Archive for October 2014

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Touch a Truck

Some save lives, some reach high into the sky, some even go through the swamp but none go as fast and turn left as Dylan Martin. It was quite the sight to see Dylan’s #7 Fellows Truck Group Curing Cancer Charity Challenge Pro Truck parked in town square. The kids got the full effect of Dylan’s race team with his trailer on display for them to walk through and even his golf cart was there. When Larry Helms from the Auburndale Parks and Recreation Department contacted Dylan about being in this annual event hosted for the community, he told Dylan we have every kind of truck there except a race truck…we need ya’ kid! When it comes to the kids, Dylan never says no. This event was a hands on experience for the kids to see and touch their favorite truck or equipment. Larry was happy when he said, “The 2014 Touch a Truck was one of the best touch a trucks in years. We had a great turnout of visitors and a unique variety of vehicles for the kids to explore.  I would like to personally thank Dylan Martin Racing for being a part of this great family event.” Dylan had a great time meeting the kids. But I have to say that the kids were overwhelmed when they were given the opportunity to actually sit in a real race truck and even try on Dylan’s race helmet. Their smiles were thanks enough for Dylan. (Photos & Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler) https://DavenportFightsBack.com https://www.facebook.com/K1RaceGear

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Joey Coulter Karting Challenge

Who would ever guess that gathering up some NASCAR drivers to head up teams to battle it out on a go-kart track for nothing more than bragging rights could raise thousands of dollars for a great cause. Well folks, this 2nd annual event put on by none other than NASCAR Camping World Driver, Joey Coulter proved it was possible. That evening 92 go-kart drivers joined together to help collect almost $20,000 for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. A very special young girl, Mackenzie was there to receive her power wheelchair to make the event a complete success. Joey Coulter, was all smiles when he said, “I couldn't ask for a better result from the 2nd Darrell Gwynn Foundation Karting Challenge. We raised about $20,000 this year which was enough to cover the cost of the wheelchair donated to 3 year old Mackenzie Michael who was the star of the show by far. I have had the honor of being present at a number of wheelchair donations over the years but this one is going to stick with me for a long time. It’s a great feeling when you can help a foundation like Darrell's but it means even more when you can call on your fellow racers across different series and gain their support for a great cause. I can't thank our partners and everyone that helped enough for all the work that they put in. The drivers that came out to support the DGF deserve an equal amount of thanks for making things fun and raising money to help people with spinal cord injuries. I can't wait for next year’s 3rd Annual Joey Coulter Karting Challenge!” Dylan was teamed up with Patrick Staropoli, Ty Norris and Daniel Stolte. He drove the first leg of the 2 hour endurance race. His fast time was a 63.79 second lap. This was a pretty fast time. Patrick was able to lay down a 63.67 second lap. Patrick Staropoli’s Team was actually in the lead on and off but when the checkered flag dropped they would finish about mid pack. But all the drivers were smiling...they were all winners. When Joey Coulter made the announcement on the total amount raised that night, there was nothing but cheers and grins. After the race, MWR Development Driver Patrick Staropoli stated, "Joey's done such an amazing job with the Karting Challenge and it's been awesome to be part of it for 2 years in a row. We had an all-star lineup on our team between Dylan, Daniel, and Ty and we played our strategy to perfection until the whole field decided to buy us laps down. It was a great night and I hope Mackenzie is enjoying her new wheels!” Dylan said he is definitely going to get some practice laps in before the next event. He is looking forward to being there next year for the 3rd Annual Joey Coulter Karting Challenge! (Photos by Ciara Martin & Kim Scheffler -- Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler)

