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Dylan was sporting two new sponsors this race. One is Patio850, where you can go eat and experience ‘a truly unique atmosphere and unsurpassed culinary experience in Downtown Lakeland’. Owner Lisa Schaefer stated, “We are delighted to team up with Dylan Martin. He brings a unique twist to the racing industry as we bring to the restaurants of Lakeland. My husband and I take great pride in our food and service as Dylan does in his racing. We wish the whole DMR team great success this season.” The other is Enlighten Digital out of Orlando who said they are proud to be a part of the DMR success. They are a business partner with Blackwater Integration and decided to jump aboard for the race. Dylan was excited to be racing with both of these companies on his Super Late Model. The air was heavy and the sun was blazing hot but the DMR crew was able to get Dylan’s #7 hot rod dialed in. He qualified 5th but from second place qualifier to the seventh place was less than seven thousandths of a second. Okay, that means 6 cars were within a blink of an eye in speed. When you have top running cars that are performing that close together, it is going to be a tight action filled race. That it was! The top 8 cars pulled pills for their starting positions and Dylan pulled 3. He is starting 2nd row inside.

The Super Late Models lined up on the front stretch for the autograph session. Dylan starts this race tied for second in points with #64. It was a great turnout for the 3rd race of the Sunoco 100. Dylan shook hands, signed autographs and handed out his new Hero Cards. They were hot off the press. It is incredible to hear the veteran fans thank him for being such a good driver but also for his passion for racing and his charity work. Then of course you have the young kids that love them some Dylan Martin. His smile and warm spirit are contagious.

Well, it is now race time. The track clears and the 16 drivers climb into their seats and buckle up. It is a little after 9pm and it is still 81 degrees outside. Dylan’s spotter for the night, Dennis Dean tells Dylan to get his tires warm and be alert. That is exactly what Dylan does. The green flag drops and the pole setter goes high into turn 1 and Dylan is right there to captivate on it. Dylan drives his #7 to the lead. He runs first for a couple laps and then the #56 goes to the outside. He gets around Dylan in a lap. Dylan gets a bit loose and the #42 gets under him. This puts Dylan on the outside. The car doesn’t seem to be working very well up there as the 42, 30 and 98 get by him. Lap 6 the first caution drops for Dylan spinning in turn 3 and 4.

Dennis tells Dylan to come to the pits so that the crew can secure the damaged rear bumper and make a chassis adjustment. The DMR crew gets him back out there before the green flag drops. He restarts 16th. Dylan quickly gains a couple spots by passing the #25 on the outside on the back stretch and then the #97. Lap 11, caution for the 177 and 75. Dylan restarts 13th. It only take a couple laps for him to take 12th over.

Dylan has his hands full with the damage of the car. It is driving like it has no rear spoiler. But he stays up on the wheel and gains another spot on lap 21 by passing the #81 car on the inside. He catches the #23 car and begins to work on getting around him. He laps #75 and then laps #25. Dylan is doing everything he can to get by the #23. Lap 47 another caution for three cars that spun and stopped on the track. He restarts 6th.

After a chaotic restart Dylan falls into single file in 7th. Every driver is trying to either fight to keep his position or to gain a position. The #56 and #64 tangle and Dylan drops to the inside of them to try to take the spot but unfortunately he ends up in it. The red flag comes out for cleanup and as Dylan sits stopped on the back stretch in front of his spotter it is obvious there is a lot of damage to the car. When they go back yellow, he shakes the car down to make sure the brakes and steering are good.

Dylan restarts 6th. Caution on the restart, he lines up 5th this time. He gets a good restart. A couple laps later the #12 gets to the inside of Dylan and runs him side by side for a lap. He then drops to 6th. Lap 67, the #23 starts a trend and gets #7 on the inside. The next lap #98 gets him and then the #97. This puts Dylan 9th. He is fighting with everything he has to handle his car through the corners. Lap 74, caution for debris. The call is made to bring him to the pits to try to make some more adjustments to the car.

Restarting 9th, Dylan drives as hard as the car allows him to. Lap 76, caution for the #97 who spins in turn 1. Dylan now 8th. The field restarts and going into turn 1 Dylan finds himself going to the wall in turn 1 as the #97 comes up on him. The #97 gets black flagged and Dylan is able to by the #25. He is 8th in the line but #5 a couple cars in front of him is a lap down. As the last laps click by, Dylan’s car is a sight. Rear bumper dragging, right door caved in a foot and the driver’s door is flapping in the wind. He will get a 7th place finish with a battered racecar.

