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One year ago, Harold Martin was poised to complete a stirring performance at the Amalie Oil North American Nationals. After starting 15th, the ACDelco Pontiac pilot had used a combination of solid driving and consistent runs to overcome his supercharged rivals’ performance advantage, eliminating veterans Quain Stott, Danny Rowe and Tommy D’Aprile in the early rounds to advance to the championship round.
The final obstacle between Martin and his second Pro Modified national event win was another member of the blown contingent, Eddie Ware, who had reset the national elapsed time record in the second round. However, an issue late in his semifinal run forced a hurried engine change, preventing the team from completing a thorough between-round maintenance. As a result, as Martin attempted to gain the edge on the starting line, his race car rolled through the starting line beams a scant two hundredths of a second early, lighting the red light and handing the automatic win to his opponent.
As the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series returns to New England Dragway this weekend, Martin took time to reflect on that strong showing, while at the same time focusing on improving on that performance by one round.
“Last year’s race was a great one for our ACDelco Pontiac team,” said Martin. “What we have always found at the Epping track is that consistency is paramount for ultimate success. It’s a high barometer condition, so you have to be very careful with the engine tune-up, because you can easily overpower it. We were in a great position to get the win one year ago, but unfortunately had an engine problem in the deceleration portion of our run in the semifinals.
“It took us a little time to realize the severity of the damage, leaving us a minimum amount of time to get the engine changed. In the rush to make it back to the starting line in time for the final, we were unable to check the air gap. As a result, the car rolled through the lights, giving us the red eye. That’s certainly one we’d love to have back.”
A key by product of such a performance is the added knowledge and confidence it gives the team on their return to said facility. Having come so close one year ago, the Martin-led crew is even more determined coming into this year’s edition.
“The track at New England Dragway is a good one, but one you have to be wary of when the sun is on it,” said Martin. “Since this is our first time being there in the middle of the summer, when the surface is hotter, this year could be a little more challenging to all the racers. Ultimately, we will be looking at our notes from last year, because the Sunday success that we had was under conditions similar to those forecast for this weekend.
“An important aspect of last year’s result is the added confidence it will give us as we go back for this year’s event. In addition, we have a lot of tracks where we have experienced success, which has created a lot of fans that are part of our support team. It is a combination that gives you tremendous momentum to go back and pick up whatever crumbs you may have left on the table.”
In order for Martin to accomplish this goal, however, he will not only have to overcome the challenge of another tough Pro Mod field, but will also have to do so only five days after the most recent IHRA national event in Martin, MI. Unlike other racing series, where teams will simply exchange one complete race car for another, drag racers utilize the same chassis from week to week, requiring extensive maintenance between events. Therefore, racing on consecutive weekends puts an added toll on both the teams and their vehicles.
“My hat is off to my ACDelco team, because these guys and girls have worked extremely hard, putting in some long hours preparing for this race,” said Martin. “The recent rules changes mandating that all nitrous cars use a spec fuel has had an extreme effect on our program. In the past, we used our own version of the same fuel, and this last-minute changeover has had a significant impact, causing setbacks in terms of performance as well as engine wear.
“This was an unexpected development we have been working extremely hard to overcome, changing our combination and tune-up in order to be compatible with this new fuel. However, these are the cards we’ve been dealt, so we’ll do whatever is necessary to redesign our engine program on the fly and regain our prior performance level, doing what we can to get that extra round win this weekend in Epping.”
For more information on Harold Martin, ACDelco, or the ACDelco/Harold Martin “Pros Who Know” Scholarship program, please visit Redirecting.
Notes on Harold Martin and the ACDelco Pontiac Racing Team entering the IHRA Amalie Oil North American Nationals:
Harold’s Record in Epping: In his last six races at the New England Dragway, Harold Martin has two starts in the top half of the field, and a runner-up finish one year ago.
Harold Martin Looks to Get the One That Got Away in Epping
One year ago, Harold Martin was poised to complete a stirring performance at the Amalie Oil North American Nationals. After starting 15th, the ACDelco Pontiac pilot had used a combination of solid driving and consistent runs to overcome his supercharged rivals’ performance advantage, eliminating veterans Quain Stott, Danny Rowe and Tommy D’Aprile in the early rounds to advance to the championship round.
The final obstacle between Martin and his second Pro Modified national event win was another member of the blown contingent, Eddie Ware, who had reset the national elapsed time record in the second round. However, an issue late in his semifinal run forced a hurried engine change, preventing the team from completing a thorough between-round maintenance. As a result, as Martin attempted to gain the edge on the starting line, his race car rolled through the starting line beams a scant two hundredths of a second early, lighting the red light and handing the automatic win to his opponent.
As the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series returns to New England Dragway this weekend, Martin took time to reflect on that strong showing, while at the same time focusing on improving on that performance by one round.
“Last year’s race was a great one for our ACDelco Pontiac team,” said Martin. “What we have always found at the Epping track is that consistency is paramount for ultimate success. It’s a high barometer condition, so you have to be very careful with the engine tune-up, because you can easily overpower it. We were in a great position to get the win one year ago, but unfortunately had an engine problem in the deceleration portion of our run in the semifinals.
“It took us a little time to realize the severity of the damage, leaving us a minimum amount of time to get the engine changed. In the rush to make it back to the starting line in time for the final, we were unable to check the air gap. As a result, the car rolled through the lights, giving us the red eye. That’s certainly one we’d love to have back.”
A key by product of such a performance is the added knowledge and confidence it gives the team on their return to said facility. Having come so close one year ago, the Martin-led crew is even more determined coming into this year’s edition.
“The track at New England Dragway is a good one, but one you have to be wary of when the sun is on it,” said Martin. “Since this is our first time being there in the middle of the summer, when the surface is hotter, this year could be a little more challenging to all the racers. Ultimately, we will be looking at our notes from last year, because the Sunday success that we had was under conditions similar to those forecast for this weekend.
“An important aspect of last year’s result is the added confidence it will give us as we go back for this year’s event. In addition, we have a lot of tracks where we have experienced success, which has created a lot of fans that are part of our support team. It is a combination that gives you tremendous momentum to go back and pick up whatever crumbs you may have left on the table.”
In order for Martin to accomplish this goal, however, he will not only have to overcome the challenge of another tough Pro Mod field, but will also have to do so only five days after the most recent IHRA national event in Martin, MI. Unlike other racing series, where teams will simply exchange one complete race car for another, drag racers utilize the same chassis from week to week, requiring extensive maintenance between events. Therefore, racing on consecutive weekends puts an added toll on both the teams and their vehicles.
“My hat is off to my ACDelco team, because these guys and girls have worked extremely hard, putting in some long hours preparing for this race,” said Martin. “The recent rules changes mandating that all nitrous cars use a spec fuel has had an extreme effect on our program. In the past, we used our own version of the same fuel, and this last-minute changeover has had a significant impact, causing setbacks in terms of performance as well as engine wear.
“This was an unexpected development we have been working extremely hard to overcome, changing our combination and tune-up in order to be compatible with this new fuel. However, these are the cards we’ve been dealt, so we’ll do whatever is necessary to redesign our engine program on the fly and regain our prior performance level, doing what we can to get that extra round win this weekend in Epping.”
For more information on Harold Martin, ACDelco, or the ACDelco/Harold Martin “Pros Who Know” Scholarship program, please visit Redirecting.
Notes on Harold Martin and the ACDelco Pontiac Racing Team entering the IHRA Amalie Oil North American Nationals:
Harold’s Record in Epping: In his last six races at the New England Dragway, Harold Martin has two starts in the top half of the field, and a runner-up finish one year ago.
