NOTEBOOK: Lancaster Motorplex honoring local legend Tim Mangus during Nu-Way Auto Parts 250
Lancaster Motorplex‘s third NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event will highlight a special weekend for the track, competitors and fans.
Along with putting up a combined purse of $110,384 for Saturday‘s Nu-Way Auto Parts 150, the event is also acting as a tribute to Tim Mangus, one of the greatest competitors in Lancaster‘s long history who is currently recovering from injuries sustained in a fire back in May.
RELATED: Watch the Nu-Way Auto Parts 250 on FloRacing
Speed Enterprises Entertainment owner Mike Myers, who is serving as a special consultant to Lancaster for the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150, wanted the event to showcase how much Mangus has meant to the facility. He has been impressed with the support shown by the local and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour communities.
“It is our goal to bring a bright spot to Tim as he bravely works through his recovery,” Myers said. “We believe it is also meaningful to our hometown fans, who revere the speedway‘s history and competitors like Tim, who have made it great for the last 65 years.”
Several initiatives have been undertaken by Myers and Lancaster‘s staff to ensure Mangus gets the recognition he deserves Saturday.
On lap 93 of the Nu-Way Auto Parts 250, fans in the grandstands will be asked to raise a ‘Mangus Strong‘ sign, which will be shown live on the FloRacing broadcast. The lap of choice coincides with the car number Mangus utilized during the late 1990s.
Along with the tribute to Mangus, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors who are in the top 10 on lap 93 will each receive a $93 bonus. This initiative was made possible due to the support from several of Mangus‘ former competitors like Jan Leaty, Ed Flemke Jr. and Tim Connolly, the latter of whom will be in the field Saturday evening.
The admiration so many have for Mangus stems from the impact he left at Lancaster and the Modified community during his time as a driver. The 16 victories Mangus recorded in Lancaster‘s weekly divisions currently have him 13th on the track‘s all-time wins list.
Mangus also occasionally branched out into the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour between 1987-2002. Although he never visited Victory Lane, Mangus managed to record four top-10 finishes in the series, with his best performance a sixth-place finish he obtained after leading seven laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 1998.
Mangus‘ daughter Alex wishes he could be present for Saturday‘s Nu-Way Auto Parts 150, but she has taken immense pride in seeing so many people come together to support her father. She expressed her gratitude toward everyone at Lancaster for highlighting Mangus‘ impact while he continues to recuperate.
“Strong, brilliant, talented, joyful, grateful and kind, that is our day, Tim Mangus,” Alex said. “This experience has brought a whole new meaning to the word grateful for our family. Words will never portray how eternally thankful we are for each and every person who has supported our day through this experience.”
Lancaster Motorplex‘s tribute to Tim Mangus commences at 8 p.m. ET when the green flag waves for the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150. FloRacing will provide live coverage of the on-track action.
Ken Heagy all set for 200th NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start
Saturday‘s Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 at Lancaster Motorplex will see one of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour‘s most seasoned drivers reach a milestone start.
Ken Heagy, who has been a part of the series since making his official debut at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park back in 1987, is making his 200th appearance as he seeks to put together his best performance of the 2024 season.
A native of Calverton, New York, Heagy‘s experience on the Modified Tour alone exceeds the current lifespan of many of his competitors. He has placed inside the top 10 on nine different occasions over his three decades of racing, his best performances being sixth-place runs at Riverhead Raceway in 2008 and Bristol Motor Speedway in 2012.
The most recent top 10 Heagy scored came at Riverhead last September, where he persevered to finish 10th despite being five laps behind race-winner Justin Bonsignore. Although he lacks resources of his contemporaries, Heagy‘s passion to excel on the Modified Tour is still prevalent going into his 200th start.
Heagy looks to claim his 10th career top 10 on Saturday night at Lancaster, where his best performance through two appearances was a 13th he obtained during the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour‘s inaugural race at the facility in 2021.
Patrick Emerling chasing first win with Rich Gautreau
When the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour visited Lancaster Motorplex for the first time in 2021, Patrick Emerling ended up taking home the checkered flag.
A lot has changed for Emerling in the three years since that victory, but he is still a regular presence at the front of the field. Now partnered up with Rich Gautreau, Emerling looks to finally deliver him a victory in Saturday‘s Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 at Lancaster.
Emerling prevailing would not only give Gautreau a checkered flag in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, but also snap his own three-year winless drought in the series. The last time Emerling claimed a Modified Tour checkered flag was at Riverhead Raceway in September 2021.
Despite the prolonged dry spell, Emerling has come close to visiting Victory Lane several times during his first year with Gautreau. He has five top-five finishes to his name on the 2024 season, which includes leading 35 laps during the most recent Modified Tour event at Monadnock Speedway before settling for third.
Emerling‘s consistency current has him fourth in the point standings and on the precipice of earning an overdue victory for himself and Gautreau.
NOTES:
Trevor Catalano surprised many in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour garage area by fending off Ron Silk at Monadnock Speedway for his first career victory. Catalano seeks to keep the momentum going at Lancaster Motorplex, a track where his brother Tommy earned a sixth-place finish last year.
Andy Jankowiak is back with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour this weekend after last competing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June. Currently a part-time competitor in the ARCA Menards Series, Jankowiak is fresh off a victory in Lancaster‘s Sportsman division back on July 20.
In his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start at Seekonk Speedway in June, Jacob Lutz put together an impressive performance that resulted in a sixth-place finish. Lutz is back behind the wheel of Joe Stearns‘ No. 14 Modified for the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 as he looks to record his first top-five showing.
Veteran driver Bob Reis has not run a professional touring event since 2013 at Oswego Speedway. Although he has made sporadic qualifying attempts since then, Reis will get a chance to showcase his experience Saturday at Lancaster Motorplex in his Modified Tour debut piloting his own No. 10.