This is not how the DMR crew wanted to see their car after a race but Enlighten Digital was happy to be able to take a token of the race home. They had come aboard for this race and because of the beaten and battered racecar of Dylan’s they were able to take a piece of the car home with them. Thrilled to see their company logo on Dylan’s car was just a small part of it because now they actually have a piece of the racecar displayed in their office. Their company logo on the piece of wrecked racecar will be a continued reminder of Enlighten Digital’s support of a great driver and team doing great things. Thanks again to all the businesses that support Dylan.

The DMR crew will be getting it back together for the next race on June 13th at Desoto Speedway. Thanks to everyone that came out to watch the race and to all the sponsors for their help. Like the song says, “sometimes you’re the bug and sometimes you’re the windshield”…Dylan was the bug for sure!

To stay updated with all of Dylan’s events and races go to www.DylanMartinRacing.com

(Photos by Ciara Martin and Kim Scheffler & Press Release Credit to Kim Scheffler)

Dylan sitting on the ground in post tech inspection had this to say, “Lots of ups and downs, ending with an up. Race was uneventful but had to stay focused every single lap and not make a single mistake to keep the 177 held off.” The day’s heat and the long green flag runs had worn on Dylan. He had just run a 100 lap race where most of it he had to be ‘up on the wheel’ to keep his position.

With summer heat here to stay, the crew got the #7 Blackwater Super Late Model unloaded and ready for practice. The wiring issues had been fixed and everything looked good to go. By the last practice session out, Chad Pierce the crew chief had the car within two tenths of fast time. Dylan was happy with the handling of his car and was off to the driver’s meeting. The track starts it off with prayer for safety for the drivers, crew members and fans. The race director is very direct when he talks about rough driving and jumping the restarts.

The sixteen Super Late’s get lined up for qualifying. Dylan will be 4th to go out. Chad talks to him for a few minutes on the radio before his turn. Dylan fires up the engine and pulls onto the track. Quickly warming up the tires, he drives hard down into turn 3 to be at full speed as he comes out of 4 to take the green flag. He lays down a pretty quick lap, a 13.685 second lap. When all was done and said that time earned him 7th fastest time. Not the starting position he wanted but when 2nd through 7th were within .08 seconds, he knew they were all right there.

The crew then had some down time to eat. Smokin’ Jim’s always supplies a great meal for them. With sliced turkey and pulled pork, the guys were smiling and now rejuvenated. They were ready for race time. Dylan and the other 15 drivers pulled out onto the front stretch for their autograph session. After being interviewed by Speed 51, Dylan shook hands and signed autographs. This is the one time of the night that you will always see Dylan smiling. He loves the opportunity to thank the fans for coming out and meeting new faces.

As the announcer asks to clear the front stretch and the drivers to get buckled in, Michael, Dylan’s father walks over to him and gives him his good luck speech. There is a tradition between this father and son…Michael always locks in the window net and gives him a last ‘go get ‘em’. The spotter and crew chief asks for a radio check. Everyone is on and ready to go.

It is almost 9pm when the green flag drops. Dylan is actually starting 4th due to the #64 dropping to the rear of the field. With Dylan starting on the outside and his line not moving forward, it only takes a couple laps for the #42 and #5 to pass him. The field is single file now and Dylan settles in at 6th. By lap 4, he starts to work to the inside of #42 and they run side by side for a couple laps before Dylan takes the spot. The field runs this way for a while. The car looks smooth through the corners and Dylan’s times show that as he hits a 13.58 second lap on lap 10 (faster than pole time). Lap 16, Dylan laps the #1 car. Chad comes across the radio, “You are looking good kid, keep hitting your marks.”

Lap 26, Dylan laps the #1 car again. The entire field is single file. Chad tells him “to keep digging”. He laps the #97 and #58 by lap 36. Dylan has to be aware of lap traffic as he laps the #1 car again. The first caution flag drops on lap 56 for the #58 car. Dylan restarts 9th with the cone rule in effect. It doesn’t take a few laps for the next yellow to come out. Chad and Dylan discuss over the radio what to do on this next restart. Dylan decides to jump to the outside for the restart. He is restarting 2nd. The whole field is bunched up tight as they take the green on lap 62. Dylan get hit going into turn 1 and it gets him sideways. He quickly gathers his car back up but only after the #23s and #5 get by him.

