2008 Hot News and Results:




January 3: Race of Champions Banquet
MATT HIRSCHMAN HONORED AT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR BANQUET

Binghamton, NY: This past Saturday night at the Binghamton Regency Hotel and Conference Center the final checkered flag of the 2008 racing season came down for the Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour. The setting of the festive evening was the Grand Ballroom at the state of the art facility in the heart of downtown.
Northampton, PA driver Matt Hirschman did the impossible this past year on the Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour. Matt missed two vital point shows but still ended up winning the championship - his second RoC championship with his first coming in 2005.
Of course by now everyone knows that Matt had an outstanding season wherever he raced in 2008. His championship with RoC was helped with three feature wins at Oswego and a win at Thompson. Matt’s outstanding consistency of finishing up front when not winning also had a huge hand in the championship.
“The first championship was special back in 2005 because it was my first one," said Matt. “This year the championship was unexpected because I knew ahead of time that I was going to miss a couple of races. This was a total team effort as I tried racing like the dirt guys do this year. I raced all over the place in all different series in different cars and each time I got behind the wheel this past year the car was always fast."
Daren Scherer of Binghamton, NY continued his yearly improvement with RoC with a very strong second place finish in the points. East Aurora, NY driver Billy Putney ended up third in the points with Bethlehem, PA veteran driver John Markovic winding up in fourth and defending champion Pete Brittain of Oakhurst, NJ settled for fifth.
Sixth through tenth in points were Rick Kluth of Brockport, NY, Jan Leaty of Williamson, NY, Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, NY, Jim Storace of Kingston, NH, and Mike Leaty of Williamson, NY.
Special awards handed out during the banquet saw Daren Scherer named the Most Improved Driver with Jim Storace receiving the Hard Luck Award and Mike Leaty claiming the Best Appearing Car Award. Matt Hirschman was honored with the Owner of the Year Award.
Tony Hirschman who won the 58th Sunoco Race of Champions at Oswego back in September which was his third win in the prestigious event was also honored. Tony received a special award which capped off the Hirschman sweep of the Modified races at Oswego in 2008.
News and information concerning the 2009 Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour will be released in late February/early March. Any questions regarding the 2009 season can be answered by calling 607–775–5555 or via online by contacting rocpavement@aol.com.


December 13: NASCAR Banquet

The 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season drew to a close Saturday night as Ted Christopher was crowned the series’ champion at the annual postseason awards banquet at Mohegan Sun Resort.Christopher’s 2008 title campaign included four wins and 13 top 10s. Driver of the No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet, Christopher’s championship season was highlighted by wins at Stafford Motor Speedway, Mansfield Motorsports Park, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Thompson International Speedway. From Plainville, Conn., Christopher has established a reputation of racing any type of car, anytime, anywhere. He has won multiple track championships and was the 2001 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion, but 2008 marked his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour crown in his 15th full season in the series. “Throughout my racing career I have been very fortunate to have driven many different types of race cars for many different car owners,” Christopher said. “From people like Joe Brady, who I won my first Modified tour race with, to Curt Chase, Gary Cretty, Jim Galante, Eddie Whelan and many in between, one common denominator was: I always loved driving their Modifieds.” Christopher’s night also included taking home the Whelen Engineering Winner of the Race Award and, for the first time in his career, the prestigious Most Popular Driver Award. For the first time, voting for the Most Popular Driver Award was conducted online through NASCAR.com and NASCARHomeTracks.com. More than 10,600 total votes were cast in online balloting for NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers. In addition to the coronation of series champion Christopher, the top drivers and owners and special award winners from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour were also honored Saturday night. Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., was recognized for his championship runner-up effort in 2008 when he recorded 11 top 10s and the first two wins of his career. Todd Szegedy, the 2003 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion, was the third place honoree.Ronnie Silk of Norwalk, Conn., earned the Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award, given to the driver who earned the award the most times in 2008, while seven-time series champion Mike Stefanik of Coventry, R.I., likewise took home the POWERade Power Move of the Race Award. Eric Beers, from Northampton, Pa., was recognized as the winner of the Coors Light Pole Award. Glen Reen, a native of Wilbraham, Mass., earned 2008 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. “This was just a dream a year ago,” Reen said. “It wasn’t until February that my uncle and I were talking about which direction to go in for the 2008 season and I said something about going Tour racing and he said, ‘hey, let’s do it.’ In a few short months we pieced together our team and did what we needed to do to my SK Light car and here we are at the end of the season with the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Championship. Four special awards were also presented during the awards banquet. Mike Smeriglio III, owner of the No. 2 Modified team driven by Szegedy, was bestowed the Sportsmanship Award and Ken Heagy of Calverton, N.Y., was recognized with the Driver Achievement Award. The Len Boehler Award was presented to Roger Hill, owner of the No. 79 Modified team driven by Silk and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Women’s Auxiliary Award went to longtime series veteran Jamie Tomaino and his wife, Cheryl.

Banquet Story by Walt

AWARDS WELL DESERVED AND LONG OVERDUE

by Walter Newcomb

The final 2008 NASCAR banquet was held at the Mohegan Sun resort and casino Saturday night. It was a pleasure to be in attendance. I count myself fortunate to be able to forward a synopsis of what occurred.

Before I go any further, I’d like to thank Rich Grodski for the opportunity to submit articles to The Chrome Horn. Thanks also to Norm and Linda from Precision Automotive for sponsoring TCH and making this all possible. It’s been a while since I’ve had an article published.

Since the most recent post on the MSS front page; I learned how to text message. Shopgirl took me to Key West. And for the first time in over nine years I took a real job.

Enough about me, in the mean time, gasoline rose to over four-fifty per gallon and dropped nearly three bucks per gallon since. We have a new President-elect. Our current President declared we are in a recession, about two years too late. And Ted Christopher won the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title.

It had been a long time since I’d taken the boat out of Orient Point. The dearth of Modified regulars aboard really saddened me. Apparently it was a misdirected harbinger of things to come.

As I would not be staying at the venue overnight I elected to change into semi-formal attire in the parking lot. I knew it would be cold, but I wasn’t counting on the whipping winds. I won’t bore readers with the sordid details but let’s just say I was so cold that I didn’t break a sweat for the next two hours.

The first stop at Mohegan Sun is the bar at the waterfall. That’s where members of the racing public generally hang out whenever they’re at this place. I found an assortment of happy faces and a few folks who were in late-evening form minutes before cocktail hour was scheduled to start.

Once I got to the Uncas Ballroom area I met plenty of people I hadn’t seen since last year’s championship soirée. Signs in the lobby indicated that Martinsville Speedway would be making a special presentation prior to the banquet. As we waited for the announcement, the Carey & Coffey program was broadcasting to the side with a little help from Doug Coby and guests including Mike Stefanik and Ryan Preece.

As it turned out, Ryan was the focus of the Martinsville announcement. Preece and car owner, Janice Bohler, were presented with the trophy for winning the 500th NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race. NASCAR's managing director of racing operations, George Silberman, Whelen Engineering Vice President of Motorsports, Phil Kurze, Clay Campbell of Martinsville Speedway and Whelen Modified Tour race director, Chad Little took part in the presentation.

Thanks go out to Howie Hodge for getting Janice to the front of the group so she showed up in the pictures. Ryan did a great job accepting the award. He exclaimed, “where are my guys?!” And “do we have any water to spray around here?”

The ballroom was set up differently this year with the stage at one of the side walls. The opposite wall was adorned with banners recognizing all of the past Whelen Modified Tour champions and the newest member. The NASCAR special events staff did a fantastic job of making the whole event look incredibly lavish and glamorous.

My favorite Modified advocate, fan and as he discovered Saturday night, sponsor, Mike Joy, emceed the festivities. Joy discovered that he was a sponsor when images of the #96 that Donny Lia drove at Loudon flashed across the screen during the evening. The taillight panel was emblazoned with “M.K. Joy”.

Joy announced that once again, of all of the award ceremonies that NASCAR holds, the Whelen Modified Tour banquet was only eclipsed in attendance by the Sprint Cup banquet at the Waldorf. Despite the fact that we didn’t have John Pinette and Matchbox Twenty there to perform for us, I feel that our crowd easily had as much fun in Connecticut as the Cup people did in New York.

George Silberman made the opening remarks by NASCAR. He kept his comments short and sweet. This was a refreshing change from the norm and one of several themes that carried through the evening.

A special presentation was made to Ed Cox. Fifty members of the Whelen Modified Tour got together and chipped in to get Ed a special present for his many years of service to the Tour. It is a beautiful Rolex watch and an accompanying plaque inscribed with the names of the fifty, owners, drivers, crew members and officials who contributed to the purchase.

One of the most important awards of the evening was presented early in the festivities. The Len Bohler Award is presented by the Bohler family to car owners in recognition of excellence, dedication and generosity. Michael Bohler presented the award to Roger Hill. Roger’s son David accepted it on his behalf.

Some of the awards were surprises and some were not. Ronnie Silk earned the Featherlite “Most Improved” award. Eric Beers sped to the Coors Light Pole award. Mike Stefanik was presented with the POWERade “Power Move of the Race” award. I think Mike had second thoughts on improving his qualifying efforts when he realized what the award actually paid.

Reverend Dan Petfield gave the Invocation prior to the main course being served at the banquet. It was great to see the recognition that Racing with Jesus Ministries received throughout the evening. Somewhere, Reverend Pat is smiling.

Glen Reen was recognized as the 2008 Sunoco “Rookie of the Year” award winner. He was presented with a beautiful piece of framed racing artwork that depicted the season. Reen earned the award by the slimmest of margins over Tom Abele, Jr.

So where were the surprises? How about Ted Christopher earning the Most Popular Driver award? Over ten thousand votes were on the NASCAR Home Tracks website. Mike Joy commented, “He was stunned…who wasn’t?” Ted also earned the Most Popular driver award at Stafford Motor Speedway this year to which he commented, “You gotta have a recount. There is no way [that I won this].”

Ken Heagy was caught off-guard when he was presented with the NASCAR “Driver Achievement” award. The Modified Series Auxiliary presented the Smiley Waterman and Donna Parks awards to Jamie and Cheryl Tomaino. This recognition was a long time coming. The Tomainos have supported every single race that has ever been a part of the Whelen Modified Tour. It is great to recognize them as our Man and Woman of the year.

Mike Smeriglio was presented with the NASCAR “Sportsmanship Award” by six-time Modified champion and 2009 inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Jerry Cook. Let it be known that not only did Mike lend out backup cars at both races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he also kept a car at the track so that Jimmy Spencer could be recognized in front of a Modified as a part of the “60 Years of Champions” on SPEED, a day after the Modified race ran.

Each season, Whelen Engineering has presented the top-ten finishers in the Tour standings with a special gift. This year, Phil Kurze presented each of the top-ten drivers with a pair of Puma racing gloves specially embroidered in recognition of the accomplishment. “Glove side out boys.”

Phil Kurze had another surprise. He unveiled the Tour decal for 2009. In honor of the Modified Tour’s twenty-fifth season, the decals will be appropriately silver. The decals are actually chrome Mylar and graphic representations of said decals do not do them justice. They are gorgeous. A big 25 splits “Seasons Running” on the header and the lower extension displays “1985-2009”.

When it came to recognizing the champion, a single common thread was woven into heavy cable by the end of the evening. “Ted Christopher is a racer’s racer” was the refrain. George Silberman related a story about Ted in his opening remarks.

He told of an occurrence at the Rolex 24 where the driver’s meeting is held in Victory Lane due to the sheer mass of competitors. Tony Stewart arrived to the meeting after all of the seats had been taken. He stood for the meeting at the exit to Victory Lane and greeted the other competitors as they exited. Silberman found it remarkable that out of all of the racing champions from various disciplines of motorsports, Tony Stewart reached out to trade information about what his car was doing with Christopher. Two racer’s racers bench racing at Daytona.

Brad LaFontaine was recognized with the “Champion Crew Chief” award. He opened by saying, “Jeez Teddy, just when we thought it couldn’t be done.” One of the first things he did was to invite the ever-popular, Rico Mariani up to the stage to be at his side. “Rico, he’s the backbone of our team…hopefully we’ll recognize everyone on our team but if I miss anyone it’s Rico’s fault.”

Ed Whelan received the “Champion Car Owner” award from Jerry Cook. Cook commented, “You can call it divine intervention or just plain dumb luck, but two events that took place in 2006 season that seemed to be setbacks at the time, for both the car owner and the driver have actually brought us together here tonight.”

“The #36 team had Mike Ewanitsko in the seat, when health issues forced him to the sidelines. Meanwhile, unforeseen circumstances found Ted Christopher without a ride. Eddie Whelan, owner of the #36 car, placed a call to Christopher with an open seat for the race at Jennerstown. Christopher promptly piloted Whelan’s car to Victory Lane and a winning combination was born.”

Ed Whelan seemed incredibly professional and thorough in his remarks. His thoughts were heartfelt and rang of sincerity. Despite all of that, he miraculously kept his comments to less than three minutes. The kudos goes to you Ed.

In introducing the champion driver, Mike Joy commented, “This is killing me! I have so many great Ted Christopher stories. Because we’re in polite company I can tell very few of them.”

The championship video that was produced by NASCAR for Christopher’s recognition was one of the best I have ever seen. I thought the team commentary was appropriate and well chosen. These people make us look good.

Prior to his crowning comments, Christopher received several special awards. Phil Kurze presented Ted the Whelen “Winner of the Race” award. Dan Anderson tried to make a funny. “I’m glad you didn’t step on it” didn’t quite make the highlight reel but I’m sure the Hoosier jacket will.

George Silberman presented Ted with his championship ring. I didn’t look at it up close, but it is big. It felt like Ted was wearing a gold walnut when I shook his hand later.

Christopher had a lot of people to thank and he did a tremendous job doing so. His thanks were humorously punctuated by quick swigs from a small bottle of water he had stowed in the podium earlier. He thanked Joe Brady, the car owner he first went to a Modified Tour Victory Lane with in 1999 at Richmond.

He thanked other past owners Curt Chase, Gary Cretty and Jim Galante. Ted Said, “One common denominator was that he always loved to drive a Modified. While most people always focused on why I hadn’t won a Modified Tour championship, I always focused on the race at hand. Many people said I drove differently this year…I did focus more on the big picture for 2008…I guess I did something right because I’m the last one speaking.”

Although the following comments have been edited, as in previous years, I tried to include much of the champion’s speech. “My car owner Eddie Whelan has been in and out of the Modified Tour for many years. He is someone I have great respect for and someone I especially appreciate as I accept this award. Eddie came to my rescue after the loss of the Mystique team in early ’06.”

“Although we won some races and finished third in points, I ended up getting fired at the end of that year. Go figure that one. I’d never been fired from anything in my life before. That’s water over the dam. So then ’07 comes along and I get hired again. And we brought Brad LaFontaine along as our crew chief.”

“2007 turned out to be the sophomore jinx year. What could go wrong did. We managed to win a race and finish fifth in points but it just wasn’t meant to be that year.”

“For ’08 we changed a few things around on the team, started out running race-to-race and waited to see what happens. Eddie would never commit to running the whole year so it was always race-to-race. Eddie, I sure am glad you decided to run the whole year.”

Ted thanked Brad LaFontaine. “Sometimes we fool around and call him the Pope. “The Pope?” I bet he didn’t make it past his first communion. His strength is in the knowledge of the racecar and his focus and determination are second to none. Winning that final race and the championship at the same time was great and I knew he wanted it that way.”

Ted echoed comments that had been made previously by LaFontaine and Whelan. “I also have to thank our interim car owner Jimmy [and Sally] Paige. He came on board to help us with a car for two races at Thompson and Chemung when we borrowed his car due to circumstances with our car.”

“I can’t forget little Tony or “Shorty” as I call him, our motor man. For such a small guy you sure do produce some big power. From our early Mystique Fords to Fords you produce today for our team, I can’t explain how much I appreciate what you have done for our team and me.”

“Then there is Gary Cretty. Gary and I have had a long racing relationship. I drove for him. Won with him, and have received support from him throughout my racing career. His behind the scenes help are another piece of the puzzle that most people don’t see.”

“One of the biggest shout-outs is to my crew. From preparation during the week, to the race-day work, to pit-stops on race-day, they are truly the unsung heroes who do it for the pit passes. Which is food, sometimes good or bad and hopefully a trip to Victory Lane.”

“Rico, “Mr. Smiles” Mariani, he is always smiling. No matter what, even if there’s no oil in the rear end; he’s always smiling. He’s Brad’s second-hand man, our truck driver and definitely Mr. All-Around.”

“Glen Dixon our tire guy. Everybody needs a tire guy, right? No matter how much I asked him about the stagger he’d always say “three and a quarter”. So I stopped asking him. It was useless.”

“Rocky my spotter, thanks for looking out for me. It’s been good to have a second set of reliable eyes like yours. You are the Rock.”

“Brian McCarthy, Squid, Goober, Butch and I am sure that there are a few that I forgot. Thanks to every one of you.”

“Last, but certainly not least, Tony and Jessie Mattola, Eugene Sena and Michael Sullivan for the last nine years, no matter where I went or who I was driving for they always followed me. Thank you for your undeniable loyalty and support. We finally did it.”

“And then there is my family to whom I also owe many thanks. My lovely wife Quinn, although she might not get to many of my races, I think this year she went to about ten, which is on the high side for her, her support has been there in a different way. Racing sixty to seventy times per year we are apart more than we are together during the summer months. The equation must work because whether I win or lose at the track it doesn’t matter to her. Coming home to her always makes me happy.”

“Another person I’d like to mention is my brother Mike.” He always calls me after each race to see how I did. The conversation never started with hello. Instead, it was like if I didn’t win, he would always ask, “…so what happened?” Like who did I wreck or who wrecked me. But then, if I won he would say “you effing won again?” In the beginning of the year he said this was the year that I was going to win the championship.”

“Then there are people in the business that make racing technically possible. They have been very supportive of my efforts. VP Racing Fuels, who have been a part of my racing career for over thirty years. From go carting, to SK championships, to a national championship, to my first Modified Tour championship they’ve always been there for me.”

“Hoosier Tires, Irish, Bobby, Robby, Dan and everyone at Hoosier Tire, thanks for a great tire and for your support of the Whelen Modified Tour. The following companies have also supported our race team in one way or another. Troyer Race Cars, Quarter Master Industries, Sweet Manufacturing, Hawk Industries, Pro Shocks, Northeast Race Cars and Parts, Bassett Wheels, FK Rod Ends, Fragola Systems and Racing Electronics, thank you for all of your help.”

“I also want to thank Chad Little and all of the NASCAR officials who made this season a memorable and more enjoyable one. I also can’t forget Whelen Engineering, Sonny Whelen, John Olson, Phil Kurze and everyone at Whelen. Thank you for the support of this series and for helping me throughout the years. I’m glad that I was able to become a Whelen Modified Tour champion during my career.”

“Finally, I would like to recognize every car owner in this room for the dedication and support of this series. Without you, the drivers in this room wouldn’t be to do what we love. Drive Modifieds. It takes a special person to be a Modified car owner. Because even if you won every race and the championship, you probably still wouldn’t break even and people say I’m crazy. Thanks to each and every one of you and have a happy holiday.”

It was all over too soon. Everyone seemed to have had a really good time. Shawn Courchesne showed up as the ceremonies concluded. I had been calling and texting him during the program. At least he got there. I flushed a yard down the slots and I was on my way home.

One of the fringe benefits to winning the Whelen Modified Tour title is an invitation to the Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge. I look forward to bringing stories back from Lake Placid in three short weeks. Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion, Brian Loftin and Whelen All-American Series champion, Philip Morris will join Ted Christopher on Mt. Van Hoevenberg as a part of the festivities.

Those of you who have satellite radio can tune into MRN on Sirius NASCAR 128 and XM 104 for live audio coverage from the event. We will try to keep everyone abreast of results and news on TCH’s Message Board

Nov 28-29 - Wall Speedway - Turkey Derby - 2nd

by Speed51.com

Thanksgiving weekend 2008 was the 35th Turkey Derby race at Wall Township Stadium (NJ) and, sadly, the only race event run this year at the track. It was standing room only as an impressive field of Modifieds and fans came together for the weekend’s race events.
Jimmy Blewett stood in victory lane after the Tour-type Modified feature…and he knew his role there well.
“For Every Super Hero like Matt (Hirschman) there is a Villain like me,” said Blewett.
Yes, once again this year fans both cheered and booed Blewett on his victory.
It feels good,” said Blewett of the victory…but maybe not the booing. “It always feels great to come back to your home track. Whether the people boo or not, it is a pleasure for me to be here. Yes, it is exciting to be back here (in victory lane).”
This was Jimmy Blewett’s second Turkey Derby win and both wins came with major reactions from the crowds.
“I won the Turkey Derby a couple of years ago. It feels good to win again.”
Blewett finished time trials in fourth and redrew to start the race in sixth. The team pitted several times during the race to change tires or tweak the car. Having fresh tires Blewett made his way to the lead cars and used his “Wall Driving Techniques” to break his way into second spot by lap eighty-three. He then continued his charge until the number one spot was his on lap eighty-nine.
Pete Brittain was right there behind Blewett as they both charged to the front with fresh rubber. Brittain made one last move to pass Blewett for the lead on lap ninety-nine his car spun from under him in turn two.
“I was trying to win the race,” said Brittain. “I knew if I got outside I would have to be clear coming out of two and I spun the car. I wanted to win the race. Finishing in second or finishing eighteenth, there is no difference.”
Brittain gambled and lost. He finished the day in eighteen spot.
Matt Hirschman’s car hit a lap time of 11.996 seconds during time trials and he redrew to start the race in second spot. Hirschman jumped to the front to take control of the lead at the beginning of the race and was the dominant leader until the last eleven laps.
Hirschman did not pit for fresh tires. So at the end was it the rubber or aggressive moves that determined the winner? Hirschman sure had his opinion.
“He [Blewett] just drove through everybody instead of around them and he ended up winning,” said Hirschman.
Hirschman was definitely disappointed that he lost the race after leading for eighty-nine laps.
“When you are out front here it is hard to give up that track position here. Some years the guy that goes the whole way and wins and some years it is the guy that pits. This year as the cautions played out the guys that pitted there had good track position at the end. And that is what happened.”
But in the end, fresh tires, knowing the track and where to make the moves, be they aggressive or not, took Blewett to the lead.
“The timing of the cautions and the guys who had pitted definitely were right there at the end. That (pitting for tires) is part of it. Pete (Brittain) was good and his tires were good. Jimmy (Blewett) had the tires but he did not really even try to pass anybody he just bulled his way through and knocked everybody out of the way.”
Young gun Stephen Reed finished the Turkey Derby race happy with his performance and what his team was able to accomplish. Reed completed time trials third is speed and started the race in fifth spot after the redraw.
“We finished where we belonged,” said Reed. “I had a little more than Matt at the end because we pitted and took three tires. But it takes a lot more to get by him. We were happy where we finished. Third is what we had there and to come out of that race in third, I am happy with the day.”

by Walt Stubbs

You would have thought I was pulling into a mall on Black Friday a few years ago, when the economy was good and people were looking to spend. The only problem with that was that it was this past Saturday morning around 10:00 am and the place I was pulling into wasn't a mall, though I'm sure a few people who aren't fans of a race track were wishing it was a mall or some other type of complex other than a race track. No, instead, I was pulling into Wall Township Speedway, a place I thought I wouldn't be turning into anymore after it was announced the track was closing this past year. And I wasn't the only one pulling into the facilities from Route 34, only to be held up by grid lock as security directed us not only thru the parking lot, but across Hurley Pond Road to a grass field near the airport where buses were waiting to take us back to the track. Upon arriving at the track and making my way to the stands, it was clear that my eyes weren't deceiving me or that one person was in each of the cars in the lot. The stands were completely full, going three deep behind the stands. In all the years I had attended Wall, be it Speedway or Stadium, I had never seen the front row on the front stretch filled. It was on Saturday. I guess you could say that the race fans missed the track. It could even be an understatement. The pits were also filled, with each of the divisions having good car counts. And to put icing on the cake, the racing, for the most part, was the best I've seen at the track in quite some time. So, with all the positives that came out of this weekend, the question begged to be asked, is now what? Nobody right now seems certain as to the future of Wall, though many were speculating, including yours truly. Here's my take, for anyone interested. IF the track is to reopen again, and that's anybody's guess, it should only be with a partial schedule. There's no reason to run a full slate, beginning in April and ending in October. Start on Memorial Day and run to Labor Day or if you want to cut down even more, run a race once a month, starting at the end of April and running to the end of September. Make the fans and teams WANT to come to the track. Running a limited schedule will accomplish this, not a full slate where it becomes a weekly grind for both the fans and teams. Plus, it will enable both to travel to other tracks in the process. Even if Wall had run weekly this past year, it is unlikely that Jimmy Blewett and Steven Reed would have been at the track each and every week. Both were going to run touring series anyway, be it the NASCAR Whelen, ROC or True Value Series. By running a partial schedule, and by making sure there are no conflicts with those Tours, or maybe even hosting one of those tours, would enable drivers like Reed and Blewett to run at the track as well.

Again, nobody knows exactly what the future of Wall holds, but nobody can deny that the fans voice was heard, loud and clear. It was good to see some of the drivers who made Wall's history on hand, showing there support. Seen in the stands or pits were the likes of Gil Hearne, Martin Truex, Jerry Cranmer, Eddie Bohn, and Sonny McCurdy, to name a few. For Bohn and McCurdy, it wasn't a quick trip, like it would have been in years past. Both now reside down south, with Bohn moving to North Carolina in the last year. As Bohn told me, "I've never missed a Turkey Derby and I wasn't going to miss one now. I was at the first one in 1974 sitting in the stands watching my Dad race and then I was racing myself a year later." Bohn's son Danny was on hand in his modified to keep the tradition of one Bohn running in the race. Here's hoping that Bohn and all the rest of the teams, will be at Wall a year from now for another Turkey Derby, this one XXXVI.

With the economy being the way it is, everybody is out looking for a bang for the buck. Well, if you were at Wall on Saturday, you found it both literally and figuratively. The 100 lap modified event, had much banging going on, no matter where you looked in the 28 car starting field. Never was it more evident than at the front of the field on lap 88, where Matt Hirschman, who had led from the start of the race, was looking to hold off Jimmy Blewett. Blewett went onto the apron going into turn three, getting under Hirschman, making contact with Hirschman and taking the lead in the process. Pete Brittain, who was running third behind Blewett, also took advantage of the hole with Hirschman being left in third. Brittain used all of his bag of tricks to try getting by Blewett, even trying the outside lane in turn one on the last lap, looping his Ling Trucking modified in the process but it was Blewett claiming the win. Needless to say, Blewett offered no apologies for his move on Hirschman. "When I have my right front to your left rear, I don't have to be up to your door. If I'm along side your car, I don't have to let you in getting in to the turn especially when it's the last race at this track. I came here to win, no matter how I got it, and I won. That's the type of driver I am. I'm not out there to win anything but the race. Some guys when they go out there they play Mr. Nice Guy and they never win. Like I said, for every super hero like Matt Hirschman there's a villain like myself. I don't mean to sound arrogant but it's the way it is. When you come here, you come here to win and that's it," said Blewett.

It looked like Blewett was giving Brittain more than enough room on the outside to get by him. Brittain attempted to use the high groove but couldn't get by Blewett, spinning out in the process while running second. Brittain had no regrets. "We had a great car all weekend and I want to thank Zane Zeiner and the guys on the crew. We came thru the back in 30 laps. Jimmy ran me clean. He gave me a lane and I went down in there for the win. We came here to win, not run second so if we didn't win, I could have cared less if we finished 30th. It's the Turkey Derby, we were here to win. Jimmy wasn't going to give me the inside so I had to use the outside lane. Unfortunately, I looped it."

As for Hirschman, who wound up second, he blamed the caution sequence more than Blewett for his shot at the win. "What happened is that we were out on our original tires and almost everyone else wound up pitting. It's just the timing of the cautions played into there hand and somebody was going to get by. Jimmy just bulled his way by and he probably didn't have to but that's what he did to everybody else from what I understand. He wound up getting by with Pete following him thru. It's not like we really died but we were just out there on tires longer than anyone else. Too many cautions from laps 50 to 80. When you are leading here it's hard to give it up. Anybody that's every leading here never pits but it doesn't guarantee you are going to win but that's the best decision. I don't regret that at all. I had to stay out but it just timed out bad for us," said Hirschman.

One "outsider' who has taken a liking to Wall has been Les Hinckley. Two years ago, Hinckley almost wound up winning the race, a race won by Blewett with some last lap banging. Hinckley was once again in the hunt and wound up sixth. "We wound up on the short end of the traffic. I didn't get thru traffic the way I needed to. Three years ago we came thru here with everybody moving out of our way and we just didn't get thru it well today. We were in perfect position with 40 to go; we just put new tires on and in front of everyone else, including the guy who won the race. He wasn't any better than we were. He got thru it, or made his way thru it, better than I did and I'll take the heat for that," said Hinckley.

DERBY LEFTOVERS: Car owner Dick Barney had two cars in the field for the Derby, one driven by Ken Wolley and the other by Billy Pauch Jr. His regular driver, Reggie Ruggiero, had a prior commitment and was not on hand... Another familiar entry, that of the Reed #55 was on hand with Steve Reed partaking in both the open modified race and the Wall Modified 100 lapper. Reed wound up third in the open race and was happy to be back at his home track. "I had a lot of fun," admitted Reed. "It's great for the fans. I'm happy because I finished third and my stuff is in one piece. If I finished 13th and I had the right front knocked off; I might not be so happy. You have to take it for what it is. As for the fans, it's a race that will be talked about for a long time and I'm happy where we wound up." Reed, by the way, hopes to continue to race weekly up at Stafford in 2009 and also run shows in the ROC and of course Wall if it does reopen... I'm usually the first one out of the gate after the modified race but decided to take in all of the action on Saturday Night, including the Wall Modified 100 lap event. Glad I did as I witnessed Rowan Pennink collect his first career modified win. It was an emotional win for Pennink, his family and friends. All of turn four was cheering as Pennink got the checker. "The first win is an unbelievable feeling," said Rowan. "Everybody gave so much effort to this. We struggled with the car at the beginning of the weekend but we were really good out there the second half of the race. The last couple of laps a lot was racing thru my mind because I've been waiting a long time for this. My Dad's been saying to me we haven't won a race in four years since Go Karts so this was for him." Needless to say, the crew was celebrating into the night, with a bonfire that I'm sure isn't still out... Besides former drivers, a few former car owners were on the grounds at Wall. Among those were Howard Harvey and Frank Courvesier, better known as Frenchie. (Tony Hirschman ran the Frenchie's Auto Body #6 in the early 80's, a car formerly owned and ran by Maynard Troyer for you Wall historians)... The banquet season gets in to full gear with New Hampshire Motor Speedway celebrating there champions on December 11th before the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour crowns Ted Christopher champ on December 13th. Will be interesting to see if NASCAR releases there schedule at the banquet. There are already some rumblings that Martinsville will not be on the schedule in 2009. And as we conclude, we are wondering Whatever happened to John Giacobbe. And finally This Week's Quote of The Week comes for AARN photographer Fran Lawlor, on Jimmy Blewett's day. "Brake pedal, pace car and the lottery are the only things that Jimmy Blewett didn't hit today."

