Have been very busy trying to put together the 2012 season and catching up at work so I will just post a quick press release form my last event at mazda Raceway.  In the near future I will put together a season review about my first foray into open wheel racing!

Release:
"Nick Mancuso closed out a successful first season of open wheel competition with another strong top-10 showing.

Mancuso drove the No. 27 Jimmy John’s/INDECK machine to a competitive ninth-place result during Round Eleven of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Starting the weekend with a Thursday test session, Mancuso had to relearn the infamous track he had been to a few years earlier in a vastly different car. Learning quickly, and working diligently with his champion JDC Motorsports crew, Mancuso optimized his “Freaky Fast” Star Mazda on the 2.238 mile raceway. After a brief practice on Friday the Star Mazda drivers wouldall have to wait until Sunday morning to qualify and then race.

Nick took the opportunity of having a rare free day during the race weekend to visit the local SPCA animal shelter nearby the track to sign autographs and help some furry friends get adopted. Sunday morning qualifications were a bit wild for Mancuso as a suspension failure in a 100mph corner sent him flying off the track. Luckily Mancuso kept the car away from the walls and nursed it back to the pits. Some amazingly quick pit work by the JDC boys got Mancuso back out with just enough time for one more flying lap which was enough to place Nick 12th on the grid. From the drop of the green Mancuso would battle with several competitors close to him in the championship standings.

As Mancuso worked his way up and was reeling in the 6th and 7th place cars ahead of him a late race restart shuffled him back to 9th position where he would finish the event.

“Any time you get to race a Mazda at Mazda Raceway it’s a pretty good day!” Mancuso said after the affair. “I was very happy to be in the car this weekend as it was an unexpected surprise so I enjoyed every second of it. A big congratulations to my lightning quick teammate Tristan and the JDC Motorsports crew on a well deserved championship! I am going to work hard during the off season so that I can compete for a full season and throw my name into the ring for the 2012 crown!”

Mancuso finished the season 12th in points after missing 4 races during the year. He is looking to build upon his partnerships and be in a full time seat next year to fight for the 2012 Star Mazda championship and stay in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system. Stay tuned for updates!
In 2011, Mancuso races with support from Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, INDECK, JDC Motorsports, Lake Forest Sportscars, Putnam Leasing, ProMotion Driver Development, F.A.S.T. Race Products and the Max Schewitz Foundation.

Born on December 31st, 1986 in Lake Forest, IL, Nick Mancuso joins JDC Motorsports in the Star Mazda Championship, having raced
exclusively in the sports car ranks earlier in his career. In his first season of open-wheel competition Mancuso hopes to catch some people by surprise and contend for Rookie of the Year honors. Becoming part of the Mazda Road to Indy program allows Nick a clear path to achieving his dream of driving in the IZOD IndyCar Series. In addition to his racing activities, Mancuso is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and an ‘extreme adventurer’ with hobbies that include SCUBA and free-diving, Krav Maga, skydiving and capturing reptiles in the wild. In addition, he was inducted into the Cum Laude Society in 2004 and in 2005 he was made a member of the National Honor Society and chosen as a National Merit Scholar before graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009."

Thanks!!  Look for updates soon!
-Nick