Lap 70, Dylan gets under the #42 to take the 4th place spot. His times have slowed up but he continues to pull away from the #177. As the tires start to fade, the #177 catches Dylan and now is all over his rear bumper. He is trying everything to get around Dylan. There are even a few times he tags him in the rear. Dylan is not going to hand over his position that easy. He is driving the wheels off the #7 to keep his place. With 5 laps to go, Dylan has pulled away from the #177 to give himself a couple car lengths. When the checkered flag drops, Dylan Martin, the 17 year old from Lakeland has earned himself a 4th place finish, just outside a podium finish.

Dylan will be racing all eight races in the Auburndale Sunoco 100 series. He is currently 2nd in points, tied with Steve Dorer with 81 points. He is only 7 points out of first. So mark your calendars for the next Sunoco 100 lap race at Auburndale Speedway on May 9th. It will be another fender rubbing, paint swapping, high energy race!

Thanks to all the fans that come out to support Saturday night racing! Also much gratitude to all the people and businesses that support Dylan and his team. The DMR team has gathered the best. This bunch is full of knowledge, passion and dedication and will continue to work hard to keep Dylan up front!

To stay updated with all of Dylan’s events and races go to www.DylanMartinRacing.com

(Photos by Ciara Martin & Press Release Credit to Kim Scheffler)

As 6 year old Evan opens the door of the Legoland Village Cottage, he has the biggest grin on his face possible. He turns back to his mom and says, “Look mom he is a real racecar driver.” It took Evan three years to have his dream of coming to Florida and visiting Disney come true. It was well worth the wait though because he got to hang out with Dylan, a racecar driver. Dylan of course loaded them up with a crew t-shirt, stickers, hero cards and coloring books. They were extremely excited when they found out that Dylan had arranged with his crew chief, Chad Pierce for them to have VIP seats and a backstage tour of the stunt show, “Lights, Motors, Action!” at Hollywood Studios.

Evan’s mother, Christy visited the Sunshine Foundation website to get info about their village. It is there that she saw that Dylan was a supporter of them. She then started to follow Dylan’s racing career. She recently saw an article about Dylan visiting the kids at the Shriners. At this point she reached out to Dylan and asked him if he would come meet her sons, Evan and Jake. Dylan was honored to be asked to be a part of their dream vacation to Florida. Evan and his older brother Jake showed Dylan the cool Lego racecars they had built. Well, you know that it didn’t take long for this racecar driver to sit right down and build him a racecar too.

Evan was quick to show Dylan his new braces on his legs. He got to pick them out and they had skulls on them. Evan did not allow his spina bifida to slow him down for one minute. He was eager to build and talk to Dylan about fast racecars. Evan’s older brother did have some good advice for Dylan though. Jake said, “When you need to get around a guy it is easy. You just go up high around him in the corner and drift. That is how you get pass him.” Dylan laughed and told him he would definitely be trying that in his next race.

Little Evan will be going to the Shriners Hospital this summer for surgery on his hips. This was a nice vacation for him before his surgery and months of rehab and recovery. Wanda Curtis, Family and Property Manager appreciatively said, "We at the Sunshine Foundation Dream would like to thank Dylan Martin for taking time to make a special visit to meet Evan and his family. The Sunshine Foundation has been answering the dreams of children with lifelong chronic conditions and abused since 1976. We are grateful for the support of Dylan and his team."

Christy, Evan’s mother had this to say about their experience, “The fact that Dylan took time out not only to come meet my boys but stay and play a while. He also brought them goodies and set up an AMAZING backstage tour at the Stunt show at Hollywood Studios!! We have loved and followed Dylan for almost 2 years now after seeing pictures of him doing an event at the Dream Village and noticing he helps Shriner's Hospital too. In our book he hangs the moon as Evan has been touched by BOTH organizations Dylan is involved with. This trip was our fun for the summer because on June 30 he will have hip surgery at Shriner's Hospital in Shreveport, LA and be in a body cast for 6 weeks. I know Dylan will go far in life just from the compassion he shows others and I pray daily that my 2 boys turn out half as AWESOME as Dylan is. Now back to words about "stuff" we did. The boys LOVED having a race car build off against Dylan. They LOVED their shirts and mommy will be ordering her one soon too!! When we got to the stunt show they were excited but covered their ears in the beginning. They got used to it pretty quick though and took them down and enjoyed the rest of the show. After the show they went backstage and sat in the cars and got to ask several questions and see all the "tricks" of how the show works!! Thank You again SO much!!