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Lets Go Dirt Track Racing

What happens when you put asphalt Pro Trucks on a dirt track for the first time? Dirt flying, trucks sliding and the fans cheering. The Pro Trucks unfortunately did not get the scheduled open practice Friday night due to the incredible amount of rain that feel. But the track officials had the track looking great by Saturday afternoon when the DMR crew arrived. Dylan along with most of the drivers had never seen let alone raced their trucks on dirt. So not only was Dylan going to be learning this track he was going to be figuring out how to make his truck go left by turning it right…dirt racing! In dirt track racing you are very limited to the amount of practice time you get. So with only two 8 lap practice sessions, Dylan had to learn, adjust and figure out his truck and this track. It was not a good start for him as on lap 2 he got to high going into turn 1 and pancaked the wall. The right front wheel was destroyed. The DMR crew jumped right to it and by next practice they had Dylan back out there in his #7 Fellows Trucking Group Curing Cancer Charity Challenge Pro Truck crossing it up. The drivers pulled pills for the starting lineup for the Heat Races. Dylan would be in the first Heat starting outside pole. When the green flag dropped, Dylan was ready. He was in the lead by turn 1. It was a good run for Dylan as he got out front and led the entire 8 lap Heat Race. It gave him a chance to get a feel of the track and be able to give crew chief, Chad Pierce some feedback. It was nearly 9pm when the Pro Trucks took to the dirt for the inaugural dirt race. Dylan once again was taking the green on the outside pole position. It didn’t take long again for him to take the lead. Lap 2 the first caution flag fell for the #36 and #99 who wrecked into the turn 3 wall. This would put Dylan on pole to restart the field. He got a good start and lead them into turn 1. It doesn’t take long for the dirt veteran driver of the #41 to get to Dylan’s bumper. He keeps looking to the inside but Dylan is able to keep his momentum up. Lap 7 the next caution flag drops for the #9 who spins in turn 2. Dylan and the #41 line up side by side to restart the field. The #41 gets a huge jump on the start and pulls almost 4 truck lengths. Dylan tries to run him back down. The next lap Dylan drives his #7 truck in a bit too deep and the truck washes up allowing the #64 and #59 to get under him. He is in 4th now. The next caution comes on Lap 16 when the #9 spins again. The trucks stack up for a double file restart. Going into turn 1 the #64 truck goes in to high and Dylan gets a great run to fire in between the #59 and #64 truck. The #64 loses control and spins. Dylan is able to maneuver his truck by quickly to miss the big wreck about to happen. Unfortunately the #31 doesn’t make it by and the #64 nails him in the passenger door. The red flag drops and both of these trucks are hauled off on wreckers. Dylan comes across the radio, “It is so dang bumpy out here”. His crew chief replies with a quick, “This is dirt track racing son”. Lap 16, Dylan restarts 3rd behind the #41. The #41 over shoots the first corner and the #59 gets by him. Dylan is now running side by side with the #41 fighting for 2nd place. They battle like this for a couple laps but Dylan just can’t make the bottom line work for him. He takes the checkered flag in 3rd. The crew looks over the truck and makes a few changes. Chad isn’t happy with the way it is going through the turns. The DMR guys have little time before the 2nd Feature of the night starts for the trucks. Dylan finds himself starting in the same place for this feature, outside pole. The pole sitter #9 gets a jump on the field and Dylan dives to bottom going into turn 1. His truck pushes up and he tags the #9 truck who turns down on Dylan. The #9 spins, caution flag drops and both trucks are sent to the rear for being involved in bringing out the yellow. Dylan now has to really start digging to get back to the front. Time to get up on the wheel. Within the first lap, Dylan in his #7 Fellows Trucking Group Curing Cancer Charity Challenge Pro Truck passes the #36 on the outside coming out of turn 4. Not even a lap later, he gets around the #9 truck going into turn 3 on the inside. He is now running in 4th position. Lap 5, Dylan is able to get his truck to the inside of #64 going through 1 and 2. Immediately after this the #36 truck spins on the back stretch to bring out a yellow flag. Dylan is restarting in 3rd. He is able to get the second position from the #59 on the inside. A lap later, the #41 who is leading the pack gets in to high and Dylan is able to take the lead from him. Dylan is now running first and driving his truck hard into each turn. The next lap #59 truck is working on Dylan’s inside. They run side by side, fender to fender for two laps and Dylan finally takes the lead back. He is laying down some fast laps, 20.92 seconds followed by a 20.96 second lap. But unfortunately the next lap, the #59 is able to get under the #7 coming out of turn 4 to put Dylan in second. Lap 18, the final caution flag comes out for #41 who spins coming out of turn 2. Dylan will be restarting on the outside pole. With only 2 laps left, he is up on the wheel when the green flag drops. He puts down his fastest lap of the night with a 20.78 second lap but it isn’t quite enough to take the lead. Dylan finds himself taking the checkered flag in second place. Not bad for a truck that has never seen the dirt…a 3rd and 2nd place finish! It isn’t what the team was hoping for but like the crew chief said, “This weekend was very much a learning experience”. Learning is what a lot of drivers did. Joey Coulter, Camping World Driver had this to say about how the trucks ended up on dirt. "When I first mentioned putting the pro-trucks on dirt to Rick Bristol, I think I was joking at first to see what his reaction would be. Once he got over laughing at me a little I knew it was ok to go ahead and push the idea. Seeing those trucks on the dirt was really neat and I can't say enough how impressive it was to see the drivers that had never raced on dirt do what they did and learn so quickly. It sounded like both drivers and fans enjoyed it which is great to hear. The whole idea behind starting this series was to build a solid foundation for drivers to race and grow on. In my opinion there is no better way to become a better driver than to expose yourself to all kinds of racing. Bringing these trucks to a dirt track is exposure that make each driver better and it sounds like they will have a lot of fun too. I can't thank Fellows Truck Brokers, Rick, North Florida Speedway, and especially the drivers for making this happen and I look forward to making it better in the future." Race #12 & #13 of the Joey Coulter’s-Fellows Truck Brokers Florida Pro Truck Series What happens when you put asphalt Pro Trucks on a dirt track for the first time? Dirt flying, trucks sliding and the fans cheering. The Pro Trucks unfortunately