1. (6) JIMMY BLEWETT #19
2. (2) Matt Hirschman #59
3. (5) Steven Reed #55
4. (20) Earl Paules, Jr. #8
5. (21) Tommy Rogers, Jr. #6
6. (13) Les Hinckley #06
7. (4) Rowan Pennink #93
8. (14) Chuck Steuer #11X
9. (24) Danny Bohn #54
10. (10) Tim Arre #15A
11. (15) Tommy Farrell, III #11F
12. (8) Billy Pauch, Jr. #4
13. (3) Tony Ferrante, Jr. #x3
14. (27) John Markovic #95M
15. (11) Justin Gumley #02
16. (17) Ken Barry #21
17. (9) Pete Brittain #66
18. (12) Doug Coby #88
19. (18) Eddie Brunnhoelzl, III #8X
20. (23) Louie Mechalides #40
21. (25) Jamie Tomaino #99
22. (1) Ken Woolley, Jr. #14
23. (7) Keith Rocco #7
24. (19) Jeff Malave #78
25. (26) Billy Weichert #11W
26. (22) J.R. Bertuccio #2
27. (16) Dave Sapienza #36
28. (28) Brian Crammer #89

Nov 7-8 - North South Shootout - 2nd

For the first time in six years, a Southern competitor has earned the title of North-South Shootout champion. Burt Myers of Kernersville, NC, waved the confederate flag from victory lane after winning the 6th Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout ™ Modified 125 presented by Town & Country Ford. It was a sweep for Myers who also earned the DMC Pole Award with his fast lap of 15.238 seconds. Myers also earned an impressive $11,280 in cash and prizes for the victory.
Dave McKnight of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, scored the victory in the 2nd Annual East-West Supermodified Shootout. His efforts earned him a cool $4,590 in cash and prizes. Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, survived a very physical SK-Type Modified main event to score the victory. With lap money and contingency sponsorships, Christopher earned $4,890.
Young Erick Rudolph laid down an impressive lap to start on the outside of the front row. He capitalized on his starting position to lead the opening laps taking the defending champion Matt Hirschman along for the ride. Rudolph continued to lead Hirschman, Myers, George Brunnhoelzl III, and Ted Christopher through the first caution on lap 19 for a spin by Daren Scherer. On the ensuing restart, Hirschman was able to catapult into the lead while Myers faded back slightly. During a green flag run, Hirschman began to pull away from the field. Ryan Preece made his first appearance inside the top five.
The second yellow flag of the event flew for an incident that involved Carl Pasteryak, Pete Brittain, and Rick Kluth. Green flag racing was short-lived when a spin by Gene Pack brought out the third caution of the event. Under the caution, a handful of teams headed to pit road for the mandatory pit stop including Hirschman, Rudolph, Brunnhoelzl, Christopher, Preece, Beers, and a host of others. Myers, Jimmy Blewett, Ronnie Silk, and Les Hinckley made up the top five of the running order after the pit stops.
After another quick caution, Myers and Blewett swapped the lead back and forth. The battle for the lead allowed Silk to catch the lead duo. Bobby Santos III had worked his way into the top-five.
The teams struggled near lap 47 when a host of cautions slowed the field. The likes of Eddie Flemke, Jr. and Charlie Pasteryak were involved in separate incidents. On the second attempt at a restart, Blewett got out of shape slightly. As the field checked up a number of cars stacked up on the front stretch including Rowan Pennink, Todd Szegedy, and Chris Whitenight, Jr. Woody Pitkat. Glenn Reen, and Earl Paules, were also involved.
When green flag racing resumed Myers continued to lead Silk and Christopher. Hirschman got around Santos to rejoin the top-five once again. Myers was beginning to stretch out his lead while Christopher and Hirschman were both getting racy at this stage of the event. Brunnhoelzl came back to life as well.
As the race approached halfway, Myers enjoyed a five-car length advantage over Silk, who had little breathing room back to Christopher. Hirschman was a distance back in fourth. Eric Beers was using the high groove in an effort to get to Brunnhoelzl and Santos.
Myers meticulously motored his way through lapped traffic to maintain his comfortable lead. The remainder of the top-five now ran nose-to-tail. Myers had yet to make his pit stop that was required between laps 30-110.
The caution flew on lap #98 when Santos spun in turn four. The caution allowed Myers the opportunity to head to pit road. He was joined by Silk, Szegedy, Rusty Smith and others. With the stop, Hirschman had inherited the top spot. The ensuing restart meant problems for another front runner Christopher, who spun in turn one. After a false start, Hirschman was able to jump out to the lead over Preece and Beers. Preece lost a quick battle for the second spot. Beers began to run down Hirschman. It looked for awhile that it might be a repeat of last year’s finish with the Northampton, PA residents running at the front.
There was a scary moment at lap 104 when the Hillbilly Racing teammates Silk and Flemke split Southern Whelen Modified Tour champion Brian Loftin to make it three-wide exiting turn four. All three cars came through the corner unscathed. Myers, meanwhile, was picking his way back to the front of the pack. He passed his brother Jason, then Flemke, and Brunnhoelzl to find the top-five.
Myers’ march to the front continued by taking the fourth spot from Silk. He immediately erased the distance between himself and Preece. Just as quickly he disposed of Preece. With only four laps remaining, the field was single file with Hirschman at the helm. Beers was losing ground to Hirschman while Myers continued to gain it.
The caution flew on lap 118 when contact dislodged one of the foam blocks placed on the track for safety. Ryan Preece watched his great fun come to an end when he headed to pit road for fuel. A spin by Flemke forced another caution in the event. With two laps remaining, Hirschman lined up ahead of Beers, Myers, Silk, and Brunnhoelzl. Beers faltered on the restart giving way to Myers and others. With the crowd on their feet, Myers got a great run to move ahead of Hirschman to take the lead. The enthusiasm could not quell even when the 13th and final caution flew when the #9 of Beers stalled on the front stretch. Myers pulled away on the final restart to streak under the checkers as the 2008 North-South Shootout champion. Myers was ecstatic in victory lane and proud of his Southern heritage. The two-time winner Hirschman had to settle for second. Silk joined the duo on the podium. Christopher and Santos completed the top five. It was the best showing for the Southern competitors with Brunnhoelzl finishing sixth followed by J. Meyers. Glen Reen, Chuck Hossfeld, and Rusty Smith rounded out the top-ten.

6th Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout Tour Modified 125 Lap Feature Finish (Pos. North/South Designation) Car # Driver’s Name, Hometown): 1. (S) 1 Burt Myers, Kernersville, NC; 2. (N) 60 Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA; 3. (N) 79x Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, CT; 4. (N) 36 Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 5. (N) 98 Bobby Santos III, Franklin, MA; 6. (S) 28 George Brunnhoelzl III, Mooresville, NC; 7. (S) 4 Jason Myers, Walnut Cove, NC; 8. (N) 17 Glen Reen, Wilbraham, MA; 9. (N) 98H Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, NY; 10. (N) 34 Rusty Smith, Oxford, NY; 11. (N) 2 Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, CT; 12. (S) 23 Brian Loftin, Lexington, NC; 13. (N) 45 Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, NY; 14. (N) 40 Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT; 15. (N) 88 Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 16. (N) 79 Ed Flemke, Jr., Berlin, CT; 17. (N) 5 Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT; 18. (N) 75 Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT; 19. (S) 8 Jay Mize, Clemmons, NC; 20. (N) 93 Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, PA; 21. (N) 9 Eric Beers, N. Hampton, PA; 22. (S) 07 Frank Fleming, Mount Airy, NC; 23. (N) 659 Danny Bohn, Rockwell, NC; 24. (S) 31 Gene Pack, Walkertown, NC; 25. (N) 8 Earl Paules, Palmerton, PA; 26. (S) 19 Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 27. (N) 06 Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, CT; 28. (N) 17 Chris Whitenight, Jr., Berwick, PA; 29. (N) 99 Jamie Tomaino, Howell, NJ; 30. (N) 08 Thomas Farrell III, Neptune, NJ; 31. (N) 44 Rick Kluth, Brockport, NY; 32. (N) 66 Pete Brittain, Oakhurst, NJ; 33. (N) 3 Daren Scherer, Binghamton, NY; DNS (S) 34 Josh Nichols, Cleveland, NC.

Q&A with Matt from Speed 51

FIRE AWAY - Q&A With Matt Hirschman by Matt "Duke" Kentfield

"Big Money Matt" Responds to Criticism and Looks to the Future

51: Alright Matt, let’s get right to the point. It has been more than a week since Ed Chapman, one of your Whelen Modified Tour car owners, told you after the Thompson World Series event that your driving services were no longer needed with his part of team. What are your feelings about what happened after the race at Thompson?

Hirschman: We went into the day 35 points out of the championship race and it came down to two teams in the last race that had a shot at winning the championship. So it was a big day for our team, even coming out in second. It was a great experience for all involved. We had a battery failure during the race and ended up finishing 25th, but we still finished second in points. We gave up a good finish and it would have been an interesting race until the last lap with the championship at stake.

I was driving one of Wayne Darling’s cars in the race, but after the race, in the pit area, Ed pulled me aside and said he was going to part ways with me and that I did a great job for them, but there were some things he wasn’t happy about and he had other options and other opportunities to do something different. He brought my driver’s seat to the track and told me there. I just think the timing was bad. Considering what kind of day it was for all of us, I don’t think it was the way the day should have ended. He didn’t have to bring my seat to the race track and hand it to me there. But I still accepted it and it was something that I think has been coming. So, it wasn’t a surprise to me. I don’t think it had to be that way, but that was kind of how the day ended there. But, it was Monday when the real drama started.

51: I’m sure you’re talking about that article that came out. An article by Shawn Courchesne of the Hartford Courant had quotes from Ed Bennett about your attitude and your personality. What is your reaction to some of the things that Ed said about you in that article?

Hirschman: Anybody that knows me, and knows Ed for that matter, knows what the truth is and what type of person I am. But I think his motive was beyond that. I think he was trying to hurt my image in the sport in general and hurting any possibilities of moving up to future opportunities. I think that’s really what his motive was. For someone I raced for four years with and someone that I had success with recently, it was a real slap in the face. It was totally uncalled for, the things he said. Whatever his opinion is, that stuff didn’t need to be put out in the open. We could’ve parted our separate ways and that could have been it. He said in his story that I’m about myself and I’m for myself, but I think he basically wanted to draw a lot of attention to himself. With a lot of the stuff he said, I think he should look into the mirror and think about what he said.

Right now, just in this season alone, I have raced for six different teams and I haven’t had a problem with any of them. I’m parting with Ed Bennett’s team, but I’m actually only parting with two people because he has as many racecars as he does crewmembers. The rest of the team, when we raced together, is made up of members of the Darling team and the former members of my father’s #48 team. Out of all those teams and all those people, I really only had a problem with one person and I’m really only parting with two people. It was really made out to be a lot bigger deal than it really was. And it’s unfortunate that it had to be that, or that he wanted it that way. But it really isn’t near as big of a deal as it appears.

He questioned my commitment and stuff like that in the story and let me say this… Ed is a hands-on car owner. He maintains his cars, sets them up and drives the truck and trailer to the track. He makes the commitment financially and from a time-commitment standpoint. But once he gets to the racetrack, he seems to have other priorities. He was deeply involved with the #90 team of Renee Dupuis. During the course of a race weekend, he’d switch it back and forth from my channel to her channel and he was making all of the calls for her team. He spends as much time in her pit as he does mine. So, for him to question commitment or priority on my part, like I said, he really just needs to look in the mirror.

When we first started working together, he was very helpful to my career. That’s the kind of person he is. If he likes you, he can be very helpful and very supportive. But he doesn’t like many people. It got to a point where he no longer liked me and that’s where our friendship disappeared and it became just a racing relationship. It was still one that I still did all my part communicating so we could go there and make sure we had the best possible run that we could. The second-to-last race we ran together was at Chemung. It was an event where I had experience at that track and I gave him all of my information from my experience racing the RoC series. I communicated all of that information to him and we went there and communicated all the information we needed to throughout the course of the day. We swept the whole day. We were the fastest practice lap, we won the pole, we won the heat race and we won the race. Where is there bad communication there?

51: Have you had any communication with Ed since that article came out to try and clear the air at all?

Hirschman: No, I have no need to ever speak to him again as far as I’m concerned.

51: What about Wayne Darling, the owner of the white cars you raced on the Tour this year? Have you had any conversations with him about that whole deal to find out where he stands on everything?

Hirschman: We have spoken, but we haven’t really talked about that or what our future is going to be. Once the season ends, I need to wait and find out what other things I have going on - see if there is going to be anything further with Gillett Evernham, for example. And then we’ll just have to sit down with them and discuss what is going to be the best option for both of us, but we haven’t discussed that yet.

51: I’m sure you’ve talked a lot with your dad (former NASCAR Whelen Modified Champion Tony Hirschman) and the rest of the family about the situation. Your dad has driven for a lot of different racecar owners through the years. Has he ever seen a situation like this? Has he ever said anything about whether it was him or anyone he raced with in his day, that had a situation fall apart like this and then a team owner kind of going on the attack on a driver like that?

Hirschman: He hasn’t said much, but I know he isn’t happy. He has been around the sport long enough to where he can compare it to some others. But I don’t think he can say that anyone has ever done him as wrong as what I feel Ed did me. But like I said, he’s not happy about it. I think he’s been around long enough to see things like this happen, but I don’t think he has been done that wrong before.

51: In your couple of starts you’ve had with Gillett Evernham in the Camping World Series, has that organization or Ray Evernham himself given you any feedback as far as what your feedback is like and what type of racecar driver you are?

Hirschman: There were a lot of positives that came out of those two runs with them. They were real impressed with my abilities both on and off the race track. They’ve complimented me on how I present myself and how I carry about my business. I worked well with the group. They were happy with my feedback on the cars and they were happy with my ability to race and to race among others. I was taught to show people the same respect that you would want to be given and that includes on the racetrack and off the racetrack and the experience we had with them was nothing but positive. They seemed to really like what they saw in me.

51: You know what other people, such as the media, the Gillett Evernham organization and others in the Modified circles, say about what kind of racecar driver you are. But what kind of racecar driver does Matt Hirschman think Matt Hirschman is?

Hirschman: If you look at my background, I think you’re looking at one of the most well-rounded people in the sport, especially in Modified racing. I grew up in the sport and got involved as young as I could as a spotter and as a crewmember and eventually I won two championships with my father’s team as a Crew Chief. Now I’m winning races as a driver and winning championships and I also own my own car. So I bring all of that experience and all of that knowledge from all those different views of the sport. I think it shows on the race track when you watch me race. I feel like I know what the right way is and what the wrong thing is just by my experience watching. I think my stats and my accomplishments speak for themselves for the course of just the season and in the past. There is also the respect that you gain from your fellow competitors and I’ve had good relationships with a lot of people. I think you have to look at that along with what you do on the race track.

51: You mentioned the crew chief and the spotter stuff you’ve been doing before you stepped into the fulltime driver role. Was your eye always on driving racecars even when you were working with your dad? Was that always your goal or was there a time when you would have been just happy turning wrenches for your dad or other people?

Hirschman: As a kid growing up, I was asked a question in school, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I always said I wanted to be a racecar driver. That’s what I always said - the answer I always gave. Even when I was in those different roles, I still was looking at it like, one day that is going to be me out there. All those experiences helped me get where I am today, but I always envisioned the day I was going to be the one behind the wheel. Where we are right now, a lot of those dreams are coming true and a lot of those experiences that I wanted to have are all taking place.

51: Anytime the mainstream racing media mentions what you’re doing, they say you’re a young, up-and-coming kid that’s working his way up there to the big time. Then they mention your dad being a multiple-time Modified champion, but since he never made it to Cup or the Big Three or anything like that, most people outside of the Northeast don’t necessarily know who Tony Hirschman is and how good of a driver he was. Do you feel like you need to make it to Cup and make a name for yourself in one of the top-three series in order to have a successful career, or would you be happy running the short tracks for the next 25 years of your life winning as much as your dad has?

Hirschman: I never really envisioned or dreamed much beyond the Modified. That’s what my goal always was and what I always dreamed of doing. And now that I’ve gotten to this point where I am now, I would definitely try and make the most of any opportunity I got beyond this. But if it wouldn’t work, I would still be happy. I wouldn’t mind being the next Tony Hirschman, the next Mike Stefanik or the next Ted Christopher. I know to have an opportunity beyond this, the time has to be now or very soon. But I wouldn’t have a problem doing this the rest of my life. That’s what I planned on doing and that’s what I will do if nothing changes.

51: Where do you see 2009 taking you? Have you had many more discussions with the Gillett Evernham people or anything beyond that doing full-fendered racing?

Hirschman: It’s pretty wide open still. The season isn’t over, both at the Modified level and the Gillett Evernham level. As the season closes here, I think things will come together and I’ll know exactly what I’ll be doing next year. With all of the positives that

came out of my runs and my experience with Gillett Evernham, future opportunities or at least something further is very realistic and it’s a real positive feeling going forward with them. But, I don’t know if that will be something that will take me out of the Modified at least for next year. So I think it’s something that’s pretty wide open now, but I don’t think it’s going to be too long before I know exactly where I’m at for next year. I think with all the positives going for me right now, this parting with Ed Bennett is nothing more than a bump in the road and I think we’re going to be fine without him. It’s just a matter of seeing what next year is going to include.

51: It seems like wherever you win, there are always victory lane photos and your dad is there, your mom is there more often than not and sometimes your brother is there. Talk about your family and the support they have given you throughout your career and now that you’re on the verge of doing bigger stuff, how important is it to have that family support with you?

Hirschman: It’s very important. When I was growing up, we always did things as a family. We traveled together and raced together. When it was my dad out there, we won together as a family and we lost together as a family. That’s the kind of support we gave him and that’s the kind of support they’ve given me since I’ve started racing. There are times when we were in different directions when we were both racing and my mom would have to choose who to go with. She would try to go to as many as she could. Then we raced together with the Whelen Tour and now this year my dad hasn’t been racing and he has attended a lot of my races, but not all of them. So they give me a lot of support.

I think the biggest benefit from being a second generation driver is the amount of respect and the good relationships my father has built over the years. That has been the biggest help to me. People always ask me if my father coaches me on the racetrack or if he tells me how to time trial, how to race or how to compete for championships. He really doesn’t. That is the stuff I had to learn more on my own. All those good relationships and the respect he has earned over the years has been a big benefit to me. This situation we have right now is a real disappointment because those that know me and know my family know the real story. But it’s those that don’t that have made it look real bad for all of us. And that’s kind of where the disappointment comes in from the events this past week or two.

51: You mentioned gaining the respect of the guys out on the racetrack. There’s a picture out there of you congratulating Teddy (Christopher, Whelen Tour Champion) in victory lane at Thompson. Do you feel like you’ve earned the respect from guys like TC and do you consider yourself to have good relationships with most of the drivers on the Tour now?

Hirschman: Yeah. This season I didn’t have one run-in with a single driver on the Whelen Tour all season. Out of the course of the season, I’ve ran over 40 events and I had one on-track incident. Jan Leaty and I tangled going for the lead at a RoC race at Chemung. We had words after the race. I had words for him because I didn’t think it should have happened. That day we got together on the racetrack, but we’ve already gone wheel-to-wheel after that and there was never going to be any payback or anything like that. Just that one day, we had different views on what happened and what should have happened. That kind of stuff is going to happen when you race as many races as I am and as competitive as I am. That’s part of the sport and you’re going to have that.

I try to race people the way I would like them to race me. I’ve raced people like Teddy Christopher, who a lot of people have problems with or don’t feel like you can race with, and Teddy and I like racing against each other. I really just like to race, and for the most part, I pretty much get along with everybody and I also feel that I’ve earned that respect off the racetrack. If you talk to people in the media and just overall, I think I’m well respected in the pit area. From the business standpoint, with our business, I’m working and communicating with racers every day of the week, whether it’s my own teams or customers of mine. I’m working and communicating with people all the time and it’s kind of funny that communication and my lack of input and ideas is something I was criticized for. All I’m ever doing is communicating with people and sharing ideas and input.

51: Someday there is going to be an argument, and I know you and your dad have raced together in the past, but what do you think, if there was a match race between you and your dad in equally prepared cars, who is the better racecar driver right now?

Hirschman: It depends on the time, the place and the situation, but I have enough confidence right now that I would go head to head with him. I’d say in a lot of places right now I could win. We kind of had a little thing, this year. I won all three races at Oswego, but I couldn’t make the Race of Champions, which was the final one. He ended up going there and winning the race. We set his car up the same way we set mine up and he went there and broke the track record. We were like, ‘Well, he has the track record there now,’ but I said, ‘If I was there, I would have topped it again.’ It’s all friendly stuff, but at this point right now, there are a lot of places where I could beat him. It would be a good, clean battle, but I have that confidence that I could beat him. I think he’d even agree that I’d give him more than he would probably want to handle.

Speed 51 Power Rankings
It's time again for the Speed51.com panel of supposed experts to put their heads together and make a ruling on who the most powerful short track star in the land is. We've cast our ballots and tallied the results, and without further ado, here are our results:


5. Matt Hirschman (Mods) - Why is Matt Hirschman powerful? Is it because of his pair of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victories over the summer? His runner-up finish in the WMT standings? His capture of the RoC Modified title despite missing two events? His performance in open Modified shows? His pair of top six finishes in his first two career NASCAR Camping World East Series races? How about just checking off the box that says “all of the above”? Matt Hirschman has been on fire in 2008 and now he's got our panel saying that they want to see what this guy can do in a car with fenders on a regular basis. ARCA, Camping World Series and Pro Cup owners, are you listening?

Oct 26 - Twin State Speedway - Win
Story from Speed51.com

After 32 years of racing and working on cars, the dedicated efforts of the Pasteryak Racing Team were rewarded with family’s first ever Modified Championship this past weekend. Chris Pasteryak claimed the 2008 True Value Modified Racing Series championship on Sunday afternoon, October 26th after finishing seventh in the “Ricky Miller Memorial 100,” at Twin State Speedway, Claremont, NH. The winner of the race though was 2008 Race of Champions Asphalt Modified tour champion, Matt Hirschman. Hirschman took over the lead on lap 61and then fought off hard charges to win his first ever run TVMRS race. “If that ain’t racing I do not know what is,” said Hirschman as he emerged from his car. ’”We won in the NASCAR Whelen Tour, the RoC and then in the True Value Series. I do not know if anyone else has done that.” Twin State Speedway offers tough racing and tight competition and the TVMRS discovered that as the series wrapped up their race season there.

“That is about as good as you are going to get in short track modified racing,” said Hirschman. “It does not get much better than that anywhere in the country. Man what a workout. I am out of breath to be honest.” This was Matt Hirschman’s first drive in a True Value race and the driver met with immediate success. Fans wanted to know if he planned to return next year to run the series. “The reason that you do not see me more often is that I have commitments as well it is tough because I am located in Pennsylvania. It was certainly worth the drive up here - but not on a normal basis.” Second place finisher was veteran racer Dwight Jarvis. “I want to thank everyone for coming, sitting and watching us in this cold weather,” said Jarvis. “I really wanted to win this show bad tonight because I knew Ricky (Miller) really well. I want to thank the Miller Family and everybody else that put in all their time and effort in it. I had a real good time putting on the show for the hometown crowd. Thank you all for coming.” Jarvis made a power move to pass Matt Hirschman on lap 65, but unfortunately for him a caution came out. “That is one move that I always had down pat. I thought that I could make it work on him but the yellow bit us and it is too bad that I just could not get it down there again. The guys so a good job on this car. They gave me a winning car tonight. I just did not make it win.” At the end, Kirk Alexander took the checkered flag third. Alexander ran with the front pack the whole race but just could not make the move for the lead. “Those guys were running strong tonight,” said Alexander. “The car tightened up at the end. I just wish that I could have stayed with them and maybe make something happen with the third guy involved.” There was a lot of swapping of paint at Twin State and frontrunner Alexander was not spared from the activity. “I got crossed up once. I tried to make a move down under Dwight and I got hit by the #23 car but I saved it. He (Mike Douglas) backed out of it and that was a great move to save it all. “ Alexander may not have won but he drove a good race and had a fun night racing.

“What a great race,” said Alexander. “We had some good battles up front there. It was an awesome race watching those guys going at it up front.” This year the #43 team had a year full of ups and downs and some disappointing finishes. “This was a good night for us,” said Alexander. “We have had some bad runs (this season). Tonight the car tightened up a little bit but we were right there at the end. They (the leaders) pulled away and I wish that it (the car) did not tighten up.” The team completed this year’s battle for the championship second in points. It has been a great end of the season for the fourth place finisher, Jon McKennedy. The team has had a great year and went into the last race of the season sixth in points. “All year we have been running in the top five and top three spots. The last weeks have just been awesome. We almost won the Star Classic and winning two True Value races has been great. I have to thank the guys and RaceWorks. They build an awesome car.” The Twin State race was the deciding race for both the 2008 championship and rookie. Both titles were captured by young drivers.With the race for the championship as tight as it was and down to the line at the end, the Pasteryak team tried to stay out of trouble at the last race. But opportunity for trouble just seemed to be there as they turned each corner. “The right rear tires started to go down right after one restart..” said Pasteryak. “It finally came of the bead on lap 40. Man when that was happening I thought we were done. I thought that was it. It was over. Kirk is going to win the race and the title and take it back to NH. But we caught some definite lucky breaks. We are bringing one (Championship) back to Connecticut.” This was Chris Pasteryak’s second year of competition with TVMRS and he took down two wins. At the end of the night though, Pasteryak was crowned the 2008 Series Champion with only five points between him and the second place driver, Kirk Alexander. “It definitely wasn’t easy,” said Pasteryak about winning the championship. “This means so much to everybody that works on the car. I cannot put it into words. Thanks to everyone for being here. This is 32 years of work.” Kenny White captured the “Rookie of the Year” Award at Twin State. “We made it to the end of the year which was one of our goals” said smiling White at race end. “We made all the races and did the whole tour, a beautiful tour that it is. We got the rookie of the year and we are really happy. We struggled here. I said the crew is not giving up and I am not giving up either. We just kept digging and we got it.” Just like the champion’s team, the #77 team of White had trouble waiting for them where ever they were on the track. “Tonight I thought that one of those big wrecks was going to take the whole front end off the car or just break something and take us out of it.”

The race for the rookie was as close in the end as the championship Competition. “It was close and I would not have wanted to take Joe Doucette out of it. He is a great guy and I love doing the battling with him. It was close and he is competitive. He kept me working.” The TVMRS heads next to their awards banquet Saturday night November 15, at Francis Farms, Rehoboth, MA .

Twin State Speedway Quotes:

Chris Pasteryak

Chris Pasteryak’s thoughts while he reflected on the 2008 race year:

“Thank God it is over. I mean the right rear tire developed a slow leak around lap 25, right after one of those restarts. We are just lucky that it came off the bead I guess and I did not get wreck when it happened. We had to put the right rear on that I won at Seekonk. That already had 140 laps on it. Man I just kept dodging bullets and I think that we ended up seventh tonight.” What will Chris Pasteryak do in 2009?

“I will be doing the same thing as this year and it sounds good to me.”

Dwight Jarvis

Dwight Jarvis’s thoughts now that the year is over?

“I am looking forward to next year. We have gone real good this year. I think that next year we will do a little better as long as there is not a huge schedule of racing. I am getting to be too old to travel to these places that are far away and do twenty or twenty-one shows a year. Maybe if they have less races.”

What were Dwight’s thoughts as he looked in his rear view Mirror? “They told me Matt was coming and running behind Kirk. I looked in the mirror and saw that he was in third. Matt is tough. He runs with the Whelen guys and he likes to mix it up more than we do. He got into me under the yellow there a few times and I think that he knocked the toe out on the front end a little. I had him back once down there and then the yellow came out. I think that if I could have been in his position I could have pulled away form him. When I was out front I could run my own groove I think that if I was up in front, I could run my own groove the car on a rail. It was an awesome race car.”

Kirk Alexander

Rumor has it that Kirk Alexander will not return to race in the 2009 season…is that the case?

“That is a rumor. We are going to see what the schedule will be, sponsors and it is all up in the air right now. I really enjoy coming and racing here. It is a great bunch of guys, great officials and we will see what 2009 brings.” On turning over the reins and congratulating the new Champion…“I would like to congratulate Chris Pasteryak on his first championship. He has run a great race all season. He is always consistent. He is a great guy to race with and I am glad to see that he had a good finish tonight and finished it off.”

Kenny White, Jr.

What will TVMRS Rookie Kenny White Jr. do next year? “Next year we are going to run the True Value again. Hopefully we can run for a little bit better points for next year. Obviously we are going to try to win some races next year. We had a pretty good season with top tens. Now we have to go win a few”. What was White’s most important memory of the year? “The crew parents, my wife and sponsors. You can not do anything without the, There were times that I thought of giving up and they never did so I have to thank them.”

Matt Hirschman

It was a great racing weekend for Matt Hirschman with another championship and a win in another series.

“Good weekend. What a race. I was just out of breath the last couple of laps. That was intense. It was just good hard short track racing. This kind of place is just perfect for these cars. It had to have been one of the best races to watch all year. It had to be it was just that good from where I was at. It is just a great short track and these cars are just perfect for it. I just enjoyed the heck out of this, it was fun.” After Matt passed Dwight Jarvis what were his thoughts? “I figured that we might swap the lead back and forth a few more times, I really did. I told my guys that. “Say listen we got it and I do not know if we are going to keep it but if we loose it we can get it back.” “I thought that it was going to go back and forth. I was able to keep it there on the bottom and then hold him off. He had a good move there. He was working it and his car was probably setup to do that. I could not run that line and make that move so that was his opportunity and he almost made it a couple of times. That was some good stuff.” What were Hirschman’s thoughts as he was leading the race and caught up to the lapped cars? “You had to be careful where to pick the lapped cars. I was able to get through everything with no problem. It was a hard earned victory. It was one of the hardest drives that I ever made coming from sixteenth to get all the way up there. I just worked the car. This one will be a lasting memory because of how hard of a fight that was. That was good stuff. “

Northampton , PA., modified star Matt Hirschman made his first start with the New England based True Value Modified Racing Series a successful one, besting a field of 25 racers, to win the New England Outdoor Furnaces, “Ricky Miller Memorial 100,” Sunday, Oct 26, at Twin State Speedway , Claremont, NH.
The race was the final event of the 2008 season.
It was the first appearance by the fifth year series at the famed New Hampshire oval, and the first time an “outside” driver has won a TVMRS sanctioned race. Hirschman entered the event this past Monday. He is the 2008 RoC modified champion and winner of 12 major races this season.
At the drop of the green flag by honorary flagman, Claremont racing legend, Donnie Ayer, long-time Twin State racer and former track champion, Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney , VT. , shot into the lead from his outside front row starting position and would hold the top spot, with Kirk Alexander, W. Swanzey, NH., in hot pursuit. Alexander wrestled the lead away for one circuit, on a lap 42 re-start, only to have the 2006 champion, Jarvis, take it back and lead the field until lap 61.
Hirschman moved to the point with Jarvis trying everything he could to get the lead back but the 25 year old hot shoe was able to hold off the Claremont Hall-of Fame member to notch the win.
At one point, Jarvis made a patented move to pull alongside the leader, as he dove low into turn three, to a cheering crowd, only to have one of eight caution flags slow the race.
Hirschman said he knew Jarvis was there. “I seen his move, the way my car was set-up, I could run his line and make that move, but my move was totally different, he made it once or twice and he almost made it work, I just had to run my line and if he got me, I thought I could probably get him back. It was like we were going to go back and forth right to the end, I was able to hold him off.”
The win by Hirschman is another milestone in his already successful season. “It feels good to add this to my season, to win in three of the major modified tours is an accomplishment that speaks for itself,” said the winning driver. “I know Teddy (Christopher), Stefanik, and a few others have run with the series, it’s a good accomplishment.” He added, “What a race, man what a race, some of the hardest short track racing I’ve ever done, I was out of breath when the race was over, It was intense, that was some good stuff,” said a smiling Hirschman.
Alexander finished third, followed by Jon McKennedy, and Rob Goodenough making up the top five. Sean Bodreau, Pasteryak, Mike Douglas, Todd Owen, and Kenny Barry rounded out the top ten.
Chris Pasteryak won the 2008 series championship over Alexander and Mike Holdridge.
Kenny White Jr, claimed the Koszela Speed Rookie of the Year title. Both drivers will be honored at the series championship banquet Saturday night November 15, at Francis Farms, Rehoboth , MA
Series officials requested fans stand on lap 12 and lap 84 in remembrance of Ricky Miller and Kirby Monteith. Monteith, a charter member and driver of the TVMRS, passed away two weeks ago.
Qualifying heat races were won by Douglas , D. Jarvis, and Owen.
28 teams entered the event. 26 cars started. The top 12 finishers were on the lead lap. Eight caution flags were displayed for minor mishaps. It took 56 minutes 22 seconds to complete the race.

Twin State Speedway , Claremont , NH





“Ricky Miller Memorial 100”
Oct 26, 2008

1. 59 Matt Hirschman
2. 28 Dwight Jarvis
3. 43 Kirk Alexander
4. 73 Jon McKennedy
5. 6 Rob Goodenough
6. 3 William Bodreau Jr
7. 15 Chris Pasteryak
8. 23 Mike Douglas Jr
9. 29 Todd Owen
10. 40 Kenny Barry
11. 62 Roger Raymond
12. 35 Dale Evonsion
13. 18 Eddy Spiers
14. 0 Mike Holdridge
15. 2 Peter Daniels
16. 55 Joe Doucette
17. 76 Shelly Perry
18. 77 Kenny White Jr
19. 1 Sean Boudreau
20. 72 Jimmy Kuhn Jr
21. 69 Jimmy Dolan
22. 27 Kevin Iarnnarelli
23. 17 Jack Bateman
24. 06 Les Hinckley III
25. 78 Jeff Malave
26. 9 Peter Jarvis
27. 10 Ed Dachenhausen DNS
28. 08 Jim Boniface DNS

Oct 25 - All Star Speedway - 3rd in race - Win All-Star Modified Showdown

Story from Speed51.com


Mike Stefanik took the #66 Modified to victory lane in the fourth and final race of the All-Star National Series at All-Star Speedway in Epping, NH on Saturday night. Stefanik passed the then dominant race leader, Ronnie Silk, for the lead two-thirds into the race to take the lead and go forward to take the win.