If you would like more information about the Dream Village go to www.SunshineFoundation.org

Special Thanks to Chad Pierce of Pierce Motorsports for arranging their VIP treatment at Lights, Motors, Action!

(Photos by Kim Scheffler and Christy Renfroe & Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler)

As the sun begins to set, the music kicks in and the best Bar-B-Q in the area is served. This Meet & Greet that Dylan had set up started with heavy hearts as Lucas and Skyla were not able to attend due to sickness. The atmosphere changed quickly though when little Maci arrived with her contagious precious smile. The patio area filled up quickly. The Nathan Baldwin Band rocked as always. They sure know how to get the crowd into the cause. We had the best turn out yet. There were over 13 gift baskets and 6 gift cards to giveaway in the raffle. Special thanks to Gary’s Oyster Bar, Reiter Electric, Patio 850, Blackwater, Ike’s Eats & Treats and Pinkalious for helping out with the gifts.

It is absolutely amazing to see the community come together to help three ill children. There is no words to express the feelings you get when a complete stranger walks up and hands you $200 and says, “this is for the children and thank you.” This actually happened after a local racing family handed Dylan a hundred dollar bill for the kids and told him thank you for caring about the kids the way he does.

So as the band tears down the stage and the tables are cleared, Dylan gives the final thank you for everyone’s help and support. This little three hour event raised over $1,100 for the C.A.R.S. kids and Hank Longo from PGTV was there to capture it. “I got to witness a great young role model in our community, Stock Car Racing’s Dylan Martin. On Wednesday April 8th Dylan sponsored a “Racing For A Cause” fund raising event at Smokin’ Jim’s House of Bar-B-Q. This was for the C.A.R.S kids to raise money for 3 special kids fighting serious illnesses. The community support and donations to the cause were unbelievable, on top of a fantastic night with music by “The Nathan Baldwin Band” and out of this world Bar-B-Q, by Smokin’ Jim’s, who was gracious enough to donate a portion of all sales to the cause that night. Way to go Dylan!” Hank Longo PGTV Host and Producer of “Polking Around With Hank Longo”.

Dylan will let everyone know when the footage will air.

Skyla, Maci, Lucas and Dylan thank you all for your time and effort given!

THANK YOU!

To give online go to www.GoFundMe.com/DMRkids

(Photos & Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT EVENT TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE C.A.R.S. KIDS… WEDNESDAY, MAY 6TH 6PM TO 9PM

After some serious thrashing by Chad Pierce and his crew the aftermath of a racecar that left Desoto’s demolition derby race a couple weeks ago was ready for the 100 lap race at Auburndale Speedway. Dylan’s crew chief, Chad, did wonders to get it back on the track. After a quick shake down it was discovered that the electric fan had locked up which caused the entire electrical system in the car to burn up. The crew quickly did some fixing and changing  to get Dylan back on the track.

The air was cool and the wind was strong which made for some interesting times during practice laps. Dylan’s next practice session was in the 13.75 second lap range. Chad pulled him in and said we are good to go. Now to wait for the drivers meeting and to get the tires out of impound. This would be only the second time Dylan would be racing his Super Late and it would be the longest race yet. He was excited to be running in front of his home crowd.

Dylan was third to go out for qualifying. It was 67 degrees outside and the sun was shining. Perfect conditions to lay down a fast lap. That is exactly what Dylan did…a 13.60 second lap which ended up being second fastest time out of the 12 cars. His smile said it all. You did not even have to ask him how he felt about his qualifying. Grinning from ear to ear as they pushed his car into tech was more than words could say. Chad and the crew were very happy about his qualifying efforts.

The top 6 drivers then pulled pills to see where they would start in the 100 lap race. Dylan got a 5. He would be starting 5^th, third row inside. With sometime before the autograph session, Dylan watched some of the local drivers compete. It wasn’t long and he was getting his car ready to go to the front stretch to greet the fans and sign some autographs. He got a chance to meet some of the up and coming Mini Cup drivers along with some of his loyal followers. Dylan was all smiles and happy to spend a few minutes letting the fans know how much he appreciated them coming out and supporting his hometown track, Auburndale Speedway.

