Caleb circles Battleground Speedway last Saturday (Carey Akin – www.ManvelMotorsports.com Photo)
(Bill W) March 29, 2017 – Some good old Gulf South moisture played into last Saturday night’s event for the ASCS-Gulf South region at Battleground Speedway near Highlands, Texas. When the checkered flag flew come feature time, Angleton’s Caleb Martin had charged from row seven to finish seventh. On April 7 and 8, he’ll again have Hall of Famer Gary Wright turning wrenches for him at Tony Stewart’s Texas Sprint Car Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth.
The track personnel did well to get Saturday’s race in. “The track was really heavy and muddy and had some ruts,” says Caleb. “They had a bunch of rain that came in the night before. There were trucks getting stuck coming in, and it took me about three hours to wash the car. It was crazy.”
Caleb finished fourth in his heat and struggled to loosen his Maxim Chassis enough for the heavy conditions. “It was maybe the second time I’ve been on a track that heavy,” he says. “I thought I had loosened the car enough, but it didn’t end up being enough. There were a few guys who got going well, but it was a struggle for most of us.”
There was plenty of mud after starting back in 13th position in the feature. “Starting back there, I think we went through thirty tear-offs,” says Caleb. “I was able to move up and pass three or four cars, and then we kind of settled where we were. No one got upside down, but there were some broken parts on race cars.”
It was valuable experience on a unique track for Caleb. “Most would be happy with going from 13th to seventh, but I wasn’t,” he says. “I just didn’t loosen the car up enough. We were definitely capable of a top five. With a few minor changes, we would have been a lot better. But it gave us some experience on a track like that, that we hadn’t had before.”
He has some experience at TMS. “I’ve run there twice,” says Caleb. “The last time we ran there (last September), we were up to seventh or so, and fell back to eleventh at the end. We lost our brake caliper and we quit going forward at that time.”
The upcoming event presented by Tony Stewart, will not only have “Smoke” himself behind the wheel, but also Christopher Bell, Danny Lasoski, Sammy Swindell and more heavy hitters. “There’s definitely going to be a lot of competition there,” says Caleb. “We’ll need a little luck, and we’ll need to nail the setup. If we have those two things, I think we can be in that A main.”
Having Gary Wright in his corner will help as well. “Gary will help my confidence,” says Caleb. “It will also help me to concentrate on the driving. It takes a lot to drive, worry about the track and the setup. So he will be a great help.”
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 Josh’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.
Photo: Caleb circles Battleground Speedway last Saturday (Carey Akin – www.ManvelMotorsports.com Photo)
Bill W Media
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia
Website: www.OpenWheel101.com
Monroe, IA USA