Gil, Ford Martin have deep bond rooted in auto racing

The hard work and excitement from the race weekend has subsided and both of the Martin males have assumed their usual positions on the couch: Each has a hand behind the head while the other grips a Popsicle; both sets of feet are crossed at the ankles.

Passing by, wife and mother Ronda Martin laughs to herself.

A young Ford Martin with Kevin Harvick as he gets interviewed.

"I think 'what in my life did I do right to deserve these boys, they are really two peas in a pod, I can't believe how close they are some times," said Ronda, referring to husband Gil Martin, crew chief for the No. 29 RCR Chevrolet and her 13-year-old son, Ford Martin, his father's biggest supporter both on the pit box and at home.

"Ford wakes up in the morning; the first thing he thinks about is his is dad. His world is his daddy because daddy is Santa, Spider Man and Superman all rolled into one," she added.

The father-son relationship is not just cemented in paternal bonds but also fortified through the sport of NASCAR, where both share a passion for racing and have come to lead their own separate yet parallel roles in the sport.

Gil is the crew chief every Sunday and Ford often gives his father surprisingly valuable insight and advice for his age, but the teenager also is striving to become the next legendary voice of NASCAR. Ford wants to be up in the broadcast booth calling races for TNT.

"We've been taking Ford to races with us since he was three months old," Gil said. "When he got older he started putting tape on the carpet in the shape of the race track I was at. He would then get all his cars out and with a Sharpie write the pit stalls on the tape and other details. And if a driver got a new sponsor that year, he took out the finger nail polish remover and painted on the new, accurate one."

If it was a night race, Ford got out his flash lights for authenticity and if the track was under a rain delay you can bet there'd be water on the floor too. But most entertaining for his father was to listen to his son commentate the race. (Continued)