Sometimes months elapse between the times Kyle Martel gets to do the thing he loves. While he’s waiting, Martel practices patience.

One might think that when Martel, an aspiring stock car-racer, gets behind the wheel that his first inclination is to put the pedal to the metal and go as fast as he possibly can. But in reality, quite the opposite is true.

During the recent running of the sixth annual Pocono Mountains 150, an event in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, on Pocono International Raceway’s 2.5-mile tricky triangle, patience once again proved to be a virtue for Martel. A Lebanon native and a Cedar Crest graduate, Martel finished a respectable 19th in the 60-lap race.

What was most impressive about Martel’s run was the fact that he did it from the final starting position. By running hard and running smart, Martel avoided numerous incidents and cautions to improve his finishing position by 13 spots.

Martel’s cautious approach had him running 20th by the 40th lap of the race. He ran 19th for most of the event’s final 20 laps.

– Jeff Falk