By DAN BARILE
Eagle Times Correspondent
For family, friends, and countless individuals who were involved with Claremont Motorsports Park throughout the years, the recent loss of Todd Martell is one which leaves a significant void. Martell was well-known locally for his extensive knowledge and experience in the racing world, but what became even more apparent as I spoke with people who knew him was his willingness to help anyone.
Steve Bly was a close friend of Martell’s throughout his adult life.
“We’ve been friends for 34 years, and he was like a brother to me. I’m definitely going to miss him a bunch.” Bly added, “Todd did a bunch of stuff for everybody. He was always the guy that if someone needed a part, he’d lend it to them. If they needed advice, he’d give it to them. He would help anybody.”
Erik Smith is a local racer who raced for Martell’s brother over 20 years ago before returning to racing after some time off.
“He was really involved in the short-track scene for so many years,” Erik Smith said. “He was basically a staple there.” Smith added, “Once I got back into racing about five years ago, he’d come over and he’d talk about his grandkids and how well they were doing and just how proud of them he really was. He always offered help to me and would come over and shoot the breeze and see how things were going. It was nice after all that time that he still cared. He was just a great guy who absolutely loved his grandkids.”
Jimmy Zellman is another local racer who highlighted the role Martell played in his life.
“In these few short years of racing, you were the one man to have the most impact on me. Even though I was racing against your team, you still would take the time to talk to me and guide me any way you could. [I] was fortunate to meet the man who molded me into the racer I am today.”
Martell spent a significant amount of time with his grandson Colton Martin, who is a very successful local racer.
“He did everything with Colton,” Joey Jarvis said. “I could tell how much Colton looked up to him and how much he contributed to the car and the team. We loved him a lot.”
Martell played a major role in getting Martin started with racing go karts at age 7.
“He always helped with my go karts, and as I moved up the ranks, he continued to help work on my race cars,” Martin said. “We went on to win 11 championships and 115 races. He never missed one race.”
Martin highlighted his memories of traveling to races with his grandfather to races at Claremont Motorsports Park, Monadnock Speedway, Lee USA Speedway and Hudson International Speedway.
“I’m really going to miss his enthusiasm and personality,” said Martin.
According to the Claremont Motorsports Karting Series Facebook page, “This Sunday, July 14 is our next race. In memory of Todd, we will have the Martin Family Racing pure stock on display. He put a ton of time into this car that ended up being a 3-time track champion car with 17 wins. This will be a race dedicated to him!”
This weekend’s dedication is a fitting way to honor a man who impacted so many both on and off the track.
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