Several years ago, NASCAR O’Reilly Series driver and team owner Tommy Joe Martins wrote and directed a short racing film titled ‘Underfunded’ and it enjoyed a well-received independent film festival run but was never released until now.
Omeleto, a YouTube channel with nearly four million subscribers, selected Underfunded for distribution and has been made available for streaming immediately on Tuesday. It’s quite the passion project for Martins, who co-founded what is now Alpha Prime Racing.
“This is such an awesome opportunity for Underfunded,” said Martins in a press release. “It took an unbelievable effort to bring such an ambitious project to life, and it means so much to me how people have responded to the film.”
Martins, who raced Trucks and O’Reilly over various parts of 15 seasons, says a lot of himself has been injected into the film.
“I like to imagine our whole racing industry as the critics for this,” Martins said. “Underfunded is very much my racing story, and I tried to tell it in a compelling way, and I really want to know what people that live it every day think of it. It needs to feel true to the sport.”
A summary of the film, followed by a link, can be found below.
The 24 minute short focuses on multiple characters at a crossroads in their careers. A talented, unknown driver, J.D. Marshall played by Austin Valli, trying out for a spot on one of the sports biggest teams and stepping into a world he’s dreamed of competing in. A grizzly former champion, Baker Brooks played by Patrick Logan, who’s prickly personality and sponsorship woes might mean the end of his career. A top prospect, Lacy Summers played by Kim Sandwich, who’s talent and family history in the sport have propelled her into the spotlight. And team owner Eric Benning played by Joseph Gray, who has to bear the financial weight and consequences of every decision.
