1/16/2024
New England Dwarf Car Series
Zig Geno and Nick Poggi agree to terms to purchase 92z NEDCS dwarf truck
Canterbury, NH- Zig Geno Motorsports has agreed to terms with Nick Poggi for the purchase of the Cold Fire Industries prepared New England Dwarf Car Series dwarf truck. Zig has been driving the car for the last two years on a rental basis and has seen increasing success with 7 top fives and 9 top tens in 10 tour events . "We really started to come into it last season, we had a bunch of podiums and the only race outside the top 6 was a dnf at LEE due to a broken throttle cable while leading and only 2 laps to go" said Geno.
Geno had inquired about rental opportunities two years ago after selling his aging pro stock operation, a decision that right or wrong he regretted quickly. Zig missed the competition and driving a race car. He sought out advice from Tom Harwood. Zig had known Tom since racing at Canaan years ago when he was a spotter for Jeremy Davis but had made the transition to dwarf car racing and was a successful driver in his own right. Tom suggested talking with Nick Poggi, Tom's crew chief and car builder about a rental opportunity. Zig went on to race a handful of races in 2022 and then 11 races in 2023. Over the last year Zigs wife, Sue, had asked frequently if he just wanted to get back into it and buy something. "I tell you something, she gets pretty anxious about the racing when I'm actually out on the track but she is my biggest supporter and this wouldn't have been possible without her. Her love and support has been immeasurable." said Geno.
"I didn't want to just jump in and buy something at the outset and the rental deal with Poggi was a really good fit. It was great having Tom as a team mate and sort of mentor with driving these things. I mean yeah, I have been racing a long time but these things are a different beast and I needed all the help I could get. Tom gave me that and now, two years into it, I wanted a little more and was looking at options to buy a car. There is some good stuff out there, but let me tell you, for the racing we do, Poggi's cars are really top notch. He upgraded the motor and rear end last year and it really paid off." said Geno. "It only made sense to have that talk with Poggi and we came to terms pretty quickly." he continued.
The team doesn't expect to look all that different in 2024. Zig will remain a teammate to Harwood and his #29 rocket ship and the cars will still be prepared out of Poggi's Coldfire Industries shop. "That was super important to me with regard to this purchase, and even after Poggi and I agreed to things I didn't want to move forward without having Tom on board as well." said Geno " Tom, Katie, Scott and Tom's Mom Darlene, the whole Buxwood Racing team have welcomed me, made me feel part of their family and team. I wanted to be sure they were all in support of continuing working together as teammates. Even after his accident in July that kept him out of the car for more than half the season Tom had a ton of success last year. I finished second to that car a couple of times last season and even though we are close teammates I hope to reverse that a few times this year."
Geno doesn't have to worry about Harwood and the Buxwood Racing team being on board. " Really excited about the news today...Never would have thought all those years ago we'd be teammates now. " Harwood stated, adding " OG Canaan runs deep with me and I knew you had a lot of experience, not nearly as much as I know now, but I knew you were the right choice. Can't wait for 2024"
When asked about running a dwarf car versus the bigger late model or pro stocks that he has been known for Geno said, " Dwarf cars are all out race cars, and very similar in setup, adjustments and feel to the pro stock. They react a little quicker and are a little twitchy but they are super fast. At most tracks our fast cars are running top 10 late model speeds. They are super fun to drive. And the competitors, these guys that we race with they are all great guys. Its the only group I've ever raced with as a whole that you can race each other hard...even beat each other up a little and then still hang out outside of the race, have some beers, crew for, camp with. It's really pretty cool. We got done a race at Riverside a couple years back and after all the beating and banging there was like 9 of us that went and got beer and pizza....in 30+ years of racing that's never happened....I mean you might have 1 driver outside of racing you hang with....but this is a really good group"
Geno will bring the number 57 back this season and will run a 10-race schedule at tracks including Lee, Star, Hudson, Claremont, Wiscasset, New London Waterford Speedbowl, and Riverside. "I really love all of these tracks. I feel we had a much better car than we showed at Wiscasset and the Jordans are great hosts so that's one of my favorites and Waterford is a track I really love. I'm disappointed we didn't get to go back to Monadnock or Oxford which are super good tracks for us but the tracks we are going to will be great fun and I'm looking forward to grabbing some checkers in 2024!"
Advertisers interested in partnering with the Zig Geno Motorsports for 2024 can reach him directly at gscott469@gmail.com or through direct message on facebook.
Submitted By: Mark Beaudry