Ken Gilreath Sponsors Xfinity Race Series
Ken Gilreath Sponsors Xfinity Race Series – NASCAR 2020!
Tommy Joe Martins of Martins Motorsports is driving the sponsored AAN Adjusters and Gilreath Farms cars this season.
Q&A with Tommy Joe
1. A lot of time as fans we don’t really get to see who you are: we see the racer, Tommy, more than the person. So, tell me one thing as a fan I wouldn’t suspect about you? Like what do you like doing outside of racing if anything?
1A. As far as hobbies I think I’m a pretty typical guy. I live in Las Vegas and travel to the races so I play poker and golf. I watch sports -especially anything Ole Miss related. Also, I play a lot of sports video games and go out to have the occasional beer. Overall, life outside of racing is pretty boring.
2. I read a while back on your personal website you started racing late in your opinion. What advice could you give to a kid who is starting late but has huge dreams? Or better yet what advice could you give kids who are out racing go-karts every weekend but doesn’t come from the family with a lot of money?
2A. Stop having those dreams. Really. I actually had a couple of kids here in Las Vegas that met with me about that recently. I had to sort of telling them there was no Santa Claus. Racing is very expensive. It’s better to understand that on the front end. It doesn’t matter how good you are, nobody is going to pay for you to do it. You need to find a way to get some money behind you to move up the ladder in the sport. For me, that was my father he has paid for nearly all my forays into NASCAR..very expensively. It’s cost my family hundreds of thousands of lost dollars. I regret it in a lot of ways. I want people to understand the realities of it before they ever decide to go down the path that I’m currently on. Age has nothing to do with it you can start at any age you want – you just need to make sure you have the backing necessary.
If you look at racing as a fun hobby and stay within your means, it’ll never disappoint you. Look at it like Jeff Gordon. You’re in for a really upsetting time. If you don’t have money, learn to work in a car. That’s your best shot. Guys like Josh Williams and Jordan Anderson come to mind. They work on their own stuff and get paid as mechanics – not as race car’s drivers. That’s another path but still extremely difficult.
NASCAR Xfinity Race Series
Tommy Joe Martins takes on Pocono Raceway this Sunday in the AAN Adjusters car. Make sure you catch the races live here! Find AAN Adjusters, Gilreath Farms, and Tommy Joe Martins on all social media platforms as well.
As always, thanks for the support!