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Two weeks ago it was Eric Heydenreich from Bloomsburg. Now add Hazleton’s Zack Martini to the distinguished list of race winners with the American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC).
18-year old Martini, a freshman at Luzerne County Community College and a rookie with the time-honored organization, took his career first victory at the professional level and he did so in a very dominating manner.
Racing last Saturday night at the 3/8-mile Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Virginia, Martini turned in a solid performance en-route to his memorable triumph as he led every lap and went virtually unchallenged in the process.
“I didn’t like the track that much the first time we went down there but now I love it,” said Martini.
Heading into the race Martini was a bit skeptical. His last time at the track was not much to write home about and this time around practice did not fare so well either.
Plus this was one of his first race back with the midget after being sidelined most of the summer due to engine woes.
“During warm-ups we went out and actually thought there was something wrong with the car and I pulled off the track. The surface was really slick but it turned out to be just wheel spin,” recalled Martini who drives the All-bout Critters/SBF No.29.
“In my heat I started on the pole and spun my tires at the start. Eric Heydenreich then got a jump on me and I slipped back to third. I was able to get to second at the finish.
“For the feature we decided to tighten the car up. I started on the pole again and when the race started we had plenty of bite. From the green flag on I just ran away from everyone.”
Indeed. Martini was so strong that the only time anyone got close to him was under a caution periods.
“The first time I went down the front straight I got on it and there was no wheel spin at all. After that I gradually brought it up to speed and began pulling away. The crew did a great job with the set-up.
“I was pretty confident from about lap five on. I kept looking at the leader board and I saw that it was the same cars behind me and if they didn’t catch me I knew they were going to have a rough time trying.
“With two laps to go I had to really concentrate and take deep breathes. I had to make sure I hit my marks because they could have caught me had I made a mistake.”
It was without a doubt flawless and afterwards there was plenty of jubilation.
“When I crossed the finish line I was very excited and wasn’t even thinking. I was so excited that I shot into turn and the track was real slick and I didn’t slow down much at all and I almost hit the wall,” said Martini.
“Victory Lane was great. My dad was there and the whole team. It was great and after all the hard work we deserve this.”
This was only his seventh start in a midget and was the first time he won a feature since his days with quarter midgets. He has 62 wins with those cars. When he made the move to professional racing he had been seated in a variety of Sprint cars prior to hooking up with ARDC.
“This was the first time I had won a feature race since 2002. We had come close a couple of times since then but could just never quite get it done,” said Martini.
“I love ARDC. All the guys we run against are so nice, the officials are all professional and I just love racing wingless. It’s so competitive too. There are at least 15 cars on any given night that can win. Plus there is so much history with the club. Now that I won I joined a big list of winners. This is something special.”
Martini credited brothers George and Gary Stevens of SBF Racing of Phillipsburg, New Jersey. They maintain and prepare the car.
He also noted the support from his crew chief and father, Gary Martini as well as the behind the scenes help that comes from his mother, Carol Jemo, Mary Corrado and Sam and Anne Sponseller
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