Mike Mahaney Balances Great Season Start In Racing With New Role As Father

Mike Mahaney Balances Great Season Start In Racing With New Role As Father

By LEN SAMMONS
Mike Mahaney is enjoying one of the best seasons of his dirt Modified career behind the wheel of the George Huttig-owned No. 35. After posting six victories in his first 25 starts, Mahaney added another highlight to his impressive campaign Tuesday night with a podium finish in Lebanon Valley Speedway’s prestigious Mr. DIRT Track USA event.
The third-place finish in the Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified race, which paid $15,500 to win, further demonstrated that Huttig’s entire racing program is firing on all cylinders.
“It’s nice to get the big block out and running so good. We’ve only been racing it on Fridays at Albany-Saratoga,” said Mahaney after his $4,000 payday Tuesday night.
“Our series car has been asleep since the event in Georgetown (May 13), and that was a night I’d sooner forget. Tonight I made up for that. A top three is a really good run for us here.”
Mahaney joined the podium with a late-race pass of Matt Sheppard, a three-time series winner at Lebanon Valley.
“I battled with Sheppard for the entire race. I finally got him at the end,” said Mahaney.  “On that one restart I might have come out of Turn 2 in second, but the yellow came out, and we had to go to a single-file restart, which was unfortunate for us.”
Mahaney spent most of the race searching for speed around the top lane. “Early in the race our car was awesome on the top. Then late I found a little bit on the bottom,” said Mahaney.
“I give the track credit. The track is really racy here now with the changes they have made. It’s a fun track to drive. Being out front and able to do what you want is ideal, but in the back you can switch lanes all the time and go where they are not. It’s wild.”
All six of Mahaney’s victories this season have come in small-block 358 Modified competition, making his strong showing against the Super DIRTcar Series’ best in big-block action even more impressive.
“We came here for the (DIRTcar) 358 Modified Series race earlier this year and finished third then too,” said Mahaney.
“That was a good prep for tonight. The one big difference was the small-block race wasn’t as bad on tires. The big block got into them a little more. There are a lot of choices of compound and how you groove them, and I probably got too aggressive in my choices. I should have reached out to someone who races here every week in advance.”
Mahaney’s small-block program has been so strong that he currently leads the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series point standings.
“I’m very happy with our small-block program. We’ve been super consistent,” said Mahaney.
“A lot of the credit for all our success is Jacob Powell maintaining these cars in the shop for me. They are impeccable, so reliable, so awesome to drive. We are working together really well and have a great crew.”
Powell came to the Huttig team to act as crew chief after being a part of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship team with ThorSport Racing.
“Jacob grew up in Hannibal (N.Y.), went to UNOH for college and has a degree. Won a Truck Series championship and has a ring,” said Mahaney.  “He was successful in NASCAR, but he wanted to come home and race on dirt. I’m so glad we found him.”
The 36-year-old driver, who earns his living behind the wheel of a race car, is already well ahead of last year’s pace. In 2025, Mahaney recorded 10 victories in 80 starts.
This season, he is already more than halfway to that total before summer has officially arrived.
“Things are really rolling for us. I like where we are at. We didn’t win a race until June 20 last year, so we’re way ahead of that, and I like that feeling,” said Mahaney.
While success on the track has come easily, life away from racing has presented a different challenge.
After marrying Mandee Pauch, Mahaney and his wife purchased a home near her family’s racing roots in Frenchtown, N.J. Last August, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Michael James Mahaney after his father.
Known as “MJ” (spelled Emjay), the newest member of the family has quickly become the center of Mahaney’s world.
With Huttig’s race shop located in Plattsburgh, N.Y. — roughly 350 miles and five hours from Frenchtown — and nearly 100 race nights on his schedule this season, Mahaney admits the toughest part of his racing lifestyle is the time spent away from the two people he loves most.
“I’ve been at the shop more this year. It’s just Jacob and me there. It’s been really hard on me because I want to be with my wife and my boy as much as I can,” said Mahaney with emotion after the race.
“I really miss them. Finding the balance in life is really tough. Right now we’re doing well with racing, but I’ve got to find the middle ground with racing and family. He’s so awesome, I just love hanging out with him. It’s hard to be away from him at all.”
Mahaney gets home whenever he can. His wife and son come north to the shop or to the races whenever possible. MJ has already made his debut in Victory Lane with his father, something he is proud of.
“We get together when the schedule allows, according to what is going on in our lives,” said Mahaney.
“Last week Mandee came up to hang out with us and MJ was at the races with us. This week she has a friend visiting our home, and they have other things going on, so I’ll go see them. It’s a different dynamic than most marriages and families have, but we’re making it work.”
Mandee understands the life of a racer. Her father raced, and her brother races now.
“It’s still tougher than I think anyone will understand. When you have a 10-month-old, it is expected for your parents to be home every night, and I’m not,” said Mahaney.
“Sometimes I’m at the shop for days and days. I give her all the credit in the world for doing such a great job being a mom. Hopefully I can figure this out and be around more often.”
To be a winner and make a good living for his family, a racer must race. Mahaney’s passion for racing is clear, but so is his love for his family.
“I’m extremely dedicated to this sport, but I also want to be dedicated as a dad as well,” said Mahaney.  “Finding that balance will be very important going forward. I need to find some help.”