MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Martins Motorsports will once again compete full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year with Tommy Joe Martins serving as the team’s primary driver of the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro.

AAN Adjusters, Gilreath Farms Red Angus and Market Rebellion will all return as multi-race sponsors.

Veteran Crew Chief Buddy Sisco will continue with the team in the same role, while Martins has moved to Mooresville, N.C., to take on a full-time position as the team’s general manager. Martins has previously worked as a racing instructor at Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain in Las Vegas, Nev.

“It was a tough decision,” Martins said of the decision to move to North Carolina. “I’ve loved my time at Spring Mountain – and I still plan on working there some when I can. But MMS is the focus this year. Growing and strengthening this team for the future, & helping Buddy however I can.”

Martins completed the full Xfinity Series schedule last year, earning nine top-15 finishes and his first top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway last fall.

Despite the strong finish to the season, the 2020 season got off to a rocky start for Martins and company.

“Going into last year we weren’t totally sure what the expectations would be,” Martins said. “We struggled to get going – I think we were as low as 35th in the standings mid-season. It was so amazing to see it all come together & a lot of that has to do with the effort of Buddy [Sisco] and the rest of our guys.”

Martins’ No. 44 will carry the black and white colors of AAN Adjusters at the season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway. The Knoxville, Tenn., based insurance adjusting firm has been a sponsor of Martins since 2018.

“Having Ken Gilreath and AAN back on the car was critical to all this. 2020 was a tough year for everyone. Knowing they’re sticking by us & wanting to do more with MMS – that just means so much to me and the team,” Martins said.

Martins says he is being realistic in terms of his expectations for the team heading into the new season.

“At the end of last year we showed up every race expecting to finish top-15,” Martins said. “But the series is tougher than ever this year. I think there’s gonna be something like 43 full time entries. That’s wild. I mean we only start 36 cars every week. Top 20’s and top 15’s are still the goal but we know it’s going to be a challenging year with the depth of the field. We’re ready to take it on.”