It was time to strap in and get ready for the green flag. At 9:25pm the cars were given the command to start their engines. 13 Super Late Model’s bunched up to take the start of this 100 lap race. Dylan had a great start. He stayed right on the bumper of #64. Lap 2 he got to the inside of #97 and took the position. Running in 4^th now, the top 4 cars were nose to tail. Lap 8 saw the first caution of the night. The cars get back into single file and once they are sorted out the flagman, Julius, gives them the two to go sign. At this time each car has the choice to stay in position on the inside or go to the outside. So if you were 6^th in line and no one in front of you decides to go to the outside you can which moves you up to starting on the outside pole (2^nd).

Lap 11, Dylan restarted 5^th. Taking the green the #23 gets into the #97 causing him to spin, caution back out for a restart. Dylan again in 5^th takes the green and is able to get to the inside of #56 to take his position. He is running in 4^th now. It doesn’t take long for the next caution to drop on lap 15. Lap 19, Dylan is starting 3^rd. He gets a good restart and tries battling the #30 on the inside but can’t get it done. So he settles into a solid 3^rd. The top 3 cars pull away from the pack. Chad reminds him to watch his line and save his tires.

Lap 26, caution out. Chad tells him that he has some front end damage so be careful. Dylan restarts 4^th. The race goes green for a while. Dylan is running consistently in the 13.70 to 13.80 second laps. Chad says, “we have a better car on the longer runs for sure. Just keep doing what you are doing kiddo.” Lap 50, Dylan starts working on the #5 car. His car is hooking up great coming out of turn 2. He patiently waits for the right opportunity. Two laps later he gets the 5 coming out of 2 to take the 3^rd spot. Dylan starts working on closing the gap between himself and 2^nd place. Caution flag on lap 60.

Dylan restarts 3^rd, he misses the shift on the start and the #5 gets by him. He then drives hard into turn 1 and gets into the back of 5, the 5 car wiggles and Dylan gets under him. They go green flag for almost 10 laps before caution flag drops. #81 blows a motor under that caution making the track go red. The track gets the fluid cleaned up and the field goes back to racing. Dylan restarts 5^th but immediately gets the 56 on the start. He is running 4^th and the race goes green for some time. The top 4 cars break away from the rest. Dylan is working hard to get by the #30. He is trying everything he can but can’t make the clean pass.

Caution flag on lap 91. Dylan chooses not to go to the outside on the restart, so he is 5^th. Dylan is driving with great determination and focus. He is able to pick off the #56 on the restart lap then he gets the #5 the next lap on the inside after they drove side by side for a couple laps. Dylan’s car is definitely good and he is driving it like a veteran. #77 spins out in turn 4 to bring out a caution on lap 95. Chad radios to Dylan, “We need take a gamble with the choose rule. We are a 3^rd place car unless we move them. So we need to try the outside on this next restart.” Dylan is confident in what his crew chief advises and goes to the outside. He will restart 2^nd with 5 laps to go.

Dylan grips the wheel, grabs the shifter and gets a good side by side restart with #64. He runs the outside groove hard for two laps before he looses the position. The 30 is right there to keep Dylan on the outside. He gets by him and the 5 follows. Dylan drops easily into 4^th to ride out the last couple laps. Checker drops with Dylan in 4^th. Chad was happy to see him step to the outside and see what the car could do this late in the race.

So after only two races in the Super Late, Dylan finds himself just outside a top 3 finish. He will be returning on April 18^th for the next 100 lap race at Auburndale Speedway.

Thanks to all the fans and friends that came out to watch Dylan run. A huge thanks to all of his sponsors and partners for believing in him and helping make each race possible.

To stay updated with all of Dylan’s events and races go to www.DylanMartinRacing.com

(Photos by Ciara Martin & Press Release Credit to Kim Scheffler)

The remodeling of the lobby at St. Joseph’s Children Hospital had halted Dylan’s visits for a while. The area is still under construction but he was thankful that he could return to see his special friends. Even though it had been almost 9 months since his last visit, the staff remembered Dylan and greeted him with much gratitude. The first child he met was James. He was so excited to meet a real racecar driver. James signed and colored a picture for Dylan. With appreciation Dylan accepted it and told him he would hang it in his race trailer this weekend for ‘Good Luck’.

