SCC: Mid-Ohio: Jason Martinelli race notes

Martinelli Debuts in Grand-Am Cup With Over Two Hours of Racing

LEXINGTON, Oh.- Jason Martinelli marked his first Grand-Am Cup race by driving for over two hours of the three-hour Mid-Ohio 250 in the No. 08 Automatic Racing BMW M3.

Martinelli, 28, is in his first season of professional racing. He has teamed up with Don St. John to compete in the final half of the Grand-Am Cup season.

In addition to the challenge of driving in a new series, Martinelli was also faced with learning the challenging layout of Mid-Ohio, which he had never driven. By the end of two days of practice, Martinelli felt confident about the track.

"The track was great," enthused Martinelli. "I needed some more time to get it perfect, but I still got pretty quick lap times."

St. John started the race from 54th on the grid, and he pitted during a full-course caution shortly before the end of the first hour. Martinelli got in the BMW and began to work his way up through the field.

"It was fun," he said. "It was always busy out there; I was always racing with someone. It was interesting with all of the smashing and banging that was going on out there!"

By the end of his two-hour and 15-minute stint, Martinelli had worked his way to 22nd in the Grand Sports class, finishing 38th overall. While the long stint may have been daunting to other drivers, Martinelli was eager for the seat time. "I like it better because you get to stay out and race," Martinelli commented on the Grand-Am Cup Series.

Now that he has gotten his feet wet, Martinelli is looking forward to moving on to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the next Grand-Am Cup round on September 11.

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