![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/underfunded-poster-final.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSeveral years ago, NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Series driver and team owner Tommy Joe Martins wrote and directed a short racing film titled \u2018Underfunded\u2019 and it enjoyed a well-received independent film festival run but was never released until now.<\/p>\n
Omeleto, a YouTube channel with nearly four million subscribers, selected Underfunded for distribution and has been made available for streaming immediately on Tuesday. It\u2019s quite the passion project for Martins, who co-founded what is now Alpha Prime Racing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is such an awesome opportunity for Underfunded,\u201d said Martins in a press release. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Martins, who raced Trucks and O\u2019Reilly over various parts of 15 seasons, says a lot of himself has been injected into the film.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to imagine our whole racing industry as the critics for this,\u201d Martins said. \u201cUnderfunded 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
A summary of the film, followed by a link, can be found below.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s dreamed of competing in. A grizzly former champion, Baker Brooks played by Patrick Logan, who\u2019s prickly personality and sponsorship woes might mean the end of his career. A top prospect, Lacy Summers played by Kim Sandwich, who\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 <\/p>\n
We want your opinion!<\/p>\n
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?<\/p>\n