did not get the scheduled open practice Friday night due to the incredible amount of rain that fell. But the track officials had the track looking great by Saturday afternoon when the DMR crew arrived. Dylan along with most of the drivers had never seen let alone raced their trucks on dirt. So not only was Dylan going to be learning this track he was going to be figuring out how to make his truck go left by turning it right…dirt racing! In dirt track racing you are very limited to the amount of practice time you get. So with only two 8 lap practice sessions, Dylan had to learn, adjust and figure out his truck and this track. It was not a good start for him as on lap 2 he got to high going into turn 1 and pancaked the wall. The right front wheel was destroyed. The DMR crew jumped right to it and by next practice they had Dylan back out there in his #7 Fellows Trucking Group Curing Cancer Charity Challenge Pro Truck crossing it up. The drivers pulled pills for the starting lineup for the Heat Races. Dylan would be in the first Heat starting outside pole. When the green flag dropped, Dylan was ready. He was in the lead by turn 1. It was a good run for Dylan as he got out front and led the entire 8 lap Heat Race. It gave him a chance to get a feel of the track and be able to give crew chief, Chad Pierce some feedback. It was nearly 9pm when the Pro Trucks took to the dirt for the inaugural dirt race. Dylan once again was taking the green on the outside pole position. It didn’t take long again for him to take the lead. Lap 2 the first caution flag fell for the #36 and #99 who wrecked into the turn 3 wall. This would put Dylan on pole to restart the field. He got a good start and lead them into turn 1. It doesn’t take long for the dirt veteran driver of the #41 to get to Dylan’s bumper. He keeps looking to the inside but Dylan is able to keep his momentum up. Lap 7 the next caution flag drops for the #9 who spins in turn 2. Dylan and the #41 line up side by side to restart the field. The #41 gets a huge jump on the start and pulls almost 4 truck lengths. Dylan tries to run him back down. The next lap Dylan drives his #7 truck in a bit too deep and the truck washes up allowing the #64 and #59 to get under him. He is in 4th now. The next caution comes on Lap 16 when the #9 spins again. The trucks stack up for a double file restart. Going into turn 1 the #64 truck goes in to high and Dylan gets a great run to fire in between the #59 and #64 truck. The #64 loses control and spins. Dylan is able to maneuver his truck by quickly to miss the big wreck about to happen. Unfortunately the #31 doesn’t make it by and the #64 nails him in the passenger door. The red flag drops and both of these trucks are hauled off on wreckers. Dylan comes across the radio, “It is so dang bumpy out here”. His crew chief replies with a quick, “This is dirt track racing son”. Lap 16, Dylan restarts 3rd behind the #41. The #41 over shoots the first corner and the #59 gets by him. Dylan is now running side by side with the #41 fighting for 2nd place. They battle like this for a couple laps but Dylan just can’t make the bottom line work for him. He takes the checkered flag in 3rd. The crew looks over the truck and makes a few changes. Chad isn’t happy with the way it is going through the turns. The DMR guys have little time before the 2nd Feature of the night starts for the trucks. Dylan finds himself starting in the same place for this feature, outside pole. The pole sitter #9 gets a jump on the field and Dylan dives to bottom going into turn 1. His truck pushes up and he tags the #9 truck who turns down on Dylan. The #9 spins, caution flag drops and both trucks are sent to the rear for being involved in bringing out the yellow. Dylan now has to really start digging to get back to the front. Time to get up on the wheel. Within the first lap, Dylan in his #7 Fellows Trucking Group Curing Cancer Charity Challenge Pro Truck passes the #36 on the outside coming out of turn 4. Not even a lap later, he gets around the #9 truck going into turn 3 on the inside. He is now running in 4th position. Lap 5, Dylan is able to get his truck to the inside of #64 going through 1 and 2. Immediately after this the #36 truck spins on the back stretch to bring out a yellow flag. Dylan is restarting in 3rd. He is able to get the second position from the #59 on the inside. A lap later, the #41 who is leading the pack gets in to high and Dylan is able to take the lead from him. Dylan is now running first and driving his truck hard into each turn. The next lap #59 truck is working on Dylan’s inside. They run side by side, fender to fender for two laps and Dylan finally takes the lead back. He is laying down some fast laps, 20.92 seconds followed by a 20.96 second lap. But unfortunately the next lap, the #59 is able to get under the #7 coming out of turn 4 to put Dylan in second. Lap 18, the final caution flag comes out for #41 who spins coming out of turn 2. Dylan will be restarting on the outside pole. With only 2 laps left, he is up on the wheel when the green flag drops. He puts down his fastest lap of the night with a 20.78 second lap but it isn’t quite enough to take the lead. Dylan finds himself taking the checkered flag in second place. Not bad for a truck that has never seen the dirt…a 3rd and 2nd place finish! It isn’t what the team was hoping for but like the crew chief said, “This weekend was very much a learning experience”. Learning is what a lot of drivers did. Joey Coulter, Camping World Driver had this to say about how the trucks ended up on dirt. "When I first mentioned putting the pro-trucks on dirt to Rick Bristol, I think I was joking at first to see what his reaction would be. Once he got over laughing at me a little I knew it was ok to go ahead and push the idea. Seeing those trucks on the dirt was really neat and I can't say enough how impressive it was to see the drivers that had never raced on dirt do what they did and learn so quickly. It sounded like both drivers and fans enjoyed it which is great to hear. The whole idea behind starting this series was to build a solid foundation for drivers to race and grow on. In my opinion there is no better way to become a better driver than to expose yourself to all kinds of racing. Bringing these trucks to a dirt track is exposure that make each driver better and it sounds like they will have a lot of fun too. I can't thank Fellows Truck Brokers, Rick, North Florida Speedway, and especially the drivers for making this happen and I look forward to making it better in the future." Thanks to everyone that came out to support the trucks as they hit the dirt. The drivers had fun and without a doubt learned a lot about going sideways. Dylan’s next race is at Showtime Speedway on October 25th. Dylan is currently 4th in Points for the season, only 16 points out of 3rd (after missing the first two races). (Photos by Ciara Martin -- Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler) https://DavenportFightsBack.com https://www.facebook.com/K1RaceGear

