At 38, Tommy Joe Martins may have stepped away from NASCAR competition, but only as a driver. He is the president and co-owner of Alpha Prime Racing, which competes full-time in the Xfinity Series. Before taking on this role, he actively pursued a Cup Series seat. Ever since he expressed interest in racing as a boy, his family has been a pillar of support.
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In an exclusive interview with The SportsRush, Martins spoke about the support they’ve lent him through the years. After driving under various banners for several seasons, he became a team owner when they helped him put Martins Motorsports together.
He said, “My dad and my mom have sacrificed a lot for me to get the chances I’ve gotten. Essentially, Martins Motorsports was their retirement and my inheritance all rolled up into one.
“Now, as it’s Alpha Prime, they still want to support however they can. I think they miss me driving even more than I do. They always wanted me to get a better shot than we were able to provide as a small team, but I know we did everything we could do.”
Martins drove for Martins Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, the Truck Series, the ARCA Racing Series, and the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour. He might not have reached as far as he did without the financial support that was offered to him, particularly with how tricky the sponsorship landscape has been these past few decades.
Why Martins left racing in the middle of his career
Despite starting racing at a young age, Martins had to press pause on his progress around age 16 due to financial reasons. He decided to pursue a degree in journalism at this point, but resumed racing during his sophomore year. The SportsRush asked him what prompted these sudden switches.
He replied with a laugh, “Well, the switch back happened because we went out of business. I mean, we failed at ownership the first time around, and I figured I needed to go back to school and finish my degree. I can tell you I took it a lot more seriously the second time around.”
In the tiny gap that he spent focusing on journalism, Martins specialized in broadcasting. He also directed a show for a local channel and did sports and news anchoring.
