8/22/2017
Caleb Martin
Caleb Martin – Fourth in Corpus Christi/Near Miss in Waco!
Caleb Martin – Fourth in Corpus Christi/Near Miss in Waco!
(Bill W) August 22, 2017 – Caleb Martin could taste his first sprint car victory last Friday night at the Heart O’ Texas Speedway in Waco. Unfortunately, a blown right rear tire derailed him. He rebounded Saturday night at the South Texas Speedway near Corpus Christi with a fourth-place finish. The Angleton, Texas mini-sprint ace will make his last sprint starts Labor Day weekend at Battleground Speedway in Highlands with the ASCS-Gulf South region. The mini-sprint schedule will see eight to ten races to close out the year. Caleb won at Gulf Coast Speedway in Alvin on August 12.
The draw didn’t go so well in Waco on Friday. “We started dead last in the heat,” says Caleb. “We were able to go from seventh up to third, which put us in the redraw.”
Caleb drew a four for his starting position in the main event. “We had a good start,” he says. “We were up to second by the third lap or so. We were right on the leader’s butt and I was able to get around him. He ended up crashing out around lap 14.”
It looked like his first win may be eminent. “We led the rest of the way,” says Caleb. “We held it through a few cautions. It was looking like we were going to win our first race there. But the track started taking rubber pretty good and the right rear gave out on me.”
Searching for his first sprint car win, Caleb may have been a little hard on his tires. “I couldn’t tell my mind to ease off the throttle,” he admits. “I had the victory in my eyes. After the cautions, I couldn’t take it easy. Everyone is taking a stab at you. I knew Seth Bergman and Tommy Bryant were back there, and they’re fast guys, so I didn’t want to ease off in the corners.”
It was a long five-plus hour tow to Corpus Christi. “My confidence hasn’t been very good in the sprint car lately, but Friday really helped that,” says Caleb. “Saturday, we finished second in the heat again. The track has long sweeping turns. We ran the top on both ends.”
Caleb drew a feature starting spot outside row three. “We were able to get up to third on the second or third lap,” he says. “We ran there most of the race. We stayed there for most of the race. Toward the end, Tommy got by me and that’s where we stayed. Every time we had a yellow, there was a lapped car between the third-place car and me. I never got a good honest run at it.”
It marked the first time that he’d raced in Corpus Christi. “We had a good run, and there was a great crowd,” says Caleb. “I heard they had to turn people away, because it was so packed. The track was racy for sure, and hopefully, we can get it back on the schedule.”
Caleb on the Web
Be sure to keep up with Caleb at his website: www.CalebMartin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=8350693
Caleb’s Weekly Releases
If you’d like to be added to Caleb’s e-mail list for weekly releases, e-mail sprntcar@hotmail.com with “Caleb” in the Subject Line.
Caleb would like to thank his primary partner, Amerimex and Controls, LLC of Houston, Texas, his associate partner Stran Technologies, and product sponsors, Simpson Racing Products, HRP Wings and Maxim Chassis.
Caleb finished fourth in his first trip ever to Corpus Christi (Carey Akin – www.ManvelMotorsports.com Photo)
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Monroe, IA USA