by Roby Helm

Danny "The Hammer" Martin Jr. of Sarasota, FL at speed in his #00 Martin Structures, Inc. Schnee/ZRE. (Terry Caton photo)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. -- They call him "The Hammer." Danny Martin Jr. of Sarasota, FL got that nickname the first time he drove a go-kart.

The Hammer nailed down his first victory of the season Sunday night at Rome Speedway in Rome, GA in United Sprint Car Series action. Now he will try to pound the pavement this weekend in USCS Asphalt Thunder action at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL on Friday night, and Montgomery Motor Speedway in Montgomery, AL on Saturday night.

"When I first drove a go-kart, somebody said I really 'dropped the hammer' meaning I really stood on the gas," Martin said. "Ever since then, they have called me 'The Hammer' and it has stuck."

Martin is an 18-year-old winged outlaw sprint car driver with USCS, which is the only winged outlaw sprint car series in the country that competes on both dirt and asphalt tracks. That has a lot of significance in motorsports today, as many of the young guns in Nextel Cup racing come from a sprint car background running on both surfaces.

Pound-for-pound, winged outlaw sprint cars are the most powerful short track racing cars in the world. They weigh 1,300 pounds, and are powered by 700-horsepower, fuel-injected, methanol-burning V-8 engines. The power and their short wheelbase make them a handful to drive, but Martin is one of many youngsters in USCS that is learning how to control them.

"There is no other race car in the world that is quite like a Sprint Car when it comes to power and quick handling," Martin said. "It's one thing just to drive one of these cars, but it's another thing to compete against guys like Terry Gray and Kenny Adams. It was a great feeling to beat them at Rome, and it makes me want to do it again even more."

Gray is the defending and three-time USCS National Champion, and Adams is the winningest winged outlaw sprint car driver over the past four seasons with 103 feature race wins. Their success has come on both dirt and asphalt. Martin's win on Sunday came on the red Georgia clay. When it comes to asphalt, Martin is the first to admit, he still has some learning to do.

"We were a little late in getting our asphalt program going this year, and we still have a lot to learn," Martin said. "It's like starting all over again because it's so different than driving on dirt, and setting up the car for it. I'm looking forward to getting to Pensacola and Montgomery, and doing a little better than we did at the last asphalt race."

While Martin says he's still in a learning curve on the asphalt, he's proven by his performance in the three USCS Asphalt Thunder shows he's run that he's a quick study. Martin has two fifth-place showings and a sixth-place effort already against some of the best asphalt sprint car drivers in the country.

Along with the versatile dirt and pavement drivers like Gray, Adams, and Jim Raptis of Marietta, GA, the USCS Asphalt Thunder Tour has pavement specialist like Will Ragsdale of Easley, SC, Mansfield, OH drivers Doug Berryman and Joe Rebman, along with the top USCS Asphalt Thunder Rookie driver Troy DeCaire of Tampa, FL.

Martin, who is second in the USCS National points, second in the Outlaw Thunder Dirt Tour points, ninth in the Asphalt Thunder points, and third in the Sunbelt Tour points, is the leader of the USCS Florida "Fountain of Youth Gang" that is showing their versatility by running both dirt and asphalt tracks with USCS.

R.J. Johnson of Wesley Chapel, FL is 16-years-old, and is the top Rookie of the Year Candidate sitting fourth in the USCS National point standings. Tom Winegardner Jr. of Pierson, FL is a 19-year-old dirt specialist that will be making his asphalt debut this weekend in Pensacola and Montgomery. And it goes both ways, as DeCaire, at 18, is looking to try the dirt.

As these young drivers learn from the veterans on both dirt and pavement, they hope to someday show that they have what it takes to go to "the big show."

On Friday night at Five Flags Speedway, the pit gate will open at 3 p.m., the grandstand gate opens at 5 p.m., and practice is set for 4 p.m. Racing action on the half-mile high-banked asphalt oval is scheduled for 8 p.m. Local support divisions will be the Modifieds, Super Stocks, Spectators, and Bombers.

For more information call Five Flags Speedway at (850) 944-8400, or visit the track's web site at www.fiveflagsspeedway.com. Five Flags Speedway is located 1.5 miles south of I-10 at exit 7a on State Road 297.

On Saturday night at Montgomery Motor Speedway, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m., the grandstand gate opens at 5 p.m., practice is scheduled for 4 p.m., and racing is set for 7:30 p.m. Along with the USCS Asphalt Thunder winged outlaw sprint cars, the Montgomery Motor Speedway Super Stock and Pure Stock Divisions will also be in action on the half-mile high-banked paved oval.

For more information call Montgomery Motor Speedway at (334) 262-6101, or visit the track's web site at www.montgomeryspeedway.com. Montgomery Motor Speedway is located 4.7 miles west of West Blvd. (Alt U.S. Highway 31) on County Road 54, then north on Booth Road.

For the latest news, information, point standings, and schedules, visit the USCS web site at www.uscsracing.com.



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