“Yes, it was a great race,” said Stefanik, “I tried to pass Ronnie (Silk) on the inside then I tried on the outside. He had a good car but he looked like he was a little tight when I got near him. I don't know if he adjusted his line doing what he had to do to keep the lead. Once I got by I then got loose. He tried to come up on me and put some worry on me at the end.” Stefanik started the race in fourth, but was involved in two incidents that forced him to go the rear. He then had to come back up through the pack twice to race with the leaders. “Someone lost a hose and fluid and I hit the back of Matt Hirschman and then spun myself. The other time the guy on the inside just got aside of me and I spun and I got a left front flat.” Ronnie Silk led the race for 66 laps. For his efforts, Silk took most of the lap money for the night's event, but he came up short and did not capture the win. “At least we did get something,” said Silk. “We did lead a lot of laps so it will help out a little bit. I just wish that we could have held him off there at the end. That probably would have won us the championship. He was just a little bit better there at the end and I kind of lost a little of the forward drive. We had a good car all weekend and we just came up a little short.” Silk has also competed in the #79 Hillbilly Racing car this year with Stefanik on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. They have been side-by-side more then once on the track. “He (Mike Stefanik) is a good guy to race with,” said Silk. “He has a lot of laps and he knows what he is doing. That is for sure. I try to watch what he does and learn as much as you can. We raced each other clean and had a good race. We just came out on the loosing side.”

The All-Star National race to the chase series at All-Star Speedway was won by Matt Hirschman with the small margin of only ten points.“This was a fun little series that they have had here this year,” said Hirschman. “They did something here for the Modifieds that nobody has done in a long time. There is not a better place to race Modifieds than at this track. This is an awesome place. I wish we could get more people out to support it because it is just a fun place to come to.” Hirschman raced in the top five all night but the top two spots eluded him all night. The best he could do was third. “Tonight, we just missed on the corners a little bit. Collectively as a team we made a decision what to go with and we made the wrong move for tonight. We should have gone with what we did a year back when we won the last show down race here. But that it part of it. You learn and win as a team and loose as a team. Winning this championship here is a whole team effort for everybody so I am happy for these guys.” Hirschman finished off his 2008 year of racing with a record that others could only strive for. He won the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Championship, came in second behind Ted Christopher for the NWMT Championship and won the four-race championship at All-Star Speedway. That is a pretty impressive year to add to his resume. “That is a great season as far as points are concerned,” said Hirschman. “This championship is a good accomplishment for us as a group. It is a bonus to what I have already done as far as the entire season goes. For this group of guys that came here. We had fun in the four races. We won one of them and ran at the front of all of them and to win the championship is a nice feather in our cap as a group together to win a little championship here. It is just good for every body involved.”

The top rookie at All-Star Speedway last night was Kyle Ebersole in the #5 Modified. He may have been new to the track but he showed that he has talent and is an up and coming Mod competitor.

“This is my first time running here”, said Ebersole, who was all smiles at the end of the race with his fourth place finish. This was Ebersole's only the second time racing away from his home state of Pennsylvania and he had a run to be proud of. “I ran Mountain Speedway in Pennsylvania every week. This is my second year in the Modifieds. This is only my second time out of Mountain Speedway. We also went to Chemung for an RoC race but this is our first time here and it turned out pretty good.” The young gun was right up front competing with the veterans of Mike Stefanik and Ted Christopher and he proved that he could hold his own.

This was Ebersole's only the second time racing away from his home state of Pennsylvania and he had a run to be proud of.

“We drove tonight with Stefanik and Christopher tonight and they are guys at the top of their game. They are big Whelen guys. It was good that we ran up front with them and hopefully we will do it another time.” Competing weekly at his home track of Mountain Speedway was the special ingredient that Ebersole had on his side to run with the masters. “The track is comparable to where I run weekly at Mountain so it did not take me too long to adjust,” said Hirschman. “We struggled a lot and then finally hit on something during the feature race so it turned out pretty good.”

Finish Driver Car # Starting Position
1 Mike Stefanik (66) 4
2 Ronnie Silk (79) 1
3 Matt Hirschman (59) 3
4 Kyle Eberdole (5) 12
5 Rowan Pennick (25) 7
6 Jim Storace (47) 2
7 Josh Cantara (71) 8
8 Jacob Dore (05) 13
9 Henry S (3) 15
10 George Baldwin (LL) 10
11 Ted Christopher (00) 5
12 Eric LeClair (x6) 9
13 Neil Provost (7) 11
14 JR Baril (51) 14
15 Jon McKennedy (73) 6




ROC CHAMP HIRSCHMAN ENTERS RICKY’S RACE

2008 ROC modified champion and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standout Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA., announced Monday Oct 20, his intention to compete in Sunday’s “Ricky Miller Memorial 100” at Twin State Speedway, Claremont, NH. It will be Hirschman’s first race with the True Value Modified Racing Series. He’ll drive the Pennsylvania based J & J Motorsports # 59.
With the ROC and Whelen Modified Tour point races behind him, the second generation
racer felt it was time to get in as many races possible before seasons end. All the pressure is off and Hirschman will head to New Hampshire’s Upper Valley with two thoughts, to
win, and have fun.
“This race was supposed to go off a few weeks ago. (Sept 28) When I looked at the schedule and saw the make up date, the timing was perfect.” Hirschman added, “I raced there before with the Whelen tour and finished second. It’s a great track and fun to drive.”
The race has drawn interest from all over the northeast and will feature many competitors with a link to the famed oval, several who started their careers there. Dwight Jarvis, Peter Jarvis, Jack Bateman, Sean Bodreau, and returning veterans, Peter Daniels, and Roger Raymond, all are ready to tackle their old digs.
Said Hirschman, “There are people (drivers) that could drive that place blindfolded, I have 100 laps under my belt, they have thousands, but a side by side race the last time I was there raises my confidence level. It will be fun; I’m really looking forward to it.
Although this is Hirschman’s first attempt to run a stand alone TVMRS race, he almost competed with the series this year. “I looked at a couple but the timing was not right. If I was closer to New England or lived up that way, you’d see me a lot more. I’d probably give that series the support I give the ROC. But where I am in Pennsylvania, the ROC is the right deal for me.” We’ll see, I’d like to run (your) series more in 2009.”
Hirschman will have competed in 40 races this year with 11 major wins and the ROC
Big Trophy to show for it. He’ll be at Twin State, Sunday, to support Ricky’s race and try to add another win to his 2008 resume.
Sunday’s race is also a qualifying event for the North-South Shootout in Concord, NC; Nov 8, and the 6th annual John Blewett III Memorial Race. Races start at 1:00 PM

Oct 18/19 (Sat/Sun) Thompson 150 WMT

CHRISTOPHER CAPTURES MODIFIED CROWN WITH WIN AT THOMPSON
First Series Title For Modified Veteran

As one of the most accomplished short-track racers in NASCAR, Ted Christopher had nearly done it all. Christopher filled in the biggest remaining gap in his resume Sunday at Thompson International Speedway when he wrapped up his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in grand style.
Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) won the Xtra Mart World Series 150, the final race of the season, to earn the title by 127 points over runner-up Matt Hirschman. Hirschman (No. 59 Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet) finished 25th on Sunday.
"I’ve really got to thank Eddie Whelan for giving me this ride a couple years ago and Brad Lafontaine, my crew chief. We won a couple championships here together when I drove for him back in the SK Modified days. Everybody in this whole team, we’ve really got a great group of guys," said the 50-year-old Christopher, from Plainville , Conn. "Brad said the best thing would be to win the race and the championship and be the only car up here in Victory Lane ."
Christopher's title was virtually wrapped up when Hirschman suddenly slowed on lap 118 after battling for third place. Hischman came down pit road five laps later, while Christopher was running in the top five on the track. Hirschman's crew pushed the car behind the wall a short time later, effectively allowing Christopher to clinch his championship. Christopher passed Ronnie Silk on lap 135 for the lead following a late-race restart and cruised to the win and the title.
Chuck Hossfeld, Ronnie Silk, Doug Coby and rookie Erick Rudolph rounded out the top five.
"It was pretty nerve-racking," Christopher said, "but I want to thank all of my competitors. Everybody ran me really clean knowing what me and Matty (Hirschman) had on the line."
Christopher started fifth in the World Series, two spots in front of Hirschman and leading by 35 points. Both pitted, along with most of the leaders, on lap 69. Hirschman came out 10th and Christopher 12th. The two made contact on the front stretch on the lap 71 restart when the outside lane was slow coming up to speed, but both were able to maintain control and continue without incident.
"Its more relief than anything," Christopher said. "Everyone says you’ve won all this stuff in your career and you’ve never won the Tour championship."
Christopher made his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in 1988 when he ran three races. He had finished in the top six in points in each of the last eight seasons. Twice he was runner-up - in 2002 by 50 points to Mike Stefanik and in 2005 by 18 points to Matt Hirschman's father, Tony Hirschman Jr. In the latter, Christopher entered the final race of the season in a similar situation as Sunday. He led Tony Hirschman by 36 points and needed a finish of seventh or better to clinch. An early wreck at the World Series, however, relegated him to 30th and cost him the title.
Christopher won the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship in 2001 running in the Sunoco Modified division on a weekly basis at Thompson. He has 31 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins, including four this year. He is the winningest driver in all divisions at Stafford ( Conn. ) Motor Speedway, and has made starts in all three of NASCAR's national series, as well as the NASCAR Camping World Series and the Grand-Am Rolex 24 at Daytona.
As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, Christopher earned a secure spot in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. The Showdown, contested in NASCAR Camping World Series cars, will be Jan. 23-24, 2009 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale ( Calif. ).
Christopher had led Hirschman by has many as 99 points following his win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sept. 13. But Hirschman had whittled down the lead by finishing better than Christopher in three consecutive races leading up to the World Series.
Matt Hirschman was the crew chief on his father's championship teams in 2004 and '05. His best points finish as a driver was third place last season. He was 11th in points in his first full season as a driver in 2006.
Christopher's championship capped a season-long celebration by NASCAR and series sponsor Whelen Engineering of the 60 Years of Modified Champions. Prior to the race, three-time Modified champion Bugs Stevens was honored, along with the late Fred DeSarro and Bill Widenhouse. Christopher's official coronation will come Saturday, Dec. 13 in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Awards Banquet at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville , Conn.

Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points Total Award Status
1 5 36 Ted Christopher Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet 154 180 $7,000 Running
2 4 4 Chuck Hossfeld Mystic Missile Dodge 154 170 3,700 Running
3 8 79 Ronnie Silk Hill Enterprises/Coors Light/Sunoco Pontiac 154 165 3,000 Running
4 9 28 Doug Coby Ramar-Hall/Genesis Shocks Chevrolet 154 160 2,600 Running
5 22 45 Erick Rudolph * Original Pizza Logs/Prime Tyme Chevrolet 154 155 2,178 Running
6 32 99 Jamie Tomaino J Co./Clean-Up Supply Chevrolet 154 150 2,850 Running
7 18 21 Richard Savary Superior Oil/Pine Hill Service Chevrolet 154 146 2,100 Running
8 28 2 Todd Szegedy Wisk-Snuggle Ford 154 142 2,000 Running
9 20 31 Tony Ferrante, Jr. Sunoco Chevrolet 154 138 1,350 Running
10 6 46 Eric Beers Reynold's Auto Wrecking/Sunoco Chevrolet 154 134 2,350 Running
11 16 8 Glenn Tyler Sypher Const./Financial Fed. Credit Chevrolet 154 130 1,625 Running
12 25 93 Rowan Pennink Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet 154 127 1,700 Running
13 30 12 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood/TS Haulers Ford 154 124 1,575 Running
14 3 3 Ryan Preece Davidson Co./Reynold's Auto Wrecking 154 121 1,650 Running
15 1 19 Jimmy Blewett TS Haulers Chevrolet 154 118 1,625 Running
16 26 50 Kevin Goodale Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet 154 115 1,075 Running
17 17 75 Carl Pasteryak Dawley's Auto Center/Sunoco Pontiac 153 112 1,050 Running
18 23 88 Woody Pitkat Ramar-Hall/Genesis Shocks Chevrolet 152 109 1,025 Running
19 14 00 Keith Rocco Earth Technology/Sherm's Towing Chevrolet 152 106 1,000 Running
20 13 32 Tom Abele, Jr. * Synergyn/Crystal Auto Body Chevrolet 152 103 1,375 Running
21 27 70 Andy Seuss Stuart's Auto/Rockingham Boats Chevrolet 146 100 950 Accident
22 11 17 Glen Reen * Reen Orthodontics/Pep Boys Chevrolet 146 97 1,350 Accident
23 29 10 Ed Flemke, Jr. Ron Bouchard Auto/Premier Kitchens Chevrolet 146 94 1,350 Accident
24 2 16 Mike Stefanik Diversified Metals/Ace Moldings Pontiac 145 91 1,450 Running
25 7 59 Matt Hirschman Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet 133 88 1,450 Running
26 21 90 Renee Dupuis UIG/SFI/Featherlite Chevrolet 90 85 950 Suspension
27 19 1 Rob Summers Frasco Fuel/Hook & Ladder Chevrolet 86 82 950 Ignition
28 15 5 Charles Pasteryak Dawley's Auto Center/Sunoco Chevrolet 66 79 950 Accident
29 31 0 Danny Sammons Area Auto Racing News Chevrolet 48 76 1,350 Accident
30 24 77 Rick Fuller Toyota Certified Used Vehicles 48 73 1,350 Accident
31 12 09 Bobby Grigas, III Triple-G Scaffold Services Chevrolet 35 70 1,350 Engine
32 10 98 Bobby Santos ImperialCars.Com Chevrolet 27 67 950 Radiator

Fastest Qualifier: Eric Beers, Time: 18.429 Seconds, Speed: 122.080 MPH
Failed to Qualify: (9) Eric Goodale (#58), Gregg Shivers (#53), Billy Pauch, Jr. (#06), Wade Cole (#33), Reggie Ruggiero (#14), Dion Ciccarelli (#18), Joe Hartmann (#05), Jake Marosz (#9), Gary McDonald * (#26).
Time of Race: 1 hrs., 17 mins, 12 secs Average Speed: 74.806 mph Margin of Victory: 0.080 Seconds
COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Eric Beers, 46 Reynold's Auto Wrecking/Sunoco Chevrolet
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Richard Savary, 21 Superior Oil/Pine Hill Service Chevrolet
POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Jamie Tomaino, 99 J Co./Clean-Up Supply Chevrolet
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD: Erick Rudolph *, 45 Original Pizza Logs/Prime Tyme Chevrolet
WHELEN WINNER OF THE RACE AWARD: Ted Christopher, 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet
Caution Flags: Laps 16-19; 25-28; 35-38; 40-43; 49-55; 66-70; 125-129; 130-134; 140-143; 146-147; 148-152. 11 for 49 laps.
Lap Leaders: Jimmy Blewett 1-12, Ryan Preece 13-28, Jimmy Blewett 29-43, Ryan Preece 44-67, Woody Pitkat 68-85, Ronnie Silk 86-134, Ted Christopher 135-154.
Total Laps Led: Ronnie Silk 49, Ryan Preece 40, Jimmy Blewett 27, Ted Christopher 20, Woody Pitkat 18. 6 changes involving 5 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: Ted Christopher 2441, Matt Hirschman 2314, Todd Szegedy 2260, Chuck Hossfeld 2251, Ronnie Silk 2158, Eric Beers 2115, Mike Stefanik 2102, Rowan Pennink 2016, Jimmy Blewett 1969, Ryan Preece 1948

Oct 11-12 - Stafford Speedway - WMT - 2nd

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour by Hazel Meredith

Stafford Motor Speedway, CarQuest Fall Final

The CARQUEST Fall Final, Stafford Motor Speedway’s traditional season-ending show, was originally scheduled to be held on September 28. Due to a very rainy weekend, the event was postponed to this weekend, Oct. 10-12, with all three days beautiful New England fall days.
Sunday’s main events consist of the NASCAR Camping World East 150, the Stafford SK Modifieds 40 laps; the NASCAR Whelen Modified tour 150 and the Late Models 30 laps.
The Whelen Modified Tour is the 15th of 16 dates on the schedule. Ted Christopher heads into today’s event with a tight 55 point lead over Matt Hirschman. It’s still anyone’s championship to win (or lose). In order to capture the championship Hirschman would have to finish an average of six spots ahead of Christopher in each of the final two events.
"I'm not putting any pressure on myself," Hirschman said. "After New Hampshire I wasn't satisfied because we didn't have the opportunity to beat him [Christopher] on the track. The only way we're going to have a chance at the championship is to beat him on the race track, and now two races in a row we've done that, so I'm very satisfied with what we did at Martinsville and Chemung." Hirschman captured the checkered at Chemung, leading the entire race. This was his second victory of the season and of his career. He has finished in the top ten in 10 of the last 12 races, including the last seven in a row.
Even though his lead has shrunk in the season standings, Christopher will head into the Fall Final as the favorite to reach Victory Lane and boost his points lead. He is the track’s all-time winningest driver with more than 100 total victories, including the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler on April 27. Although his points lead is the smallest it's been since he took it from Hossfeld in mid-August, Christopher has finished no worse than 14th with top-10s in the last three outings.
But there are many more than two drivers to watch in the Fall Final. Chuck Hossfeld finished in the top five at Chemung and has a win at Stafford in 2008. Also, one of Jimmy Blewett’s two wins this year came at Stafford, and Ryan Preece, has had significant success with a pole and 136 laps led.
Mike Stefanik captured the 2007 Fall Final to extend his series record for wins at Stafford to 19. Stefanik, who has registered wins in 20 of his 23 seasons in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour prior to this year, has yet to reach Victory Lane in 2008.

Qualifying

Mike Stefanik tied the all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour record for career pole awards by capturing the Coors Light Pole Award with a fast time of 18.158 seconds (99.130 mph) on Saturday. It was the first pole for Stefanik since Martinsville (VA) Speedway in 2006. He is now tied with Tony Hirschman for the series’ all-time lead with 41 poles, and has extended his own record for pole at Stafford to 15. Stefanik pilots the #16 Diversified Metals/Ace Moldings Pontiac.
Eric Beers in the #46 Reynold’s Auto Wrecking/Sunoco Chevrolet, was second fastest with a time of 18.168 seconds (99.075 mph). He will start in the third row following the redraw. Rob Summers in the #1 Frasco Fuel/Hook & Ladder Chevrolet was third quick at 18.316 seconds (98.275 mph). He will start the event in fourth.
Ted Christopher in the #36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet was fastest in morning practice and registered the seventh best lap in time trials at 18.355 seconds (98.066 mph). After the redraw Christopher will start next to Stefanik in the front row.

The Full Field of Starters

1. (16) Mike Stefanik; 2. (36) Ted Christopher, 3. (17) Glen Reen, 4. (46) Eric Beers, 5. (1) Rob Summers, 6. (4) Chuck Hossfeld, 7. (99) Jamie Tomaino, 8. (28) Doug Coby, 9. (0) Danny Sammons, 10. (3) Ryan Preece, 11. (09) Bobby Grigas, 12. (2) Todd Szegedy, 13. (59) Matt Hirschman, 14. (10) Ed Flemke Jr., 15. (19) Jimmy Blewett, 16. (79) Ronnie Silk, 17. (14) Reggie Ruggiero, 18. (64) James Civali, 19. (11) Anthony Sesely, 20. (8) Glenn Tyler, 21. (50) Kevin Goodale, 22. (93) Rowan Pennink, 23. (06) Billy Pauch Jr., 24. (00) Frank Ruocco, 25. (21) Richard Savary, 26. (77) Rick Fuller, 27. (33) Wade Cole, 28. (90) Renee Dupuis, 29. (58) Eric Goodale, 30. (12) Ken Heagy, 31. (05) Joe Hartmann, 32. (32) Tom Abele Jr., 33. (9) Jake Marosz.

The Feature Event

Mike Stefanik led the field to the green and would lead the first lap with Christopher tucking in behind him by the end of lap one. Leaders at the end of the first ten laps are Stefanik, Christopher Beers, Hossfeld, and Preece. Stefanik and Christopher have opened up a ten car lead over the field. Lap 16 Beers gets squirrelly off turn two but hangs on and loses just one spot to the #4 of Hossfeld.
Lap 25 and the leaders keep stretching their lead over third place Hossfeld – who is now more than 10 car lengths ahead of fourth place Beers. Preece continues to tail Beers with the #59 of Matt Hirschman in sixth.
Lap 29 the #00 of Frank Ruocco spins into the front stretch grass but we stay under green. It was a little nerve wracking when he tried to merge back into race traffic, however, but no incidents occurred.
Lap 50 and we’ve not had a caution yet! Stefanik continues to hold the point and hap opened up a healthy lead over Christopher. Hossfeld is still in third followed by the #3 of Ryan Preece.
Lap 59 the #58 of Eric Goodale spun into the frontstretch grass (or should I say dirt!) to bring out our first caution of the event. The leaders all head to pit road for right side tires. Only two cars not on the leap stayed out, giving the lead to the #1 of Rob Summers followed by the #99 of Jaime Tomaino. First of the leaders out of the pits was the #3 of Ryan Preece followed by the #4 Chuck Hossfeld. They are followed by Hirschman, #28 Doug Coby, #16 Stefanik, #19 Jimmy Blewett, #46 Beers, and #36 Christopher.
Restart on lap 66 with Summers holding the point ahead of Preece and Hirschman. Stefanik is trying to duck under Hirschman to take the spot. He takes third just a couple of laps later and is now going for second, which he gets on lap 70. Summers now has Stefanik on his back bumper. Stefanik is trying the high line to get around him but can’t complete the pass.
Lap 80 and the #0 of Danny Sammons goes for a spin in turn two bring out the second caution of the event. The #1 of the leader, Summers, heads to the pits as he did not pit when the rest of the field did on the previous caution. This gives the lead back to Stefanik with Preece second, Hirschman third and Beers fourth.
Back to green on lap 83 with Stefanik pulling ahead by the time they come off turn two. Preece tucks in behind and Hirschman in third. The #14 of Reggie Ruggiero abruptly slows on the back stretch causing a traffic jam, but no accidents or cautions. However, on the next lap the yellow flies for the #32 Abele Jr. spinning in turn four. There are currently 21 cars on the lead lap.
Green on lap 92 with Stefanik again leading the pack. The title contenders are running third (Hirschman) and sixth (Christopher). Preece gets the jump on the outside this time, but Stefanik quickly pulls even by the backstretch, clearing Preece by the next lap. Hirschman is now on the inside of Preece trying to take second. They stay side-by-side for three laps until Hirschman pulls ahead of Preece. The top ten are now single file, with Christopher in seventh.
Lap 100 and Hirschman is trying to get alongside Stefanik, but cannot make it stick. The entire field is now single file as we pass lap 102. The top four are starting to pull away from the pack and Hirschman is still glued to the bumper of Stefanik. Lap 115 – still no changes up front. Hirschman continued to try to get to the inside of Stefanik with no luck. The #3 of Preece slows dramatically on the backstretch and heads to pit road – no caution. That moves Hossfeld is now third with 15-car lengths back to the #2 of Todd Szegedy in fourth.
With 25 laps to go, Hirschman is still hanging on the back bumper of Stefanik. This youngster is definitely not trying to “play it safe” going for the points today. He’s giving it all he’s got. The #99 of Jaime Tomaino has been black-flagged as he seems to be smoking and may be dropping fluids.
Lap 134 Hossfeld moves to the outside of Hirschman, trying for second. They stay side-by-side but the caution flies on the next lap (136) as the #17 of Glen Reen and the #79 of Ronnie Silk get together and spin in turn two.
If Hirschman has anything for Stefanik, now is his chance on the restart as they will be side-by-side. They’ll both need to be worried about Hossfeld in third however. (And don’t count out Szegedy in fourth.) There are 20 cars on the lead lap.
Green flies on lap 140 – a ten-lap shootout! Stefanik gets a huge jump on Hirschman and Hossfeld also follows past into second. However, a tire flies off the #28 of Doug Coby as they come off turn four, bringing out the yellow. Since we’re inside ten to go, it will be a single file restart.
Back to racing on lap 145 – hopefully five to go! Szegedy almost runs into the back of Hossfeld, but everyone stays in line. The #33 of Wade Cole spins in turn two, but keeps going – no caution. The leaders get past him and continue in line – Stefanik, Hirschman, Hossfeld, and Szegedy opening up some room back to fifth place Beers. That would be the finish with Christopher finishing sixth.
That makes Christopher’s lead over Hirschman only 35 points heading into next week’s finale at Thompson International Speedway in the World Series of Auto Racing. Todd Szegedy will only be 43 points behind Christopher, so don’t count him out yet either!
Stefanik was quite happy in Victory Lane and humble as always. “We struggled some this year, but just kept plugging away. I’m very happy to get the win, but never expect these things.”
He continued, “There’re a lot of guys who haven’t won a race this year, I’m glad I can say now I’m not one of them! We needed that pole. I never come into any race track over whelmed with confidence. I know the car was good in qualifying, but our car is so different this week than at the last race, you just never know. Early on, we were definitely too free, but we were able to hold on. Matt was a gentleman to me – a good driver like his Dad. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He’s making it an exciting finish to the year by closing in on Teddy. I’m not in it (the championship chase) but I’ll be happy to be watching it next week.”
Matt Hirschman was complimented on how clean the leaders ran. He said, “That’s the only way I’m going to do it for a win. I’m not going to take any cheap shots’ that’s for sure.” I’m disappointed finishing second, because I think I left 10 points on the track by not winning today. As far as next week we’ll have to see what happens, I would love to win the win the championship, but Christopher is tough beat, said Hirschman.
Hossfeld stated, “I know we had a good car and I thought we might have had a shot at the win, but I just couldn’t get past them. This is a tough series, and they are all great drivers. I’m not really happy with third, but with the luck we’ve had lately, it’s a good finish.”

1. (1) Mike Stefanik, Coventry , R.I. , Pontiac , 150 laps, 73.912 mph, $7,600.
2. (13) Matt Hirschman, Northampton , Pa. , Chevrolet, 150, $3,300.
3. (6) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville , N.Y. , Dodge, 150, $2,900.
4. (12) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield , Conn. , Ford, 150, $2,700.
5. (4) Eric Beers, Northampton , Pa. , Chevrolet, 150, $2,900.
6. (2) Ted Christopher, Plainville , Conn. , Chevrolet, 150, $2,200.
7. (22) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley , Pa. , Chevrolet, 150, $2,850.
8. (19) Anthony Sesely, Matawan , N.J. , Chevrolet, 150, $1,500.
9. (20) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 150, $1,750.
10. (21) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,250.
11. (14) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington , Conn. , Chevrolet, 150, $1,550.
12. (5) Rob Summers, Vernon , Conn. , Chevrolet, 150, $1,118.
13. (15) Jimmy Blewett, Howell , N.J. , Chevrolet, 150, $1,600.
14. (26) Rick Fuller, Auburn , Mass. , 150, $1,075.
15. (16) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk , Conn. , Pontiac , 150, $1,550.
16. (9) Danny Sammons, Hamilton , N.J. , Chevrolet, 150, $1,410.
17. (23) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown , N.J. , Dodge, 150, $1,385.
18. (11) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield , Mass. , Chevrolet, 150, $1,360.
19. (29) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,335.
20. (3) Glen Reen, Wilbraham , Mass. , Chevrolet, 150, $1,610.
21. (8) Doug Coby, Milford , Conn. , Chevrolet, 149, $1,280.
22. (30) Ken Heagy, Calverton , N.Y. , Ford, 149, $1,250.
23. (28) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury , Conn. , Chevrolet, 148, $825.
24. (31) Joe Hartmann, Calverton , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 148, $1,225.
25. (27) Wade Cole, Riverton , Conn. , Chevrolet, 147, $1,225.
26. (7) Jamie Tomaino, Howell , N.J. , Chevrolet, 147, $1,225.
27. (32) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich , Conn. , Chevrolet, 147, $1,225.
28. (10) Ryan Preece, Kensington , Conn. , Chevrolet, 116, timing chain, $1,325.
29. (17) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill , Conn. , Ford, 87, suspension, $825.
30. (24) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire , Conn. , Chevrolet, 80, drive shaft, $825.
31. (18) Eric Berndt, Cromwell , Conn. , Chevrolet, 71, engine, $825.
32. (25) Richard Savary, Canton , Mass. , Chevrolet, 62, caliper, $1,425.
33. (33) Jake Marosz, Middletown , Conn. , Chevrolet, 51, handling, $1,225.

Race Statistics:
Time of Race: 1 hour 0 minutes 53 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.165 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: M.Stefanik (99.130 mph, 18.158 seconds)
Caution Flags: 5 for 27 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M.Stefanik 1-62; R.Summers 63-82; M.Stefanik 83-91; R.Preece 92; M.Stefanik
93-150.

Standings: 1. T.Christopher, 2261; 2. M.Hirschman, 2226; 3. T.Szegedy, 2118; 4. C.Hossfeld, 2081; 5. M.Stefanik, 2011; 6. R.Silk, 1993; 7. E.Beers, 1981; 8. R.Pennink, 1889; 9. J.Blewett, 1851; 10. R.Preece, 1827.

Oct 5 - Lancaster Speedway - RoC - 2nd - (Captures RoC Title)

From Speed51.com

Lancaster, N.Y. (October 1, 2008) – With the Stafford Motor Speedway raining out of the Carquest Fall Final, Dunn Tire Raceway Park (Lancaster) became the focal point for the 2008 DART Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour to play out, however, Mother Nature intervened and left Sunday without any racing. However, the event provided its share of excitement on Friday and Saturday night.
In three of the many events during the first two run one young man stood alone in victory lane. Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y., scored two feature victories on Friday night which propelled him to the track championship in the SST and Modified divisions, which were his first Dunn Tire/Lancaster championships. Friday night’s event at the speedway was the held over Ron Lux Memorial from a few weeks ago. Saturday night was qualifying for the DART Asphalt Race of Champions Modified Tour and the SST 75-lap event which would provide plenty of action.
Unfortunately, Sunday’s US Open RoC 100 for the Modifieds was postponed to this Sunday due to inclement weather.
On Saturday night, Rudolph picked up right where he left off on Friday night as he grabbed the lead from Bobby Holmes on lap 11 and dominated the remainder of the event after starting 8th. At times it looked as though he was toying with the field.
“We had a good car tonight and it’s been that way all year,” smiled Rudolph from victory lane. “The guys came here with the same setup that they always do and it showed. I mean it was just very good.”
Rudolph, who is just 16-years old, appears to be a little timid outside of the racecar, but anything but once he climbs into his machine and does what he does best. In fact, it was perfection for him at Dunn Tire Raceway Park in the SST Modified division as he claimed all 8 feature victories held at the track, with most of those wins coming in dominating fashion.
“That’s a pretty big accomplishment, no matter how you look at it,” explained Rudolph as he focused on his Friday night accomplishments. “Friday night was a pretty good night for. Two wins and two track championships, those results are very good. It will definitely give us a boost. Winning this race just made the weekend that much more special.”
Rudolph is a driven individual with plenty of God-given talent and that was very clear Saturday night in his dominant romp.
“That was the longest 200-lapper I’ve ever been,” joked Rudolph following the 75-green-flag lap SST race. “It took forever to get a long run in. It seemed like every couple of laps there was another caution. It got frustrating, especially with the lead because you want to keep racing and get to the end. You really need a long green flag stretch to see how good your car is and if you can pull away or they will be all over you. Once we did get a long run under green it seemed like they couldn’t really keep up with us. I could get into a rhythm the longer the green flag run and pull away. It was really a relief to finally see that checkered flag tonight.
Rudolph continued. “I need to thank Original Pizza Logs, PrimeTyme Motorsports, Brigham Concrete and all of our sponsors, Dave and Laura DeLange for the opportunity to drive their racecars and all my family. My Dad Charlie, my Grandfather Jim, it really has been a great year for Rudolph Motorsports.
Rudolph then reflected on his perfect SST season at Dunn Tire Raceway Park.
“What we’ve been able to do in the SST here this year is a huge accomplishment and we are really proud of ourselves as a team,” he continued. “A lot of work into and I’m really proud of everyone involved. I’m looking forward to the 100 lap Modified race to see if we can keep it going.”
Jeff Price ran a steady race to finish second. He closed on Rudolph following a couple of restarts, but once Rudolph found his pace, Price struggled to stay close to the back bumper of Rudolph’s Troyer mount.
“We had a good night, but it’s tough to keep up with Erick, he’s on his game right now,” related Price from victory lane.
Modified racing veteran Pete Brittain came home third without an air cleaner.
“We got into the back of somebody early on and it bent us up a little and then the air cleaner blew off,” quipped Brittain after the event. “The car wasn’t that bad, but Erick was pretty solid. We’ll take third and keep working on this program. In the 100 lapper tomorrow will be racing for the Race of Champions title and I’m excited about that.”
Bobby Holmes and Tom McGrath rounded out the top-five. 39 SST Modifieds came to Dunn Tire for the event. Vince Cappelli, Craig Dolphin, Pete Brittain and Jonathan Price won the qualifying races. The B-Main was cancelled after a few cars withdrew following qualifying.

