Dan Martinson: Racer/Inventor/Entrepreneur

It’s rare to see a motorsports story on the History Channel. However, like most things, there are always exceptions. Mazda MX-5 Cup racer Dan Martinson is a prime example.Martinson was recently featured on the new HISTORY series, "Million Dollar Genius," for his off-track business exploits. The show focuses on incredible true stories of ordinary people who started with an idea, and through hard work and perseverance, transformed their whims into wildly successful products. The "All Tied Up" episode tells the story of how Martinson invented the "Gear Tie" reusable rubber twist tie and brought it to market.

Dan Martinson grew up in Minneapolis, Minn. and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1992. Three years later, Martinson started his first plastics and rubber manufacturing business, LTI Flexible Products. After 10 years of building the business into a leader in the rubber and plastics industry, he sold the business and started working on his invention that eventually became the "Gear Tie."