Thu, 19 Aug 2010, 02:30 PM One More For Canada

By Kelly Wade Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Mark Martino Photo by Kelly Wade

The NHRA Pro Stock ranks are brimming with talented drivers capable of sawing down the tree before deftly shifting their way to speeds in excess of 200 mph, and their factory hot rods are equipped with 500 cubic inches of finely tuned machinery that will swallow the quarter mile in little more than six and a half seconds. Races are frequently won or lost by thousandths of a second, and the extremely competitive class is a magnet for those who love a challenge, racers like Canadian Mark Martino, who made his debut at the recent Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd.

Martino, whose home base is Stoney Creek, Ont., didn't take the decision to venture into NHRA racing lightly.

"We tested in Martin, Mich., with the Grays, Allen Johnson, Larry Morgan, V. Gaines, and Rodger Brogdon, and we were way behind," said Martino. "We thought, do we go to Brainerd next week, or don't we? We sat in the trailer for four hours trying to decide, and at 2:00 on Wednesday I said, 'Let's go. We want to run Indy, but we can't go to Indy without going to another national event first.' "

Mark Martino at Brainerd

In Martino's first blast down the track at Brainerd International Raceway in his Jimmy Oliver/Lee Performance-powered RJ Race Cars GXP, he clocked a 6.769 at 204.23 mph, the 13th quickest of the 22 cars gunning for a qualifying spot. Stormy weather put a halt to Friday's racing, and in the first session on Saturday, Martino quickened his pace with a 6.717 at 205.22 mph to protect his spot in the field a little while longer.

In the third and final session though, a little too much counterweight in the clutch translated to tire shake and left the newcomer vulnerable, and he was bumped out and ultimately relegated to a non-qualifying 18th.

"We had high hopes, and we made a good pass on Saturday," said Martino. "Getting bumped out that last session, we were a little bit disappointed, but overall, we're happy with the way we ran. And we got to see what NHRA is all about. We got our feet wet, and we had a lot of compliments this weekend, people coming by to tell us that we ran pretty good. We're happy because we're racing with the best here."

Martino, who is of no relation to NHRA Pro Stock veteran Tom Martino, has had a good amount of experience to grow his talent in the hardcore doorslammer category; though new to NHRA competition, he has been recognized in ADRL and IHRA ranks as a threat. At the time of print, Martino was 5th in the ADRL Extreme Pro Stock points driving the Titan Motorsports Cobalt, a car formerly owned by IHRA champion Steve Spiess. Martino qualified No. 2 at the ADRL event in Topeka earlier this season and logged a semifinals finish, and he added another semifinals finish to his season tally in Valdosta.

"We go rounds in ADRL," said Martino, who has also raced with the Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association. "Our crew chief, Eric Luzinski, he's really good, and we have a fast car.

Martino at St. Louis ADRL race. Photo by Roger Richards

"Last year, we ran IHRA and finished 6th. When IHRA decided not to run Pro Stock this year, we had already started building our car, and we didn't know what direction to go in. We told Rick (Jones) to set it up for NHRA and we would try it over there."

Before getting into IHRA Pro Stock in 2008, Martino started in Outlaw 10.5 with a '93 Mustang that he raced until 2006, and though his stable contains a couple of GM entries at the moment, he comes from a long line of Ford lovers, including his father, Tony, who kicked off a drag racing career of his own in the mid-60s with a Ford Galaxie and then moved into a Falcon.

Martino at the IHRA Rockingham race last year. Photo by BME Photography

"We're Ford guys, and we initially went with IHRA because Ford does well in the Mountain Motor ranks," said Martino. "But in 2008, we needed more power. We weren't qualifying our first year, and Steve Spiess was selling his car, and it was a proven piece. So we bought it, and things just picked up from there. We're still running well with that car.

"A lot of people in my family, they couldn't believe that we made the jump from Ford, but you know what, running six seconds, it's just a body over you. The thrill is still there. GM, Ford, or Mopar, right now it doesn't matter. It's whatever we can run fast in."

Fast is where it's at for Martino, who was the first in Canada to run in the 8-second range with a naturally aspirated small block and was the first in the 7s in a naturally aspirated big block. His quickest time is a 6.27 with the ferocious yet forgiving Mountain Motor car.

Martino at Martin ADRL race. Photo by Roger Richards

"This is way different," said Martino of NHRA Pro Stock racing. "The Mountain Motor cars are a lot faster, but you don't shift them as fast as these. There is a lot more going on in a 500 inch car, even though you're running a little bit slower. The motors are more finicky, you really have to hit your shift points and make them run fast. We missed it big time when we went 6.27, and here, if you miss it, it shows -- like it did on our last pass."

Martino and his crew -- dad Tony, crew chief Luzinski, crew member Brett White, and Elite Performance's Pete Smallwood -- will have another shot at making the show at the biggest race of the season, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis in just a couple of weeks.

Martino in his NHRA car.

After that, the team hopes to make it to the race in Reading, and next season, they intend to race a limited 10-race schedule with the goal of qualifying and going rounds in at least half of their attempts. Tentatively, the plan is to sell the Cobalt and focus on NHRA's Full Throttle Series.

"We're trying our best out here," said Martino. "The last time a Canadian ran in Pro Stock in NHRA was 1994 -- Alban Gauthier. It's been a long time, and we just want to give our home country something to cheer about.

"We didn't run well in Martin because we had no data, but as soon as we got some data, we knew we had the power and we could hang with a lot of the teams. That's why we came to Brainerd, and I'm glad we did."

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