After a decade, Martin's still got the drive

Thomas Martin was the accomplished race car driver at his 10-year high school reunion Saturday night.And when Placer High's Class of 1996 gathered at The Ridge Golf Course in Auburn, a humble stock car driver was among them."I don't try to bring it up in conversation," the 28-year-old said. "A lot of people remembered me as a guy who raced in high school, so they were glad to see I was still doing it."Martin is more speed than suds - he said his ideal Saturday night is at the race track instead of the bar. Various classmates congratulated him for his work on national television just over two weeks ago, when Martin rode waves of varying emotions at the Toyota Showdown in Irwindale.He placed second overall at the 175-mile race that brings together the top 40 drivers in the AutoZone Elite Series, a collection of regional circuits that form a minor league for NASCAR. Passing Dan Fredrickson to move into second place on the 125th and final lap was a highlight of the Speed Channel telecast from Southern California.But Martin also raced for a serious cause. His car was adorned with a photo of Kristen Charbonneau, a Texan who was 26 when she vanished in 2005. She hasn't been heard from since.The National Center for Missing Adults used the race as a showcase for its own mission, allowing Martin - over 10 years since he began racing - to enter the unknown on a racetrack.Martin was one of 12 drivers whose car featured a missing person's likeness. He talked with Charbonneau's father by phone before the race. The two spoke again afterwards, but both men proved unable to get through the conversation without crying."I can't ever imagine going through something like they are. That was something completely new for me," Martin said. "It was a whole new feeling, a whole new experience. It added a lot more to the experience. One for publicity for my team and I, two because you're trying to help someone else with the cause."Both teammates and cheering section, Martin's family has been instrumental in his own racing success. Martin Motorsports spent around $100,000 this year, on the "lower end" of an average team in the Auto Zone Elite Series Southwest Tour according to Martin. Sister Janette is part of the pit crew."Nothing can equal that rush of a car coming straight at you in the pit," said Janette, 26. "I started changing engines in his car when I was 13."Janette's young son Johnathan makes it seven generations of Martins to live in the Auburn area. The family traces their local lineage back to 1849, when ancestors settled at a camp near Greenwood.Martin leaves today for Phoenix, where he'll race the Southwest Tour's final event of the season beginning Thursday. He's looking to follow others who've grown off their success at the Toyota Showdown. A jump to the upper-echelon Craftsman Truck Series is part of the eventual plan, as is NASCAR. A more realistic circuit for next year, the AuzoZone Grand National Series would also allow him to pad his racing skills - and lessen the stress on his family's bank account. "I'm excited," he said. "It gives my parents a break, so they don't have to stress over money. Ultimately, you learn more when you drive for someone else."In more ways than one.