Sitting around the corner listening was the sweetest little smile you can imagine. Her name was Isabella. She too was coloring a picture for Dylan. Isabella told Dylan she wrote a special note on her drawing for him…”Good luck and be safe”. The parents of all the kids there could not thank Dylan enough for taking the time to visit with the kids. This was Isabella’s first time out of her room and she was so happy. Her mother told Dylan that the few minutes with him took her mind off why she was there and this was a blessing. Dylan asked Isabella what her favorite colors were and then he proceeded to color in a race truck for her to take back to her room. So a blue race truck it was. Isabella thanked Dylan with a hug and once again told him good luck.

“Dylan brought many smiles and laughs to the hospitalized kids he met during his visit on Monday. The coloring books Dylan provided were a big hit,” stated Kendal Mundy, Certified Child Life Specialist II at St. Joseph's Children’s Hospital. Dylan is looking forward to returning to see the kids again in June. For more information about St. Joseph’s Children Hospital go to www.StJosephsChildrens.com

To stay updated with all of Dylan’s events and races go to www.DylanMartinRacing.com

(Photos & Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler)

Well take a good long look at this car because it certainly does not look like that anymore. Dylan and his crew had put some serious laps on this car testing over 300 laps in his new super late model. He got some seat time at Auburndale Speedway, New Smyrna Speedway and then a night at Desoto. Chad Pierce, the crew chief, had dotted his i’s and crossed his t’s. Dylan had been fighting with the bump in turn 3 at Desoto Speedway. Every time he hit it, it would really upset the car. After some fine tuning by the crew, the car was ready for its first race. Seeing the new color scheme and look was exciting.

The cars took to the track to qualify. They get a few warm up laps before heading to the infield to line up for qualifying. Dylan would be first to hit the track. It was still 78 degress out and the track was slick. When it was all said and done, Dylan qualified 11th out of a field of 15. Not bad for his first time. He was about three tenths off fast time. The crew chief and owner talked to Dylan and it was decided to scratch. This would put Dylan in the rear for the start of the race. It gives him time to work on his line, to get a feel for this track and to start to learn the other drivers’ driving styles. With qualifying over, the crew sits down for some great Bar-B-Q supplied by Dylan’s new sponsor, Smokin’ Jim’s House of Bar-B-Q. It was a quick dinner though, the power steering hose had to be replaced. As Dylan pulled into the pits after qualifying, he told the crew that the car wasn’t turning. They got on it quickly and got it fixed.

The team gathers together for a prayer before Dylan gets strapped in for his race. He gets the hi-fives and the thumbs up from the crew as he pulls down pit road. It is time to go to work. He reaches down one last time to tighten his belts, he drops his shield and grabs the shifter. The green flag dropped and the battle begins. On lap 2, Dylan passed the #75 on the outside in turn 1. The next lap he set up the 128 car for the pass. It takes Dylan a couple laps to run down the #21 car. Once he gets to his rear bumper it takes only seconds for Dylan to pass him on the inside going into turn 1. He is now running in 12th position. Lap 8, Chad tells Dylan his corner entry is great and to keep hitting his marks. As the race goes green for a while, he just works on his line.

Lap 27, first caution of the race and it is for Dylan. He spun out in turn 4. He is still learning how to adjust to the bump going into turn 3. With no damage to the car, he lines back up 11th. The #128 runs him hard on the outside for a couple laps before Dylan settles in at 11th. The cars go for another long green flag run before the caution drops on lap 44. He restarts 11th and gets the #07x on the inside. The next lap sees another caution. Lap 46, Dylan will restart 9th. He gets the jump on the #4 super late and passes him on the inside to take 8th place.

It takes Dylan about 10 laps to run down the #13 car. He is working on the rear bumper of him when the yellow flag drops for the #30 who was stuffed into the turn 3 wall. The #07 was black flagged and after the red flag was lifted for some track side activity, Dylan would be in 6th. Well, when they say cautions breed cautions, they are correct. Only a few laps later and the two leaders take each other out. Dylan does some brilliant foot-hand-throttle driving to get through it. As the leaders spin in turn 1 & 2, Dylan navigates high then low to get through it.

