With the right personnel and the right parts already on board, driver Joey martin was a Pro Mod Challenge win just looking for a place to happen. That place turned out to be Englishtown's Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
Backed by the crew chief (Chuck Ford) and the car ('67 Mustang) that helped Mike Ashley to the 2005 series championship, Martin won his first career AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by RPM Depot title on June 18, outrunning Brandon Pesz in the K&N Filters SuperNationals final, 6.200/231.36 to 6.253/229.63. The final was the second straight on the Pro Mod Challenge tour for Martin, who was runner-up to Jay Payne in Bristol.
Martin (shown) and the Tindle/TARE team were strong throughout the weekend, qualifying No. 3 with a 6.12, then running three straight 6-teen e.t.'s to reach the final. That series of runs included a small measure of revenge over Payne, who fell to Martin in the semi's, 6.16 to 6.21, and saw his winning streak end at six rounds.
With the win, Martin jumped from seventh to second place in the AMS-RPM points standings. His points total after four events is 1,036, which trails only Payne's 1,458 and is roughly a full round-win in front of third-place Joshua Hernandez's 943.
For Pesz, who was racing in his first Pro Mod Challenge final, winning three rounds was a welcome antidote to a disappointing DNQ at Bristol. He qualified No. 12, but then found ways to win in eliminations, beating three higher qualified drivers -- No. 5 Matt Hagan, No. 4 Cody Barklage, and No. 8 Chip King -- to earn a shot at the event title. He jumped six spots in the standings and now sits in the No. 11 spot, just 23 points behind Troy Critchley for a place in the top 10.
Words by Duke Ritenhouse
Photos by Ron Lewis
6/20/06