Kevin Nouse was starting to get a little worried about the seven-race 358 Sprint Car Summer Series in central Pennsylvania.

It wasn’t to the point of not holding the series. Things were going to go on as planned for the upcoming season. But Nouse was hard at work trying to acquire a title sponsor, and things weren’t looking positive.

That is until 358 Sprint Car owner Tim Mahoney entered the picture.

Mahoney drops by Kevin Nouse Designs every now and then to talk shop. Without any indication of doing so, the car owner stopped by Thursday and indicated he wanted to step up to the plate and have his company, Tim Mahoney Plumbing and Heating, sponsor the Summer Series.

“Every time he came in, he would ask me how everything is going, and we would talk about it,” Nouse said. “This was kind of a surprise.

“He came in yesterday, and he said, ‘Did you get a title sponsor for your series yet?’ I said, ‘Not yet.’ He asked if I was talking to anybody, and I said, ‘I’m talking to people, but no one is really serious about it.’ He said, ‘I want to be the title sponsor.’ So, he wrote me a check for the title sponsorship.

“I was really impressed, and the reason I was impressed is because he is a car in the 358 division, and he’s heavily involved in it. Obviously, he cares quite a bit about the 358 division and wants to see this series grow.”

It gets better.

Three years ago, Nouse paid out $4,000 in point fund money. The last two years, that number increased to $5,000. With the help of Mahoney, the point fund will balloon to $7,000 if all seven races are completed in 2018.

Mahoney generously popped for $2,500. Nouse added $1,000 of his own money from his business, and the track kicks in $500 per race.

“I was starting to get more worried about it,” said Nouse, who indicated the total prize fund and contingencies could reach $35,000 for the 2018 installment of the series. “What it was doing was … I was trying so hard to get a title sponsor that I wasn’t focusing on the rest of the sponsorships.

“Now that I have a title sponsor, I’m going to try and get a sponsor to pay our time trial events … Maybe the top five or top three. I didn’t want to fill that void until I got that title sponsor.”

Continued Nouse, “It takes a huge weight off my mind. I’m very happy. Obviously, I’m extremely grateful. It’s going to make the Summer Series that much better.”

It’s also going to make it well supported by teams, something that has been a signature of this series since its inception.

“It’s extremely well supported,” Nouse said. “That probably makes me happy more than anything else. It’s how it’s supported and looked at by the 358 racers. It’s something they all look forward to, and our car counts show that.

“You can put effort into anything, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to be a success. But the way this is supported by manufacturers, drivers, teams, and the contingency sponsors, it shows how many people support the 358 division, and it continues to grow.”

TIM MAHONEY PLUMBING AND HEATING SUMMER SERIES SCHEDULE

June 22: Williams Grove Speedway

June 30: Port Royal Speedway

July 7: Lincoln Speedway

July 21: BAPS Motor Speedway (TT)

August 25: Path Valley Speedway (TT)

September 14: Williams Grove Speedway

September 15: Lincoln Speedway