Ken Gilreath Sponsors NASCAR
Ken Gilreath Sponsors NASCAR driver Tommy Joe Martins in the 2020 Xfinity Race Series!
I started my NASCAR career in 2009. We ran 4 races with our own truck, running in the top 25, and gaining experience along the way. In 2010 I discovered my love for superspeedway racing when we ran the ARCA race at Daytona and finished 8th. We’d always been such an underfunded team. To take an effort that spent 1/10th of the money of some of the larger teams and still post a top 10 finish was a proud moment. We went back in 2011 and finished 14th.
Then, because of a lack of funding, I had to hang up my helmet again. I went back to Ole Miss and finished my degree. I then started to work in the journalism field before Martins Motorsports return to NASCAR in 2014.
We ran half the year in the NASCAR Nationwide series and had a season-best 14th place finish at Talladega. There were more downs than ups. We had to start and park a lot of the races because of a lack of sponsorship. It was still a tremendous experience both behind the wheel & as part of a business.
I put my driving skills to use in a different way in 2015. I worked as a racing instructor at Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain, right outside Las Vegas, NV. This is a place I still work part-time. For nearly 5 years I’ve been able to pass on my love of racing at the official driving school of Corvette. Pretty neat.
In 2016, we re-opened our family team for a full-time effort in my favorite series of all, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It was another tough, emotional year for myself, my family, and Martins Motorsports. I chronicled the entire experience in my BLOG if you want to catch up.
2017 was a year full of new opportunities. I drove for MDM Motorsports at Daytona. After that, Martins Motorsports shifted from Trucks to the Xfinity Series after our race at Atlanta. Then I got an offer to drive for BJ McLeod’s Xfinity Team on a partial schedule. This was while our team focused back on the truck series with Austin Wayne Self.
It was a great move for everyone involved. With BJMM I posted my best ever career NASCAR finish at Iowa Speedway – 11th place. It was a milestone for me & the whole team. Also, Martins Motorsports finished off the season with multiple top-15 runs.
Last year, I moved to a new team, MBM to continue running a partial schedule. We scored a couple of top-20 finishes & showed a lot of speed towards the end of the year. In 2020, I’ve headed home to Martins Motorsports again for a full schedule in the Xfinity Series. I cannot express how excited I am to have all of this come together to create the best opportunity for my career.
See you at the track,
Tommy Joe Martins
Ken Gilreath
Ken Gilreath, of AAN Adjusters and Gilreath Farms (the red angus car), is the official sponsor for Tommy Joe Martins this season.
Tommy Joe finished 15th at Talladega last weekend, and is ready to take on Pocono THIS Sunday! Catch it live here!