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Racing and BBQ

How does eating Bar-B-Q, listening to good music and meeting a racecar driver help a child…well, folks just keep reading. It is amazing what can happen when a local business like Smokin’ Jim’s teams up with a local racecar driver to raise money for three special kids. C.A.R.S. Racing For A Cause has three young children that will be benefiting from all the fundraisers it does this year. Dylan has been an active advocate for this caring organization for over three years. He is always trying to find ways to help the children. Dylan has personally raised over $10,000 for C.A.R.S. This 17 year old out of Lakeland never sits idle waiting for things to happen. He gets out and makes them happen. He did a “Meet and Greet” at the famous House of Bar-B-Q located on Havendale Blvd in Winter Haven known as Smokin’ Jim’s. For over 2 hours that night it was standing room only. Fans, friends and family pilled in to eat some lip smackin’ Bar-B-Q, meet the renowned young racecar driver, Dylan Martin and help raise money. It even attracted native singer/songwriter Joey Foley and Robin Spivey. They showed up to perform a special acoustic jam session. Then to really top the night off, one of the three children from C.A.R.S., Jayden and his family stopped by to join in the festivities. With everyone’s help and support, $200 was raised for these very deserving and loving children. It is a wonderful moment when the community comes together to make a difference. Thanks to Jim and everyone at Smokin’ Jim’s for helping gather 200 smiles! (Photos and Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler) https://DavenportFightsBack.com https://www.facebook.com/K1RaceGear

