Archive for category: Sprint Cars

As Sunday afternoon’s event unfolded at Port Royal Speedway, Zach Newlin was writing a pretty good story.  He was having a solid outing.  As the sun began to set, the only remaining question was how the final chapter would read. 

Spoiler alert:  It wasn’t a happy ending.  Newlin will be out of action for a few weeks while he heals.

March 20:  Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal,  PA

     (25 cars, Qualifying 3rd in group 1, Heat 4th, A-main 24th) 

Newlin started 10th in Sunday’s A-main in the Grove Financial & Associates /

Dillman Hauling / Del Grosso Foods / Ron’s RV Sales / Kirby Kitner Excavating / FIT Transportation / Christine Booher, Realtor / Gio’s BBQ / T&M Homebuilders / Robert Lee Jr. Trucking / R&B Auto Proz / Strange Oval / Walker Performance Filtration / RAM Acoustics / Newlin Bar Service, Pryde Motorsports No.29.

As the field entered turn one on the start of the event, a car near the front of the field spun up the banking, across the track in front of the charging field.  Momentum carried the car all the way to the cushion, directly in the path of Newlin who was flying around the top of turn one.

Zach had no time to take evasive action and made hard impact with the stationary car, sending the Pryde Motorsports No.29 of Newlin flipping hard across the track toward turn two.  The initial high-speed impact was certainly significant, but the secondary impact was even harder.  Despite efforts to steer clear, another

passing car struck Newlin’s car while it was upside down.  Newlin’s car came to rest upside down in turn two, putting the Millerstown, PA native in a precarious position.

“When everything stopped, I knew I was completely upside down.  I was awake and aware throughout the crash and afterwards.  I started talking to the rescue personnel right away because I wanted to get out quickly.  I’m sure I freaked out a little bit and got in a hurry because of a past experience“, Newlin shared.

Newlin was able to extricate himself from the destroyed race car.  He was immediately escorted to an ambulance for evaluation.

“I guess a lot of the fans thought I was limping as I moved away from the car, but it wasn’t my leg, it was my unsteady balance that caused it.  I had to lean on the EMT’s to walk to the ambulance, then I sat and collected myself for a few minutes while they checked me over“, Newlin explained.  Eventually Zach was permitted to return to his pit area to pack up and head home.

The following morning, Newlin was experiencing some mild symptoms that were not present the night before.  Tests cleared Zach of a concussion but found the crash had caused him to develop vertigo.  As a result of the diagnosis, Newlin will need to sit out a few weeks to heal.

“This week they are having me start some therapy to help speed up the recovery.  My shoulders and arm are bruised, but everything did its job.  The car held up good, the safety belts did their job, and my Hybrid (head and neck) restraint did what it was supposed to“,  Newlin said.

Zach’s goal is to be ready to strap back in on Friday, April 8th aboard the Mansberger Motorsports No.21m at Williams Grove Speedway.  Time will tell.

One aspect of a hard crash that many fans don’t often think about is the toll it takes on the driver’s safety equipment.  While he heals, Newlin also must go over all of his.  His five-point harness safety belt system will need to be replaced because belts become stretched during an impact such as Zach’s.  He will also have his helmet and Hybrid head and neck restraint system (a variation of a HANS device) evaluated to ensure neither has been not compromised.

If you are not familiar with head and neck restraints, the purpose of a HANS or Hybrid device is to keep the head from whipping in a crash, preventing excessive rotational movement as a secondary protection, without otherwise restricting movement of the neck.  In other words, it restricts head movements during a crash that would exceed normal range and cause severe injury.  A person’s body is decelerated by the seat belt, with the head maintaining velocity until it is decelerated by the neck.  A head and neck restraint device maintains the relative position of the head to the body, in addition to transferring energy to the much stronger chest, torso, shoulder, seat belts and seat as the head is decelerated.

While Newlin heals, Pryde Motorsports will button up their backup car and work to replace the lost equipment, so they are ready to return to the track when their driver is.

Follow Zach’s social media outlets listed below to get the latest updates from both the Pryde Motorsports No.29 410 sprint car and the Mansberger Motorsports No.21m 358 sprint car.

During both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Zach Newlin was fortunate to have the chance to dabble in winged 410 sprint car competition in Central Pennsylvania.  It was enough to show his potential, and it was enough to land a full time opportunity for 2022.

When the season opens at Port Royal Speedway this month, Newlin will once again be behind the wheel of the Pryde Motorsports No.29, fielded by long-time owner Allen Pryde.  It’s the same seat he finished last season in, but now the team has the benefit of having worked together and an offseason to prepare.

Newlin will have good equipment, a knowledgeable car owner, and his long time crew chief (and brother), Lance Newlin by his side.  Still, he is realistic when preparing for his first full season in the tough 410 sprint car division in the heart of PA Posse-land.

“Sure, it would be great to pick up a win.  I think it could happen if things go right for us, but a good goal for us is to run in the top 10 consistently.  If we aim for that and achieve it, then we will be in position to grab some top 5’s or podium runs when the opportunity is there.  You can’t expect too much, but you have to challenge yourself“, Newlin said.

He’s not just saying the right things.  He speaks from experience.  He’s been there before on other levels.  He may still be ‘green’ when it comes to 410 racing, but Newlin has been racing and climbing through the ranks over the past 20+ years and has achieved his share of success in each of them.

There is no reason to believe this new adventure won’t have a similar outcome.  This wheelman and his team are likely to garner some attention and turn some heads this season and beyond.

The majority of the Pryde Motorsports 2022 schedule will bring the Grove Financial & Associates / Dillman Hauling / Del Grosso Foods / Ron’s RV Sales / Kirby Kitner Excavating / FIT Transportation / Christine Booher, Realtor / Gio’s BBQ / T&M Homebuilders / Robert Lee Jr. Trucking / R&B Auto Proz / Strange Oval / Walker Performance Filtration / RAM Acoustics / Newlin Bar Service No.29 to the ‘Speed Palace’ in Port Royal, PA, but you can expect to see them at BAPS Motor Speedway as well.  Other events could be added as the season progresses, so be sure to follow along to keep up to date.

In addition to a substantial schedule of possibly 30-35 races in the 410 sprint car, Newlin will also be returning to the seat of the Mansberger Motorsports No.21m 358 sprint car, which primarily competes at Williams Grove Speedway.

“I love racing with Dan (Mansberger) and his team.  He’s got good equipment and my brother (Lance) and I have a good time racing with them.   We were a contender last year and had a couple good runs early, but gremlins kept surfacing and taking us out of races”, Newlin commented.

“I probably won’t get to race the Grove with the 410 this year, so this gives me a chance to race there.  I love the challenge of Williams Grove.  If you win there, you’ve earned it.   Plus, seat time is seat time.  You can never get enough laps and experience“, the Millerstown, PA native shared.

‘Zach Daddy’ fans should be sure to like and follow his new Facebook page, Zach Newlin Racing (Facebook.com/ZachNewlinRacing).  With his son, Caleb, entering his second year of karting and beginning to develop his own following, Zach has established this new Facebook page for his racing endeavors, leaving the Newlin Racing page for fans to keep up with Caleb’s racing adventures.  You can also follow @ZachDaddyRacing on Twitter for updates, plus A2DPR.com will have all the stories and results to keep you up to date on Zach’s season at the wheel of both cars.  

UP NEXT

If the weather cooperates, Zach Newlin’s 2022 debut will happen Sunday, March 6th at Port Royal Speedway.  Stay tuned to social media for updates.

As for Newlin’s 358 sprint car season, that is slated to kick off Friday, April 8th at Williams Grove Speedway.