Leading the pack

After almost five decades as a Competitive racecar driver, Westport Native “radical” Rick Martin has had success on tracks from florida to Canada. but he’ll be the first to tell you that he didn’t do it alone.

At the age of 65, Martin credits his achievements to “family, friends, fans, and sponsors,” who have supported him in a variety of ways, enabling his success and keeping his love for the sport alive.

With every victory lap he has taken and every autograph he has signed, Martin’s passion for racecars has been about the fans, not the fortune.

“Whenever it becomes a routine or begins to feel like a job, I see the fans and the little kids jumping for joy when I win, wearing my hats or my t-shirts and that makes it all worthwhile,” Martin says. “They make it exciting to go to the track. The fans are the reason I still do it.”

And Martin has been doing it for quite a while. For 48 seasons he has raced trucks and stock cars at Seekonk Speedway, doing at least four races every Saturday night. As of now, he is one of only two drivers who has won more than a hundred races at the iconic South Coast racetrack. And Martin has seen his share of checkered flags. His resume includes 20 victories in the NASCAR Winston Racing Series, including two championships at Thompson International Speedway in Connecticut (‘97 and ‘98). He has had wins in the Pro All-Star Series in Maine and New Hampshire, as well as a win with the NASCAR Busch Series in 1987. In 2022, he won the Northeast Regional Championship while placing third nationally in the NASCAR Truck Division 4 Series.

Martin comes from a family and community of racecar enthusiasts. His father, Joe, raced at Seekonk Speedway for 23 years, while working at Four Square Auto and Martin’s Auto Repairs, both in Westport. Martin has seen the sport evolve from its early years to become the multi-billion dollar industry it is today.

“Growing up it seemed like every garage had a souped-up race car in it that were basically cars from the junkyard,” he recalls. “They just put in a seat and a roll cage and brought it to the race track. From the age of seven all I knew were go-karts, mini bikes and dirt bikes, and I just went from there. My mother Marilyn was bringing me to the track every weekend from when I was six months old.”

Martin’s interest was fueled by the adults around him. Some of his father’s racing friends included local “heroes” such as Johnny Tripp, Jim Wilkins, Fred Astle, Deke Astle, Bugsy Stevens, and Lenny Bolher, all of whom competed at Seekonk.

“My first car was a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda that I bought for $40 with my friend Deke Astle. I was 17,” Martin recalls. “I soon realized that my road car, a Chevy Camaro, was faster than my race car so I switched the motors.”

From stock to stern

Martin’s old school approach to maintaining his cars saves him time and money. Not only does he make most of his own repairs, he also does the design work for the outside of his cars.

“Back in the day, you used to be able to make a racecar out of something you bought at a junkyard. You knew your car from the lug nuts to the crankshaft. Nowadays you have to give a lot of money to someone else to get anything fixed. There’s an advantage I have by being able to tweak it myself rather than having to send it out every week for repairs.”

And in 48 years Martin has had his share of accidents on the track.

“There’s always danger involved,” he says, “but I have an on-board fire extinguisher system, a harness, a fire suit, head gear, and a roll cage. It’s probably safer than driving on a freeway.”

Martin inherited the nickname “Radical” in the early 1980s when a young fan approached him with a sticker he had found in a cereal box with the name “Radical Rick.” The driver was so smitten with the gift that he immediately stuck it on his stock car, much to the joy of the young admirer.

“Some people will tell me they’ve been watching me since they were six years old,” Martin says. “Some of these kids look at me like I’m Richard Petty.”

One of his youngest fans is six-year-old Tyler Brightman of Assonet. Tyler is a thirdgeneration fan of Martin – his father and grandfather (both named Ed Brightman) have been followers of the racer for decades. Their company, Brightman Lumber in Freetown, began sponsoring Martin in June of last year.

“When I was a little kid, six years old, Rick had a 94 WHJY car that was metallic blue, – it stood out above any other car,” Brightman Jr. says. “That’s what drew me to him, the colors really got my attention. In addition to that he was the local guy who did well – he won a lot, he did very well.”

Another member of the Brightman family, Patti Brightman, owns a house with Martin in Freetown. She uses her business skills as manager of the lumber company to manage Martin’s career.

Martin’s pit crew includes his father as Crew Chief, in addition to Ed Silva of Swansea, Jim Powers of Fall River, Ed Brightman Sr., Ed Brightman Jr., John Brightman IV and Westport native Rick Lambert of Florida.

“As a person, Rick’s one of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve ever met,” Brightman Jr. says. “He’s very appreciative and thankful for everything he has and any help he gets from the people around him. It’s very rare these days to find somebody like that.”

Sean McCarthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.