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Ragin Cajun’ Crawfishes Way Back to Five Flags

Chuck Corder

The fat lady was warming up.

Hal Martin put a muzzle on her.

The aptly-named “Ragin Cajun� from Galliano, La., Martin had sold all of his pro late model equipment and tools a few years ago as he climbed the racing ladder.

It was a bittersweet moment, making the inevitable leap to the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) series.

That’s why Friday’s return to Five Flags Speedway for the Allen Turner Tucson 100 will be so special.

“I’m itching the scratch again,� said Martin, a mainstay in the pro late model division at Five Flags from 2006 to 2009. “I’m always gonna be loyal to Five Flags. They’ve all become like family, most of the personnel there. It’s a way to keep me in the seat, keep me sharp behind the wheel in preparation for next year.�

While his ARCA season — limited to five races in the Venturini Motorsports No. 55 this year — has come to a close, the 25 year old is in talks about moving to NASCAR’s trucks series next season.

“A lotta things have to fall into place,� admitted Martin, whose ARCA car is sponsored by NOLA Motorsports Park and U.S. Forensic. “But we’ve had a lotta good conversations with folks in Louisiana. They want to see me move up in my career. We’re moving talks along in a forward direction.�

This week, though, he’ll shove it in reverse, slipping back into a pro late model.

Martin was lucky enough to repurchase his 2008 chassis from the same driver he had sold it to.

“He had practiced it three times, and had never raced it,� Martin said of the last owner. “I’m called him outta the blue to see if he’d sell it back to me, and he said sure. I can’t way to go back to my roots.�

His roots bring him back to Five Flags for the first time in two years. As much of a figure and fan favorite Martin was at the famed half-mile asphalt oval, he has never won a race in Pensacola.

“I love the challenge of the speedway,� said Martin, who has sat on the pole several times. “I’ve raced at many different tracks throughout the country, and Five Flags is definitely the toughest racetrack I’ve ever been to. If you run well at Five Flags Speedway, it says something about driver’s talent. If you can figure it out there, you know you’re on.

“I’ve always had great, competitive, side-by-side races there.�

With a loaded 23-car field, Friday promises to be another exciting night. The Tucson 100 will feature some of the hottest late-model hotshoes in the southeast, including the most scorching of them all in Bubba Pollard.

Joining the Pros (100 green laps) will be Super Stocks (25 laps), Sportsmen (20 laps) and Bombers (20 laps).

The pit gate opens at 2 p.m. Friday and passes run $25. The grandstands open at 5 p.m. Friday and admission is as follows: $15 Adults; $14 Seniors/Military; $12 Students; $5 Child (6-11); Under 6 is Free.

“I travel all over the country,� Martin said, “and I’ve told everybody the toughest competition I’ve ever raced against is (at Five Flags). There are such competitive teams at Five Flags Speedway. Second to none; the drivers are great drivers.

“I’ve had really good (American Speed Association) late model guys tell me they’ve come down to Five Flags Speedway for events, and they’re struggling to make the top 10 because the level of competition is so high.�

Despite being extremely competitive, Martin has experienced some growing pains on the ARCA series this season.

After finishing third in just his second-ever ARCA race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2009, the Louisiana driver seemingly has had a voodoo curse put on him this year.

“We’ve qualified in the top five nearly every race and ran in the top three every single race until something always happens,� Martin said. “I’ve just had the worst luck I’ve ever had in my career. Everything has been outta my control.�

Still, Martin has to pinch himself when he gets the opportunity to run at marquee tracks, such as Chicago, Pocono and Talladega.

“It’s been phenomenal,� he said. “I’ve dreamed about doing this my whole life. I never thought I’d ever get the opportunity to do this. It’s a tremendous feeling getting to fulfill that opportunity.�

Martin hopes his dreams of taking his first checkered flag Five Flags Speedway comes true Friday.

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