In the Pits- GINN

Martin ‘living a dream’ with Ginn Racing

“I’m the happiest I’ve been in my life,” Mark Martin told a group of reporters at the annual Lowe’s Motor Speedway Media Tour. Grinning ear-to-ear, the veteran driver went on to elaborate.

“I just can’t believe that I have been presented with this opportunity to do something that I wanted so much,” said Martin. “There are just so many things going on here at Ginn Racing—in addition to driving the car. Working with all of these young drivers is especially rewarding to me. Drivers like Ricky Carmichael; he’s going to be driving my car down in Florida this year. I do have a short track program, and getting the chance to race Ricky down in Florida is going to be a lot of fun.

“I really see the vision of the five-year plan,” said Martin, “even more than I did when I signed up for this thing. It’s really starting to all materialize in front of me, and I can see the thrill and the excitement of the challenge as we start to take off on our plan. Bobby Ginn has given me a great opportunity, and I am thankful for that. It’s like I am living a dream here.”

“What we’ve tried to do is come in and be good partners with Jay (Frye, CEO/GM) and the team,” said Bobby Ginn, owner of MB2 Motorsports. “We’ve worked hard to make improvements where necessary, such as bringing in Gary DeHart (shop operations manager) and other changes we have made. We had to get started quickly, and our business plan is pretty much laid out for the next five years. We didn’t go into this with a short-term attitude; we went into this with a plan, and we knew it would take a long time to develop the shop and develop the way we work together in the shop.

“What I’m not asking people to believe is that we are going to go out and win the series next year,” added Ginn. “But we are committed to a five-year plan to really grow into a team than can and will compete at that level. The amount that we have in place already is very important and the way we promote our teams. Having good sponsors and having them be successful is something that is key to building a good, strong team that can compete down the road.”

Martin seems to have found new purpose with Ginn, not only as one of the top drivers on the circuit, but as a mentor and a teacher to Ginn’s crop of development drivers, all of whom will benefit from Martin’s tutelage and direction.

“He has not only the ability to go out and win races, but also the desire to help come in here and build the development program,” said Ginn. “He is just a tremendous asset to Ginn Racing and we are very excited about his being here.”

Martin also remains excited about his driving duties as well as his role as a teacher.

“I’m excited about driving the U.S. Army Chevy, and we have more big announcements to come,” added Martin. “It’s just a big transition year for me, after 19 years, but we have a lot going on this year, and we are just really excited about what we have coming up in the near future and down the road as well.”

NASCAR IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING, INC.