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Dylan Pulls Out Second

Race #11 of the Joey Coulter’s-Fellows Truck Brokers Florida Pro Truck Series Dylan was pumped going into this race. He had just come off his first win of the season two weeks ago at Desoto Speedway. He would be battling a few obstacles this race. The weather was threatening every hour, his crew chief was out of town and he would be working with a new crew chief, Travis Roland for the first time. But his crew and fans would not let him down. There was a brief rain shower and then we were good to go. Dylan said the truck was tight through the corners and loose off, so the crew went to adjusting. Dylan would be third to go out for qualifying. Not a good thing being that the track still had some damp spots from the earlier rain. But as Dylan always does, he drove his #7 Fellows Trucking Group Curing Cancer Charity Challenge Pro Truck off into turn one with no hesitation. He picked up 2 tenths from his first to second lap of qualifying. He ended up with a 14.74 second lap which would put him 5th fastest out of 15 trucks. Pole was 14.59. So as you know this series pulls a pill to invert the faster qualifiers. The number 5 was drawn by the pole setter which put your very own Dylan Martin on pole! At 10:05pm, the 15 Pro Trucks took to the track with Dylan leading the way. He was excited about the race but also thrilled that his little buddy Jayden (one of the three children that CARS Racing For A Cause is helping this year) was in the stands cheering him on. As the flagman waved the one to go, Dylan reached down one last time and gave his belts a final pull, took a deep breath, gripped the wheel as he brought the field to the green flag. He had a good start. The first lap Dylan was door to door with the 2nd place. The next lap Dylan had him by a fender. By lap 3, Dylan had a solid lead. The #59 truck was trying to get a run on the inside but Dylan stayed focused on his line. He was able to keep just that small edge on the #59 so they couldn’t get the inside line. Dylan was clicking off some quick laps. He had to drive his truck as hard as he could without making even the smallest mistake. If he did, the 59 was there to take the spot. Lap 10, the first caution fell due to the #10 being in the infield but was on fire. Dylan in his #7 would be restarting the field again. His spotter, Joey Ragusa tells him, “Watch the inside, she doesn’t have anything for you going in but watch your line coming out”. The green drops again and Dylan gets a good jump. The second and third place trucks start to battle for position until the next caution drops on lap 13. The #3 truck spun in turn 1 and 2. Dylan comes across the radio, “It is really tight in the center”. He then lines the field back up again. This time he gets a real good jump on the start. Once again as the #41 and #59 truck bounce off each other a couple times, Dylan is able to pull some distance from them. The #41, the pole setter has now worked his way back up to Dylan. He is all over his rear bumper. The #41 gives him a tap going into turn 1 and is then able to seal the move by passing Dylan coming out of turn 2 on the inside on lap 18. Dylan runs the outside groove for a lap and then settles back into second spot. Within a couple laps the #59 is back on his rear bumper. There are a few laps that it is close but even with Dylan’s truck not handling the best, he doesn’t give an inch. Within a couple laps, he has pulled two truck lengths from the 3rd place truck. He tries to run the leader back down. The next ten laps, Dylan in his #7 Fellows Trucking Group Curing Cancer Charity Challenge Pro Truck does everything he can to catch the #41 truck. But unfortunately with his truck so tight in the center and loose coming off, he has his hands full. Then he finds himself working through lapped traffic. First, it is the #3 truck, followed by the #51 and then he gets by his good friend in the #44. The last three laps are clean sailing for Dylan. He takes the checkered flag second. Travis Roland, the crew chief was a bit unhappy, “Just wish we could have got the truck a little better and more stable for Dylan. I feel we could have given the #41 a run for his money. I certainly know that Dylan is capable of it. Just feel we were chasing something all day. None of the changes that were made earlier really affected the truck like we needed.” Over all though a second place finish was good and anytime you can drive your race truck back into the trailer is a good night. Especially when you have less than a week to get is ready for its first dirt race at North Florida Speedway. Dylan will be crossing it up this Saturday, October 4th. He is currently 5th in Points for the season, only 2 points out of 4th (he missed the first two races). (Photos by Ciara Martin & Kim Scheffler -- Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler) https://DavenportFightsBack.com https://www.facebook.com/K1RaceGear