making a name for himself in the sport. Last year, Martin,
the eight-year-old son of Winston Cup driver Mark Martin,
won the season championship in the Junior Novice Division of
the Mid-Florida Quarter Midget Association. This year he has
advanced to the Junior Honda Division and is already showing
promise there by winning his first B-main on April 21."I was so excited that I got to be there for his first win in the upper division," said the elder Martin. "Luckily, it was Easter weekend so I wasn't off racing somewhere and was able to watch him. It was fun because I wasn't his coach, or his crew chief, I was just his Dad. He won the B-main and then passed one car in the A-main. He's learning more and making progress every week. I get a knot in my stomach just watching him race."
Martin races his quarter-midget nearly every Friday night in Apopca, Fla., near Orlando. His season started in March and will run through November, almost as long as the Winston Cup schedule.
"I was glad my Dad was there when I won," Matt Martin said. "When he's not there, we always call him after my races to tell him how I did in each one. My Eagle One car is pretty fast, but I still need to practice more to beat the kids who have been racing longer than me."
Martin has not yet determined if he will make a career out of racing like his father has, but his goals are very similar.