Lancaster, N.Y. – (October 6, 2008) – Twenty years ago at Lancaster Speedway, Jan Leaty of Williamson, N.Y., put his mark on the first-ever U.S. Open. A one-off, high paying asphalt modified race promoted by the late Alex Friesen, who owned Lancaster at the time. In that race, Leaty pitted late and drove to the front glued to the bottom of the race track disposing of legendary Modified racers like Mike McLaughlin, Steve Park, Sege Fidanza and others. He ultimately passed Brian Ross, who was wheeling Ed Cloce’s Hemi-Cuda machine with just a few laps remaining to win the 89-lap, $8,900-to-win event. It was quite a race and this past Sunday history definitely repeated itself, twenty years later, as Leaty, who pitted on lap 61 and drove back to the front, passing race leader on the bottom of turn four with just a few laps remaining to win an exciting finale to the DART Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour season.
“It was an exciting race and I went back to a trick that I learned at the very first US Open that was run here to win this race,” beamed Leaty from victory lane. “It was a lot of fun out there and I know the fans want to get home because it’s cold out, but they definitely got their monies worth tonight. It was a heck of a show.”
Leaty wasn’t kidding about that. It was one of the most interesting races of the season as several different strategies played out along with the race-within-the-race for the championship. Add to that competitive passing inside and outside, all race long and you had a very compelling event.
“I didn’t plan it this way,” explained Leaty while his modified went through technical inspection. “I usually like to pass on the outside here, but tonight I got stuck in traffic a little, so I went down there and from inside the car it really doesn’t look right, but you’ve got to have some faith in the car that it will stick and tonight it did.”
Leaty’s moves were breathtaking as he worked his way through the field and his final two passes were incredible. First Fidanza, then just a couple of laps later Hirschman.
“It all just came together there at the end and it’s a great way to end the season for us. We had some ups and downs this year, but the car was fast each time we brought it to the track. The guys deserve a lot of credit for their effort and all of our sponsors and partners. Today was just a lot of fun and it feels great to win here again.”
Darren Scherer of Binghamton, N.Y., drew the pole and led until Matt Hirschman took over the top spot when Scherer headed pit side with Leaty and company on lap 61. Several other contenders headed to pit road on a caution around lap 35. The primary contenders who pitted then were Pete Brittain and Sege Fidanza.
Brittain would become involved in a late race altercation with Scherer that not only ended his day, but saw him disqualified from the event. Fidanza went on to pressure Hirschman, but eventually he settled for third.
Billy Putney, who also showed speed early in the event, was a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time when the lapped car of Tom Weist broke and caught Putney as he was driving around the outside. The incident ended Putney’s effort.
In the end, when the checkered flags were waving Leaty held off Hirschman by a couple of car lengths with Fidanza coming home third. Scherer wound up fourth with Mike Leaty bringing home his US Army Troyer machine fifth. Matt Hirschman earned the DART Asphalt Modified Tour Race of Champions championship.

HIRSCHMAN GETS FIRST 2008 CHAMPIONSHIP

Matt Hirschman came to Lancaster, N.Y., on five different occasions to race two different Race of Champions event at Dunn Tire Raceway Park. In the end, it was a good thing he did. On Sunday, Hirschman based his strategy off of wanting to win the first of two championships that he’s chasing. He used a no-pitstop strategy and came home second which was plenty good enough to lock up the 2008 DART Asphalt Race of Champions Modified Tour crown. It was Hirschman’s second overall RoC Tour title as he was also the 2005 champion.
“I wasn’t too worried about winning the race today,” began Hirschman following the event. “Winning the championship meant a great deal to me. I’m awfully proud of this. We had such a good year and we missed running two races, but still entered the day with a slim point lead. With the season we had in the Race of Champions Tour, this was the icing on the cake.”
Hirschman talked about his race, the strategy that played out and Leaty’s pass for the lead.
“Everything really depended,” smiled Hirschman. “I wasn’t set on going either way, pitstop or no pitstop, just wanted to see how it played out. I thought if the car was under me, we could go pretty far on the tires. A lot of the guys pitted early, just past lap 30 and I thought that was too early. The next caution came at lap sixty-something and being a Monday morning quarterback that was the time to pit. That’s when Jan pitted and congratulations to him, it was the right move and the right strategy, but with the championship at stake I knew it was time to play track position.”
Hirschman continued. “We would have liked to win, you always race to win and if we could have hung on for five more laps, then it would have been win number twelve, but the championship was more important then the win. I was definitely going to take the championship over going for win twelve and coming up short. There was only one car that could beat us and with about 20-to-go, I asked where Jan was and I told the guys he was the sleeper and would probably get by us, if he got to us. Sege (Fidanza) was our first big test. He could run with me, but he really couldn’t attempt to pass. I could tell at the point with Sege that nobody else had enough so I was thinking big picture. When Jan (Leaty) got to us, I just ran the same line and speed I had been comfortable running all race where I knew the car was under me and he passed us clean. It’s really as simple as that.”
Hirschman is a near duplicate of his Father. Nothing seems to rattle him and he’s almost earned the ‘Iceman’ moniker that his Father (Tony) bore during several of his championship runs. 2008 has really been his best year-to-date, with 11 victories and a top-five and top-ten run in his debut in the heavier cars of the Camping World East Series where he made his debut for Gillette/Evernham Motorsports.
“We won three Race of Champions races and missed two,” began Hirschman’s reflection of the RoC season. “The only race I didn’t finish inside the top-five was when Jan and I crashed at Chemung. Even when we weren’t winning we wound up in the top-five. It’s really been an incredible season here for us. Mother Nature even chipped in and helped us out. I just felt that we had such a great car all year that our team was very deserving of the championship and with how everything worked out today we had to capitalize on the championship. I felt I had to get it and it turned into a situation of so-be-it on winning race twelve this season. The win would be good today, but that championship will last for a long time to come.”
Hirschman also spoke about his opportunity to claim a second a championship in the weeks to come. If he did so, he’d the first driver to claim both the RoC crown and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in the same season. He is currently just 55-points behind Ted Christopher in the championship standings.
“Championships are something you always have,” explained Hirschman. “Now we can look back on this and think about what a great season it was, plus the championship. It’s really cool to have the opportunity to compete for the second championship as well. I’d be satisfied with second because it is an improvement over last year, but the ultimate goal is to win it. We got the first one out of the way on Sunday and that’s how I’m looking at it. Now we can go after the second one.”
Not many people can say that, fewer people have the skills capable of turning in that kind of performance and even fewer have won two championships in one season. It will certainly be interesting to see where Hirschman ends up in his quest.

SUPER COMEBACK FOR ‘LANCASTER’S SUPERMAN’

One week ago on Friday night Dunn Tire Raceway Park ran their final point race for modifieds. It was a prelude to the US Open weekend, but for Sege Fidanza it wasn’t the kind of night he wanted. He took a hard shot into the outside wall exiting turn four and his Troyer mount sustained heavy damage. In what was a great turnaround Fidanza’s team with his partner Dennis Petrie took the car to Troyer’s had a clip mounted on it and where back at the track practicing on Saturday afternoon for the 100-lap US Open on Sunday. Fidanza would come home third in the event with a dramatic early race charge from the rear of the field. He ran second to Hirschman early on, but in the end, he didn’t have enough to pass Hirschman and go on to the victory.
“I’ve got to thank Dennis Petrie and all of the guys that worked so hard to get us back here,” grinned Fidanza standing next to his mount during the post-racing interviews. “I gave it all it had and just couldn’t get there. We worked on it and got it real close, but it just wasn’t enough today. That really didn’t matter because Dennis Petrie and all of the guys on the crew proved a lot by just getting us back here to race. Sure, I wanted to win, but today third is a victory for our team.”

THE US OPEN PART II

Important news regarding Dunn Tire Raceway Park; Ralph Galluzzi, the owner of Bison Auto Glass in Buffalo, N.Y., and what some folks will say is the savior of racing at Lancaster. The truth that sets behind that is that Galluzzi plays a vital role in that, but Lori Overdorf, John Nelson and several others have contributed massive amounts of time and dedication to keep stock car racing as part of the program at the facility. On Saturday, Galluzzi, who also is a drag racing enthusiast, took Dave Russell’s Late Model for a spin and on Sunday announced to the crowd there would be racing in 2009. Great news for the Western New York Stock Car community. In a more candid one-on-one interview later in the day, Galluzzi related that the RoC would be back as part of the schedule, but didn’t get into particulars. Dunn Tire has the naming rights to the ½-mile facility in a three-year deal and that he would try to have the schedule available earlier then in the past. Everything is still in the planning stages for 2009, but it sounds like there will be more Modified shows on the schedule for next season, but it will not be a weekly schedule at the oval. The good news is that it will be there for 2009… If you haven’t been to Lancaster (Dunn Tire Raceway Park) for a Modified show, then you need to do it. The shape of the track, the competitors, the atmosphere, all make it a must see on the list for Modified fans.

THE 2008 RoC FINALE

Of course there was a bit of controversy during the race. Pete Brittain, who was a championship contender took out his frustration on Darren Scherer after Brittain spun into the turn two foam. The incident was missed by many as the battle for the lead took center stage however, Brittain was disqualified from the event by Race of Champions officials and lost all points and money for the event. Brittain offered his view of the situation.
“I did that because I knew that nothing would be done about it from race control,” explained Brittain. “I knew were going to pit and the stagger closed up, but there was no reason for us to get crashed like that.”
Scherer wound up fourth. Mike Leaty had a good run and came home fifth.
Andy Harpell said that his Sunoco Race of Champions 2009 weekend is going to be around the same weekend, which would tentatively make the race date, Saturday, September 19th.

To close out the day, and the season, the Modifieds took to the track as the last race. Daren Scherer had redrawn the pole position and put his redrawing luck to good use as he immediately took control of the lead on the start. Dave Wollaber, Billy Putney, JR Kent, and Matt Hirschman followed him in the initial laps. Scherer set a wicked pace and was soon comfortably ahead of the pack. Pete Brittain was the man on the move though as he clicked off cars and positions and was in the second running spot by lap 30. A yellow flag on lap 31 saw over half the field pit, including Brittain, Billy Putney, Sege Fidanza, Kent, and Erick Rudolph, and shuffled the running order of the 100 lap feature. The double file restart still saw Scherer on the point with Jan Leaty, Hirschman, Mike Leaty, and Bobby Holmes as the top five cars. On the restart Hirschman snuck by J. Leaty and took the second spot and went on to challenge Scherer for the top spot. At the halfway point in the race Scherer still had a comfortable lead on the field while Hirschman, J. Leaty, Brittain, Putney, Fidanza, and M. Leaty followed. It was Fidanza’s return to the track after a hard hit the week before. Again, Britain showed serious horsepower as he powered by cars, taking the third spot on lap 54. Putney and Fidanza also were moving through the field. Lap 61 saw another yellow flag and headed pitside this time were Jan and Mike Leaty, leader Scherer, and a host of others. The yellow flag had been displayed for a wreck that ended the day for Tom Weist, Tom McGrath, and Billy Putney. With Scherer pitting, Hirschman now had inherited the lead and had Brittain, Fidanza, Rudolph, and Rick Kluth right behind him. Jan and Mike Leaty had restarted in the ninth and tenth spots respectively but they wouldn’t stay there for very long as the father and son team quickly set out up through the field. Up front Fidanza was right on the bumper of Hirschman and repeatedly looked for a way around him to no avail. Laps 80 and 83 saw yellow flags and restarts that bunched the field up together, allowing for some quick passing. The Leatys had made their way up to fifth and sixth position with Jan leading the way through the field. Jan passed Rudolph for the fourth position on lap 84 but Mike bobbled and was forced to work over Rudolph while Jan set sail for the front of the pack. Just two laps later Jan passed Brittain for the third spot and quickly caught Fidanza, passing for the second position on lap 92. Jan was the fastest car on the track and was soon dueling with Hirschman. A late race yellow flag on lap 98 gave Leaty the last piece of ammunition that he needed as a single file restart put him right on the back bumper of Hirschman. Leaty took advantage of the situation and passed Hirschman on the low side and took control of the lead. Once out front, Leaty built a lead on the rest of the field and went on to win the 20th Annual US Open Modified feature event.

Stock car racing will return to the famed oval of Dunn Tire Raceway Park in 2009. A schedule of events will be released by January 2009. Thank you to all of those who helped make the speedway’s 50th anniversary season a success.

Modified Feature Finish: Jan Leaty, Matt Hirschman, Sege Fidanza, Daren Scherer, Mike Leaty, JR Kent, Erick Rudolph, Mark Tychoniewicz, John Markovic, Terry Cheetham, Rick Kluth, Jimmy Zacharias, Bobby Holmes, Kris Hillegeer, Billy Putney, Tom McGrath, Dave Wollaber, Tom Wiest, Brett Scherrer, Doug Reaume, Karl Hehr, Billy Ray Pruitt, Matt Clemens DQ: Pete Brittain

Oct 4 - Chemung Speedrome - WMT - Win

Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Penn., exclaimed that ‘he loved New York’ upon exiting his Ed Bennett Properties machine this past Saturday night after conquering the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Chemung 120. It was a sweep of both Western/Central New York appearances of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and it was true sweep for Hirschman on Saturday evening as he swept the pole, won his heat and led all 122 laps to take home his second career victory. The only other time that the Tour visited the track in August of 2001, Jerry Marquis earned the victory with Tony Hirschman (Matt’s Father) won the the Pole.Hirschman was never truly challenged the entire day. Eric Beers of Northampton, Penn., Chuck Hossfeld of Ransomville, N.Y., and Todd Szegedy of Ridgefield, Conn., all gave chase to Hirschman throughout the day, but it wasn’t to any avail as Hirschman went on to the victory. “It was the perfect day for us,” grinned Hirschman. “The way the format was. Practice set up the time trial order, the qualifying race and the feature. It was the perfect way to execute the day, you really couldn’t write a better script for us.”What Hirschman is referring regarding the format is that this was the final ‘Flash’ race of the season (the others were at Riverhead and Spencer). The ‘Flash’ race format includes time trials and qualifying races without a redraw. The time trial order was set by practice speed, so the fastest cars in practice were rewarded with late spots in the time trial order."We swept the day and that is difficult to do because the competition is so tough these days,” continued Hirschman regarding the race. “In the heat Eric Beers chased me a little and in the feature, they could challenge me on the restarts, but that was about it.”Beers chased Hirschman for a majority of the feature before slipping back to fourth behind Todd Szegedy and Mike Stefanik. Szegedy picked up the chase, but couldn’t run down Hirschman to make the pass for the lead. If I went high I was definitely too tight. Matt’s line was definitely the preferred line to get around this place,” offered second place finished Todd Szegedy. “Being a little bit down a power, I could a get a run, but he just had the momentum to hold me off. I’m just really happy to finish second. I was pretty awesome on the bottom and my chance to get around these guys was really on the restarts.” Szegedy continued regarding racing at Chemung. “I like the track and I really thought the race was great. It’s a nice facility and we need to race on more short tracks like this, with room and the opportunity for more side-by-side racing.”Stefanik of Coventry, R.I., wound up third.“We had a good car tonight,” stated Stefanik as he talked to former NASCAR Modified driver, Tim Connolly. “I felt good and we were going forward. If the race was a little longer we might have had a shot at Matt and Todd, but hats off to them, they were running good.”Stefanik offered his view on racing at Chemung. “It’s very unorthodox. Both ends are different and you have to run strange lines on both ends. You never really get a feeling of comfort. You might try what the guy in front of you is doing and you ask yourself if that was better or not. It wasn’t like you hit one line and said that’s it. It is definitely a challenging little track that will keep you on your toes.”

ICEMAN II

Tony Hirschman has been called the ‘Iceman’ on many occasions because nothing really bothers him and his son Matt is the same way. He knows what needs to be done and he knows how to get the job done. When it comes to chasing the championship, he has a great perspective on that.“When we left New Hampshire I wasn’t happy,” stated Hirschman. “We weren’t competitive and I said then we needed to go out and beat him on the race track. I let everyone know that. He won at New Hampshire and we were sixth. At Martinsville we had a better car and beat him and we did the same thing here at Chemung. That’s what it’s going to take us to get the championship. No doubt about it.”Hirschman continued regarding his championship chase, “We’ve got two races to go and we’ll do the best that we can. “I’d be satisfied with second, but the championship is the ultimate goal.”Hirschman then turned is attention to the Tour and the lack of pure passing during the race. There was some that took place in the back of the field, but in the top-six positions, passing only occurred during the restarts.“I think it’s a proven fact that it’s the tires,” stated Hirschman while comparing the Tour car to the Race of Champions Modified. “The lap times with the Tour tire are way faster, but I think that reduces the quality of the racing because the faster speed makes it more difficult to pass. It’s not the cars or the equipment, both series are pretty much the same in that aspect.”We also chatted about the final two Tour races at Thompson and Stafford. Hirschman will run Ed Bennett’s black car at Stafford and Wayne Darling’s white machine at Thompson.“I guess my better average finish is at Stafford and at Thompson, I’ve finished in the top three, but not yet at Stafford,” Hirschman related. “Teddy (Christopher) has had more dominating runs at those places, but we’ve been consistent and we have the potential of running well and qualifying well. It is definitely going to be interesting. We’re capable of beating him at both places and we’ll just have to see what happens.”Tune in or come out to the races, it will be interesting to watch

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Chemung 120 Unofficial Results
Saturday
At Chemung Speedrome
Chemung, NY
Lap length: 0.375 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 122 laps, 55.925 mph, $4,300.
2. (6) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 122, $2,200.
3. (8) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 122, $2,400.
4. (2) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Dodge, 122, $1,700.
5. (7) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Pontiac, 122, $1,600.
6. (12) Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 122, $1,600.
7. (22) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 122, $2,150.
8. (10) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 122, $1,350.
9. (16) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 122, $1,300.
10. (9) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 122, $1,050.
11. (5) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 122, $1,200.
12. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 122, $1,075.
13. (14) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 122, $975.
14. (21) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 122, $945.
15. (19) Joe Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 122, $860.
16. (3) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 122, $800.
17. (18) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 122, $775.
18. (24) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 122, $750.
19. (15) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Chevrolet, 121, $525.
20. (17) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, Conn., Chevrolet, 121, $700.
21. (4) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 111, torque arm, $650.
22. (25) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 111, $600.
23. (11) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 110, ignition, $600.
24. (13) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 101, $600.
25. (23) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 17, handling, $400.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 49 minutes 5 seconds
Margin of Victory: Race ended under caution
Fastest Qualifier: M.Hirschman (94.101 mph, 14.155 seconds)
Heat 1 Winner: M.Hirschman
Heat 2 Winner: C.Hossfeld
Caution Flags: 11 for 48 laps.
Lead Changes: 0 among 1 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M.Hirschman 1-122.
Standings: 1. T.Christopher, 2111; 2. M.Hirschman, 2056; 3. T.Szegedy, 1958; 4. C.Hossfeld, 1916; 5. R.Silk, 1875; 6. M.Stefanik, 1831; 7. E.Beers, 1826; 8. R.Preece, 1748; 9. R.Pennink, 1743; 10. J.Blewett, 1727.

Matt Test an ARCA car for Eddie Sharp Racing:

MMI Driver Development Combine at Caraway Speedway: An invited group of free agent development drivers of various ages and development levels are scheduled to test a 2008 ARCA car prepared and run by Eddie Sharp Racing at Caraway Speedway this week. Event organizer is Motorsports Management International. Patrick Donahue will serve as crew chief for all drivers. Each driver will get 20-30 minutes to sort the car to his or her preference, then do a 40 lap test run. Drivers include Chad Boat, James Buescher, Matt Debenetto, Darren Hagen, Matt Hawkins, Matt Hirschman, Ryan Lawler, Bobby Santos, Kevin Swindell and Cole Whitt. More info on drivers listed below:

*Chad Boat (age 16, Phoenix, AZ) The son of former Indy 500 pole-sitter Billy Boat, the Arizona native became the youngest USAC National Sprint Car winner of all-time by virtue of his win in Hagerstown, Md. in June. A former regular on the Arizona midget scene and in ASA Speed Trucks, he is a rookie on the 2008 USAC circuit.
*James Buescher (age 18, Plano, TX)The 2006 ASA Late Model Southern Division champion, he became the youngest all-time ARCA winner with a win in Lakeland in 2007, has been a top-five fixture in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, and earned his first top-ten NASCAR Nationwide Series finish (7th) this year at Gateway.
*Darren Hagen (age 22, Riverside, CA) A former Hut Hundred winner, the California native is a consummate threat for any race win or points title in the USAC ranks. In 2008, he has corralled victories at Manzanita and Winchester.
*Matt Hawkins (age 20, Canton, GA) In his second year in the Hooters Pro Cup Series, the 2006 winner of the Snowball 100 won two Pro Cup races in '07, including winning his series debut, and led the most laps en route to runner-up finishes at the World Crown and the Snowball Derby, and scored a win in his first career ARCA start this Spring at Iowa.
*Matt Hirschman (age 25, Northampton, PA)The reigning, two-time winner of Concord's North-South Shootout, the son of Tony Hirschman finished third in Whelen Modified Tour points in 2007 and has carried that momentum to 2008, winning eight races, including his first Tour win at Spencer Speedway.
*Ryan Lawler (age 21, Colleyille, TX)The 2007 PASS South Late Model champion scored two wins last year, including the season-opening Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory, and won the Winchester 400 under CRA sanction. In 2008, the Texan has run a limited Truck Series schedule with SS-Green Light Racing.
*Bobby Santos (age 22, Franklin, MA)One of the most versatile racers in the short track world, the Massachusetts native scored a win last November in the sprint car portion of the Turkey Night Grand Prix in Irwindale and won the Whelen Modified Tour season finale at Thompson Int'l Speedway. Bobby had several Busch starts in 2007 for BDR, including breakout performances at Richmond and Loudon.
*Kevin Swindell (age 19, Germantown, TN)The son of sprint car legend Sammy Swindell, the Tennessee native won his first USAC-sanctioned race at 2007's "Night Before the 500" at O'Reilly Raceway Park. He is the youngest ever winner in World of Outlaws Sprint Car history, and recently, he picked up a pair of wins in the POWRi Midget Series two-day stay at Nebraska's Junction Motor Speedway.
*Cole Whitt (age 17, Alpine, CA)This California native came to Indiana to race against the best, and has proven he belongs. While he's a winner in the sprint car ranks (two USAC National Sprint Car wins) he also currently possesses the USAC National Midget point lead in his rookie year of USAC National Touring.
*Matt Debenetto (age 17, Hickory, NC) Matt is a California transplant who has made a name for himself in late models throughout the Carolinas and Virginia circuits. A former UARA Rookie of the Year and Most Popular Driver at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway, Matt has racked up several regional late model wins in 2008 at Bristol, Newport and Tri-County Speedways.

Sept 20 - Martinsville Speedway - WMT - 3rd

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour celebrated its 500th race in its tradition-rich history, but it was Burt Myers that stole the show and drove his way to Victory Lane in the Made In America Whelen 300.
Myers became the first NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver to win the annual combination race with their northern-based counterparts at Martinsville Speedway.
He also became the first Southern driver to win a Modified tour race in a NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville since Johnny Bryant in 1985.
“I tell you what – this is something else,” Myers said. “It will probably sink in tomorrow.”
Seventeen-year-old Ryan Preece became the youngest winner in NASCAR Whelen Modified history as the highest finishing NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver. He appeared poised to take the overall win, taking the lead on lap six and leading throughout the event. But Myers, who spent most of the race in second, tracked him down and made the winning pass on lap 271.
Almost as important, Myers put Tim Brown and L.W. Miller a lap down on lap 183. That, combined with Brian Loftin’s 10th-place finish, allowed Myers to move into second in NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified points. He is 27 behind Loftin with two races remaining.
Myers had briefly taken the lead on lap 223, but Preece got it back when caution flew on the same lap and the running order reverted to the last-completed green-flag lap.
Matt Hirschman finished third, followed by Reggie Ruggiero and Ted Christopher. Todd Szegedy, Woody Pitkat, Ed Flemke Jr., Rowan Pennink, and Loftin rounded out the top 10.
Christopher maintained his NASCAR Whelen Modified points lead. He is 89 up on Hirschman with three races left.
Since the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour was formed in 2005, it has inched closer to beating its older brethren in the combination event. L.W. Miller set the previous best finish with his third-place in 2007.

Made In America Whelen 300-Made In American Whelen 300 Results
Saturday At Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.
Lap length: 0.526 miles

(Start position in parentheses)
1. (4) Burt Myers, Walnut Grove, N.C., Ford, 300 laps, 61.077 mph, $8,000.
2. (1) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 300, $8,400.
3. (10) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 300, $4,300.
4. (13) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Ford, 300, $3,800.
5. (8) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 300, $3,500.
6. (9) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 300, $2,675.
7. (31) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 300, $2,900.
8. (28) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 300, $2,500.
9. (14) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 300, $2,500.
10. (11) Brian Loftin, Lexington, N.C., Chevrolet, 300, $2,175.
11. (26) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 300, $2,350.
12. (16) Tim Brown, Cana, Va., Chevrolet, 299, $1,850.
13. (19) L.W. Miller, Dushore, Pa., Pontiac, 299, $1,825.
14. (22) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 299, $2,200.
15. (24) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 299, $2,243.
16. (36) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 299, $2,075.
17. (2) George Brunnhoelzl, III, Babylon, N.Y., Ford, 297, engine, $2,350.
18. (6) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 292, $1,625.
19. (37) Joe Hartman, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 286, $2,000.
20. (3) Chuck Hossfeld, Buffalo, N.Y., Dodge, 283, $2,075.
21. (38) Rich Kuiken, Staffordville, N.J., Chevrolet, 283, $1,950.
22. (40) Tom Abele, Norwich, Chevrolet, 272, $2,200.
23. (20) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 260, $1,875.
24. (12) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 227, drive shaft, $1,950.
25. (21) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Pontiac, 227, $1,925.
26. (18) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 194, battery, $1,900.
27. (23) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 190, rear end, $1,775.
28. (39) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 189, steering, $1,750.
29. (7) Jason Myers, Walnut Cove, N.C., Ford, 188, accident, $1,350.
30. (27) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 183, rear end, $1,750.
31. (29) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Dodge, 176, accident, $1,350.
32. (30) Billy Pauch, Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 152, clutch, $1,750.
33. (45) Jay Foley, Stuart, Va., Chevrolet, 149, oil line, $1,350.
34. (17) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., 144, accident, $1,350.
35. (25) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 144, accident, $1,750.
36. (33) John Smith, Mount Airy, N.C., Chevrolet, 143, belts, $1,350.
37. (15) Frank Fleming, Mt Airy, N.C., Pontiac, 140, accident, $1,350.
38. (34) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 128, alternator, $1,750.
39. (5) Bobby Hutchens, Lexington, N.C., Chevrolet, 62, $1,350.
40. (35) Zach Brewer, Winston-Salem, N.C., Chevrolet, 23, accident, $0.
41. (41) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 23, accident, $1,750.
42. (42) Sean Gartner, Sunset Beach, N.C., Pontiac, 18, suspension, $1,350.
43. (32) Buddy Emory, Petersburg, Va., Chevrolet, 11, accident, $1,350.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 2 hours 35 minutes 1 second
Margin of Victory: 1.712 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: R.Preece (100.313 mph, 18.877 seconds)
Caution Flags: 16 for 88 laps.
Lead Changes: 2 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B.Hutchens 1-5; R.Preece 6-270; B.Myers 271-300.

Sept 19 - Dover Speedway - CWE - 6th

Matt Hirschman Continues To Impress, Sixth At Dover
from eastseries.com

Dover, Del. (Sept. 19, 2008) - Matt Hirschman turned heads last week when he placed fourth in his NASCAR Camping World Series debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a track he had raced at many times before in a NASCAR Modified. But his second race took place at Dover International Speedway, a track he had never raced on before. Despite that unfamiliarity, Hirschman put in an equally impressive race to bring the No. 9 Gillett-Evernham Motorsports Dodge home in sixth place. Hirschman, driving a car prepared by Dave Davis Motorsports, learned the track during Thursday's two practice sessions, and then timed in fourteenth-fastest in Friday's qualifying session. "Practice was a learning experience both for myself and the team," said the Northampton, Pennsylvania driver. "I was just getting comfortable with the track. We were making adjustments to the car and some of them helped, while some of them didn't. At the end of the day, we had come up with a plan for what we needed for Friday and so far the car's responded well to the changes. We timed in fourteenth but we picked up a lot of speed from where we were yesterday."Hirschman was ninth after an early incident took three leaders out of contention. he narrowly avoided disaster on lap 54 when another car spun ahead of him and he had to jam on the brakes to avoid it as it careened off the banking to the inside of the track. He pitted just once under this caution while others pitted as many as three separate times, and this moved him up to third place on the restart. Another strategy move had him stay on the track for the next caution and this moved him all the way to the race lead.After enjoying a handful of laps at the front, Hirschman was passed after the lap 77 restart. He hung in second, still on old tires, for ten laps before more cars made their way by. But a lap 102 caution allowed him to come to pit road for fresh tires of his own, setting himself up for a strong race to the finish."We stayed on the original tires for a long time," he said, "and they were pretty much worn out while most guys came in and took on tires. We adjusted the car based on how we were running at the time on the old tires and those adjustments, combined with new tires, tightened us up quite a bit and we could have had a better car at the finish than what we did."Restarting ninth, Hirschman raced hard, but clean, to finish sixth."For the first time here at Dover, it went really well," he said. "Both races we've run in this series have been great efforts on all parts: good car, good team, and I've performed well driving it. New Hampshire was a track that I'd already raced on, but I've never run here before and this place is pretty wild. To race as well as we did and to finish as well as we did is a great effort."He commented on the fact that he's run two Camping World Series races and has yet to really put a mark on the car."So far, I've given the guys that I'm racing with a lot of respect, and I've gotten it in return," he said. "You're always going to have your times where you get together with somebody, but if both drivers competing for a position give each other the proper respect, you shouldn't have to touch each other. I'm glad that I could keep the car clean for these guys because it's a lot less work for them, and still get good finishes."It's been a great opportunity to drive for Gillett-Evernham and Dave Davis, and I can't thank them enough for having this chance to race with them and get the experience to race at a track like Dover. It's been a great opportunity and I hope they agree that it's been good so far," Hirschman continued.

