Kevin “Bono” Manion will be joining Rev Racing to serve as Nick Sanchez’s new crew chief for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
The news comes as Rev Racing prepares to embark on its second season in the Truck Series and first in a technical alliance with Spire Motorsports. It also comes as Manion is coming off a full 2023 Truck Series schedule with Spire Motorsports, where he worked with nine different competitors while calling the shots atop the No. 7 Spire Chevrolet entry pit box.
“I am really looking forward to working with Nick [Sanchez] in the upcoming season,” Manion said. “He is incredibly committed to his craft and I know we are going to work really well together. We have a great group of guys surrounding this effort and we are positioned for success, we just need to execute.”
Manion, a native of Boylston, Massachusetts, joins Rev Racing amid an illustrious NASCAR career that includes two Xfinity Series championships with Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05), 17 Xfinity career victories, and five Cup career wins, including the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 titles with Jamie McMurray, all while being a crew chief.
In 2016, Manion became a crew chief in the Truck Series for the first time as he joined Kyle Busch Motorsports to lead the team’s No. 51 “all-star” entry that was piloted between four competitors. He would then spend the next two seasons at DGR-Crosley before transitioning to GMS Racing for the following two seasons as he led Zane Smith to three career victories and back-to-back runner-up results in the final driver’s standings. For the previous two seasons, Manion moved to Spire Motorsports, which expanded to the Truck Series for the first time, beginning on a part-time basis in 2022 before expanding to a full schedule in 2023. Throughout the two seasons, Manion worked with a total of 12 competitors and achieved two victories.
Manion achieved his first Truck victory as a crew chief with Daniel Suarez at Phoenix Raceway in November 2016 and has since compiled a total of nine Truck victories with six competitors, with his latest occurring with Kyle Larson at North Wilkesboro Speedway last May.
Manion’s move to Rev Racing brings excitement for Sanchez, who retains driving responsibilities of the No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado RST for a second full-time Truck campaign. The 22-year-old Sanchez from Miami, Florida, is coming off the first Truck campaign for himself and Rev Racing after winning the 2022 ARCA Menards Series championship. Throughout the 2023 season, Sanchez achieved five poles, two top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 309 laps led and an average-finishing result of 13.0, with his best result being a runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. He qualified for the 2023 Truck Series Playoffs and settled in sixth place in the final driver’s standings after missing the Championship 4 cutline in a tie-breaker. Nonetheless, he managed to achieve the 2023 Rookie-of-the-Year title as he prepares for another bid for both a Championship 4 berth and his first series’ victory.
“I am thrilled to be returning to Rev Racing for a full season in the [NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series],” Sanchez said. “I certainly have some unfinished business. I am grateful for another opportunity to compete with [owner] Max [Siegel] and appreciative for the returning support of my partners at Gainbridge. They truly are catalysts in my career and continue to drive positive change in our sport. I am energized by the new talent I have surrounding me in 2024, but feel foundationally grounded by those that are returning for a second season. The team makeup is positioned for success and we are all focused on the same goal, to win a Championship.”
In addition to Manion, Allen Hart, a former engineer and technical director who recently served as crew chief for Sam Hunt Racing in the Xfinity Series, will join Rev Racing to serve as the team’s chief engineer.
Rev Racing’s 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway for the Fresh From Florida 250. The event is scheduled to occur on February 16 and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
