Call it even with an asterisk.
With his victory over Gov. Kelly Ayotte in a simulated stock car clash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Mark Martin pulled out his second victory in the Granite State.
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Believe it or not, Martin has now won as many races here as Ayotte has — two. But the real winners Sunday were Somersworth and Groveton high schools, which took home $5,000 apiece from the event hosted by the New Hampshire Lottery.
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and then governor in 2024, Ayotte is running for reelection and figured being battle-tested wouldn’t hurt. So, when NASCAR came back to town, she agreed to strap in and take on Martin in a lighthearted head-to-head with a legend whose very last career victory was coincidentally in Loudon.
Unlike the race for governor though, this one was virtually over before it began.
“You still got it,” Ayotte said after losing the three-lap contest.
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“I don’t know about that. I don’t think so,” said the 67-year-old Martin, who won the Sylvania 300 at NHMS in 2009 and retired after 40 NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2013.
Before the event, Ayotte didn’t hesitate to handicap the race.
“I’m sure he’s going to kick my butt,” Ayotte said under a canopy as late-morning rain fell. “I was like, OK, I just gotta go for it. But come on, I’m going against a pro. That’s a tough one.”
Despite never having been behind the wheel of a racecar, Ayotte appeared comfortable in the driver’s seat.
“I actually learned on a stick, so old school. But now I drive an automatic,” Ayotte said.
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After vanquishing the governor in the simulated race, Martin was non-committal about Ayotte’s future, at least as a racer.
“I don’t know. It’s pretty competitive, but I’ll tell you, she’s a good sport,” Martin said when asked to assess if the governor has the chops to race full-time.
Martin was a last-minute replacement for driver John Hunter Nemechek after the start time for Sunday’s NASCAR race at NHMS, the Dollar Tree 301, was moved up in an attempt to avoid inclement weather.
“I really appreciate what they’re doing for the New Hampshire Lottery and how they support the public schools,” Martin said.
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Martin said he was excited to be back at the “Magic Mile” and interacting with New England race fans.
“I haven’t been here in 15 years. It’s hard to believe. The last time I raced here was 2011. The New England fans are all just fantastic. I always get so much support. They support motorsports. I love the fans and I love the competitors as well. I’m just a race fan myself, nowadays,” he said.
Charlie McIntyre, the executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery and Gaming Commission, said he may have considered allowing fans to bet on the race between Martin and Ayotte, but the odds were severely against the governor.
“The odds would have been like 4,000 to one as a professional driver against the governor. … So, I try to stay in my lane as to the major sports, but it’s a fun gag,” McIntyre said.
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The state lottery helps fund public education, contributing more than $400 million to education last year, he said.
“I think we’re about a third of the adequacy funding that goes to the cities and towns,” McIntyre said.
Although the race was billed as Martin driving for one school and Ayotte carrying the hopes of the other, in the end it didn’t matter who won the contest. Both high schools benefited.
“It was really cool,” said Patricia Brown, executive director of School Administrative Unit 58, which includes Groveton High School.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone for the opportunity,” Somersworth High School Principal Mike Blouin said. “This is a great opportunity for our schools, for our district, and I thought it was amazing.”
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Brown said the event was entertaining and she’s not sure she could’ve done any better than Ayotte. But overall, the money helps.
“Every dollar counts. I mean, it really does. The burden’s on our taxpayers, unfortunately, for the most part. I think less than 20% of my budget is supported by the state. The rest is local funds,” she said.
In the end, it all evened out. Somersworth. Groveton. Ayotte. Martin.
But the governor could always end up back in the winner’s circle again … on Nov. 3.
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