Finish Start Car # Driver Hometown Car Laps Money Won Reason Out
1 8 8 Aric Almirola Tampa, Fla. Dale Earnhardt Foundation Chevrolet 150 $14,000
2 6 18 Marc Davis Mitchelville, MD Slim Jim Toyota 150 $11,411
3 5 40 Matt Kobyluck Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Resort Casino Chevrolet 150 $9,000
4 9 35 Steve Park East Northport, NY Waste Management Recycle America Chevrolet 150 $8,000
5 20 59 Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Nashville, Tenn. Neo Synthetic Oil Dodge 150 $6,500
6 14 9 Matt Hirschman Northampton, Penn. Gillett-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 150 $6,000
7 16 4 Ricky Carmichael Clearwater, FL Monster Energy Drink Dodge 150 $6,515
8 27 88 Jody Lavender Hartsville, SC Heritage Community Bank/Jo Jo Enterprises Chevrolet 150 $7,300
9 17 3 Austin Dillon Lewisville, NC Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet 150 $5,700
10 11 99 Bryon Chew Mattituck, NY Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet 150 $5,100
11 24 2 Craig Goess Greenville, NC Greenville Toyota Toyota 150 $4,500
12 23 39 Dustin Delaney Mayfield, NY Delaney Infrastructure/Cars Under 10K Chevrolet 150 $4,850
13 25 06 Ryan Seaman Toms River, N.J. 1 Stop Signs/Erbe Carting Chevrolet 150 $3,900
14 22 16 Max Dumarey Gent, Belgium Bodycoach.net Chevrolet 150 $4,100
15 21 52 Jamie Hayes Norlina, N.C. J.L. Hendrick Auto Group Chevrolet 149 $3,475
16 28 7 Ryan Duff Hazard, KY Pine Branch Coal Chevrolet 147 $3,425
17 4 11 Jesus Hernandez Fresno, CA DEI Chevrolet 146 $3,875
18 2 44 Peyton Sellers Danville, VA Specialized Fertilizer Products Chevrolet 146 $3,825
19 19 32 Dale Quarterley Westfield, Mass. Titech Chevrolet 145 $3,300
20 18 71 Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA Grimm Construction Chevrolet 133 $3,750
21 3 1 Trevor Bayne Knoxville, TN Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet Chevrolet 130 $3,700 Accident
22 13 63 John Salemi Nashua, N.H. Diamond Resorts/Aqua Health/Williams Printing Dodge 118 $3,176 Accident
23 30 26 Scott Bouley Thomaston, Conn. Cutting Edge Signs & Shirts Chevrolet 89 $3,150 Rear End
24 7 30 Jeff Anton Russell, MA Engineered Floors, Inc. Chevrolet 68 $3,600 Accident
25 10 95 Tim Andrews Mooresville, N.C. Van Dyk Baler/Bollegraaf Chevrolet 67 $3,000 Accident
26 15 80 Jason Patison Corona, Calif. Lucas Oil/Racin' For A Cure Chevrolet 67 $3,000 Accident
27 29 41 James Pritchard Jr Wharton, N.J. Mannings USA Dodge 66 $3,000 Accident
28 12 37 Alex Kennedy Aztek, NM Spraker Racing Chevrolet 60 $3,000 Accident
29 26 21 Jonathan Smith Beacon Falls, CT GPS Footprints/Diamond Resorts Dodge 53 $3,000 Accident
30 1 15 Brian Ickler Poway, CA Ickler Motorsports Chevrolet 26 $5,000 Engine

Story from eastseries.com

Matt Hirschman Impressive In Camping World Series Debut, Fourth Place Finish

Loudon, N.H. (Sept. 13, 2008) - Saturday's Heluva Good 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway may have been the first-ever NASCAR Camping World East Series race for 25 year-old Matt Hirschman, but the Gillett-Evernham Racing development driver raced like a veteran, running up front all day before finishing fourth. Hirschman, driving the No. 9 Dodge prepared by Dave Davis Motorsports, was quickly up to speed in his first series appearance. Twelfth fastest in practice, the Northampton, Pennsylvania driver timed in 17th in Thursday's time trials. Friday's rain showers forced the postponement of the Heluva Good 125 to Saturday morning, making for a busy day for Hirschman who was also racing in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Mired in the middle of the field during the opening laps, Hirschman took a big step towards the front when, under a lap 19 caution, he stayed on the track while most of those ahead of him came to pit road for service. He restarted the race in the sixth position. He gave those spots back when he made a stop of his own under the next yellow, and he restarted on lap 34 in the twentieth position. The next 58 laps went caution-free and when that run was over, Hirschman had improved to ninth place. After some competitors pitted under caution, he took the next restart in sixth. For the rest of the race he ran in the top five, and was fourth when the checkers flew. "It was a great race with a great team," he said after the race. "They made the right calls, gave me a great setup, and I had the fun job of driving it. We had a good car and a great run, and I'm real happy to go out in my first race and get a top-five finish. That's great." Hirschman was all smiles after making such an impressive series debut. "The crew chief made a great call and everybody did a great job, it all worked out perfect," he said. "Everybody ran me good out there. The 40 [Matt Kobyluck] and I ran side-by-side for a while and we raced hard but clean, it was good racing."


Story from Hartford Courant

Whelen Modified Tour regular Matt Hirschman parlayed a quality showing in his Camping World East Series debut Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway into another ride with the Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Hirschman showed the sharpness of a series veteran in racing to a fourth place finish in his series debut in the Heluva Good 125 Saturday. After the race Hirschman, who also finished sixth in the Modified Tour New Hampshire 100 Saturday and moved to second in the series standings, found out that Gillett Evernham will field him Friday's Camping World East race at Dover International Raceway. Hirschman said they haven't let him know yet if they're interested in racing him in the season finale Sept. 28 at Stafford Motor Speedway. Hirschman fought in the top-10 all day during the Heluva Good 125. "Everything went real good," Hirschman said. "I was happy with the way I performed in the car. The car performed really well., handled good from start to finish. The crew chief made good calls. The whole day was really good. I think it went about as good as it could go. Sure finishing third, second or first would have been better, but finishing fourth in the first event, I was really pleased." Unlike many of the young developmental drivers in the series, who seem too often to show a penchant for contact racing, Hirschman put on a passing clinic at times without ever getting into other cars. "Our car was clean at the end of the race," Hirschman said. "For the amount of passing and side by side racing that I did, it seemed that everybody gave me a lot of respect and I gave it in return." "I think I've always raced with anyone's car with the same respect that I would run my own. That's carried over wherever I've raced. I've always respected people's equipment like its my own. Somebody said to me after the race that they were surprised I kept my car clean, that the Modifieds beat and bang. Well clean is the way I race even in a Modified. I ran that car with the same approach I take in a Modified."

Sept 13 - New Hampshire - CWE - 4th

By MARK LABORE
New Hampshire Union Leader Sports

LOUDON – Eddie MacDonald moved past former Sprint Cup driver Steve Park on the final lap to capture the NASCAR Camping World Series East Heluva Good 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway here yesterday.With the victory, MacDonald, 28 of Rowley, Mass., completed his sweep of the two Camping World East Series races at the "Magic Mile.""Coming back and repeating means a lot to me and the whole crew," said the race winner whose margin of victory was .365 seconds.After leading during the early stages of the race, MacDonald played see-saw briefly with Center Harbor's Brad Leighton who moved low into Turn 1 to grab a short two-lap lead before MacDonald returned to first place. However, that advantage lasted for just four laps before Leighton once again moved ahead where he stayed until running out of gas with five laps to race.Leighton's misfortune left Ricky Carmichael in front for two laps until the gas bug bit him also, allowing Park to head the field. Then MacDonald made his race-winning pass. "I knew it would be close (on gas) because we were close," said MacDonald. "I was trying to save fuel early on when we were leading. It's good that he (Leighton) ran out. I knew it was going to be tough getting by him. He usually knows how to make his car wide and does what he needs to do to get the win." Leighton's car, meanwhile, was taken for technical insepection at the NASCAR trailer and Leighton was unavailable for comment. The Center Harbor driver owns a series-best eight wins at NHMS and was credited with a 22nd place finish. MacDonald had kind words for runner-up Park."Luckily he ran us clean," said the race winner. "He's a great guy to race against, and knowing who you're racing against makes all the difference."Local drivers Joey Polewarczyk of Hudson and Mike Olsen of North Haverhill started 10th and 27th respectively and finished sixth and seventh. For Polewarczyk, it was his first race on a NASCAR superspeedway.Polewarczyk banged the wall on lap 10 and the resulting damage left the rear end of his car out of line by about thee inches. The damage pushed him as far back as 16th place before he recovered. "If I didn't do that, I really believe we would have been contending for a win," the 18-year-old said. Olsen, meanwhile, staged a determined charge through the field and was among the top 10 cars after 30 laps. A lap 114 accident while challenging leader Leighton eliminated polesitter Peyton Sellers, who drives for Camping World Series East multi-time champion Andy Santerre.Following MacDonald and Park across the finish line were series points leader Matt Kobyluck (1810 points), young Matt Hirschman, son of veteran modified champion Tony Hirschman, and series rookie of the year contender and DEI prospect Austin Dillon. Dillon is second in the points race, trailing Kobyluck by 192 points.John Salemi of Nashua, started 18th but retired from the race after 45 laps because of a severe vehicle vibration. MacDonald, who started the race third, led for 60 laps while Leighton, who owned the sixth position on the starting grid, set the pace for 44 circuits

Finish Start Car # Driver Hometown Car Laps Money Won Reason Out
1 3 71 Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA NEMO/Grimm Construction Chevrolet 125 $15,050
2 2 35 Steve Park East Northport, NY Waste Management Recycle America Chevrolet 125 $10,500
3 13 40 Matt Kobyluck Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Resort Casino Chevrolet 125 $9,100
4 17 9 Matt Hirschman Northampton, Penn. Gillett-Evernham Motorsports Dodge 125 $7,500
5 15 3 Austin Dillon Lewisville, NC Garage Equipment Supply Chevrolet 125 $7,315
6 10 03 Joey Polewarczyk Hudson, N.H. Pole's Automotive/NH Precision Chevrolet 125 $5,800
7 26 61 Mike Olsen N. Haverhill, N.H. Fadden Racing Chevrolet 125 $7,300
8 8 1 Trevor Bayne Knoxville, TN Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet Chevrolet 125 $5,500
9 22 99 Bryon Chew Mattituck, NY Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet 125 $4,800
10 23 30 Jeff Anton Russell, MA Engineered Floors, Inc. Chevrolet 125 $5,100
11 20 39 Dustin Delaney Mayfield, NY Delaney Infrastructure/Cars Under 10K Chevrolet 125 $4,000
12 29 16 Max Dumarey Gent, Belgium Bodycoach.net Chevrolet 124 $4,200
13 12 2 Craig Goess Greenville, NC Greenville Toyota Toyota 124 $3,500
14 9 8 Jeffrey Earnhardt Mooresville, NC Dale Earnhardt Foundation Chevrolet 124 $3,876
15 7 80 Derek Thorn Lakeport, Calif. Paul Davis Restorations Ford 124 $3,100
16 16 4 Ricky Carmichael Clearwater, FL Monster Energy Drink Dodge 123 $3,500
17 28 38 Alan Tardiff Lyman, Maine McNeilus Trucks/Bestway Disposal Chevrolet 123 $2,900
18 5 18 Marc Davis Mitchelville, MD Slim Jim Toyota 123 $3,350
19 11 11 Jesus Hernandez Fresno, CA DEI Chevrolet 123 $3,300
20 1 44 Peyton Sellers Danville, VA Casella Waste Systems Chevrolet 123 $4,796
21 36 41 James Pritchard Jr Wharton, N.J. Mannings USA Dodge 123 $2,750
22 6 55 Brad Leighton Center Harbor, N.H. Irving Oil/Coca-Cola Chevrolet 122 $2,600
23 27 7 Ryan Duff Hazard, KY Pine Branch Coal Chevrolet 122 $2,675
24 19 52 Jamie Hayes Norlina, N.C. J.L. Hendrick Auto Group Chevrolet 122 $3,159
25 33 26 Scott Bouley Thomaston, Conn. Cutting Edge Signs & Shirts Chevrolet 122 $2,600
26 14 88 Jody Lavender Hartsville, SC Heritage Community Bank/Jo Jo Enterprises Chevrolet 121 $3,100
27 32 50 Todd Peck Glenville, Penn. RussellCory.com Chevrolet 114 $2,600
28 25 12 Antonio Perez Mexico City, Mexico Telmex/Chivas Racing Dodge 93 $2,600 Engine
29 4 15 Brian Ickler Poway, CA Ickler Motorsports Chevrolet 91 $3,100 Accident
30 38 45 Ryan Black Alto Loma, Calif. All Pro Plumbing Corp. Ford 72 $2,600 Brakes
31 37 81 Jeremy Clark Concord, N.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Toyota 65 $2,600 Rear End
32 35 21 Jonathan Smith Beacon Falls, CT GPS Footprints/Diamond Resorts Dodge 46 $2,600 Engine
33 18 63 John Salemi Nashua, N.H. Kustomvinyl.com Chevrolet 45 $2,600 Vibration
34 24 37 Alex Kennedy Aztek, NM Spraker Racing Chevrolet 34 $2,600 Accident
35 21 96 Mike Johnson Salisbury, Mass. Johnson Lumber Company Ford 31 $2,600 Accident
36 30 14 Joe Masessa Franklin Lakes, N.J. Monticello Motor Club Chevrolet 22 $2,600 Accident
37 34 72 Jason Cochran Marion, N.C. Cochran Motorsports Chevrolet 22 $2,600 Accident
38 31 13 Laine Chase Beverly, Mass. Leisure Time Warehouse Chevrolet 13 $2,600 Engine



Sept 13 - New Hampshire - WMT - 6th

From NASCAR.com

LOUDON, N.H. – Ted Christopher reached Victory Lane at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the fifth time in his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career, and 10th time overall, Saturday evening in the New Hampshire 100.Christopher, who finished second to Chuck Hossfeld by just .001 seconds in the New England 100 at New Hampshire in June, garnered his third win of the 2008 season and extended his points lead in the process.“Last time – to lose by inches – it was definitely hard to take, but this thing today was really good,” Christopher said. “My car was rolling through the center so much better, and came off real good, it was a really good car.”With the win, Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) also extended his own track record for victories to double digits. It was the 30th win of his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career, fifth most all-time.Jimmy Blewett (No. 19 United Crane/Ling Trucking Chevrolet) led seven times in the race but had to settle for a runner-up finish. Ryan Preece (No. 3 FJ Hubeny/Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet) tied his career best finish by placing third.Rob Summer is officially credited with a fourth-place finish although it was Donny Lia that piloted the No. 1 Frasco Fuel/Hook & Ladder Chevrolet to the finish line. Summers drove the first 62 laps prior to a red flag.Danny Sammons came home fifth for his best finish of the season. He was followed in the top 10 by Matt Hirschman, Erick Rudolph, Woody Pitkat, Jamie Tomaino and Eric Beers.Hirschman placed fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Series East’s Heluva Good! Fall 125 earlier in the day.With the win, Christopher now has a 99-point lead on Hirschman in the season standings with four races to go on the schedule.The New Hampshire 100, which originally went green at 1 p.m., was red flagged with 62 laps complete due to extensive damage to the guard rail on the backstretch caused by an accident. The race resumed at just before 6 p.m., following the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. All told, the race had 15 lead changes between five drivers

1. (12) Ted Christopher, Plainville , Conn. , Chevrolet, 100 laps, 70.549 mph, $15,600.
2. (3) Jimmy Blewett, Howell , N.J. , Chevrolet, 100, $12,200.
3. (34) Ryan Preece, Kensington , Conn. , Chevrolet, 100, $9,350.
4. (25) Rob Summers, Vernon , Conn. , Chevrolet, 100, $6,200.
5. (15) Danny Sammons, Hamilton , N.J. , Chevrolet, 100, $4,600.
6. (20) Matt Hirschman, Northampton , Pa. , Chevrolet, 100, $4,050.
7. (17) Erick Rudolph, Ransomville , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 100, $3,750.
8. (23) Woody Pitkat, Stafford , Conn. , Chevrolet, 100, $3,100.
9. (37) Jamie Tomaino, Howell , N.J. , Chevrolet, 100, $3,400.
10. (4) Eric Beers, Northampton , Pa. , Chevrolet, 100, $3,350.
11. (30) Tommy Farrell, Neptune , N.J. , Chevrolet, 100, $2,650.
12. (35) Ken Heagy, Calverton , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 100, $2,950.
13. (8) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield , Conn. , Ford, 99, $2,950.
14. (26) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 98, $2,825.
15. (24) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown , N.J. , Dodge, 96, $2,700.
16. (14) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington , Conn. , Chevrolet, 93, $2,675.
17. (33) Jake Marosz, Middletown , Conn. , Chevrolet, 91, accident, $2,250.
18. (5) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield , Mass. , Chevrolet, 88, accident, $2,625.
19. (22) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk , Conn. , Pontiac , 87, $2,700.
20. (1) Ryan Newman, South Bend , Ind. , Chevrolet, 86, accident, $2,643.
21. (16) Richard Savary, Canton , Mass. , Chevrolet, 82, $2,625.
22. (29) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley , Pa. , Chevrolet, 75, $2,500.
23. (28) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury , Conn. , Chevrolet, 73, ignition, $1,850.
24. (38) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 69, accident, $1,825.
25. (21) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill , Conn. , Ford, 65, transmission, $1,800.
26. (7) Anthony Sesely, Matawan , N.J. , Chevrolet, 57, accident, $1,800.
27. (13) Mike Stefanik, Coventry , R.I. , Pontiac , 56, $2,300.
28. (27) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich , Conn. , Chevrolet, 54, engine, $2,200.
29. (2) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville , N.Y. , Dodge, 52, accident, $2,300.
30. (9) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 51, accident, $2,200.
31. (31) Joe Hartmann, Calverton , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 32, engine, $2,200.
32. (10) Donny Lia, Jericho , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 31, overheating, $1,800.
33. (32) Wade Cole, Riverton , Conn. , Chevrolet, 23, overheating, $2,200.
34. (11) Doug Coby, Milford , Conn. , Chevrolet, 4, suspension, $2,300.
35. (36) Glen Reen, Wilbraham , Mass. , Ford, 0, accident, $2,200.
36. (6) Rick Fuller, Auburn , Mass. , 0, accident, $2,200.
37. (18) Charles Pasteryak, Lisbon , Conn. , Chevrolet, 0, accident, $1,800.
38. (19) Bobby Santos, Franklin , Mass. , Chevrolet, 0, accident, $1,800.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 29 minutes 18 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.095 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: R.Newman (127.453 mph, 29.658 seconds)
Caution Flags: 6 for 36 laps.
Lead Changes: 15 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: R.Newman 1-7; C.Hossfeld 8-19; J.Blewett 20-21; R.Newman 22-42; J.Blewett 43-49; C.Hossfeld 50-52; J.Blewett 53-64; R.Preece 65; J.Blewett 66-75; T.Christopher 76; J.Blewett 77-79; T.Christopher 80; J.Blewett 81-82; T.Christopher 83-95; J.Blewett 96; T.Christopher 97-100.

From Speed 51- Monday, September 15, 2008

Matt Hirschman Dominates DART Race of Champions Asphalt Tour Event

Matt Hirschman is a hell-of-a-racer. He’s tough to beat when he’s on his game and when it comes to the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour he’s usually above being on his game. The only two sub par runs of the year that Hirschman has really produced was a crash not of his own doing at Chemung and a fourth place at Lancaster where he wasn’t really in position to win. On the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour he captured his first win at Spencer this year and he’s third in the current championship standings. His dominance at Thompson on Sunday was no accident, but it wasn’t completely his plan either. Jimmy Blewett was scheduled to start directly behind Hirschman in 8th, but was moved to the rear of the field for a pre-race technical issue. In the race it looked as though Hirschman toyed with the field, but in reality it wasn’t quite that way.
“Some of the cars we knew would be in contention didn’t even really get to compete,” explained Hirschman. “That’s why I wanted to get in the lead as quickly as possible because then I could take care of the car a bit and have a little more control of when to run hard and when not too because Jimmy (Blewett), Teddy (Christopher), Eric (Beers) or Ryan (Preece) are strong racers and if any of them got up there to mix it up I knew we would need a little bit in the tank because they are very good.” None of that really came into play the way things worked out, so we talked about his race team and what makes the car that comes out Hirschman’s garage on Mud Lane so successful. “We have a very good program,” offered Hirschman. “It really is a carry over of the days when my Dad drove the Kehley’s car. Many of those same elements and people are in place here and many people don’t realize that. One of the main differences is that my Dad isn’t driving and I am, but it’s almost all of the same people.” With that said Hirschman recognizes several things about running his own team. “I wouldn’t trade any of the situations I have right now,” he smiled and continued. “I drive for four different teams and that has its challenges but each team has performed well and we’ve won ten races this year. That alone should speak for itself and also considering we are leading the Race of Champions points right now and third in the Whelen Tour points, that says volumes about what we are all capable of. With my own team though I wouldn’t want to run it on the tour because it really doesn’t work that way.”
Hirschman continued. “We just want to run our own team on a limited schedule and it works that way. My Dad doesn’t go to all of the races with me anymore because he’s just taking a break. Frankie has family commitments and it takes a significant amount of money to run as we do and we’re not looking to increase that, but what we have works and I’ll keep doing it until I have to change it. We’ve been on top of our game with this car for a couple of seasons or better right now and I’m not going to beat a dead horse, but it’s been working and it’s not really worth changing from where I sit, so we’re just going to keep going until we’re forced to make a change. There are no big secrets over here. We’ve got a Troyer Car with good Bruneau Motors and I’ve worked with all of this stuff before I started driving, so I’ve built a great understanding of it over the years and learned from so many others on how to make it all work and that’s where the success comes from. Like I said before the only real difference is that I’m driving and not my Dad.”
On Friday his life will change. For the better hopefully, but the reality of it could be worse, however he will strap into a Gillette-Evernham Motorsports Camping World East car and make his debut in the full-fendered series on Friday afternoon. It’s a chance of a lifetime for Hirschman, who has stated in the past that it would be fine if he spent his career driving a Modified. Some folks have chimed in with their feelings on the opportunity for Hirschman as well as a couple of NASCAR.com stories, but now it’s time to hear it from Hirschman.
“As I’ve said in the past I wanted to drive in the Modifieds and I love doing that,” he stopped for a second and continued. “I look at it like this. If I go out and do my very best in the Camping World car and I move on to do other things, that is just incredible and it’s something I will do, but if I don’t move on and it doesn’t work out, then I can look in the mirror knowing I gave it my very best and get back in the modified and go from there. It’s a great opportunity and I have to take my shot. That’s the way I see it, but in the end there is no problem being in the modifieds. It’s a great a place to be and I’m only 25 right now, so I think I could be competitive and somebody to watch for years to come no matter which direction my career takes me.”
It is an opportunity his Father, Tony, had but it didn’t work out exactly as planned for him. Hirschman ran a few seasons in the Busch North Series with Tony Vecchio’s team, but never made it to the promised land in the South, where if he did have the opportunity, chances are he would have excelled on any level.
“There are a lot of unknowns out there so we’ll just have to see what happens and that starts on Thursday,” stated Hirschman. “I’ve been getting a lot of media attention lately and that’s been very good. We’re just going to put our best foot forward this weekend and keep working. It’d be great to have a huge weekend at New Hampshire. We’ll more then likely miss the next couple of RoC shows, but we’ll be back with our car at the North South Shootout at Concord in a few weeks and we’re very proud to have won the last couple of shows there. That’s a huge race and we’re going to get ready and go back to try and win another win. It’s definitely been an exciting and gratifying season for us.” No doubt about it. Matt Hirschman is a hell-of-a-racer.

Sept 7 - Thompson Speedway - WMT- 9th

With Tropical storm Hanna but a memory, Todd Szegedy of Ridgefield, CT, ended nearly a one-year drought with his win in the Whelen Modified Tour 150 under crystal clear blue skies as part of Modified Mania at Thompson International Speedway on Sunday. Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA turned in a dominating performance to win the 75-lap main event for the Race of Champions. Todd Owen of Somers, CT, was declared the winner in a wild 75-lapper for the True Value Modified Racing Series (TVMRS). In weekly series action, Jimmy Blewett of Howell, NJ, was the winner in the Sunoco Modifieds and R.J. Marcotte of Millville, MA, in the TIS Modifieds. Norm Wrenn of Nashua, NH, was the winner in the visiting Pro-Four Modifieds.
Szegedy took the lead on a late race restart to earn his first win of the 2008 season in Whelen Modified Tour action. After rain forced the cancellation of time trials on Saturday, point leader Ted Christopher started the Whelen Modified Tour event from the point on Sunday. He took full advantage of his starting spot leading the lion’s share of the event. Christopher led from the drop of the green flag through lap 124. The team opted to head to pit road for tires giving up the lead and ultimately the win.
Ronnie Silk inherited the lead but could not hold off the challenges of Szegedy over the stretch run on lap 132. Christopher, a bit too anxious to get back to the front, was involved in a pair of altercations before his hopes of winning went by the wayside.
Szegedy turned back all challenges to score a popular win over Silk. Doug Coby continues to be impressive; scoring his second podium finish in only his second start of the year on the Tour. Veterans Reggie Ruggiero and Rick Fuller completed the top five. It was a season-high finish for both. Christopher finished outside of the top ten.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Sunoco Modified Mania 150 Results
Sunday
At Thompson International Speedway
Thompson, CT
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (6) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 153 laps, 82.992 mph, $7,700.
2. (5) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Pontiac, 153, $3,400.
3. (12) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 153, $2,400.
4. (28) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Ford, 153, $2,800.
5. (22) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., 153, $2,150.
6. (21) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 153, $1,550.
7. (26) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 153, $1,850.
8. (10) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 153, $1,850.
9. (3) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 153, $1,750.
10. (7) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 153, $1,725.
11. (13) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 153, $1,600.
12. (18) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 153, $1,575.
13. (17) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 153, $1,550.
14. (1) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 153, $1,625.
15. (2) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Dodge, 153, $1,600.
16. (32) Tony Ferrante, Jr., New Hyde Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 152, $1,075.
17. (20) Joe Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151, $1,450.
18. (14) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,425.
19. (19) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,380.
20. (24) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,675.
21. (25) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 148, $1,350.
22. (4) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 142, accident, $1,425.
23. (30) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Chevrolet, 142, $900.
24. (29) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 136, $875.
25. (15) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 134, accident, $1,250.
26. (8) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 131, steering, $1,325.
27. (11) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 130, $1,200.
28. (16) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 109, accident, $1,200.
29. (27) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 34, suspension, $1,400.
30. (9) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 33, $1,300.
31. (31) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 23, accident, $800.
32. (23) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 23, suspension, $1,200.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 9 minutes 8 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.141 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: F.set per rule book, rain ( mph, seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 34 laps.
Lead Changes: 2 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T.Christopher 1-125; R.Silk 126-131; T.Szegedy 132-153.
Standings: 1. T.Christopher, 1625; 2. C.Hossfeld, 1562; 3. M.Hirschman, 1556; 4. T.Szegedy, 1509; 5. R.Silk, 1508; 6. M.Stefanik, 1475; 7. E.Beers, 1447; 8. R.Pennink, 1366; 9. J.Blewett, 1354; 10. E.Flemke,Jr., 1302.

Sept 7 - Thompson Speedway - RoC - Win


From Speed 51

Thompson, Conn. (September 8, 2008) – Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Penn., is on a role right now in DART Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour action. He scored a victory just one week ago at Oswego in a 125-lap drive where he has won the past three events. On Sunday at Thompson Hirschman started 6th and drove to victory in the Race of Champions portion of Modified Mania at Thompson International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. It was also Hirschman’s second consecutive Thompson Race of Champions victory and it was a dominating performance.
“We had a good car today and this is a back-to-back performance at Thompson,” stated Hirschman from victory lane. At the conclusion of the Race of Champions event Hirschman was looking forward to another strong performance in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, but unfortunately for him, the handling was quite the same on his Tour mount.
Kirk Alexander drew the pole and led the field to the green but before one lap could be completed New England modified racer Butch Perry lost control in the middle of the field and Ted Christopher drove into the back of him just before the start finish line. Eric Beers looked to have it missed but was pile driven into the crash from behind by several other competitors. Beers and Billy Putney, who towed to Thompson on Saturday during Hurricane Hannah suffered the most damage. Beers returned for a short spell while Putney was done for the day.
“It sucks,” stated Putney following the event. “You tow all this way and can’t even get a good start.”
Beers comments echoed Putney’s. “I know I’ve got another chance today,” offered Beers referring to his NASCAR Whelen Modified fielded by Bobby Katon, Jr. “But sometimes we need to think these things out. I know Matt starting on the pole wouldn’t have made anyone happy, but every other series here started by points with the exception of the Race of Champions. We had a guy on the pole that’s a good racer, but never runs the series or the tires and guys who have never raced with us before in the middle of the pack. I just think the next time we do something like this we need to think it through. Let’s take care of the guys who run the majority of the races. It was pretty disgusting to get wrecked before you get to the starting line.”
Hirschman’s only close call of the day came on the ensuing restart when Kirk Alexander spun to the infield in front of the field. After that a Darren Scherer jumped to the lead and five laps later Hirschman took over.
“It looked like there could be some cautions today,” explained Hirschman. “Rather than get caught up in one of those incidents it was just time to use what we had and get out front.”
For Hirschman that proved to be the move of the race. Jimmy Blewett, who ran four races at Thompson on Sunday (SK, RoC, True Value, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), came from eighth to finish second. Ryan Preece, Ted Christopher and Billy Pauch rounded out the top-five, with Carl Pasteryak 6th, sweep five of the top-six spots for guys who haven’t run the Race of Champions Tour on a regular basis. Even Hirschman could be thrown into that group, but he has run all but one of the RoC races this season, missing just the Mahoning event.
The next highest finishing Race of Champions regular was Rick Kluth in 9th.
.
From Thompson Post race report


Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA, proved to be the class of a star-studded Race of Champions Modified Tour event on Sunday at Thompson. Hirschman took the lead on lap five and would never be headed. The RoC competitors had trouble getting started with two cautions flying before a lap could be completed. The first involved the likes of Ted Christopher. The second flew when Alexander spun from the lead to bring out the second caution. Earl Paulus, Jimmy Kuhn, and Kenny White were also collected.Darren Scherer was the leader of the first lap. He held the top spot before Hirschman asserted himself as the new leader on lap five. After a pair of quick cautions, Hirschman continued to lead Scherer, Billy Pauch, Jr., Pete Brittain, and Jimmy Blewett. A single car incident involving Butch Perry brought out the caution once again. On the ensuing restart, Brittain faltered in the outside groove losing spots to Blewett, who had made his way by Pauch, Pasteryak and Preece. He continued to back slide losing positions to Christopher, Silk and Paulus. oth Pasteryak and Ryan Preece were on the move running inside the top five by lap 20. Scherer fell outside of the top ten during the green flag run. Out front, Hirschman continued to extend his lead. With Hirschman leading Blewett and Pauch, Pasteryak continued to look racy. He looked low to take over the third spot from Pauch. The outside groove appeared to be the fast way around the track and Pasteryak went from battling for third to fighting with Christopher to stay inside the top five. Pasteryak withstood the challenge to run in fifth.At halfway, Blewett had begun to chase down Hirschman. The top six of Hirschman, Blewett, Pauch, Preece, Pasteryak and Christopher ran a distance ahead of seventh place runner Ronnie Silk. On lap 47, Christopher was able to take the fifth position from Pasteryak. Pauch and Preece raced hard for the third spot. Blewett, little by little, continued to chip away at Hirschman’s lead. Preece moved into the third position on lap 52. Christopher got alongside Pauch in a bid for the fourth position on lap 55. The two played cat and mouse for several laps.With 25 laps to go, Hirschman turned it on once again building up his lead over Blewett to a 10-car length advantage. Silk watched his solid finish go by the wayside when he headed to pit road with mechanical failure with only two laps remaining in the event. Hirschman went unchallenged to the checkers to score his fourth RoC win of the season. Blewett came home second ahead of Ryan Preece. Ted Christopher and Bill Pauch, Jr., rounded out the top-five

1 60 Matt Hirschman
2 19 Jimmy Blewett
3 40 Ryan Preece
4 36 Ted Christopher
5 06 Billy Pauch, Jr.
6 75 Carl Pasteryak
7 8 Earl Paules
8 43 Kirk Alexander
9 44 Rick Kluth
10 66 Pete Brittian
11 47 Jim Storace
12 3 Daren Scherer
13 68 Johnny Bush
14 95m John Markovic
15 79 Ronnie Silk
16 44x Bobby Holmes
17 5 Bryan Shumway
15 85 Lenny Fisher
16 96 Butch Perry
17 9 Eric Beers
18 55 Steven Reed
19 77 Kenny White Jr.
20 9x Matt Clemens
21 72 Jimmy Kuhn
22 88 Billy Putney


Aug 31 - Mountain Speedway - PA Series - 4th

Mountain Speedway closed out the month of August on Sunday with round #5 of the PA Asphalt Modified Championship Series. With three laps remaining, Rusty Smith of Oxford, NY bumped Berwick’s Brian DeFebo and went on to take the win in the 75-lap main event. Chip Wanamaker notched his fourth street stock win of the season and Scott Adams grabbed his seventh thriller win of the year. Ken Kleppinger held off Robert Fink to score the 4 cyl. FWD victory.

Seventeen-year-old Kyle Ebersole started on the pole and took the early lead in round #5 of the Pennsylvania Modified Championship Series. With a trio of laps complete, Larry Fisher held second, followed by Brian DeFebo, Barry Callavini and Lew Hallock.

Matt Hirschman grabbed fifth from Hallock, but then appeared to be tagged from behind in turn two. A spinning Hirschman brought out the lap five caution.

With a terrific restart, DeFebo powered by Fisher and took second. Two laps later he grabbed the race lead from Ebersole. Several yellow flag periods slowed the action early on, but it didn’t seem to affect DeFebo, who was up on the wheel for each restart.

After running the heat race in his back up car, Rusty Smith started dead last in the feature with his primary car. He challenged Hallock for fifth and took the position on lap twenty-one.

DeFebo continued to lead at halfway and Ebersole held second. Fisher ran third, followed by John Fortin and Smith. Hirschman ran sixth and relinquished that position when he headed pit side just past halfway into the event. As the handling on his car began to fade, Ebersole started to slide backward.

Smith moved even further toward the front as the laps ticked off. First, he shot by Fortin to take third on lap forty-two. Fifteen laps later he overtook Fisher for second and began to chase down DeFebo.

With only three laps remaining and while racing hard for the lead, Smith made contact with DeFebo in turn four. Smith allowed DeFebo to straighten out his ride, then shot underneath him and into the lead.

Smith led the final laps and went on to take the win over DeFebo and Fortin. After pitting numerous times throughout the afternoon, Hirschman rebounded to finish fourth and Fisher was fifth in his first outing of the season.

