John Monsam has been named as the new crew chief for Blake Koch and the Daystar.com No. 81 for the remainder of the season. The team is right on the edge of having some great runs and everyone is hoping that Monsam can be the guy to help achieve them.
“I’m really proud to be working with Randy MacDonald Motorsports. Randy and I have been friends for a long time. Trying to help Blake win the Rookie of the Year award is the goal,” explained Monsam. “All the guys at the shop are working extra hard to give him the best possible car and that’s all you can ask for. Blake’s a great kid and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the past two race weekends with him.”
Monsam actually crew chiefed his first race with Blake 2 weeks ago at Richmond in the Virginia 529 College Savings Plan 250. An early accident after contact with Aric Almirola ended their chances of a strong finish but the team worked hard to get the back on track for the finish. Last week in Chicago, Blake and the Daystar.com Dodge were fast before some late race mis-haps on pit road cost them a top-20.
“The last two races working with John has been great,” says Blake Koch, driver of the Daystar.com No. 81.“ John has a lot of experience and that is what I need for these final 6 races to try and win this Rookie of the Year award. The car has been fast at both Richmond and Chicago but we had problems outside of his hands each time.”
Born in Connecticut, John Monsam graduated from Westfield State University and moved to North Carolina in 1985. His first year as a crew chief was 1994 in which he won 2 races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Ricky Craven behind the wheel. Since then, John has crew chiefed for DEI, Roush Racing, Wood Brothers, Kevin Harvick Inc. and many more. Over his 17 year career as a crew chief, John has 7 wins in the NASCAR Truck Series and 2 wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Most recently John has worked with Kenny Schrader Racing and driver Tom Hessert III in the ARCA Racing Series, finishing 3rd in the standings last season with 1 win.
“It’s great to be back in the Nationwide Series,” said Monsam. “The off weekend this week has really helped us get back on schedule and prepare for the final stretch of the season.”
Even with the rough luck as of late, Blake still remains within 2 points of Timmy Hill for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year. This was Blake and the MacDonald Motorsports team’s ultimate goal when the season began and they will continue to fight for it until the checkered flag falls in Homestead.
As Blake comes to some of the tracks for the second time, he has been much faster out of the hauler. This should really benefit the Daystar No. 81 team during the last 6 races in their push to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year.
MacDonald Motorsports PR
