Offseason Spotlight: Jeffrey Martin Finishes the Job as Street Stock Champion

Barre, VT – No matter whether you’re racing in the NASCAR Cup series or a local entry-level division, being a champion is a big deal. Hometown racer Jeffery Martin can attest to that, as the 31-year-old Barre veteran was overcome with emotion on September 22 after securing the 2019 Allen Lumber Street Stock championship. Martin is in his second go-round in the Street Stock ranks after winning multiple races in the early 2010s, and he wrapped up the decade in style by holding off 2014 division champion Tommy “Thunder” Smith for the crown.

Like 2019 Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model Champion Jason Corliss, Martin finished runner-up in the 2018 standings. In racing and other sports, coming in second often results in one of two things the following year. Sometimes the driver or team comes back more motivated than ever and is right in the hunt again. NASCAR Cup champions such as Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Bobby Labonte, and Tony Stewart all won titles the year after they finished second. Other times, they’re so dispirited that the next season is over before it even begins – such as when Mark Martin finished 2nd in 2002 Cup points and fell to 17th the following year.

After the first event of 2019, no one knew which it was going to be for Martin, because he got caught up in an early wreck and finished 25th. He followed that with a win on Memorial Day – one where he started front because of that wreck. But it was clear two events later that the championship fire was there. Martin finished second the next time out, then won again on June 14. In just three races, he’d gone from that 25th-place to leading the standings. His lead grew as large as 51 points by early August, and at one point, he was riding a streak of 12 straight top-10 finishes

Then August 15 came. With the heat races getting ready to line-up, the electrical system in Martin’s #8 Catamount Concrete Cutting Chevy went up in flames, leaving him staring at a night on the sidelines. But out of the blue, fellow hometown racer Tyler Pepin volunteered to be a last-minute sub, putting his own hopes aside for the night to help save his friend’s championship dreams. While the top-10 streak ended, Pepin earned enough points to keep his friend atop the title chase.

Still, when the Thursday night schedule concluded, Martin’s lead over Smith had shrunk all the way to 12 points. But it was then that Martin made the final move. He grabbed his third win of the season at Four Cylinder Saturday on August 31, stretching the gap back to 33 points with one event remaining. It was enough so he could confidently bring home the title in the season finale and put his name in the record books as a Thunder Road champion.

Martin’s final numbers for 2019 included 3 wins, 7 top-5s, and 13 top-10s in 17 starts. His average finish of 7.76 was nearly a full spot better than runner-up Smith’s 8.53, with nobody else within striking distance of the lead duo.

Martin is already hard at work for the 2020 season. His team is building a new race car to defend the crown while young Road Warrior racer Kyler Davis will be taking over the car Martin won the championship with. Nonetheless, the DMR Racing team took the time to celebrate Martin’s first season-long championship (they won the Twin State Series title in 2018). In fact, the only bad thing for Martin about becoming a champion was needing to give a speech at the Banquet of Champions, as he is notoriously shy about public speaking.

“I’ve been dreading this day since that championship picture was taken,” Martin said with a laugh at the banquet.

Martin went on to thank track owners Cris Michaud and Pat Malone along with the staff for providing a place to race. He also gave a special thank-you to Pepin for his role in the title along with all his family and sponsors.