Kevin Manion led his team to its first Chase for the Cup championship and its first Cup

Series win in 2007. Manion and driver Martin Truex Jr. went on to finish 11th in the Nextel Cup Series standings, with one win, seven top-fives, 13 top-10s, and one pole position.

The 2007 Cup season was a return to form for Manion, who lead Truex and his team to 12 victories and two Busch championships in 2004 and 2005. Manion endured a rough start to the team’s rookie Nextel Cup campaign in 2006 but bounced back in 2007 and is looking for even greater things in 2008.

Originally from Boylston , Mass. , he gave up his full-time job as a plumber to make racing his career. At age 14, he began helping Bobby Fuller in the NASCAR Winston Modified Series. Starting out cleaning the car and doing general mechanics, he worked his way up to tire changer. From 1988-92, he served as crew chief for Chris Woods in Late Models at Riverside Park in Agawam, Mass.

In 1993, Manion became the crew chief, and only full-time employee, at Sheba Racing in Hudson , Mass. The team fielded a Modified for Jeff Fuller and then Steve Park. In 1996, Manion headed south to further his racing career as a general mechanic for Larry Hedrick Motorsports with driver Ricky Craven and crew chief Tommy Baldwin. In 1997, Park became the Busch Series driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet owned by Dale and Teresa Earnhardt. Park got Manion in the door at Dale Earnhardt Inc. in June of that year and the championship crew chief has been with the organization ever since.