Offseason Spotlight: Stephen Martin Bursts onto Tiger Scene as Top Rookie

Barre, VT – Usually, when a driver moves up a division, there’s at least a short learning curve. They’re adjusting to cars that are faster, bigger and handle differently than their previous car, and are going up against different competition, too.

For Craftsbury’s Stephen Martin, however, there was no such learning curve in 2019. The 2018 Allen Lumber Street Stock Champion burst onto the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger scene in a big way. At season’s end, he was the 2019 Flying Tiger Rookie of the Year and served notice he will be one to watch for years to come.

It seems crazy to think a driver could win the Flying Tiger championship as a rookie. But Martin very nearly did just that in his #9VT Gene Depot Pressure Washing Chevy. In the second event of the year, the then-16-year-old Martin took home a fifth-place finish. This began a streak of 12 straight top-10 finishes. It would have been a remarkable stretch for anyone in a division that averaged nearly 27 cars per event, let alone someone in their first year.

When racing concluded on June 21 – a night that included both a make-up and a regular Tiger feature – Martin was sitting atop the points. Not the rookie standings, mind you – the overall standings. He continued to hold the lead well into July. Entering the double-point Mid-Season Championships, Martin had a 41-point lead over Waterbury Center’s Jason Woodard, and plenty of drivers were ready to rip the rookie stripe right off his bumpers.

While Martin continued the top-10 streak at the Mid-Season Championships, his 10th-place combined with Woodard’s win saw Martin fall to second in points. He continued charging, though, both to stay in the championship chase and to remain ahead of fellow rookie Logan Powers (who was putting together his own run of top-10s). Following back-to-back 2nd-place finishes on August 8 and 15, Martin was back in the points lead – the sixth week of the year he had been on top.

Unfortunately for Martin, it all came apart down the stretch. Martin was disqualified from his heat race on August 22 for a height infraction and got stuck in traffic for the entire 40-lap feature. Then at the Labor Day Classic make-up on September 14, Martin’s car shut down partway through the main event. These results, combined with strong finishes by Woodard, dropped Martin out of the title chase. He had problems again in the point-counting season finale on September 22 before rebounding for a top-10 in the Mini Milk Bowl.

Despite the late-season slump, it was still a rookie season to remember for Martin. His three podium finishes, seven top-5s, and 12 top-10s helped him hold off Powers for Rookie of the Year and take fourth in the final point standings. Martin also tied for second place in the Myers Container Service Triple Crown Series points.

Martin was unable to attend the Thunder Road Banquet of Champions, but he was still recognized for his outstanding season. He will certainly be one of the favorites for the championship in 2020.