Newlin Shows Team’s Ability to Make the Most of Opportunities

If you have been paying attention, there have been recent signs that Zach Newlin and his team are making progress.

After numerous years of fielding winning 305 and 358 sprint cars, Zach Newlin and his family resurrected the Newlin Racing 11z in 2023, this time as a 410 sprint car program.  He acknowledged that establishing a competitive 410 team in Central Pennsylvania would be a slow process, especially given the budget they have to work with.

That process can be a daunting one, at times taking a toll on anyone’s determination, no matter how passionate they are.  

Nothing puts fuel back in the tank like glimpses of promise.

HOW IT STARTED

Newlin only entered a handful of events in 2023 and 2024, picking his spots that provided the best opportunity to get the most laps.  Factors like the amount of tow money (what teams are paid if they don’t qualify), expected car counts, and event format (draw vs. time trial) all have to be considered to give a team the best chance to gain experience and hopefully put some money in their pocket at the end of the night.

The team battled through some growing pains early on, including fueling issues and other ‘wrinkles’ that took some time to iron out.  Making A-mains was hit-or-miss for Newlin during those years.  

Finally, in 2025, although still picking his spots, Newlin got more steady seat time, which allowed him and crew chief, brother Lance Newlin, to start to build a better notebook and figure out how to get the most out of what they had to work with.

HOW IT’S GOING

The team started 2026 with a new (to them) RPM chassis, which has required a lot of trial and error to determine how to get the most speed out of it.

Newlin has entered four races at three different tracks during the first month of his 2026 season, and he has qualified for all four A-mains.

At Port Royal Speedway on May 2nd, Newlin showed he has found the speed to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. 

A good pill draw put Newlin on the front row of his heat race.  He held his own and survived a mid-race restart to hold off a couple of veterans and record a 2nd-place finish to put his team solidly in the A-main.

“We have been trying to find the right balance in the car.  What works for others may not work for us since we are down about 100 horsepower compared to some teams.  We scaled the car recently, trying to learn where we might need to make adjustments,” Newlin explained.

“We’re getting closer to figuring this car out for early in the night, but we have some work to do on the setup with a full load of fuel for the feature.”

Newlin started 11th in the 25-lap A-main, but his race ended early when an incident occurred in front of his Butler Hill Maple Farm, Falcon Machine Service, Fisher’s Heating A/C Electrical, Pandemonium Bar & Grill, Strange Oval, Newlin Bar Service No.11z.

“I felt a little tight in the early going of the feature, but I’m really bummed we got caught up in an incident and didn’t get to see how good we really were,” Newlin said.

“I knew we made contact, but I wasn’t sure how much damage there was, if any.  Without guaranteed time in the work area, we couldn’t really look at it.  After the restart, the car didn’t feel right, and I had a small vibration, so we called it a night. “

“I want to thank everyone who supports this team, no matter how big or small their contribution is.  We could not do this without them.  We are determined to make the most of what they provide.”

THE LATEST

Newlin’s next 410 sprint car race will be at BAPS Motor Speedway on May 17th.  The return of the Mansberger Motorsports No.21m 358 sprint car is still in the works, but the season debut will have to wait a couple more weeks.

Fans can follow Newlin Racing on Facebook or follow @ZachDaddyRacing on X (formerly Twitter) to keep up with the team’s schedule, latest news, and other updates!