Lew Hallock, Matt Hirschman and Billy Weichert were heat race winners

Modified (75-laps) 1. RUSTY SMITH 2. Brian Defebo 3. John Fortin 4. Matt Hirshman 5. Larry Fisher 6. Kyle Ebersole 7. Johnny Bush 8. Amber Levandowski 9. Andy Walko 10. Eric Kocher 11. Billy Weichert 12. Steve Tooker 13. Eddie Brunnhoelzl III 14. Harry Buchman 15. Lewis Hallock 16. Todd Baer 17.Barry Callavini DNS: Wayne Szerencsits

Aug 30 - Oswego Speedway - RoC - Win

MUD LANE NEIGHBORS BATTLE FOR OSWEGO LAURELS
- Matt Hirschman scores fourth consecutive victory at Oswego –
- Tune up for Sunoco Race of Champion Produces Two Guys on Top Who Might Not Make It –

Oswego, N.Y. – (August 31, 2008) – Matt Hirschman and Eric Beers are neighbors on Mud Lane in Northampton, Pennsylvania and although they are good friends and softball teammates off the track, on the track it’s ‘Game On’. We’ve told the story several times but once again the duo took home the lion’s share of the prize money and prestige from Saturday the DART Asphalt Race of Champions Modified Tour Parts Plus 125. Two strategies played out for the race to get to that point. Hirschman chose not to pit and went the distance, while Beers pitted, put on a fresh right rear tire and made some chassis adjustments. At the checkers the duo was separated by just a car length as Hirschman nearly slipped up at the checkered flag.
“This was a big night for us,” stated Hirschman who scored his fourth consecutive Oswego Modified victory. “I wanted to get some spots earlier in the race, but it didn’t work out that way, so just chose not to pit and tried not to beat the car up at all. It played out well for us tonight and we were able to come home with another win.”
Rusty Smith and Rick Zacharias led the field to the green, but after leading early, Smith relinquished the lead to Jan Leaty who led a lengthy green flag stretch where the field was sorted out. The front running pack of Leaty, his son Mike, Eric Beers and Rusty Smith lapped several machines as well as stretched out a lead that was well over a straightaway on the rest of the field. A caution just past the midway point of the race setup a frenzy of pitstops.
Jan Leaty led everyone down pit road with the exception of Matt Hirschman and Earl Paules. Paules, a former winner at Oswego struggled throughout the event and stated that the car didn’t have “any nose on it and wouldn’t turn all day and night”.
After the pitstops in which most competitors took fresh right rear tires, Hirschman took over the top spot as Jan Leaty, Mike Leaty, Erick Rudolph and Eric Beers gave chase working through traffic. An intense race changing moment occurred on the backstretch when Rick Zacharias spun and slammed the outside wall while Jan Leaty came to a sudden stop on the inside of the backstretch with ignition troubles that removed him from contention.
This incident setup the run to the finish as Beers slipped by Mike Leaty on the outside for third with Rudolph applying heavy pressure to Hirschman in an effort to get by. With less then 40 laps remaining Rudolph tried the high side but Beers filled the gap and slipped to second.
“I knew with the new tire we’d have to get by Matt rather quickly,” stated Rudolph after the event. “I was getting tighter and tighter and I knew had to go and we tried. When we did Eric (Beers) filled the hole and we finished third.”
Beers got loose once with about 25-to-go which gave Hirschman a bit of a breather from Beers, but coming to the checkers Hirschman slipped off of turn four and Beers shot to the inside and the duo dragged race to the line with Hirschman earning the top spot.
Rudolph hung on for third with Mike Leaty fourth. Billy Putney recovered a time trial crash to finish 5th.
Lee Sherwood won the pole in time trials while Mark Tychoniewicz captured the qualifying event.
The next event for the DART Asphalt Race of Champions Modified Tour is this coming Sunday (September 7th) at the Thompson International Speedway with a 75-lap event as part of the Modified Mania weekend.

NEW TROYER MACHINE LOOKS SSSAAAHHHWWWEEETTT…

Central New York dirt Modified fans were probably doing a double-take at Oswego on Saturday afternoon when Chuck Hossfeld rolled out the brand new H&H Motorsports Troyer Asphalt Modified. It was the first time for the car in competition, which has been intended to make its debut for a couple of months now. Billy Colton and company have partnered with John Holland and Al Henke to create an asphalt team to develop the new mount, much similar to the H&H effort with Jimmy Phelps driving. The car was a New England Race Fuels entry with a 98h adorning the door and a beautiful paint scheme. Troyer employee and driver of Bob Garbarino’s Mystic Missile, Chuck Hossfeld was the driver of choice, while some late night hours spent in the shop this week finished up the assembly of the brand new design. Don Ryersee (one of Hossfeld’s former owners), Greg Aumann (Hossfeld’s spotter), Hossfeld himself and Bob Mueller burned the midnight oil to get the car ready.
Throughout the day the car was a focal point of the Modified faithful and in the race Hossfeld put the car through its paces beginning to develop a note book on the new piece.
The good news is that the rolling stock that exists on current Troyer cars will be transferrable to the new frame once it becomes available, but there were several new improvements to the car that will assist in several aspects of the car, including driver comfort, ease of entrance and exit from the cockpit and some of the new NASCAR rules that have been put into place.
“It was a learning experience here tonight,” stated Hossfeld, who finished 11th. “We worked hard and wanted to try some different things, but like anything else that’s new, it was and R & D night. Sure, whenever you race, you want to win, but that’s tough when everything is so new. The car will be good, we just need some time and we’ll get the changes right.”

Other Notes;

Jan Leaty was fast – plain and simple. After the pitstop he was certainly amongst those who would have been thought to be racing for the win until… “We had a ground go bad,” quipped Leaty from a chair following the race. “I could see it arching while I was in the car. It was just one of those things.”
Mike Leaty had a great run in his US Army Troyer machine. The younger Leaty finished fourth but was a little too tight at the end to go for the victory.
Billy Putney had a left rear tire come off in qualifying and he made some serious contact with the outside retaining wall in the turn three and four area of the track. Putney rebounded to come home fifth at the checkers.
“We definitely had a good car,” stated Putney. “We just missed in time trials and it cost us. Then we had to work our way through traffic and got held up a little. Still, for the way the day started, to come home fifth, that’s a pretty good night for us.”
Much of the race was run under green flag conditions on the fast 5/8-mile with a feel of years ago with the Modifieds running on Saturday night before the International Classic at Oswego. Kudos to Pat Furlong, Steve Gioia and the entire Oswego staff for having the Modifieds run on Saturday night and giving the division their rightful home on Classic Weekend.
The Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour is sponsored by; Dart Machinery, Gater Racing News, Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, PBM Performance Products, Total Seal Piston Rings, Dura – Bond, Competition Engineering by Moroso, Dynatech, Xceldyne, Afco, CV Products, and LA Sleeve.

BOX SCORE – OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – DART Asphalt Race of Champions Modified Tour Championship Event #2

Feature Finish:

1.) Matt Hirschman
2.) Eric Beers
3.) Erick Rudolph
4.) Mike Leaty
5.) Bill Putney
6.) Pete Brittain
7.) Jim Storace
8.) Rusty Smith
9.) Darren Scherer
10.) Rick Kluth
11.) Chuck Hossfeld
12.) Doug Reaume
13.) Dave Wollaber
14.) John Markovic
15.) Earl Paules
16.) Jimmy Zacharias
17.) Jan Leaty
18.) Rick Zacharias
19.) Mark Tychoniewicz
20.) Lee Sherwood
21.) Donnie Stevens
22.) Matt Clemens

Did Not Start: Ken Canestrari, Dean Ryonkema, Dave Bellis

By JR Kennerup

Conventional thinking by everyone the past few years has said that you needed to pit for at least a fresh right rear tire at the Oswego Speedway for the 125 lap Parts Plus sponsored Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour event.
On Saturday night that conventional thinking can now be tossed out the window as Matt Hirschman proved you could go 125 laps on the same set of tires and have your car be strong at the end of the race.
During a lap 68 caution flag period Hirschman was one of only four cars who elected not to pit for a fresh right rear tire. Hirschman was fourth on the track with leader Rick Zacharias in front of him and two cars that were on the tail end of the lead lap in front of the leading duo.
Hirschman wasted no time in getting the lead as one lap after the restart Hirschman powered by Zacharias to gain the lead he would never give back en route to a $5,000 win and his third feature win in a row at Oswego in 2008.
By no means was it an easy win for the Northampton, Pa. racer as the final laps saw him mired in heavy lap traffic. This enabled fellow Northampton, Pa. driver Eric Beers to close in and Beers actually pulled under Hirschman in turns three and four on the final lap. But with lap traffic hugging the inside rail Hirschman was able to keep the lead and take the feature win by less than a car length.
Third generation driver Erick Rudolph garnered his best career Oswego Modified finish with an impressive third with second generation driver Mike Leaty coming home fourth using a DART spec steel headed engine that cost only $13,000. Billy Putney started 22nd and ended up fifth salvaging a day where he had to repair the car following a crash in time trials.
“ I guess ( I defied the odds ), I don’t know “ said race very happy race winner Matt Hirschman. “ I made a 100 laps here this year, tonight when the time came to pit I didn’t think pitting or not pitting was going to be the winning move. I didn’t have enough confidence at putting on a new tire was going to increase my chances at winning. I just decided to stay with what I had and run hard until the end of the race and that is what we did. I’ve won some races doing it this way and I’ve won some races doing it the other way. The timing has to be right when you pit and tonight everything timed out really well. “
Starting ninth Matt settled into seventh after the first few laps and most thought that was part of the game plan for the race. As by not racing hard he was not only saving his equipment but more importantly saving his tires. “ At the start I was going to try and get as many spots as I could “ explained Matt on his strategy. “ Remember last time here I went from sixth to second in a lap and then went for the lead right off the bat. This time I started ninth and just didn’t get the breaks and I only gained one or two spots and that was pretty much it. I would have had to chase cars if I wanted to pass somebody to gain a position. So I decided at that point I decided to ride and I didn’t know at that point whether I was going to pit or not going to pit. It was too early in the race for me to chase cars just to get a position. “
Then came the pivotal point of the race on lap 65 when the yellow came out and when the pits were opened for pit stops on lap 68 it was decision time. “ When that caution came out and everyone started pulling into the pits that is when I made my decision to stay on the track. Pretty much it was a spur of the moment decision as I didn’t have a set plan. I try to keep my options open and I try to take care of the car as much as I can just in case I don’t pit. “
When the race resumed Matt followed leader Rick Zacharias for one lap before motoring by him and into the lead. Once in front Matt started to open up his lead as he knew a majority of the contenders all pitted for a new tire. “ When I got the lead, it was go time “ recalled Matt. “ The car had a lot left and there is no sense leaving it on the table when the end of the race rolls around. “
Matt it appeared to have the race in his back pocket until the final five laps when he entered heavy lap traffic. “ Catching lap traffic at the end allowed Eric to catch me, he got under me on the last lap but I stayed in my groove and got a run off the top of the corner like I normally do here and I didn’t care if he was inside me or not coming off the corner. I knew I was going to beat him to the line. “
There is an old saying in racing that when a driver is dialed in at a race track like Matt Hirschman currently is at Oswego. You know when you have a fast lap and during time trials, that was proved as Matt only took one lap and it was good enough for the pole. But the most amazing part of this was Matt had no idea that he set quick time until he was on the scales. “ I know what I got, especially here as I have such a good feel “ said Matt. “ In time trials I knew that first lap was really good, I didn’t know it was quick time, but I knew if I took a second lap it wasn’t going to be quicker just by the way the car felt on the first lap. So why run the second lap, I don’t need any extra laps here as I got plenty of laps here. “
The win by Matt, his third win at Oswego this year allowed him to tie his father Tony who also had three wins in a year at Oswego. “ I knew that you ( Matt talking to his dad ) won three in a row here one year and would have won the fourth except the air cleaner flew off and I remember that. I would love to have the opportunity to win four out four here at Oswego this year, but it doesn’t look like I’ll have the opportunity to do that. We’ll see as you never know and if it’s meant to be it’s meant to be, if it’s not next year is another year. “
Matt who has watched his dad win many races and championships through his storied racing career also knows the importance of winning on big racing weekends at certain tracks. With this win taking place on Budweiser International Classic Weekend at Oswego it takes a special place in the racing career of Matt Hirschman.
“ It’s extra special to win at Oswego on Budweiser International Classic Weekend “ said Matt. “ I won the Richie Evans Memorial this year and that is one of the top races I’ve won this year. If you’re a racer and you race here you want to win on Classic Weekend, that’s the way I feel about it. The Race of Champions is our biggest race in general and they could hold that race anywhere. If you were going to win a race at Oswego you would pick Classic Weekend as that is Oswego’s weekend. It’s extra special to win here on this weekend and I remember my dad winning the Bud 200 here. To take the ride in the pace car is just an unbelievable feeling. “
“ I’m not really surprised that Matt went 125 laps without stopping “ said second place finisher Eric Beers. “ Our car was good enough that we might have been able to do that. I was just a hair free and that is why I slowed down at the beginning of the race. I made the call myself to pit and put a tire on to tighten up the stagger a little bit. I knew that I was going to abuse the right rear coming back up through the field so I told the crew to let a pound or two of air out of the tire and that was too much as it made the car too tight. Matt’s car was pretty decent there at the end and we were running the same speeds, just one of those deals. “
After getting into second on lap 88 Beers closed right in on leader Hirschman setting up a battle for the lead. But a few laps later Beers backed off the pressure and many thought that he was cooling his tires off in an attempt to make a final charge for the win.
“ Due to the tightness of the car I was playing around with the brake adjustments in the car “ recalled Eric. “ I was adjusting rear brake into the car and one lap I freed the brake up too much and I went sailing into turn three and almost walled it so it took me a few laps to straighten everything out. Then I got a nice even pace going and we really had something for him there at the end. I never had a caution as I had to run him down all by myself. I think my car would have been better on a restart because I would have fresher tires than his. “
The nice even pace by Beers coupled with heavy lap traffic in front of Hirschman allowed Beers a shot at stealing the five grand from his neighbor on the last lap of the race. “ The lap cars helped me and on that last lap I was under him in three and four but I was all the way down in the dirt ( next to the inside steel wall ) and I couldn’t get a run off four to get alongside of Matt for a chance at passing him for the win. You never want to see lap cars at the end of the race whether you’re first or second because they could end up taking you out. But in this case it helped me close in the last two car lengths I needed and to get next to him at the end, I just didn’t have enough to get up and off the corner. “
Beers who has always had good Oswego luck started out this year with two bad outings. “ After our first two races here this year where we blew a motor in practice and breaking and dropping out of the other one, this is really good. “
“ We knew we had to tighten the car up on the pit stop “ said third place finisher Erick Rudolph. “ But we tightened it up too much; I would have loved to see if we had anything for Matt if we had the car dialed in. Matt was awful fast tonight but we‘ll take a third. “

A 5 CENT PART COST A SHOT AT THE WIN

Jan Leaty had won this race the past two years and he was the favorite going into this year’s event. Jan quickly moved from his sixth place starting spot to the lead in just ten laps on Saturday night. With everything going according to plan Jan pitted on lap 68 coming into the pits first and leaving the pits first and when all of the pit stop juggling ended Jan was third on the race track and in an excellent position to go for the win. Leaty quickly settled into second behind leader Matt Hirschman on lap 75 but coming out of turn two on lap 77 Leaty’s night changed dramatically as the car lost all power. Being pushed into the pits the crew went under the hood to find the problem and repaired it and sent Jan back out without losing a lap. The leaders couldn’t catch Jan as he was racing in front of them until the same problem developed once again and he pitted on lap 83. Jan returned to the track a lap down this time around and retired from the event a few laps later. After the feature Jan said what the problem was. “ The ground for the distributor came apart “ said Jan. “ That’s the story of my year stupid stuff happening that costs us good finishes. Hopefully I can get all of this bad luck out of my system before the next race here. “

A GOOD WAY TO FINISH AFTER A TERRIBLE START

If there could been any driver happier than winner Matt Hirschman on Saturday night it had to be Billy Putney. Putney who is chasing Hirschman for the RoC Overall championship saw his day get off to a terrible start. As on the opening lap of his time trial warm up lap the left rear tire blew sending Putney hard drivers’ side into the outside turn four wall. The impact made the entire VIP Tower shake, Billy emerged uninjured but the same couldn’t be said for the car. After having the car hauled back into the pits via a flat bed truck the crew went immediately to work. Ninety minutes later the car was off the jack stands and Putney was driving the car around the pit area. The ten lap heat race helped Putney get the car dialed in more and by feature time Putney was able to race his way solidly from 22nd to fifth at the checkers.

THE TROYER ASPHALT HOUSE CAR MAKES IT DEBUT

If there was a best appearing car award handed out on Saturday the winner no doubt was the absolutely beautiful all brand new Troyer chassis creation built by Billy Colton, driven by Chuck Hossfeld, and owned by John Holland of New England Race Fuels. The car looked exactly like the current dirt surfaced Troyer House Car that is driven by Jimmy Phelps. Even a few members of the dirt crew came over to help on the car for this night as Randy Kisacky and Jamie Beachy were both turning wrenches on the latest Colton / Troyer creation. Other notables in the pit area with the car were Kenny Troyer and crew members of his now defunct Drunken’ Monkeys racing team. The car experienced the first race bugaboo’s but with plenty of new experimental ideas on the car, a veteran driver in Hossfeld, and experienced racing minds like Colton and Kisacky all combining forces on this project. Look for success from this combination in the future and quite possibly before the end of this racing season. The next race for the car will be at New Hampshire in two weeks.

Qualifying for the 25 car field saw Hirschman set fast time in time trials with a lap of 17. 681 while Mark Tychoniewicz won the heat race.
The top four times in time trials all received the five bonus points and the top 12 in time trials all advanced directly to the feature.
Dean Rypkema wrecked in hot laps ending his day while Dave Bellis lost an engine in hot laps and Ken Canestrari lost an engine in the heat race. Donnie Stevens who’s dad, Craig owns the Buck Catalano Modified drove the second Rick Kluth entry.

Hard Charger: Bill Putney Hard Luck Award: Rick Zacharias
GATER Bonus: Doug Reaume DART Head Winner: Mike Leaty

Speed51.com Short Track Power Rankings A 51 Exclusive - and Tradition It was all about parity in this version of the Speed51.com Short Track Power rankings. Our panel, which consists of short track racing experts from across the country, nominated a total of 62 drivers to make the list. The votes were all fed into the computer and our top 20 was calculated - with another baker's dozen honorable mentions put in for good measure. Another interesting note is that the top two in June's Short Track Power rankings - Brian Ickler and Ted Christopher - didn't even get a single vote this time. It appears that our panel has a short memory. So without further ado, here is what our panel came up with

1. Matt Kobyluck 2. Matt Hirschman, Mods - 6.9 Rating Meanwhile, another Matt finished in second place. The good news for Matt Hirschman is that by winning four races in a row at four different types of Modified races, for three different teams, he won the hearts of our panelists who religiously follow asphalt Modified racing. He gathered twice as many first place votes as anyone else. But he was also completely left off some ballots as well, which dropped him to the runner-up slot. We might be able to blame the fact that his success is so spread out as the reason. After all, he's not leading the points on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and only has one victory there to his credit. So he's easy to gloss over….but those in the know KNOW what a great job Little Hirschy is doing. “It's hard to beat anyone like Matt for first place on the track or in this poll, and like you guys at 51 have said, well, there's not much else to say,” stated one of our experts.

Aug 24 - Lancaster Speedway - RoC - start 11th - finish 4th

Lancaster, N.Y. – (August 24, 2008) – Chuck Hossfeld of Ransomville, N.Y., had a tough night on Saturday in Mansfield, Ohio, he broke an axle and lost the point lead in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour after finishing 28th. On Sunday afternoon he regrouped, alongside friends, family and well-wishers, Hossfeld dominated the second half of the 50th Anniversary race at Dunn Tire Raceway Park (formerly Lancaster Speedway) and ran to a much needed victory.
Hossfeld pitted for a right rear tire on lap 25 and worked his way back through the field to wrestle the lead away from Buck Catalano on lap 53. From there Hossfeld never looked back and drove to a very impressive victory.
“We needed to rebound from last night here today,” stated Hossfeld in victory lane. “And we did. The car was pretty good for the entire race and I just drove it to the front. We worked pretty hard on a setup to come here with and it’s paid off. We won the Tommy (Druar) – Tony (Jankowiak) Memorial a week ago and now we backed it up today and that was big.”
In victory lane, Public Address Announcer extraordinaire Mike Paz asked Hossfeld what made him so good at Lancaster.
“My handsome good looks I think,” laughed Hossfeld to the approval of the fans, but the truth is that Hossfeld in-fact developed skills at Lancaster that many veteran drivers still struggle to possess. He possesses all of the talents that make taming the tricky half-mile. Whether it’s being smooth when required, drive to the edge – but not over and handling the pressure that comes at such a challenging place.
“No two places on this race track are the same,” stated Hossfeld in a less than joking manner. “It’s a tough place because the car has to be setup well and you can’t overdrive it and you can’t under-drive it. You’ve got to be right and when you’re not, it can be a handful. Today we were fast and I thought we might be pitting a little early, but the cautions fell the right way and here we are in victory lane. I know it took the track a couple of tries to get this race in, but I’m happy we could run the fiftieth anniversary of the track.”
Hossfeld had many people to thank. He reflected on things from the track where his career started.
“Bill Colton, Sr., especially and we really miss him. A lot of folks have helped me out and it all started here,” explained Hossfeld. “Jerry Gradl Sr., and Jr., just a lot of different people. My parents, my family, my friends, my crew. It’s just neat to come back here and win with everyone around. That always make it special to come here and win.”
As the rain began to fall a little bit harder in victory lane, Hossfeld focused on the race.
“If we waited a little bit longer, who knows, it may have been raining like it is now,” offered Hossfeld. “But, it’s a combination of everything. The motor, our Troyer chassis and all of our guys pulling together to give me a great a racecar and then making a good call when to pit and then not using everything get back through the field. It all has to come together like it today.”
Following Hossfeld to the strip in the 100-lap event for the DART Race of Champions Asphalt Tour were Erick Rudolph, Sege Fidanza, Matt Hirschman and Bill Putney rounded out the top-five. Fidanza, Matt Hirschman and Tom McGrath won the heats that were held on August 9th, which was the second attempt at running the complete show.

SUPER SEGE RUNS OUT OF LAPS

Typically in any event run at Dunn Tire Raceway Park there are a few more cautions then Sunday’s RoC event. It was rare that the laps clicked up on the counter very quickly and for Middleport, N.Y.’s, Sege Fidanza the race finished up too quickly as he may have had the car to beat in the closing stages. A mid-race pit stop (lap 48) for a fresh right rear tire and once the green flag waved, Lancaster’s all-time leading winner, began to blast his way back through the field.
Ultimately, Fidanza finished third, but it was classic Lancaster watching him work through the field. He would sling his car deep to the outside of competitors or drive his nose to the bottom on his way back to the front, but when the checkered flag waved he ran out of laps and finished behind Erick Rudolph.
“I just needed more laps today,” offered Fidanza, who ran the race with a back panel on his car that highlighted nearly 70 different cars that raced at Lancaster through the years, including many of his own. “I thought we could get Erick (Rudolph) at the end, but we just couldn’t do it and one time I got into turn one and it was drizzling so the track may have been wet and I went up the track and almost hit the foam, so I came back around to finish third. It was a pretty good run for us, but we needed a few more cautions and we may have had a chance to win it.”

YOUNG RUDOLPH FINISHES OFF GOOD WEEKEND

Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y., is turning into quite a young racer. On Saturday night at Mansfield in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race he posted his best finish to date, with a solid 7th place finish. On Sunday he backed that up utilizing the same pit strategy as Hossfeld to come home 2nd.
“We had our best finish with the NASCAR Tour last night at Mansfield,” explained the young Rudolph. “And today, we just had a good run, but not enough to beat Chuck (Hossfeld). We’ll take it though because the car is one piece and we needed to finish a race. My Grandfather and Father and all of the guys did a great job this weekend. We’re doing our best for our car owners Dave and Laura DeLange they provide us with a great team and everything we need.”

Other Notes;

Each of the 28 starters that intended to start the race following qualifying on August 9th made it back for the 24th and competed in the event.
Ricky Kluth was having a good run as he ran behind Matt Hirschman in 4th for a great deal of the late stages of the race before he slipped back to 8th at the finish.
As luck would have it, a busy day of racing at DTRP was halted immediately after the Modified feature with several features left to go in the Sunday card. The 50th Anniversary event, which was originally scheduled for June 28th, moved to August 9th and was finally concluded on the 24th. Three attempts to run a show of that magnitude produces no real winners in the financial categories.

Aug 23 - Mansfield Speedway - WMT - 6th

Mansfield, Ohio – (August 23rd, 2008) – Plainville, Connecticut’s Ted Christopher is the epitome of what an ‘old school’ racer should be. TC races everywhere in every kind of car imaginable and typically he’s successful. He finds the limit of everything he drives and when you think the car is at its limit, Christopher finds a way to go beyond that limit, but just enough to reach a new corridor of speed. There have been many folks that have said that if they wanted to see just how fast something will go then all they need to do his hire Christopher, there is a lot of truth to that.
On Saturday morning, afternoon and eventually night, Christopher was amongst, if not the fastest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour cars in attendance at the fast half-mile Mansfield Motorsports Park oval in Central Ohio.
After qualifying 6th, Christopher redrew the pole and pretty much dominated to gather his second victory of the season. It was TC’s first visit to victory lane since he won the Spring Sizzler at Stafford back in April.
“I like this race track because it’s a pretty fast place,” beamed Christopher following his win. His first win of the season came at Stafford in the ‘Spring Sizzler’. “The car has been very fast and I’ve got to thank all of the guys and car owner Eddie Whelan for a great night.”
Christopher jumped out and into the lead, but not too quickly.
“It’s been tighter on the Tour this year with penalties and stuff,” explained Christopher. “So, I didn’t want to jump the start. That was on my mind the entire time, but you are the leader and you want to get a little bit of an advantage. Ryan (Preece) was laying back on the start and I got a pretty good jump a couple of times, but a couple of others we raced side-by-side into turn one. I may have got into him a little, but nothing overly aggressive. Once I settled down and got my rhythm then I was good. The track never really seemed to change all day, even with the Camping World cars and the Goodyear rubber, the track never changed. It was just a fun night for me.”
Christopher also talked about his driving and how he has learned to cope with it.
“I overdrive a lot and everyone knows that,” Christopher laughed with his trademark smile. “It’s tough for me sometimes to calm down but I’ve learned how to do it. I’ve been driving like that for a long time and it’s hard, but I’ve worked on it. Like today, we should be on the pole here, but we’re not because I over drove the car. Brad (LaFontaine), my crew chief told me as soon as I got out of the car because I over drove the corner and he was right. I did that a couple of times in the race and once I settled down the car was pretty good.”
Christopher competed in the event in one of Whelan’s own cars, after to having to borrow a car to compete a week ago at Thompson.
“Between the borrowed car and the new motors it’s been a pretty good turn around for us in the points,” smiled Christopher following his win. We’ve had our share of challenges this season, we got wrecked in the closing laps at Spencer and then we had engine troubles. You can look back on stuff and it equals out”
Christopher continued. “Tonight we just had a fast racecar. We went out in time and went sixth but the car was really good. It’s our car and we definitely needed to night. We’re heading to tracks that I enjoy racing at, so the championship chase should really be interesting.”
Christopher led the field to the green flanked by Eric Beers, but Christopher quickly shot into the lead. One of Christopher’s biggest challenges of the night was holding off young Ryan Preece, who dogged Christopher for the majority of the event. Preece, who started fifth worked his way forward quickly and pressured Christopher. Christopher, Preece based their race strategy on not pitting.
Jimmy Blewett pitted early and worked his way through the field to a point and then just rode until making a late race charge, while Beers and Silk, who both finished in the top-five pitted just after halfway and worked their way back to the front near the end of the event. Beers, who won the Coors Light Pole Award, his second this season, didn’t have enough car to get up and chase the leaders, which held him to fourth at the checkers.
A late race crash involving Todd Szegedy sent the race into over-time and Blewett slipped to second applying heavy pressure to Christopher at the checkered flag, but it was to no avail as Christopher held on for the victory. Blewett came home second and Preece wound up third with Beers fourth and Silk fifth.
The victory propelled Christopher into the point lead on the Tour. Chuck Hossfeld held a 41-point advantage heading into the event, but with a broken axle and a 28th place finish, there was a 101-point swing, which gave Christopher a 60-point advantage leaving Mansfield.
“I’ve been through all of this point stuff before,” related TC following the event. “Usually I lead it for a long time and then slide backward, but this time we’re gaining momentum now. Some of the things we’ve been through really hasn’t been our fault. The engines, we’ve never had a problem there and this year we’ve had some. We’re not that far out in front and I realize that one bad day could change everything. I approach it from the standpoint of one race at a time. Our car is running well and even with the borrowed car from the Grigas team we’ve been running well. I think with more time we could have had a chance at winning at Thompson if we had more time with it.”
Christopher continued regarding his team and the always spreading rumors that surround it. “As a team, we’re still very good. Brad and all of the guys do a great job. There are some things happening that could make us even stronger and a much more solid team, but that’s all I can really say about it at this time, but we’re going to be fine. Even in the impound races we’ve done well and we had our challenges at those for a while, but it’s all been going well for us so far and tonight emphasizes that.”
Beers collected the Coors Light Pole Award for the event.
The next event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is the Modified Mania at the Thompson International Speedway on Septermber 6th and 7th with the Sunoco Modified Mania 150.

Hossfeld Struggles Through

Chuck Hossfeld and Bob Garbarino struggled through the Mansfield event. They heading into the event with the point lead and left with a broken axle in the racecar and without the point lead. The team also went through troubles when long-time Garbarino / Art Barry crew member, Jimmy Savage was transported to the hospital earlier in the day.
“Today and tonight was definitely what we wanted,” stated Hossfeld following the event. “Look for us to lift it up a notch at Thompson. Right now I just want Jimmy Savage to know that we’re thinking about him and hope he’s doing okay.”

Coors, Bud it doesn’t really matter, there’s still Beers on the Pole

Eric Beers is going to win an event before the year is out in the Bobby Katon, JR Precast, Reynold’s Auto Wrecking machine. He’s been close. Strong at the Sizzler at Stafford and a pole at Stafford before Mansfield. On Saturday he turned the fastest lap in practice and clicked off a lap good enough to win the Coors Light Pole Award (that just doesn’t flow). In the race he pitted for two right side tires after running with the top-five for most of the event, but in the end he came home fourth.
“We were decent, but not great tonight,” stated Beers. “The car would go away on the long run. We were quick on the short run and I thought I had a top three, but Jimmy (Blewett) came along and got us late in the race. We just didn’t have enough to hold him back and he got to second, so he was pretty good. We’ll take it after our tough night at Thompson a couple of weeks ago and we’ll go from there.”

Blewett rides to second

Jimmy Blewett is a heck of a young man. A young Father, a darn good racecar driver and a guy that’s always quick to flash a smile. After his run at Mansfield, Blewett had plenty to be happy with. After starting seventh Blewett rode it out, pitted for tires, patiently drove back through the field and finished a strong second.
“We had a pretty good car, but we couldn’t get past Teddy, even in over time,” smiled Blewett. “We gave it all we had, but we came up just short tonight. Still, second is good and we’ll take it. The car is one piece and we’ll just go from here. We’ve definitely got something to build on.”

Other Tour Information

31 cars started the Whelen 150 at Mansfield, but Todd Szegedy’s, Glenn Tyler’s and Ronnie Silk’s team all had backup cars in the field. So that has 28 teams towing to the event. Several teams this season have opted out of doing every event, obviously because of the lengthy and cost of travel. In addition to the car count one has to wonder why this event would be scheduled directly against Bristol’s night race, long one of the nights that weekly-type short tracks have struggled.
Race winner Ted Christopher had this to say on the state of the Tour.
“It is probably about the same as last year,” explained Christopher. “I getr along good with Chad Little and think he’s doing a good job. I didn’t really get along with the past management structure, so overall I’d have to say it’s better. It’s definitely better this year then it was last year.”

