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GM PERFORMANCE’S BILL MARTENS RECEIVES BOB CROSS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
DAWSONVILLE, GA – GM Performance Special Projects Manager Bill Martens received the Bob Cross Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award during the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Awards Banquet on Saturday night at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and Thunder Road USA Museum.
GM Performance Parts Special Projects Manager Bill Martens (L) receives
the Bob Cross Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award from NeSmith Chevrolet
Dirt Late Model Series Founder and Director Mike Vaughn during the series
Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday night at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
and Thunder Road USA Museum in Dawsonville, GA.
(Photo by Angela Williamson)
The Bob Cross Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award is presented each
year by the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series in memory of the late
Bob Cross, a GM Racing Engineer, who developed the GM Performance 604 and
602 Crate Engines that power the race cars in the series.
Cross lost his life as the result of a highway accident in 2010.
Cross and Martens worked together for several years on the GM
Performance Circle Track Program, and in presenting the award at the
banquet, NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Founder and Director
Mike Vaughn spoke about how the talents of these two men complemented each
other.
“Bob Cross was a man that didn’t show much emotion, but he was
intense about talking nuts and bolts,” Vaughn said.
“In a working relationship, Bill Martens probably knew Bob Cross
better than anyone. When Bob
Cross got the GM Performance Crate Engine ready for on-track competition,
the nuts and bolts phase of the project that Bob Cross was so prolific in
was completed.”
Vaughn then spoke about how Martens carried on with the next phase
of the GM Performance Parts Crate Engine Program after he joined the GM
Performance Parts team in 2004 as Special Projects Manager.
“Someone was needed to pick up the ball and carry the GM
Performance Parts Crate Engine project to the next phase, and that was
getting the engines and the information about the engines to the
racers,” Vaughn said. “That
someone was Bill Martens, and he did a great job at it.
I have had the pleasure of working with Bill Martens from the
beginning of the program in 2004, first as a car owner, and then as the
director of a sanctioning body. His
marketing efforts were very convincing, as I was sold quickly on this
program.”
Martens was caught by surprise in being named the recipient of the
Bob Cross Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award, and almost missed the
presentation.
“It’s not very often that I’m at a loss for words, but this
is one of those times,” Martens said.
“This is a total surprise, and I almost missed it.
I had just presented the GM Performance Crew Chief of the Year
Award, and then stepped out of the room to go to the rest room.
When I came back, I saw myself in a video presentation on the big
screen.”
Martens then reflected on his relationship with Bob Cross, where
the program has come from, and where it is going in the future.
“All of us at GM Performance Parts miss Bob Cross every day, but
we all work hard to see that the vision he had of producing a racing
engine that is affordable to all racers continues to grow and be
successful,” Martens said. “Bob
Cross would be proud of the success of the this program, and as we rebrand
GM Performance Parts to Chevrolet Performance Parts, Bob would be excited
about the new series involving the last project he worked on, the CT525
Engine.”
Earlier in the evening, Vaughn announced the formation of a new
super late model series with race cars powered by the GM Performance CT525
Engine. The new series will
begin in 2013 with a 22 to 24-race schedule and a point fund that will pay
$30,000 to the champion.
“Bob Cross and the rest of us with GM Performance worked together
with Mike Vaughn, his staff at the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model
Series, and driver Ronnie Johnson to bring the CT525 through a three-year
R&D program that has shown that this engine is affordable, competitive
and durable,” Martens said. “With
the CT525 Engine available to the racers for less than $7,000, it will
help both the competitors and promoters by returning super late model
racing to an affordable level for everyone, as the promoters can pass this
savings on to the fans to keep tickets affordable.”
Martens has spent 37 years in the automotive parts marketing field.
Before coming to GM Performance Parts in 2004, Martens had also
worked for TRW, Clevite-McCord Gaskets, Federal-Mogul, and Ford SVT.
He has developed marketing plans and strategies for distributors
and dealerships across the country.
For more information about the NeSmith
Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com,
or visit the series on Facebook at NeSmith Racing.
Becoming a fan of the NeSmith Racing Facebook page will make you
eligible for special prizes that will be given away each month.
You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.
NeSmith
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith
Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. NeSmith
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is the nation’s number one GM Powertrain Dealer
four years running, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast.
Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith
Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Hoosier
Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt
Late Model Series. VP Racing
Fuel is the Official Racing Fuel of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model
Series. Hedman Hedders is the
Official Hedder of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and the
Hedman Husler Award sponsor. RockAuto.com
is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for
2012 are Dominator Race Products, Race Car Engineering,
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