Zach Newlin Logs Top 10 in Debut with Mansberger Motorsports

It was difficult to know what to expect from the new combination of Zach Newlin and Mansberger Motorsports.  Both had plenty of laps and success over the years, but none together.   This pairing would mean learning new equipment and new communication styles.  Hopefully the learning curve to find a good chemistry would be short.

Friday, April 16th was the season debut for the HJ Towing & Recovery 358 Sprints at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  21 teams signed in for action, which meant three 8-lap heats from which all cars would qualify, however only the top 4 teams from each heat would go to the redraw.

The pill draw put Zach in the 3rd starting spot for heat two.  From the drop of the green, it was clear something wasn’t quite right.  The car was not rotating properly in the corners and Newlin was gradually losing track position.  He would end up finishing 6th in the non-stop qualifying race.

Upon his return to the pits, Zach reported that the throttle had been sticking on corner entry, which required him to lift it by force with his foot.  Essentially this meant he was either on the throttle or off the throttle, there was nothing in between.  That ‘in between’ is essential to be able to make a sprint car drive and handle properly.  Fortunately, it didn’t take the team long to identify the cause of the throttle issue and resolve it.  With that corrected and a few shock adjustments completed, they were ready to see what they could do in the feature.

Newlin started deep in the field in 17th for the 20 lap main event.  The second and final caution of the event came with 9 laps remaining.  The car was clearly handling much better and Zach had settled into a rhythm after the first few laps.  Under caution, he made a wing angle adjustment from the cockpit in an attempt to get a little more bite.  He restarted 14th and would go on to show he had made the right adjustment and had also figured some things out about the car and the racing surface during the first half of the event.  

Sticking to the low side of the speedway, Newlin was able to run down and pass a car every other lap over the remaining laps, including a hard-earned final pass for 10th coming to the white flag.  The feature run by Zach Daddy certainly helped the entire team forget about the woes earlier in the evening.

For Newlin and Mansberger, the top 10 in their debut together was great, but the most exciting part was the realization of how good this team may be when they don’t have to dig themselves out of a hole.  “Without the throttle issues earlier tonight, we’re probably a top five car in our first night together.“, Newlin said with a grin that exuded anticipation for their next outing and the remainder of the 2021 season.