North Andover, Mass., November 11, 2006 – Jim Martel, the veteran driver/owner from Ipswich, Mass., will be honored at a major celebration in North Andover, Mass. on Sunday afternoon, November 26th. The dinner will be hosted by the Legends of Auto Racing, which honored the injured Billy Murphy last year and Ollie Silva and Red LaRoche in 2004.
It would be difficult to find an aspect of short track racing in the Northeast (including Norwood Arena) on which Martel has not made a major impact. He has seen extraordinary success behind the wheel of supers, modifieds, sprinters, and late models. He has also been a skilled car builder and has traveled nationally crewing on Silver Crown teams. Perhaps even more fundamentally, however, he has been the informal leader of that string of amazing racing characters out of the Cape Ann area that includes Bentley Warren, Eddie Perkins, Jimmy Carter, the Rousseau Brothers, and Chris Perley. Jim has been supporter and mentor to dozens of younger racers, but most of all to his son Scott, who continues his own exceptional driving career in ISMA today.
The program on the 26th will be especially poignant as it not only celebrates Jim’s fiftieth year in racing but also the fiftieth anniversary of his marriage to Barbara, one of New England racing’s First Ladies.
Speakers, video interviews, and rare racing footage will be part of the program. The activities will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the China Blossom Restaurant on Rt. 125, North Andover. There will be an all-you-can-eat buffet and a cash bar.
Tickets and further information are available for $45 by calling Wes Pettengill at 603 474-9839 and Rick Eastman at 978 360-8810. Ticket info is also available online at www.thepinesspeedway.com All proceeds from the event will benefit Jim’s chosen charity, RACING AGAINST CANCER.