Lap 61, Dylan restarts 7th. The field does not get a lap in before another caution flag is thrown again. This time Dylan will restart 3rd. The drivers seem to be using their cars to drive and not their talent. It is definitely a “wrecker or checker” kind of race. It takes numerous laps to get the field to line up correctly. In fact, Dylan finds himself being sandwiched going through 1 & 2 getting lined back up and he is pushed up into the #13 who then spins and has to go to the pits for a tire. Dylan restarts 3rd but the #07x car gets him on the outside.

When the next caution drops on Lap 64, Dylan is running 4th. He has been doing a great job of driving hard but being patient. So the green drops and Dylan is running 4th but the caution flies immediately for the leader jumping the restart. The flagman lines them back up, Dylan is 4th again. This time the leader, #51 has some issues with the restart and as he drives into turn 1, he finds himself 3 wide with the #07x and Dylan’s car and his car turns right which gathers up the #07x car which unfortunately takes out Dylan’s car. With nowhere to go, he hits turn 1 wall. Caution flag AGAIN on lap 64. Dylan drops his window net to alert the track officials he is ok. He gets out of his car to look over the damage. He tries to drive it in but the car is hurt and he barely makes it to the infield. This would end the night for Dylan and his #7 beast.

The next 11 laps would consist of 4 more cautions. In fact with 2 laps to go the leaders take each other out in a field of 6. It was a very active night for the fans to watch but all that action costs a lot of time and money for the drivers. The crew waits in the pits for the infield wrecker to haul Dylan’s car to the pit stall. It has quite a bit of frontend suspension damage. The body has some cosmetic damage but all in all, Dylan is safe and his crew will get it fixed for the next race. This is not the finish anyone wanted to see but that folks is racing.

As Chad looks over the car, he shakes his head and states, “I don’t even know what to say. I’m speechless. I still don’t believe what happened.”

Thank goodness one of Dylan’s sponsors is Joes Racing Products, he sure is going to need some parts. A special thanks to all the returning sponsors and supporters of DMR. We also welcome some new ones aboard.

Dylan’s next race is March 28th at Auburndale Speedway. It is the 100 lap race that was rained out last month. Hope to see you there! To stay updated with all of Dylan’s events and races go to www.DylanMartinRacing.com

(Photos Speedracer & Ciara Martin ---Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler)

A young boy was sitting at a table coloring in the lobby of the Shriners Hospital when Dylan walked in. This smiling spirit jumped right up and said, “I know you, you are Dylan the racecar driver.” His mother then added, “Yes Rylle, you met him after your surgery at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital last year.” She asked Dylan how his racing was going and thanked him again for caring about these young kids dealing with difficult times. You can see by the smile on Dylan’s face that knowing he was a good memory for these kids while they are in the hospital is extremely gratifying.

After taking a picture with Rylle and a few other boys, Dylan went to the front desk to turn in over 40 pounds of soda tabs he had collected through his last contest. It is wonderful to see the community get active in collecting soda tabs for kids they will never meet. Dylan sees every time he enters the doors of the Shriners how those tabs make a difference in the lives of these kids. They always have crafts to do and a variety of gifts to choose from.

Julia, was the cutest little four year old. She was very shy acting at first when Dylan walked into her room. Her mother said, “Julia is only shy when she thinks someone is cute.” Dylan grinned. His heart grows every time he visits these kids but I believe so does his smile.

Dylan then went to the wing of the hospital where the doctors fit the kids for braces and wheelchairs. Elijah, an eight year old boy from Tampa couldn’t stop smiling when Dylan walked into his room. He was so excited to meet a racecar driver. These two hit it off from the start. By the end of the conversation, Dylan had invited Elijah to come hang out at a race and be his honorary crew chief for the night. This kid’s grin was thanks enough.

The last visit of the day was to see a young girl that had just had surgery the day before. Gracie and Dylan had lots to talk about as they both enjoy riding dirt bikes. She is looking forward to getting back out there and riding. Dylan told Gracie that when she gets back on her dirt bike to send him a picture of her riding. It is amazing to see the determination in these kids.

Dylan is hosting another Soda Tab Contest that will end on May 12th. So keep collecting your Soda Tabs for these incredible kids.

For more information on the Shriners go to www.ShrinersHospitalsForChildren.org

To read about other visits Dylan has made to the Shriners go to www.DylanMartinRacing.com

(Photos & Press Release Credit – Kim Scheffler)