Seattle Tom Martino Preview

MARTINO HOPES TO EARN FIRST VICTORY OF SEASON AT SEATTLE KENT, Wash. -- After such a promising 1997 NHRA Pro Stock season, Tom Martino was prepared to enter 1998 with a bang and build on his impressive sixth place Winston finish of a year ago. So far, his lofty expectations have not been realized. So goes the life of a driver in Pro Stock, one of the most demanding categories in the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. Martino, 40, of Farmingdale, N.J., claimed victories at Houston and Columbus, Ohio last season and made another final round appearance at the season-ending Winston Finals. His efforts quickly gained him much recognition as a driver to watch for the future. His future to date has included seven first round losses, three second round losses, two DNQ's and a runner-up finish at Virginia's Pennzoil Nationals. He's currently a ninth in the Winston standings, some 605 points out of first place. While parity has reigned supreme in NHRA Pro Stock competition, Martino, like the majority of his fellow competitors, have hung on for one wild ride. And even though Martino's Pontiac Firebird is sponsored by Six Flags Theme Parks, this is one roller coaster ride he'd just as soon get off. He'll try to make his exit from a disappointing first half of the season and begin a climb back up the Winston standings with a strong showing at the 11th annual Prolong Super Lubricants Northwest Nationals presented by Al's Auto Supply, July 31-Aug. 2 at Seattle International Raceway. The $1.4 million race is the 14th of 22 events in the $30-million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. Martino says the first step in getting back on track will be to redirect the team's focus. "We've been focusing so hard on trying to make enough horsepower to run with everyone we sort of lost track of what we do best, and that's race the car," Martino said. "During the last two years our best quality has been to adapt to the track and do well on race day. This year the competition has gotten tougher and everyone seems to be getting better at adapting to track conditions. We're going to start going back to our old routine. We're going to start thinking about the track regularly and not spend our time worrying about finding three or four more horsepower." If that's the plan, give Martino the upper hand at SIR, a track that is well known for throwing a few curve balls at drivers over the years. With weather conditions that can cover the entire spectrum on any given day, drivers must be able to adjust to unpredictable conditions quicker than a chameleon in a plaid color scheme. Factor in the hectic schedule leading into the Prolong Northwest Nationals, and things can get interesting really quick. "It's really tough to make the changes to the car from Denver to Sonoma in one week because the car uses such a radically different setup on the mountain," Martino said. "Then you go from the heat in California to Seattle where the weather conditions are typically a lot better. Those three races in a row are just so demanding, both physically and mentally. You really have to be prepared for it. You're always glad when it's over, and you just hope that you made the right decisions along the way."