISION: Quarter Midget Association-Junior Honda Division.
STATS: In 2000, Matt won a number of heat races in his division, including an A-main, and has moved to a new series with bigger, more advanced kids.
ADDRESS:
Matt Martin, c/o Mark Martin Fan Club,
235-10 Rolling Hills Rd.,
Mooresville, NC 28117.
For more on quarter midget racing:
www.quartermidgets.com
