MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Three years after shuttering operations, Martins Motorsports is returning to NASCAR national series competition next year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The team, owned by Craig Martins and Rodney Riessen, will field the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro for driver Tommy Joe Martins. The team plans to contest the full Xfinity Series schedule with Martins sharing driving duties with at least one other driver.
“It’s so exciting,” said Tommy Joe Martins. “Extremely nerve wracking but also really exciting. We’ve learned so much over these last few years about this series & the business as a whole. I’ve improved a lot as a driver. Having Rodney [Riessen] as a partner in this thing is a game changer. He’s just as passionate about the success of this team as dad & I are.”
Martins Motorsports last competed in NASCAR in 2017, with the team competing in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series before ceasing operations.
Tommy Joe Martins has run part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since then, making 46 starts between BJ McLeod Motorsports and MPM Motorsports. He has a best finish of 11th in Xfinity Series competition.
The team will have sponsorship from Diamond Gusset Jeans. The team hopes to add additional sponsorship in the coming weeks and months.
“We’ve done this before. We know how hard it is,” Tommy Joe Martins said. “We’ve done it right and we’ve done it wrong. The biggest difference this time is my experience and the school of hard knocks both my dad and Rodney have had to learn from to get to this point. We’ve also got some great partners with Diamond Gusset, AAN Adjusters and a few others that hopefully we’ll be announcing very soon. Everyone is all in to make this thing work.”
Tommy Joe Martins made it clear that he does not want to drive the car full-time and would gladly share the No. 44 entry should a funded driver be found.
“I’d gladly step out. I love driving these cars, but the best thing financially for this race team is to have me as a part-time driver, not a full-time one,” Martins said. “Right now I just want to focus on starting this year strong, getting us up in the points and proving to everyone this is a competitive race team. I think everything takes care of itself from that point on.”