BOX SCORE – MANSFIELD MOTORSPORTS PARK, MANSFIELD, OHIO – AUGUST 23, 2008;
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Whelen 150 Results
Saturday August 23, 2008
At Mansfield Motorsports Park
Mansfield, Ohio
Lap length: 0.5 miles

(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 157 laps, 79.471 mph, $7,100.
2. (7) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 157, $3,200.
3. (5) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 157, $2,650.
4. (2) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 157, $3,700.
5. (12) Ronnie Silk,Norwalk,Conn., Pontiac, 157, $2,300.
6. (6) Matt Hirschman,Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 157, $2,100.
7. (15) Erick Rudolph,Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 157, $1,800.
8. (20) Mike Stefanik,Coventry, R.I.,Pontiac, 157, $2,625.
9. (14) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 157, $1,625.
10. (21) Glen Reen, Wilbraham,Mass., Chevrolet, 157, $1,600.
11. (4) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown,N.J., Dodge, 157, $1,575.
12. (22) Woody Pitkat, Stafford,Conn., Chevrolet, 157, $1,525.
13. (8) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 157, $1,600.
14. (19) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 157, $1,095.
15. (25) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 156, $1,490.
16. (23) Ken Heagy, Calverton,N.Y., Ford, 156, $1,480.
17. (24) Joe Hartmann, Calverton,N.Y., Chevrolet, 156, $1,425.
18. (11) Danny Sammons,Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 156, $1,400.
19. (18) Rick Fuller,Auburn,Mass., 155, $1,375.
20. (17) Glenn Tyler,Hampton Bays ,N.Y., Chevrolet, 155, $1,350.
21. (26) Jake Marosz, Middletown,Conn., Chevrolet, 154, $1,325.
22. (3) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield,Mass., Chevrolet, 151, suspension, $1,300.
23. (9) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield,Conn., Ford, 147, accident, $1,375.
24. (10) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington,Conn., Chevrolet, 95, $1,350.
25. (28) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, Conn. , Chevrolet, 83, ignition, $1,240.
26. (30) Darrel Krentz, Huntersville, N.C., Chevrolet, 72, head gasket, $800.
27. (27) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 59, clutch, $1,200.
28. (13) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Dodge, 57, axle, $1,300.
29. (16) Dion Ciccarelli, Crofton, Md., Chevrolet, 38, overheating, $800.
30. (29) Jeremy Stoltz, Walkertown,N.C., Pontiac, 9, suspension, $800.
31. (31) Jamie Tomaino, Jr., Howell,N.J., Ford, 7, vibration, $800.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 59 minutes 16 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.177 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: E.Beers (117.501 mph, 15.319 seconds)
Caution Flags: 7 for 40 laps.
Lead Changes: 0 among 1 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T.Christopher 1-157.
Standings: 1. T.Christopher, 1504; 2. C.Hossfeld, 1444; 3. M.Hirschman, 1418; 4. M.Stefanik, 1378; 5. R.Silk, 1338; 6. T.Szegedy, 1329; 7. E.Beers, 1313; 8. J.Blewett, 1269; 9. E.Flemke,Jr., 1229; 10. R.Pennink, 1224

AUGUST 19 2008

Matt Hirschman Tests For Gillett Evernham But Focus Remains On Whelen Mod Tour Ride
By Shawn Courchesne

Matt Hirschman isn't in any rush to get out of a Modified, but the son of the 5-time Whelen Modified Tour champion Tony Hirschman, will surely listen to suitors calling.

Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., tested Tuesday for Sprint Cup Series organization Gillett Evernham Motorsports in a Camping World East Series car at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Hirschman said he will not run in the Camping World East event Saturday at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park, but he is still waiting to hear about the possibility of driving for the team in any of the three Camping World Series events remaining after Mansfield.

Kevin Swindell, who also tested with the team at New Hampshire, will run at Mansfield.

"Their intentions as a team is to get their development program going because they don't have the program and the feeder type system that some of the other types of teams like [Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing] have," said the 25-year old Hirschman, who is third in the Modified Tour standings. "This is basically just the start of it."

For Hirschman, who has driven Modifieds since he was 17, it was the first time driving a full-fendered stock car.

"I was happy with the test," Hirschman said. "The team was happy. The representative that ran the test for Evernham was pleased with both drivers. From a personal standpoint, going out there initially it was a little bit different, it took some getting used to, but I probably made about 50-60 laps and by the end of the day I felt comfortable and my speeds kept picking up each time I went out. In comparison to the other cars that were there, there was about 8 teams there, we were putting up some pretty good numbers. I think the team overall was pleased with what we did there."

Hirschman stresses though that he's not desperately searching for ways to move up the NASCAR chain.

"Growing up as a kid, my goal was to always race Modifieds," Hirschman said. "I reached that goal at a young age. You always look at what could be the next step. If that opportunity never comes I'll be happy to race Modifieds for the rest of my career. I don't have a problem with that. Anything beyond the Modifieds right now, at 25 years old, it would have to probably come now.

"This test that I did was a talent based test. That's what they told me coming into it. They're looking to evaluate talent. They told me they've got a marketing department that it's their job to go out and find sponsors. They were there to evaluate talent. I'm not concerned with the age thing."

The Camping World East has three events following Mansfield, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Sept. 12), Dover International Speedway (Sept. 19) and Stafford Motor Speedway (Sept. 28).

Hirschman will wait for a phone call from Gillett Evernham to hear about any possible opportunities with the team, but his focus and concern will be on the Modified Tour, where he sits 97 points behind leader Chuck Hossfeld with six events remaining. The Modified Tour is in action Saturday at Mansfield with the Camping World East.

"With the Tour, we got off to a little bit of a slow start this year," Hirschman said. "We had a couple mediocre finishes of nobody's fault really. Chuck Hossfeld got off to a great start but now he's hit a stretch where he's had some mediocre finishes and it's allowed us to close it up. The points are going to take care of themselves if you can continue to run up front and we've been running up front the last few races. I like the fact that we've gained ground but with the amount of racing that's left, I haven't really been thinking about the points all that much."

Story from Speed 51 ont he Great Test at New Hampshire

Anyone who has seen the move Forest Gump can remember the character Bubba talk about all of the things that you can do with shrimp. That monotone list can be changed around slightly to also describe what Matt Hirschman has raced in his career to date. Tour Modifieds…RoC Modifieds…Open Show Modifieds…SK Modifieds…Weekly Track Modifieds...the list goes on.And while the young Pennsylvania driver has won in most of those racecars, he has gotten some heat for the fact that everything he has every raced - from day one of his career to the current day - has been a type Modifiedn Tuesday though, Hirschman sprouted fenders and got the chance to test a NASCAR Camping World East Series car for Gillette-Evernham Motorsports at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It could be a start to seeing Hirschman make the move to a racecar with fenders - and eventually towards one of NASCAR's big three series.“It's been awhile since someone came out of the Modifieds [into one of NASCAR's big three series],” said Hirschman. “But getting this test shows that there are people out there who pay attention to the Modifieds. Right now, it's just a test. But it could turn into something more.Hirschman is correct in the fact that while the Modifieds were once one of NASCAR's top talent factories - producing NASCAR Cup winners Geoff Bodine, Jimmy Spencer,ent trouble-free. It was a great opportunity and I really have to thank Gillette-Evernham Motorsports and Dave Davis for giving it to me.”The biggest difference between the Modifieds and the CW East cars was an obvious one. Just by looking at the cars“The view is much different and that took some getting used to. In the Modifieds, you are low to the ground and everything is open. You've got a great view of your surroundings. In these cars, you don't see as much.”Hirschman did get enough laps in to feel race-ready in case the opportunity presents itself.“At the end of the day, I felt comfortable enough in the car that I thought I could race one,” said Hirschman. “Our times that we were running, in comparison to the other cars that were there, were very competitive times. So I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be ready. So will Hirschman get a chance to race the car?“It came about at the last minute,” said Hirschman. “It just happened and I really learned the details as things progressed. The car was prepared by Dave Davis Motorsports and they were the ones who first contacted me. But basically, it was an Evernham test. Later, I was contacted by Ray and a representative from the team. They wanted to evaluate a couple of drivers and they had myself and Kevin Swindell there to test. Another Dave Davis car was also there with a new driver [ACT Late Model standout Joey Pole] as well.“Ray Evernham has Modified roots and raced with my father [five-time NASCAR Modified Tour champion Tony Hirschman] going back to the 80's. Despite being a new experience to Hirschman, the test went very well after a few laps to get acquainted with a new type of car.“The first time out was a little bit different,” admitted Hirschman. “But we made progress all day and by the end of the day, I felt pretty comfortable in the car. I made probably 60 laps and each time out, we made steady improvements. It was a good test and i “That's a possibility,” said Hirschman. “They do plan on racing a few events this year and three of them are combination events with the Modifieds. They were going to evaluate everything after the test to see what they learned and let us know who would be in the car. So I could be in it for one of the final races of the year, but that hasn't been determined yet.”While Matt's father Tony is best known for his five NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships and 35 victories on that Tour, he was also quite a racy competitor in what is now the CW East Series as well in the early 1990's. Driving the #1 Oldsmobiles owned by Tony Vecchio won the 1991 Busch North Series Rookie of the Year crown, a September 1992 race at Oxford Plains Speedway and placed in the top 10 of the standings for two seasons.“I remember very well when dad raced,” said Matt Hirschman. “I remember of all the place where we went.” And the Camping World East definitely isn't his Father's Series…“My Dad ran from 1991 through 1993 in Busch North and at that time, other than Loudon, they just went to short tracks. We'd go to Lee, All-Star, Holland and places like that. Those tracks are now gone from the schedule and it's quite a bit different now. It went from a short track series to a development series. They run bigger venues and it is a feeder series. Back then, the veterans, who were short track graduates from the New England area, dominated the series. It's changed a lot.

Aug 17 - Chemung Speedway - RoC - 17th

Everything was going according to plan at Chemung until lap 128. While having pitted and being the second car out of the pits after pitting just after halway, Matt made his way up to 3rd and as Eric Beers and Jan leaty went into turn 3 it looked as though Jan Lety tried to block Eric on the inside and then his spotter said "looking outside" not realizing that Matt made a move to the outside as Leaty and Beers slowed up because Leaty was blocking. So once Leaty heard "outside" he thought it was Beers and never saw Matt and the two of them went into the turn four wall with damage bad enough to end both their days. See the photo page for the sequence of events.

Story by J.R. Kennerup

Eric Beers of Northampton, Pa. has had a terrible start to his racing season and now that we’re in August Eric knew that he needed to get his act in gear. Beers certainly got his act in gear this past weekend as he won his second long distance event in less than 24 hours on Sunday afternoon at the Chemung Speedrome. Beers who started sixth pitted for a fresh right rear tire on lap 79 and was the first car to exit the pits and that became the key. Beers then raced his way back through the field to take the lead from Jan Leaty on lap 128 when Leaty and third place Matt Hirschman got together and ended up in the homestretch wall. After getting the lead Beers had to hold off TJ Potrzebowski over the final 28 laps to secure the $3,500 win. Early race leader Brian DeFebo came on strong to end up third with John Markovic in fourth and Lee Sherwood finishing fifth. "This was definitely a big win for us today as we’ve had some pretty terrible luck this year" said the happy race winner. "We’ve had no luck with this car after coming back from New Smyrna in February and it’s nice to get back on track with this car with two long distance feature wins this weekend." The win was Eric’s first career feature win at Chemung and he spoke about that accomplishment. "This was our first ever win here as we have been second here before and had some thirds too. But it feels real good to win at Chemung." The key point of the race for Eric was the pit stop on lap 79 where he came into the pit behind Matt Hirschman and ended up beating Hirschman off pit road to technically be the first car in line with a fresh right rear on the car. "Joe (Skotnicki) made a good call for us to come in at that time and the crew did a great job in getting me back out of the pits first. That was big as they had to tighten the car up too besides changing the right rear tire. We didn’t have to pass Matt on the track as then we could come up and race through the field at our pace." Eric spoke about what his strategy was coming back up through the field. "We passed when we had to and then rode a while because you had to have something for the end. After a yellow we would pick off a couple and then ride again until the next yellow came out. Everything went according to plan today." Eric was back up to fifth on lap 101 after pitting on lap 79. Then he moved into fourth on lap 105 and into third on lap 112 and finally into second on lap 123. All this time Matt Hirschman was glued to the back bumper of Beers as he was making his way to the front also. Then came the lap 127 turn four tangle that changed the entire complexion of the race. With Jan Leaty leading and on old rubber as he didn’t pit Beers and Hirschman were all over Leaty looking for a way around him. Coming out of turn four Beers got under Leaty while Hirschman attempted to go around him. Contact was made which saw heavy front end damage on the Leaty and Hirschman cars ending their day. Eric spoke on how he saw the accident happen. "Jan’s tires were at least 70 laps older than what me and Matt had on. It was inevitable that we were going to get by him but he was doing his best to block both of us. I got a run on the bottom and Jan blocked me at the same time Matt got beside me and Jan tried to keep both of us behind him. Unfortunately for all of us it didn’t work out as Jan and Matt got tangled up and crashed." With only caution flag laps counting from laps 50 to 100 a long period of yellow flag fever took place in the closing stages of the race. This caused some cars to run out of fuel and it caused a little problem for Eric too. "It started to sputter with five to go at the end of the straightaways and I was getting real worried. So I started to back off earlier getting into the corners ands getting back into the gas easier to save fuel. We only had about a gallon left at the end when we measured it." Eric won this weekend with a small motor and carburetor on the car. "It’s actually easier to drive the car when the tires wear off as you don’t have that big motor you have to deal with. I have to thank Scott Ritter at RPM as this is our small motor but it runs really well, just like a Timex." "It’s the middle of August as it’s time to get my ass in gear" said Eric about his successful weekend of racing. "It was an interesting race today" said second place finisher TJ Potrzebowski. "We planned on pitting somewhere around lap 75 and ended up pitting with Matt and Eric. We followed them up through the field, had no incidents, and we’re satisfied with a second today. We didn’t have the car to catch Eric today, but we were close."
TJ’s day didn’t start out too well as he drew 90 out of 100. "It was good to win the heat race after drawing 90. We’ve been struggling all year as the car been tight with everything we’ve been trying. Today finally we got the car too loose, but we made big gains today and happy where we’re going with our program." TJ debuted a retro wheel paint scheme on this day. "It was something different, it was the color I used when we started running Sport Mods back in 1995. We did today for the hometown crowd for memory sake, if it brings us good luck maybe we’ll keep the color." "Thinking of it now I should have pitted on the caution before (lap 79) instead of when we pitted (lap 98)" said third place finisher Brian DeFebo. "I could have been the first one in on lap 79 but it’s a damn if you do, damn if you don’t. I’m just happy to finish third." Qualifying for the 28 car field saw heat wins go to DeFebo, Tony Hanbury, Hirschman, and Potrzebowski. No B Main was run due to two cars that scratched for the day after the heat race.
DROME DROPPINGS: JR Kent debuted a new car for him which was a former Vic Hooker owned car that was bought at the auction earlier this year. Kent looked strong at times but had problems like the throttle linkage breaking in the heat race and getting into a couple of skirmishes in the feature. Dave Bellis made his first RoC appearance in the former George Swansbrough car. Dave had a front row heat race starting spot taken away due to an illegal carburetor. Pete Brittain was sporting a heavily taped right wrist due to and minor injury he suffered from racing the night before. Chris Whitenight was running in his last race of the season as he was heading back to school at UNC – Asheville on Monday. An oil leak sent Jim Storace to the pits ending another strong run. Daren Scherer lost a top three finish as his car was starving for fuel with less than 5 laps to go.

RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE #1 FINISH: Eric Beers, TJ Potrzebowski, Brian DeFebo, John Markovic, Lee Sherwood, Rick Kluth, Daren Scherer, Pete Brittain, Tony Hanbury, Earl Paules, Kyle Ebersole, Billy Putney, Todd Smith, Doug Reaume, Jimmy Zacharias, JR Kent, Matt Hirschman, Jan Leaty, Jim Storace, Dave Bellis, Rusty Smith, Steven Reed, Tommy Farrell, III, Chris Whitenight, Kevin Lewis, Mike Leaty.
DNS: Matt Clemens, TJ Zacharias.
LAP LEADERS: Potrzebowski (1), DeFebo (2), Potrzebowski (3 – 15), DeFebo (16 – 49) Hanbury (50 – 116), J. Leaty (117 – 127), Beers (128 – 150).
DART MACHINERY AWARD $1,200 SET OF HEADS: Farrell.
GATER RACING NEWS DRIVER BONUS DRAW $500:Whitenight.
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD CHARGER AWARD: T. Smith (24th to 13th).
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD LUCK AWARD: R. Smith ( 6th to 21st ).



Aug 16 - Mahoning Speedway - Special 100 laps - 3rd

Matt had a good race to garner a podium finish at the track closest to home. It was a typical Mahoning 100 lap race where depending what lane you get in depends whether you are going forward or backwards because it is double wide for so long on these extra distance races. For example on the start Matt went from about fifth back to about 11th and then went back and forth until a great third place finish.

Story by Dino Oberto

With a busy scheduled that is centered around the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Eric Beers of Northampton doesn’t often get the time to come to his home track of Mahoning Valley Speedway to race. When those rare occasions do occur you can always bank on him doing well. With a Saturday night free and Beers wasn’t hesitant to come to Mahoning for the Hot Summer Night Modified 100 and the end result was a $3000 victory. Starting 12th after a redraw, Beers took the lead from John Bennett on lap 54 and never looked back as he scored his 24th career Mahoning win and for the fourth time in a 100-lapper. Chip Santee, who was never lower then second all race long and led from laps 7-17, was second with Matt Hirschman, Don Wagner and Bennett completing the top five. "I want to thank Adam Horwith and all the people at Horwith Freightliner for helping us out and also Sunoco Race Fuels. All the guys on the crew did a great job getting this car ready. We were a hair off in time trials," said Beers who was not only celebrating another Mahoning win but his 39th birthday as well. "I want to say thanks to Chip Santee, John Bennett and all the guys I raced with. Everybody ran a clean race. There was plenty of room and this is so much fun when we come back here."A few of those restarts we lost some spots but we ended up working our way to the front. Chip (Santee) and Johnny (Bennett) were tough. I can see why their names are in the paper every week getting first or second and with Donny (Wagner) in there as well." Time trials were held with the top-12 redrawing for starting spots with Santee setting fast time at 9.839-seconds. Jason Bair, celebrating his 23rd birthday, got a present as he drew the pole spot and then proceeded to lead his first laps with a Modified once the race commenced. Following in second was Santee and after the first caution on lap six, Santee made use of the restart to take the lead. He was then pursued by point leader Bennett that unfolded into a very hot duel. Another caution waved on lap 17 and when the action resumed Bennett pulled off the pass for the lead. With the ensuing 17 laps going nonstop, Bennett was pulling away with each passing lap. On lap 34 the yellow was waving erasing his then huge lead. On the restart Santee was able to keep in the same zone with Bennett while impressive running Stacey Brown maintained third. While Bennett and Santee continued to lock horns, Beers was creeping forward. With the aid of yellows as well as his finely honed driving skills of weaving through Mahoning traffic, he made his entry into the top five at lap 42. On the next circuit he advanced another spot and on lap 48 he drove to the top lane and blew past Santee and went wheel-to-wheel with Bennett. Beers was just about to grab the lead on lap 50 when the caution flew. Lined up two-wide for the restart, Bennett was on his toes and was able to turn back Beers’ challenged but not for long. With 54 laps in Beers went for and got the front spot. Five lap’s later Santee displaced Bennett for second. The remaining distance would be no contest as Beers was way too strong for Santee and everyone else. Even with a restart with 10 laps to go Santee could not face off against him. "We’ve been struggling for a little while this year so this will definitely help to turn our season around and hopefully we can get back here again because I love it here," said Beers."This is the place I started racing a Modified but the thing is no matter how good the car is or how bad the car is you can still race. There’s enough lanes that everybody can run clean. You can see it in every division they run double file and it’s great." Santee, who was trying for his second straight 100-lap win, knew that once Beers got the lead it was going to be hard catching him, thus he was content to come home second."I had gotten the lead in the early going but then the car tightened up and then (John) Bennett got along side me and I figured there was no sense in trying to run him at that point. This is a long race and I needed to save my tires," said Santee."Eric (Beers) got by us both and my car was good on restarts but it was still tight and pushing. That last restart I figured was my last shot and I gave it all I had."It took Hirschman 85 laps to get to third as he was given fits by Wagner and Bennett in gaining the spot.
RESULTS
Modifieds (100 Laps): 1.Eric Beers 2.Chip Santee 3.Matt Hirschman 4.Don Wagner 5.John Bennett 6.Earl Paules 7.Stacy Brown 8.Bup Dreher 9.Tom Flanagan 10.Jarred Nace 11.Paul Skodacek 12.Andy Szapacs 13.Matt Higgins 14.Don Holland 15.Jason Bair 16.Rick Kirkendall 17.Lou Strohl 18.Scott Lesher 19.Eric Kocher 20.Mike Quinn



Aug 14- Thompson Speedway - WMT - 2nd

SILK TAKES SECOND WIN OF SEASON AT THOMPSON
Both Wins in 2008 Have Come at Same Track
For the second time this season NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Ronnie Silk reached Victory Lane at Thompson International Speedway. Silk led 35 laps en route to the checkered flag Thursday night in the New England Dodge Dealers 150 presented by Budweiser. For Silk, the win brought his career total to three, all at Thompson. The Norwalk, Conn., driver was a winner at the northern Connecticut oval earlier this season on June 19. “Our car is just great here, that’s for sure,” Silk said. “We’ve had good cars other places as well. Spencer we were second, Riverhead we were second. The breaks go our way here.” With the win, Silk moved up to sixth in the season points standings, his highest ranking of the year. Matt Hirschman, who led nine laps on the evening, came home second for his best career finish at Thompson. Bobby Santos, Ted Christopher and Mike Stefanik rounded out the top five. Glen Reen came home sixth and was followed in the top 10 by Rowan Pennink, Danny Sammons, Jamie Tomaino and Bobby Grigas III. The starting grid for the race was set by the NASCAR rule book as rain washed out qualifying earlier in the evening.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-New England Dodge Dealers 150 Results
Thursday At Thompson International Speedway, Thompson, CT

Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (9) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk , Conn. , Pontiac , 154 laps, 63.765 mph, $7,800.
2. (4) Matt Hirschman, Northampton , Pa. , Chevrolet, 154, $3,400.
3. (21) Bobby Santos, Franklin , Mass. , Chevrolet, 154, $3,150.
4. (2) Ted Christopher, Plainville , Conn. , Chevrolet, 154, $2,600.
5. (6) Mike Stefanik, Coventry , R.I. , Pontiac , 154, $2,300.
6. (18) Glen Reen, Wilbraham , Mass. , Chevrolet, 154, $2,250.
7. (11) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley , Pa. , Chevrolet, 154, $1,850.
8. (20) Danny Sammons, Hamilton , N.J. , Chevrolet, 154, $1,725.
9. (23) Jamie Tomaino, Howell , N.J. , Chevrolet, 154, $1,600.
10. (19) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield , Mass. , Chevrolet, 154, $1,550.
11. (27) Richard Savary, Canton , Mass. , Chevrolet, 154, $1,725.
12. (25) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich , Conn. , Chevrolet, 154, $1,488.
13. (24) Anthony Sesely, Matawan , N.J. , Dodge, 154, $1,475.
14. (28) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown , N.J. , Dodge, 154, $1,450.
15. (31) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 154, $1,036.
16. (1) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville , N.Y. , Dodge, 154, $1,500.
17. (15) Ken Heagy, Calverton , N.Y. , Ford, 148, $1,375.
18. (13) Woody Pitkat, Stafford , Conn. , Chevrolet, 145, accident, $1,350.
19. (16) Wade Cole, Riverton , Conn. , Chevrolet, 132, $1,325.
20. (3) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield , Conn. , Ford, 132, $1,400.
21. (33) Andy Seuss, Hampstead , N.H. , Chevrolet, 130, accident, $875.
22. (26) Jake Marosz, Middletown , Conn. , Chevrolet, 125, accident, $850.
23. (22) Rick Fuller, Auburn , Mass. , 117, $825.
24. (10) Ryan Preece, Kensington , Conn. , Chevrolet, 115, $1,300.
25. (8) Jimmy Blewett, Howell , N.J. , Chevrolet, 114, battery, $1,290.
26. (7) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington , Conn. , Chevrolet, 114, $1,250.
27. (14) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 98, $1,150.
28. (30) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury , Conn. , Chevrolet, 87, accident, $750.
29. (17) Joe Hartmann, Calverton , N.Y. , Chevrolet, 87, accident, $1,150.
30. (29) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill , Conn. , Ford, 81, accident, $750.
31. (32) Eric Berndt, Cromwell , Conn. , Chevrolet, 72, suspension, $750.
32. (5) Eric Beers, Northampton , Pa. , Chevrolet, 67, axle, $1,250.
33. (12) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 3, accident, $1,150.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 30 minutes 34 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.397 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: F.set per rule book, rain ( mph, seconds)
Caution Flags: 13 for 66 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C.Hossfeld 1; T.Szegedy 2-48; T.Christopher 49-79; B.Grigas,III 80-96;
M.Hirschman 97; B.Grigas,III 98-111; M.Hirschman 112-115; R.Silk 116-138; M.Hirschman
139-142; R.Silk 143-154. Standings: 1. C.Hossfeld, 1365; 2. T.Christopher, 1324; 3. M.Hirschman, 1268; 4.
M.Stefanik, 1236; 5. T.Szegedy, 1235; 6. R.Silk, 1183; 7. E.Beers, 1153; 8. E.Flemke,Jr.,
1138; 9. R.Pennink, 1100; 10. J.Blewett, 1099

Aug 9 - Lancaster Speedway - Rained out to August 24 - Heat win - Start 11th

Violent thunderstorms that featured dangerous lightning, damaging winds, and heavy rains hit the Dunn Tire Raceway Park on Saturday night as the Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour was lining up their 100 lap feature.
After looking over potential rain dates Dunn Tire management along with Race of Champions officials settled on a Sunday afternoon August 24th rain date. Pit gates will open at 10 a. m. with hot laps beginning at 11 a. m., grandstand gates will open at Noon with the first race starting at 2 p.m. Rain checks from the grandstands will be honored on that day just by showing them and for people in the pits they will need to give their name at the pit sign in window to receive admittance to the pit area on this afternoon.
Twenty – eight RoC Dart Modifieds came to race in Dunn Tire’s 50Th Anniversary show on Saturday under threatening weather conditions. Sege Fidanza, Matt Hirschman, and Tom McGrath won the three heat races and no consi was run. That was in part to Dunn Tire management wanting to get the show so they added the additional two cars at their expense.
On Sunday August 24th the 100 lap 50th Anniversary feature will see Buck Catalano and Erick Rudolph leading the 28 car field to green. The field is set and no new drivers will be added to the field, all drivers will be allowed to start the race on four new tires.
Notes from Saturday saw another member of the Zacharias Racing Family taking to the track as 16 year old TJ Zacharias qualified easily as a backup driver. Chris Zacharias was slated to run the former Buck Catalano driven car but the driver’s seat was giving Chris problems so he backed out of the ride.
The rain was a blessing for Jim Storace and Dave Wollaber as separate heat race incidents found both drivers being towed into the pit area. Reports from the Wollaber camp said they were done for the evening while Storace was going to make the feature. Now both drivers will have their cars in good working order come August 24th.



Aug 8 - Stafford Speedway - 4th

by: Dave & Hazel Meredith / The Chrome Horn

Between the afternoon practice session and the scheduled qualifying time, the nasty New England weather continued with more rain showers following the deluges that hit the state yesterday.
Eric Beers, of Northampton, PA, in the #46 Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet, captured his seventh career pole with a quick time of 18.298 seconds for a speed of 98.371 mph. He bested Todd Szegedy of Ridgefield, CT, in the #2 Wisk-Snuggle Ford, who had a time of 18.371 for 97.981 mph. Third quick was Matt Hirschman, also of Northampton, in the #59 Ed Bennett Properties Chevrolet, with a time of 18.375 and 97.959 mph. Fourth fastest was Jimmy Blewett of Howell, NJ, in the Major motion Transport/TS Haulers Chevrolet, with a time of 18.387 and 97.895 mph. Fifth was Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, in the #36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet, with a time of 18.397 for a speed of 97.842 mph. Rounding out the top ten were: 6) #4 Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, NY, Mystic Missile Dodge; 7) #3 Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Davidson Co./Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet; 8) #79 Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, CT, Hill Enterprises/Coors Light/Sunoco Pontiac; 9) #21 Richard Savary, Canton, MA, Superior Oil/Pine Hill Service Chevrolet; 10) #09 Bobby Grigas III, Marshfield, MA, Triple-G Scaffold Services Chevrolet. Cars that did not qualify were: #32 Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, CT; #9 Jake Marosz, Middletown, CT; #14 Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, CT; #90 Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, CT; #26 Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, NY; and #00 Frank Ruocco, Cheshire, CT who attempted qualifying after crashing in practice earlier today. The top eight qualifiers redrew for starting positions. They will take the green as follows: #79 Ronnie Silk; #4 Chuck Hossfeld; #59 Matt Hirschman; #2 Todd Szegedy; #36 Ted Christopher; #3 Ryan Preece; #19 Jimmy Blewett; #46 Eric Beers.
Prior to the running of the WMT main event, the Stafford SK modifieds took to the track for a 40 lap feature. This event was a qualifying race for the North-South Shootout to be held in Concord, NC, on November 8th. Doug Coby took the checkers and is now guaranteed a starting spot in the Shootout.
We finally got to the green flag at 10:15 p.m., an hour after the scheduled start. Hossfeld jumped to the point on the start and led the first lap. The yellow was quick to fly on lap two for Charlie Pasteryak in the #5 Dawley’s auto Center/Sunoco Chevrolet who spun on the backstretch.
Cautions laps do count in this 150-lap event. Back to green on lap 5 with Hossfeld leading Szegedy, Silk and Preece.
Szegedy get around Hossfeld as they head into turn one and Preece tucks in behind Hossfeld. The field starts to stretch out in the next few circuits. By lap 10 almost the whole field is single file. Szegedy starts to open up the lead on the straights by lap 17, but Hossfeld stays within striking distance as they hit the turns.
By lap 25 the top 7 cars have broken away from the field by at least 20 car lengths. Szegedy still holds the point followed by Hossfeld, Preece, Silk, Christopher, Beers and Savary. The #93 of Rowan Pennink is black flagged for smoke coming out of it – he must pit to get it checked out.
The #11 of Anthony Sesely is the next car to get the black flag on lap 31. The #64 of Eric Berndt also hits the pits for adjustments. The #1 of Rob Summers pits and gets pushed behind the wall on lap 35 and is out for a power steering problem.
Still green at lap 40 – leaders haven’t changed much except that Christopher has passed Silk for fourth. Szegedy gets caught behind lapped traffic and Hossfeld is able to close up to his bumper. The top three (Szegedy, Hossfeld and Preece) get by the lapped cars, and Christopher and the rest of the field get caught behind them.
Its 10:35 and we’re already at lap 50, a third of the way through the race. The top three are a quarter of a track ahead of Christopher and the rest of the field. Lap 53 – looks like Christopher blew up in a puff of smoke.
Lap 55 the #17 of Glen Reen slides through the front stretch grass bringing out just the second caution of the night. The leaders all head to the pits when they open on lap 57. They all take two right side tires and make whatever adjustments are needed. The #45 of Eric Rudolph gets out first, with Hossfeld second, Preece third and Szegedy fourth. Fifth is Savary then Matt Hirschman, Ed Flemke Jr. and Jimmy Blewett.
We go back to green on lap 66 and Rudolph pulls ahead of Hossfeld going into turn one. Quickly back to yellow on lap 67 as Savary spins in turn four. Rudolph gives up the lead and heads to the pits, giving the point to Preece followed by Hossfeld and Szegedy.
Back to green once again on lap 71 with Preece getting a push by Szegedy to get them both ahead of Hossfeld. Unfortunately, the cautions are now flying heavy as the #05 of Joe Hartmann spins in turn three (cautions breed cautions!). The #79 of Silk heads to the pits with rocker arm problems on lap 73.
Lap 76 Savary and Hartmann both head off pit road. We try again to get going on lap 77, just past the half-way point. Preece leads Szegedy, Hossfeld and Flemke. Preece and Szegedy stay side-by-side through the first lap, while the #99 of Jaime Tomaino spins into the grass on the front stretch. Szegedy took the lead just before the caution came out.
Another try to return to racing lap 85. Preece gets the jump on Szegedy and pulls quickly to the front. They are followed by Flemke and Hossfeld, though Hossfeld makes the pass on lap 87 to move into third. The two leaders are opening up a 10 car lead on Hossfeld and Flemke, who are 10 cars ahead of Blewett and Coby.
The leaders continue to pull away and now there’s a big gap between third and fourth – Hossfeld and Flemke respectively, on lap 95. Szegedy continues to ride the bumper of Preece.
Caution lap 102 as Bobby Grigas spins into the turn three wall – possibly something broke on the car. While trying to avoid the field, Kenny Horton in the #29 also spins.
The young Ryan Preece is running a skilled race against veteran champion Todd Szegedy. Green lap 109 and Preece again leads Szegedy through the first two turns. The stay side-by-side however through the rest of the circuit until Preece clears him in turn two. Blewett is third and Hossfeld is fourth. The two leaders are much faster than the field and again open up more than a ten-car length lead by lap 120. With 25 laps to go, the field remains the same up front. Preece is driving a great race with Szegedy staying right on his bumper. Lap 137 Flemke passes Heagy for fifth. Lap 139 the #06 of Billy Pauch Jr., and #21 Richard Savary tangle coming off turn four and spin down the frontstretch. It will be a single file restart as there will be less than ten laps to go. Leaders are Preece, Szegedy, Blewett, Hossfeld, Flemke and Coby. Green on lap 145 and Szegedy gets the jump on Preece. Hossfeld spins between turns one and two. However, Preece goes back to the lead for the restart. It will be a green-white-checker finish with two laps to go at the green on lap 148. Single file are Preece, Szegedy, Blewett and Flemke.
Preece gets a clean start and the 3 leaders are nose to tail. Todd gets under him going into turn 3 and gets bumped by Preece coming off turn one – Preece crosses the line first, but gets put to the end of the lead lap by NASCAR and Blewett inherits the win.
The top ten are Blewett, Flemke, Coby, Hirschman, Beers, Goodale, Stefanik, Sammons, Carl Pasteryak and Charlie Pasteryak. This would have been the first WMT win for Ryan Preece, who is just 17 years old. In Victory lane Jimmy Blewett was jubilant, but disappointed for Preece. “He showed us how to get around here tonight. It’s unfortunate for him, but I’ll take a win any way I can get it!” Later in the press box interview Blewett said when asked where you expecting the call in regards to Preece being put back to last car on the lead lap? “No, honestly I wasn’t. Ryan was just driving his heart out; I probably would have tried what ever I had to do to go around on the last lap myself. He sent it in there and got the call.” Blewett continued, “Like I said before, I hate to win that way, but I’ll take a win anyway I can get it.” Do you think it should have been no call? “No, not really. I’ve been reprimanded for racing incidents. This series is getting strict -- zero tolerance with anything. I think it’s good for the series and bad for the series. I feel for Preece, but they (NASCAR) are cutting back on the stuff people used to get away with. With the people who are here now [officials] they are making changes. Some for the better. Some are really not well received,” he concluded. Personally, Hazel thinks this was a totally unwarranted call by NASCAR and inconsistent with anything that has come before. “There have been many occasions when a car is spun both during a race and on the last lap, and no action has been taken. Maybe we’ll learn more about why in the ‘official’ press release.” Dave’s opinion – “While I saw a young driver Preece get set up by bumper tag from Szegedy in the waning laps, Preece’s slight contact with Szegedy coming out of turn one spun Szegedy out. Last season no call would have been made to affect the outcome of the race. This season it seems director Chad Little and his crew are tightening the screws on the competitors, to be more professional. I think the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has had many changes including the Flash races, reduced prize money and exorbitant cost increases to compete in this series. Most of the changes have been received poorly. The professional behavior may have a chance with the racers if applied uniformly.” Little’s quest to make the Whelen Modified Tour a more professional organization is a good idea. But if they are going to enforce rules with bumping, then Todd Szegedy should have been put to the rear for rough riding over the last 10 laps as he applied the chrome horn quite a few times. The use of the chrome horn has been an iconic part of the modified racing in general since its inception, and is just part of the racing.

