Richard Payne Martin, Jr. was born in Covington, Kentucky in 1922. He died in the McCullough-Hyde Hospital [Oxford, Ohio] in 1980.

Richard married Betty Mae (Alston) Martin of Darrtown. Richard, Betty, and their son, Rick Martin, lived in Darrtown, where Schollenbarger Road intersects East Street.

Richard Martin owned and operated the Pallet Service Company.

Rick Martin Restores Racer

Darrtown native, Rick Martin, was recognized in an article (see image at right) that appeared on page 80 of the November 2005 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines for his restoration of a race car that Tim Flock ran in multiple races around the country.

During his racing days in the 1950's, Tim Flock held the record for the highest winning percentage among race car drivers. His record, over a 12 year career, stood at 21.2%.

The story, written by George Mattar, related how the prize-winning 1957 Mercury stock car was reassembled by Rick Martin after the vehicle was found with some missing parts. Mattar wrote, "Rick Martin of Darrtown, Ohio, painstakingly hand fabricated any part no longer available."

See the article at: Flocks Merc

The 2005 article reported that the car could be seen in the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame in Mooresville, North Carolina at 119 Knob Hill Road.

Don Miller, one of the founders of the auto racing museum and then president of Penske Racing South is quoted in the article as saying, "This is a very, very rare car. Only Bill Stroppe had these engine parts and you can imagine the restoration efforts to return this race car to its former glory."