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“Louisiana Native Charges Forward with Daytona Open Testing Jan 11- 13″

(MOORESVILLE, N.C. – January 11, 2011) - The weather in Mooresville, NC might be snow and ice this January, but 25-year-old Louisiana native Hal Martin, nicknamed “the Ragin’ Cajun” in racing – is ready to kick it up a notch in the ARCA Series presented by Menards at Daytona. The Gulf Coast native has signed with legendary Venturini Motorsports and its championship team to run select races in 2011 – beginning with the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Martin, one of only a handful of college graduates in stock car racing – as a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of New Orleans – was also a top-10 finisher at the 2010 ARCA race in Talladega for Venturini Motorsports. Martin will begin his 2011 season piloting a Venturini Motorsports Toyota at the newly-repaved 2.5-mile superspeedway for three days of ARCA Series open testing today through Thursday.

“I’m really looking forward to hitting the track again at Daytona,” Martin said. “I had a bit of a head start on the field by being able to participate in the Hoosier Tire Test here in December for Venturini Motorsports – so I feel I had a good chance to get somewhat acclimated to the track with some laps logged. Any seat time is fantastic, so I’m ready to jump back in for not only three more days of testing, but also a solid year with several starts. We’re in this for solid finishes for a championship team.”

Tom Venturini, Public Relations Director at Venturini Motorsports, is optimistic about Martin’s potential in the Venturini stable in 2011. “We’ve got strong talent among all of our drivers, and our reputation stands behind the equipment and support we’re able to provide each and every one of them. Hal has proven his talent for our organization in the past, as well as on the gulf coast late model tracks. We’re really excited to see how he’ll perform this season. He has tremendous talent. We’re hopeful he will not only add more top 10s to that resume, but also top 5s and maybe even a trip to Victory Lane.”

Despite the fact that Martin did not get behind the wheel of his first car until he was 15 years old, his success came at early with the Louisiana State Shifter Kart Championship in 2004. After completing several successful prestigious driving programs, Martin also went on to become the Mobile International Speedway Track Champion in the Pro Late Model Division in 2007. He was also crowned Louisiana State Champion in 2007 by Late Model Digest and took two more wins at gulf coast tracks in 2008.

“In 2009 and 2010, I was able to get a good variety in my driving and also get experience at different tracks,” Martin continued. “When the call came to race Talladega for the Venturinis, I jumped at the chance. It’s the opportunity that every driver wants – to be able to showcase his or her driving skills with a championship organization. We’re actively working on securing marketing partners for additional racetracks. I know we’re going to continue this momentum in 2011 together, and I’m ready to go get some great results for such a respected team.”

Martin plans to make five official starts with Venturini Motorsports in 2011 – to include Daytona, Talladega, Chicagoland, Pocono and Michigan. He joins teammates Firestone Indy Lights driver Alastair Jackson, Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Max Gresham and USAC Champion Darren Hagan in an impressive rookie class of 2011 for Venturini Motorsports.

ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS:

Venturini Motorsports, fielding cars in the ARCA Racing Series, is one of the premier NASCAR Driver Development Programs in the country. Since 2007, Venturini Motorsports has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Scott Lagasse Jr., Brian Scott, John Wes Townley, Marc Davis, Steve Arpin and Mikey Kile. For more information on the Venturini Motorsports Driver Development program, visit www.VenturiniMotorsports.com. Find them on Facebook at Venturini Motorsports and Twitter: @VenturiniMotor.

ABOUT HAL MARTIN:

Martin, in only four years of stock car racing and limited starts, has 36 top 5 finishes and 37 top 10 finishes under his belt in ARCA Series presented by Menards, Pro Late Models, ASA Late Models. Martin also holds the title of 2007 Mobile International Speedway Track Champion; 2007 Louisiana State Champion; and track record holder at Mobile International Speedway. Off the track, Martin is a certified Mechanical Engineer with a degree from the University of New Orleans. His 2011 plans include driving in the esteemed Venturini Motorsports stable under the ARCA Series presented by Menards. For more information, visit www.HalMartinRacing.com. Facebook: Hal Martin (Athlete). Twitter: @HalMartinRacing.

- Girl Friday PR & Marketing Press Release