Zach Newlin Displays 2022 Potential at BAPS Motor Speedway

Zach Newlin and Pryde Motorsports raced together seven times since the new pairing formed at the start of September.  They made a couple headlines in that short time.  There was a Hard Charger award at Port Royal Speedway in the Labor Day Classic and there was Newlin’s first World of Outlaws A-main a few weeks later.  To learn all they could for 2022, they were trying to make good use of their short 2021 season together.  They certainly weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to race one more time before spending the winter in the race shop.

11/13:  Sprint Showdown, BAPS Motor Speedway – Newberrytown, PA

     (38 cars, Qualifying 2nd in group 2 & 4th overall, Heat 5th, A-main 20th)

Each November, the Sprint Showdown at BAPS Motor Speedway, which is traditionally the final 410 sprint car show in the country, brings unpredictable weather.  The 2021 edition was no different.  Rain and wind moved in during the late morning to combine with chilly autumn temperatures.

Long story short, it didn’t matter.  This was Central Pennsylvania, and it was the final race of the season, so when the weather passed and the sun popped out briefly in the midafternoon, the race teams and fans poured into the facility, equipped with multiple layers of warm clothing.

The Pryde Motorsports No.29, sponsored by Del Grosso’s Foods, Gio’s BBQ, Robert Lee Jr. Trucking, R&B Auto Proz, Quality Masonry, Grove Financial & Associates, Dillman Hauling, Ron’s RV Sales, and Strange Oval was one of 38 cars signed in to compete.  

Format

The annual season-ending event employs a somewhat unique format that uses a pill draw to divide the field into groups of 8-10 cars each.  Teams remain in their groups for hot laps, time trials and heat races.  To allow for spacing during time trials, half of each group takes to the track at a time for three green flag laps under the clock.  Heat races would be 10 laps, lined up by time but with the top 4 inverted, and the top five finishers transferring directly to the A-main.  The winner and the fastest qualifier go to the redraw.

Qualifying Recap

Zach Newlin’s draw placed him in the second half of the 4th and final qualifying group.  Considering how a track typically slows down during qualifying because of deteriorating grip, a late draw such as that isn’t ideal.

None of that seemed to matter to the wheelman known as ‘Zach Daddy’.  He proceeded to blister the 4-tenths mile clay oval in 14.773 seconds, which was good enough for 2nd in his group and 4th quickest out of the entire field of 38 cars. 

Newlin’s heat race didn’t go as well as planned.  He hoped to leverage his 3rd starting spot to earn a mid-pack starting spot in the feature, however a tight condition led to the loss of a couple spot.  The Millerstown, PA native held on to transfer to the A-main but would start 20th in the 30-lap finale.

Main Event Recap

Knowing they would be racing in heavy traffic from the start, the Pryde Motorsports team made adjustments that would hopefully give Newlin a chance to move forward.  It didn’t take more than a few laps to figure out they had over-adjusted.  Zach fought a tight race car throughout the event and ultimately managed to do no more than hold his ground for a 20th place finish.

“We had really good speed earlier in the night and the car was handling great” Newlin shared.  “We just got too tight with the adjustments we made after that, so we learned something for next time.  I want to thank Allen (Pryde) for giving me this opportunity and all the partners who help make this possible for us.  We couldn’t do this without Del Grosso Foods, Grove Financial & Associates, Dillman Hauling, Gio’s BBQ, Ron’s RV Sales, FK Shocks, Strange Oval Torsion Bars, and Newlin Bar Service“, Newlin commented.   

“We had a fast car last night.  Just wasn’t able to capitalize.  Next time.  This is how you learn.  Little by little“, said car owner Allen Pryde Sunday, reflecting on the team’s night at BAPS.

Up Next

Pryde Motorsports, along with brothers Zach and Lance Newlin, are already getting things in place for the 2022 season.   Saturday’s outing at BAPS Motor Speedway was a shake-down of a new Triple-X car, plus another car and its components are being refreshed.  The team expects to enter next season well-prepared to run Royal Speedway on a weekly basis.