Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
Adam Martin. If you didn’t know the teenager’s name before Saturday at Sunset Speedway, it’s a name you will know moving forward.
The driver of the No. 9 Johnsonville Ford made the most of his NASCAR Pinty’s Series debut, scoring a fourth place finish in the Leland Industries 300 presented by Dickies.
“I was pretty happy with how it went,” he told OnPitRoad.com. “I had to drop back a bit at the beginning, but finished up pretty good. The guys did a great job on the pit stop today; it was good.”
Starting mid-pack, Martin was able to keep himself inside of the top-10 for much of the afternoon, saving his equipment and tires throughout the race to allow himself to crack the top-five with 80 laps to go. From there on, he battled hard with the front runners, including a back-and-forth battle with Kevin Lacroix over the course of the final 10 laps. Martin ran the outside over the final stretch, noting “the car was a lot better on the outside” in being able to keep up his momentum.
While his latest run may mark a surprise for some, it goes with the progression of his career. He ran Super Stock last season at Sunset Speedway on a weekly basis, continuing to get better as the year went on with some strong runs last season. As a result, he moved up to Late Model for 2016 and runs at the 1/3 mile on a weekly basis, with his finishes continuing to get stronger each passing week.
With more races scheduled for this year and continuing to learn behind the wheel, it’ll be no surprise if he reaches victory lane in something before the year is done.
