NOTEBOOK: New Life From An Old Friend
Manion’s Involvement Helps Modified Tour Continue Growth
Loudon, NH — NASCAR’s oldest division was given some new innovation on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Taking a break from his day job as a Sprint Cup Series crew chief for Jamie McMurray, Kevin “Bono” Manion fielded the winning Whelen Modified Tour entry for Ryan Newman in the New England 100. Newman’s No. 7 Aggressive Hydraulics/Menards Chevrolet raised some eyebrows with the body work behind the right rear tire, with sheet metal flared in an unusual way.
“I actually got the idea from a car I saw here last year,” said Manion, whose roots in racing trace back to the Whelen Modified Tour before he ascended the NASCAR ladder. “There are no templates, no body rules really for these cars — they’re called ‘modifieds’ for a reason.
“Over the last couple of years, the cars have started looking significantly different. Ideas and innovation are what racing’s always been about.”
It’s why Manion’s participation in the series is as important to the overall health of the tour as it is to his peace of mind. In the copycat world of stock car racing garages at every level, teams look for any advantage — real or perceived.
“This is really important,” the Boston-area native Manion said of participating in Modified Tour races a couple of times each season. “It’s a good out from the high pace and heavy stress of the Sprint Cup Series, but it’s also good to be able to come back to a ‘home track’ where so many of us used to race.
“I hope these guys here on the tour appreciate what a driver like Ryan Newman brings out there. This is racing, and I hope those guys keep on making the next step.”
HIGH PRAISE: After qualifying for the New England 100 on Thursday, Newman compared Whelen Modified Tour points leader Bobby Santos III to A.J. Foyt. On Saturday, he continued heaping high praise on Santos — who joined Newman and Ted Christopher as the class of the field at New Hampshire.
“It means a lot,” Santos said of Newman’s words. “I’ve raced with him a lot in sprint cars in other places, and he’s a great person to race with. It’s always a lot of fun to race with him.
Santos, of Franklin, Mass., also thought the rest of the drivers on tour could learn from the Sprint Cup Series driver, making some pointed remarks about the kind of racing that took place Saturday.
“Ryan’s probably the only guy that passed me today without driving right into the side of me to do it,” Santos said. “He showed respect out there, and hopefully he taught people that this is how you can race these cars here.”
LONG DAY: Chuck Hossfeld couldn’t wait for the New Hampshire 100 to end. It was a day wrought with complications for the No. 59 Jerry Gradl Motors Chevrolet, made longer by a wreck in final practice Saturday morning.
“That was a long day,” said Hossfeld, who won this race in 2008. “I’ve raced long enough to know that you’re going to have more days like this than the really good days just by the odds, but it’s frustrating. We crashed in practice, and I can say it was 100 percent not my fault — and that just started the day.”
Hossfeld made it to the starting grid in time and finished 13th, but contact with Todd Szegedy shuffled him out of contention for a top-10.
“It’s the biggest race of the year for us,” he said. “You spend weeks getting these things setup for a race like this, and then you only have an hour to fix it. I’ll say this, my guys did a great job just to get it fixed and get it out there. It’s just too bad.”
POWERLESS: Jimmy Blewett’s debut with a Roush Yates Racing engine in the No. 14 Ling Trucking/Atlantic Sprinkler Ford didn’t go as planned.
Blewett retired from the race after just 46 laps without any power in the car.
“We don’t really know what happened, to be totally honest,” said Blewett, who finished 30th. “It just wouldn’t go all of a sudden.”
Blewett suspected the problems had to do with a battery or ignition and not with the engine itself. He said it would be sent back to RYR this week for further feedback.
“The motor was really good,” Blewett said. “I was really happy with it.”
Sources: Travis Barrett/NASCARHomeTracks.com