1. (7) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 62.937 mph, $6,900.
2. (18) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $4,200.
3. (16) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $2,700.
4. (3) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $2,800.
5. (8) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $3,000.
6. (14) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,950.
7. (26) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 150, $2,700.
8. (12) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 150, $1,750.
9. (17) Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Pontiac, 150, $1,300.
10. (20) Charles Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,250.
11. (21) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., 150, $1,225.
12. (15) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,600.
13. (24) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 150, $1,525.
14. (9) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $1,700.
15. (2) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Dodge, 150, $1,575.
16. (4) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 150, $1,550.
17. (11) Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,325.
18. (6) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,500.
19. (30) Joe Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 149, $1,375.
20. (29) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 149, $1,325.
21. (28) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 148, $1,300.
22. (25) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 146, $1,275.
23. (10) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 145, $1,250.
24. (19) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 140, $1,225.
25. (27) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 138, $1,318.
26. (23) Ken Horton, Guilford, Conn., Chevrolet, 102, suspension, $800.
27. (1) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Pontiac, 77, vibration, $1,300.
28. (5) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 54, ignition, $1,300.
29. (13) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 32, distributor, $800.
30. (31) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Dodge, 30, engine, $1,200.
31. (22) Rob Summers, Vernon, Conn., Chevrolet, 28, steering, $800.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 11 minutes 30 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.982 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: E.Beers (98.371 mph, 18.298 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 46 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C.Hossfeld 1-4; T.Szegedy 5-58; E.Rudolph 59-70; R.Preece 71-77; T.Szegedy
78-84; R.Preece 85-148; T.Szegedy 149; J.Blewett 150.
Standings: 1. C.Hossfeld, 1250; 2. T.Christopher, 1164; 3. T.Szegedy, 1132; 4.
M.Hirschman, 1098; 5. E.Beers, 1086; 6. M.Stefanik, 1081; 7. E.Flemke,Jr., 1053; 8. J.Blewett, 1011; 9. R.Silk, 1003; 10. R.Preece, 956.


Aug 2 - Riverhead Raceway - 16th

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (Aug. 2, 2008) – Jimmy Blewett registered his third career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory Saturday night when he took the checkered flag in the Miller Lite 140 at Riverhead Raceway. Blewett, ofHowell, N.J., was strong throughout the evening as he led three times for 80 laps, including the final 46. After qualifying fourth-fastest, Blewett took the win in the second of two 25-lap heat races that preceded the 140-lap main. He was then able to parlay his qualifying success into front-running in the feature. After staring on the outside pole, Blewett led the first 10 circuits and swapped the lead with pole-sitter Bill Park twice in the early going. He would take his third and final lead of the night on a restart on lap 102. The win was the third of Blewett’s career and his first at Riverhead. He had previously won at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and Wall Township (N.J.) Speedway. For the second race in a row, Ronnie Silk finished as the runner-up. With four top-10s in a row, including a win, Silk has moved up to seventh in the season points standings after a slow start. Making his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start of the year after he captured the series title a year ago, Donny Lia finished third and was followed in the top five by Ted Christopher and Ryan Preece. The fifth place finish was the best of Preece’s young career.
Ken Heagy, Mike Stefanik, Dan Jivanelli, Glenn Tyler and Eric Beers filled out the top 10

1. (2) Jimmy Blewett,Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 147 laps, 33.418 mph, $3,300.
2. (10) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Pontiac, 147, $2,100.
3. (15) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Chevrolet, 147, $1,400.
4. (3) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 147, $1,600.
5. (7) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 147, $2,000.
6. (21) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 147, $2,150.
7. (9) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 147, $1,250.
8. (23) Dan Jivanelli, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 147, $1,000.
9. (4) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 147, $1,175.
10. (20) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 147, $1,150.
11. (11) Tony Ferrante, Jr., New Hyde Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 147, $925.
12. (27) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 147, $1,300.
13. (6) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 147, $900.
14. (13) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 147, $850.
15. (1) Bill Park, Manorville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 147, $1,200.
16. (14) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 147, $775.
17. (12) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Dodge, 146, $725.
18. (26) Joe Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 145, $700.
19. (24) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 140, $675.
20. (17) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 139, $625.
21. (25) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 134, $600.
22. (22) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Chevrolet, 134, $550.
23. (19) Wayne Anderson, Yaphank, N.Y., Chevrolet, 96, accident, $327.
24. (8) Chuck Steuer, Bohemia, N.Y., Chevrolet, 83, accident, $300.
25. (5) Mike Andrews, Bohemia, Chevrolet, 81, suspension, $300.
26. (18) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 55, engine, $500.
27. (16) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 54, accident, $500.
28. (28) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 14, accident, $300.

Time of Race: 1 hour 5 minutes 59 seconds Margin of Victory: 0.579 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: B.Park (75.462 mph, 11.926 seconds)
Caution Flags: 11 for 95 laps.
Lead Changes: 5 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J.Blewett 1-10; B.Park 11-12; J.Blewett 13-36; B.Park 37-58; T.Christopher 59-101; J.Blewett 102-147.
Standings: 1. C.Hossfeld, 1132; 2. T.Christopher, 1085; 3. T.Szegedy, 1017; 4. M.Hirschman, 938; 5. M.Stefanik, 935; 6. E.Beers, 931; 7. R.Silk, 921; 8. E.Flemke,Jr., 883; 9. R.Pennink, 866; 10. R.Preece, 847.

Aug 1 - Spencer Speedway - RoC - 5th

Anytime when there is a Modified race at the Spencer Speedway Jan Leaty is always considered the favorite at his home town track. Friday night was no different in the 100 lap Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour event.
Jan started eighth and made a pit stop under the caution on lap 32 for a fresh right rear tire. The tire was the difference as Jan rocketed back through the talented field to take the lead on lap 50 with an outside turn four pass of Buck Catalano.
Once in front Jan saved his equipment for the later stages of the race and over the final 15 laps Jan pulled away to a very popular and dominating $3,500 feature win. Billy Putney who started third, never pitted for tires and finished an impressive second with Jan’s son Mike ending up a strong third.
Current RoC point leader and defending champion Pete Brittain, who started 20th ran a smart race to end up in fourth with Matt Hirschman coming from 14th to fifth at the checkers.
“ Yea we ran good tonight “ said Jan. “ We’ve been having a little bit of a run of bad luck since we won the Race of Champions last September. Since that race until tonight there hasn’t been a race where I’ve been nicked up during the race. We’ve had some good finishes during that time but at some point during those races I have had the car nicked up. Tonight was the first since last September that we got through the entire racing program clean. “
It’s been a struggle this year not only for Jan but also for his son Mike. “ We needed a good finish tonight as we’ve been struggling. But I’m happy for Mike too as he needed a good finish more than we did. “
Jan started eighth in the field of 26 and made it into the top five on lap 21. Then during a caution flag period on lap 32 Jan pitted for a new right rear tire. Jan’s pit crew once again did excellent work as they got him out of the pits first which placed him first on the track with a new tire.
With a new right rear sneaker on his car Jan started to work his way back through the field. The move that essentially won the race for Jan came on a lap 32 when Jan passed six cars in turns one and two on the outside. After the next round of pit stops by cars in front of him on lap 40 Jan was running fourth when the race restarted.
Jan spoke about the lap 32 restart pass where he went from 15th to ninth in one set of turns. “ I was actually surprised that it went that good. What happened was everybody was in a panic about the outside and I was able to take advantage of that. They were all on the bottom jamming each other; guys on the outside were lifting trying to get to the bottom. I just launched it into turn one and hoped it would turn, it did and I was able to roll by those six guys right then, that was big. “
After that move Jan used his patented outside charge to the front to get the lead as he motored around Buck Catalano as they crossed the line to complete the half way part of the race. In typical veteran fashion once in front Jan saved his car and then over the final 15 laps of the feature turned up the wick and ended up winning by a full straightaway, much to the delight of his hometown fans.
“ That is how you win these races “ said Jan. “ You use what you need to when you need to, if you got a good car you use up what you have to. Luckily tonight I got to the front fairly early tonight so I saved some rubber until the end of the race just in case someone made a run at me late in the race with fresher rubber than me. Actually the car drove better tonight the faster I went; it just does weird stuff when you drive it slow. “
“ It does feel good to win at your home track “ said Jan. “ You get up in the morning from your own bed, work around the house like I did today. As you don’t need to get into the hauler and on the road by 8 am. After working around the house and relaxing a little bit when it is time to come to the races tonight you leave and take your time getting here. “
“The track was pretty decent and the competition was good, I’m real happy “ concluded Jan.
“ The car stayed with us real well “ said second place finisher Billy Putney. “ I’m real pleased with how long it lasted without putting a tire on. Anytime you get beat by Jan, especially here you can’t be too disappointed. We held off Mike there at the end and ran a little bit there with Buck for a while, we’re just ecstatic to bring it home in one piece and in the top two. “
Asked about the no pit strategy Billy commented. “ It was our plan not to pit unless we started to fade really bad. We really didn’t fade that bad so we decided to stay out. We made a ton of changes during practice, tuned the car in more during the heat race, rolled the dice in the feature and came out of it with a second, we’ll take it. “
Putney who started third moved right into the second on the opening lap. Staying behind leader Buck Catalano who was setting a blistering pace. Putney shocked everyone as he drove around Catalano to grab the lead on lap 41. But three laps later Catalano appeared to use the chrome horn to regain the lead coming out of turn four. Putney explained it was his fault and no fault of Buck’s.
“ Buck really didn’t get into me as I changed my line there coming out of turn four “ said Billy. “ I was actually trying to pull low to let him by as I didn’t want to push the car that hard at that point in the race. That was entirely my doing and I can’t blame Buck at all, as I was running an inconsistent lane. “
Getting the bad luck monkey of his back was third place finisher Mike Leaty. “ We’ve had a rough go of things so far this year “ said Mike. “ This was our first RoC race we’ve finished this year and it’s a good result. There was a lot of hard racing out there tonight. I got to third and was hoping to get by Billy so we could make it a father son one two, we haven’t done that before. Tried real hard to pass Billy but he was going good and we’ll take a third tonight. “
Qualifying for the 26 car field saw heat races being won by Erick Rudolph, TJ Potrzebowski, and Jan Leaty.
NOTES; Jeff Polaksi was in the second Rick Kluth entry. Rusty Smith saw a very strong run end with a battery / alternator problem. Pre race favorite Tony Hanbury had something break in the rear portion of the car which forced the car to turn right when he wanted it to turn left. Rick Kluth had to change the rack in the front end after the first hot lap session. Leaking power steering fluid ended the strong run of Erick Rudolph in the feature. After the sun set and the track cooled down there was an outside groove which was used quite frequently during the feature. The RoC show at Dunn Tire this Saturday has seen it starting time pushed back to 6:30 Saturday night from 4:00 Saturday afternoon.
RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR RACE NUMBER 4 SPENCER 100
FINISH; Jan Leaty, Billy Putney, Mike Leaty, Pete Brittain, Matt Hirschman, Jim Storace, Daren Scherer, Doug Reaume, Terry Cheetham, Rick Kluth, Buck Catalano, John Markovic, Dave Wollaber, TJ Potrzebowski, Karl Hehr, Kris Hilleger, Erick Rudolph, Tony Hanbury, Rusty Smith, Todd Smith, Tim McMullen, Mark Tychoniewicz, Chris Risdale, Jeff Polaski, Tom Weist, Matt Clemens.
LAP LEADERS; Catalano ( 1 – 40 ), Putney ( 41 – 43 ), Catalano ( 44 – 49 ), J. Leaty ( 50 – 100 ).
DART MACHINERY AWARD $1,200 SET OF HEADS; J. Leaty.
GATER RACING NEWS DRIVER BONUS DRAWING $500; Catalano.
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD CHARGER AWARD; Brittain ( 20th to 4th ).
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD LUCK AWARD; Hehr ( 2nd to 15th )

51’s Short Track All-Star Team Saluting Baseball's Summer Classic With a Line-up of Our Own. . . . Setup Pitcher: MATT HIRSCHMAN Mods

Hirschman doesn't have the full-fendered experience nor the power to be a starting pitcher just yet. He doesn't have the intensity that a closer has, either. But, what Matt Hirschman does have is the right bloodline (his dad Tony is a multiple-time NASCAR Mod Champ), a heavy right foot and a boatload of Modified wins to earn him a spot on the All Star team. With a few more Whelen Mod Tour wins, he'll be part of the pantheon of All-Time Mod All-Stars like his dad is

July 26 - All Star Speedway - Win

Ho-Hum....Hirschman Wins Again by Mike Twist - Speed 51

Win Streak Extends To Four With All-Star Modified Victory

Stop us if you've read this story before. Matt Hirschman enters a Modified race against some of the best Mod drivers out there. He puts on a dominating performance and wins the event. We've heard that story at South Boston Speedway for the 2006 Mason-Dixon Meltdown, a few times in the North South Shootout at Concord and too many times to count on the RoC Modified Tour. In the past few weeks, we've heard about it from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Spencer, the Modified Madness show at Seekonk and the RoC race at Oswego. And on Saturday night, the same storyline unfolded at All-Star Speedway, where the second-generation driver won Round Three of the WaterSnoGo All-Star Modified Challenge Series at that New Hampshire bullring. It was Hirschman's third victory at the track in the past year.“I'm almost at a loss for words.,” said Hirschman after his latest victory. “To think that it's been four in a row and for different teams. It's been different combinations each time, but with the same result. It's just incredible and it speaks for everybody. All of the teams have done great and it's an incredible roll to be on. It's so amazing for it to happen at different venues in different series in different cars against different competitors. I can't keep coming up with stuff to say about it.”But while Hirschman might tire of coming up with words to describe his victories, he is not tiring of winning those races.“No, you never get tired of winning.,” said Hirschman. “If I ever get tired of winning, I think I'd better call it quits and I'm a long way from that.”Hirschman started from the pole on Saturday night, but his race wasn't a cakewalk. At various points in the race, he was challenged by Modified rookie Josh Cantara, Chris Pasteryak and Jon McKennedy.Cantara was the earliest and strongest challenge to Hirschman, running his #71ME Modified to Hirschman's outside on several occasions early on. Cantara never got to show his strength late in the race. He pitted early and got caught as the innocent victim in a multi-car wreck while coming back through the pack. However, he did make Hirschman nervous when he was near the front.That was a little surprising to Hirschman, who races against all kinds of drivers on all kinds of Modified tours, but wasn't too familiar with the teenager who races weekly at All-Star.“You never know what to expect,” said Hirschman. “At the beginning of the race, the #71 surprised the heck out of me. He was running me incredibly hard on the outside. I was doing all that I could to hold him off at that point. I can't imagine that he could have kept going like that, but he was doing a heck of a job there. He surprised me with his [having limited] experience. I was surprised by his pace, but more power to him. That's good for himAfter Cantara's demise, Pasteryak challenged Hirschman in the middle stages of the race and as the laps clicked down, McKennedy appeared to be closing in on Hirschman's bumper. Darting around lapped cars and running out of laps kept McKennedy from seriously contending for the lead though.“Chris ran real good,” said Hirschman. “He ran a smart race and then McKennedy got up to second and he was good. He was planning on saving his stuff early and that worked out for him to get to second. All of the competitors did a good job.“The lapped cars were giving me a hard time,” said McKennedy. “But it was one thing to catch him and another thing to go by him. Matt was stout and he started up front. He led the whole race and had a good car. He drove a good race and we needed a yellow to see what we really had for him. We were catching him slowly, but we needed at least 10 laps to see what we had for him.”McKennedy had to settle for second, with Pasteryak winding up in third. Finishing behind those drivers were Jimmy Kuhn and Ryan Preece.Meanwhile, back in victory lane, Hirschman was enjoying that winning feeling once again. It was something he planned to experience in 2008, but maybe not quite as often as he has been experiencing it.“It has become such a complete season for me to do what we've been doing. To have eight wins…wow!” said Hirschman. “I had six last year and I wanted to top that to have a better season this year. But after the first couple of races this year, I began to think that if we got to six, I'd be happy.”So now that he's happy, does that mean that Hirschman is going to take it easy from hereout? Hardly No, definitely not. They asked me once I got to six [wins] what I'd like to do. Well, nowI'd like to get to double digits. Ten would be quite a feat and we're at eight right now, just halfway through the season. A lot of favorable races to me are coming up, so who knows? The sky is the limit right now. Whatever is happening, I'm not going to try and figure it out. I'm just going to go with it and try to keep on winning.”Hirschman's next chances for that will be on Friday night in the RoC Modified race at Spencer Speedway (NY) and on Saturday night in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Riverhead Raceway (NY). In the meantime, we'll be hard at work here at Speed51.com trying to think up more different ways to write more “Matt Hirschman Wins a Modified Race" stories. We have a feeling that there could be a few more of them appearing this season.

Track Release
Matt Hirschman led all 125 laps on his way to a victory at All-Star Speedway on Saturday night, as he earned $5,200. It was the second time in ten days that Hirschman has led every lap of a Tour-Type Modified Open Show, and his fourth major event victory in two weeks. He nearly lost the lead when All-Star Speedway regular Josh Cantara worked the outside lane to perfection on Hirschman, surging ahead of the favorite on lap 24. As Cantara appeared to get the upper hand, the first caution of the race kept Hirschman out front for the restart.
During the caution Cantara pitted for fuel, as his car only had a 15 gallon fuel cell, and then he was caught up in the only significant incident of the night. Bobby Grigas slowed suddenly on the backstretch on lap 64 while running in the top ten, and a multicar crash occurred behind him.
Hirschman was chased by Chris Pasteryak, then Ronnie Silk, and later Jon McKennedy from the second position, but none were able to duplicate Cantara's run to the outside of Hirschman.
McKennedy moved by Pasteryak for the second position on lap 109. Although McKennedy was able to close the gap on Hirschman, the laps ran out before he could get an opportunity to try and make a pass. Hirschman earned an extra $200 by winning the Koszela Speed Halfway Bonus money. Positions changed frequently in the closing laps behind the leaders, as several drivers appeared to struggle with tire wear. Mike Ordway Jr. advanced the most positions in his first-ever "open show" Modified race, as he drove the Gary Casella owned car to the $200 Laticrete Hard Charger Award.
Heat races, which paid $150 to win courtesy of race fan Jim Schaefer, were won by Ronnie Silk and Chris Pasteryak.

WaterSnoGo 125 Finish: Matt Hirschman, Jon McKennedy, Chris Pasteryak, Jimmy Kuhn, Ryan Preece, Ken Barry, Mike Ordway Jr., Jimmy Blewett, Ronnie Silk, Mike Stefanik, Andy Seuss, Kenny White, Eric LeClair, Tommy Cravenho, Bill Clement, Brett Gonyaw, Josh Cantara, Carl Pasteryak, Bobby Grigas, Bruce Batchelder.

July 19 - Oswego SPeedway - RoC - Winner

Ziegler and Hirschmann win at Oswego as rain postpones Novelis Supermodified feature.

A first time winner, a repeat winner and Mother Nature all went home with checkered flags at the Oswego Speedway on Oswego Bagelry and Econo Lodge & Best Western Night. Former Super Stock Track Champion Rick Ziegler picked up his first PathFinder Bank SBS feature win. Matt Hirschmann picked up his second Parts Plus RoC Modified win of 2008. The Novelis Supermodified feature was rained out and will be run at a future date in the 2008 racing season.

In the Race of Champions Parts Plus RoC Modified 100, the race was halted after eighty seven laps when the rains first started to fall. Matt Hirscmann picked up the win. Earl Paules finished in second. Pete Brittain was third. Young hot shoe Erik Rudolph was fourth and Rick Zacharias finished in fifth

A little less than two months ago Matt Hirschman dominated the Richie Evans Memorial in the first Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour race of the year at the Oswego Speedway. In race number three of the RoC Tour and the second of the year at Oswego on Saturday night for the Summer 100, the story was just about the same as it was in late May.

By JR Kennerup -

Unlike in May where he led all 100 laps, on Saturday night Hirschman powered his way from the sixth starting spot to move into second by the end of the first lap. Then just after lap two was completed the second generation driver ducked under leader Earl Paules going into turn one. Once in lead Hirschman was never seriously challenged as he led the next 85 laps until a heavy rainstorm halted the race on lap 87.

After a delay of 20 minutes the race was called official and Hirschman was awarded the $3,500 feature win. Paules returning to the RoC Tour ended up second with defending RoC Tour champion and new point leader Pete Brittain ending up in third. Third generation driver Erick Rudolph pitted for fresh tires on lap 45 was coming on strong at the end to finish fourth and veteran Rick Zacharias brought the second of three Zacharias Racing entries home in fifth.

“ The great start going from sixth to second on the first lap definitely helped “ said Matt who won for the third time in seven days. “ By making that move it put me in a position early to go for the lead in the race. It just worked out for us on that first lap as the cars in front of us fell into line and we filled the hole on the outside. “

Matt continued on. “ Last time here I started on the pole and I set the car up to run 100 laps out front. This time I made a little adjustment to what I had planned to go with before the feature, based on starting sixth. I think that change I made really helped to make the car fire better and able me to pass cars quicker early in the race. The change might have hurt me later in the race but we were still good at the end of the race. “

Matt spoke about the increasing weather threat and whether it changed his pit strategy. “ A lot depended on where I was racing on the track. Leading the race I wasn’t planning on pitting, even if I was second or third I would have stayed out. If I was running back in the pack I would have probably planned on pitting. But we have no weather radar in our pit and it kind of surprised me when it did start to rain as I didn’t expect it. I don’t think the rain affected the outcome of the race. The race ended up being a couple of laps short but we earned it tonight. “

Many observers thought that tire wear would be a factor for the front running trio who didn’t stop. But Matt downplayed the tire wear factor by saying. “ It ( tire wear ) wasn’t that bad tonight as it seemed that the track rubbered up. There were a lot of cars here tonight as there were more cars in the Supers and more cars in the other division than before. The track rubbered up with all of the racing taking place on it and it didn’t seem to be as hard on tires as it normally is some other times here. “

With the win Matt claimed his seventh win of the year and third within the last week. “ It’s incredible, I really don’t even know what to say about it. It’s a heck of a run we’re on to win three races in a row in three different series within a week. It’s not like we’re winning them all on the same series, we’re winning them in different series and that is tougher than you think. There are a lot of highs and lows in this sport and right now we’re about as high as you can get. I’m going to enjoy it and take one race at a time as I have a lot of races coming up in August. To past my win total of six that I had last year, that’s a pretty good year. Now I’m looking for maybe getting into double digits for feature wins this year as I have a half a season left. “

Looking ahead to the next Oswego show on August 30th Matt will be classified as the favorite with him being two for two this year so far at Oswego. “ Yes, I think you could call me the favorite but you can’t forget about Jan Leaty. Jan won here more last year than I did and he has won that Labor Day Weekend show two years in a row. I haven’t been here on Classic Weekend for a couple of years and Jan might have the upper hand for that race because it’s an even longer race. I’m looking forward to Classic Weekend as I love being here because of the environment. “

“ It was a good run for us “ said second place finisher and former RoC Tour champion Earl Paules. “ Coming from sixth in the heat to get to the redraw and then to draw the pole was a key for me tonight. “

“ Matt kind of surprised me when he got by me, but I had nothing for him tonight. It was sooner or later he was going to get by me and he did it sooner, second place is good. “

“ If Matt would have pitted I would pit but if Matt stayed out I was going to stay out “ answered Earl when asked if there was any pit strategy. “

Earl finished third last week in a RoC Dirt Sportsman event. “ It’s fun racing both surfaces. RoC is where it’s at. I tried some local race tracks and it didn’t work out and I don’t know why as it seemed they liked to pick on me. We’ll be on the RoC Tour both dirt and asphalt for the remainder of the year. “

“ You’re never happy with a third, but it was a good run “ said defending RoC Tour champion and current point leader Pete Brittain, who started fourth. “ Matty won the race on the first lap as I hesitated and went to the bottom and he went to the outside and that was the winning move. I think the top three cars were pretty much equal all night long. “

Qualifying for the 32 car field saw heat wins go to Hirschman, Brittain, Billy Putney, and Steven Reed with Rusty Smith capturing the B Main.

STEEL PALACE NOTES; Everyone associated with RoC from the officials to the drivers to the Modified fans would like to thank Oswego management for making the change in the running order of the feature events because of the increasing weather threat. Many drivers altered their pit strategy due to the worsening weather conditions that kept RoC and Oswego officials busy during the feature as they watched the live weather radar. Drivers and teams were kept informed of the weather by RoC Officials through their one & two way radio communication with the drivers and crews. A majority of the field didn’t pit because of the weather and most reported that they would have had enough tire to go the advertised 100 lap distance. However most drivers were happy that the race was stopped when it was and not restarted because most drivers felt it would be a dangerous situation with the tires. Kyle Ebersole was making his first ever Oswego & RoC appearance and it ended up only being a short one as the motor expired in hot laps. Jason Hearne in the second Rick Kluth entry and after Kluth wrecked the primary car in the heat they switched cars for the consi. Mike Leaty looked good and competitive with his new DART steel headed motor that costs about half of the motor everyone else is currently using. Eric Beers was unable to shift into high gear at the start of the consi. Bringing out the yellow Beers pitted and his fast working crew got the problem repaired just in time to tag the field and ended up qualifying. Drivers once again had to start the feature on the same exact tires they qualified on through their respective heat or consi.

RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR

RACE # 3 AT OSWEGO

FINISH; Matt Hirschman, Earl Paules, Pete Brittain, Erick Rudolph, Rick Zacharias, Daren Scherer, Billy Putney, Dave Wollaber, TJ Potrzebowski, Tom Kinsella, John Markovic, Jan Leaty, Rusty Smith, Todd Smith, Doug Reaume, Jimmy Zacharias, Chris Whitenight, Lee Sherwood, Eric Beers, Sege Fidanza, Steven Reed, Mark Tychoniewicz, Jim Storace, Dean Rypkema, Tommy Farrell, III, Rick Kluth, Ken Canestrari, Mike Leaty.

DNQ’S; Vern LaFave, Jason Hearne, Kyle Ebersole, Matt Clemens.

LAP LEADERS; Paules ( 1 – 2 ) Hirschman ( 3 – 87 ).

DART MACHINERY AWARD SET OF $1,200 HEADS; Storace.

GATER RACING NEWS $500 DRIVER BONUS DRAW; Rypkema.

HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD LUCK AWARD; Storace ( 2nd to 23rd ).

HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD CHARGER AWARD; Potrzebowski ( 24th to 9th ).

RoC PROVISIONAL; Kluth.

BUY – IN PROVISIONAL; Canestrar

From Speed 51
Matt Hirschman is on a roll and it's unclear if he can be stopped right now. Saturday in the Summer 100 for the DART Asphalt Race of Champions Modified Tour race at the Oswego Speedway, Hirschman started sixth, was second by the completion of the first circuit and after he disposed of Earl Paules while working the third lap. That was all he needed until the rains came and ended the race just 13 laps from its scheduled completion

“We got a great start,” beamed Hirschman from a wet victory lane celebration. “That start was a key because I drove up on the outside. Everyone fell in line and we just had room to go on the outside and it gave me the opportunity to go for the lead. Earl (Paules) looked like he slipped up a little and there was enough room for me to get by on the bottom.”

The race was pretty much settled right there as Hirschman kept Paules at bay for the remainder of the race before heavy rains settled in over the speedway, which brought the rest of the event to a conclusion.

For Hirschman it was his third consecutive win in just seven days. His streak began with his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win just a week prior at Spencer Speedway. He followed that up with a big win in the Modified Madness event at Seekonk on Wednesday night and followed it up by continuing his Oswego dominance that began with a 100-lap romp in the Richie Evans Memorial, the first race of the RoC season.

“It's been a great week or so for me,” smiled Hirschman, who won the three races in three different Troyer machines in three different series. (Ed Bennett's car at Spencer, Wayne Darling's car at Seekonk and his own machine at Oswego). “We just have three very good teams and it was nice to have Franky back with us at the races tonight. Everything has really been rolling.

Hirschman talked about the difference between the opener and his Summer 100 victory.

“I changed the car a little tonight so it was a little quicker to fire. At the first race we started on the pole and that made a difference in our approach. When I was on the pole I set the car up to run 100 laps out front and I think the change we made tonight really helped in passing cars. It may have hurt a little later in the race, but we never really got to that point, the car still seemed pretty good.With the imminent weather approaching, Hirschman had one eye on the track and one eye in the sky.“My Father (Tony) was spotting and we were watching it,” explained Hirschman as he spoke regarding his decision whether to pit or not. “It just depends on track position and what you are going to gain or give up. Leading the race, I had no intention of pitting, even if I was second or third, I probably wouldn't have pitted. If I was running in the back of the pack I would have probably pitted, but we don't have weather in our pit and we thought it would go all 100 laps, when it did rain it caught me off guard a little. The race ended up a couple of laps short, but we definitely earned it tonight.” For Hirschman, the victory was his seventh overall of the season, including wins at Mountain Speedway, which surpassed the six he claimed a year ago “We're about as high as you can get right now, it's been an incredible roll,” smiled Hirschman. “We've got a lot of racing to do in August and we'll have to see what happens there, but our goal is to just keep rolling.” Paules chased Hirschman to the checkers, but the former RoC champion was pretty happy with his performance, although he would have liked to finish higher. “Coming from deep in the heat and drawing the pole tonight was our key for the day,” Paules began. “Matt surprised me that he went by that quickly, that early, but I didn't have anything for him. He was going to pass me sooner or later, I knew it was coming. If he would have pitted we would have followed, but he stayed out, so we did the same thing. Second was a good run, we'll take it. Paules has been running a dirt Sportsman at some RoC dirt races and enjoying himself of late. “It's fun racing on both surfaces, the Race of Champions series are where its at,” laughed Paules. “The dirt is challenging and I think we'll be running the Race of Champions series the rest of the year.” Pete Brittain turned in a strong performance aboard the Ling Trucking Troyer machine, but he wasn't thrilled with third following the race. “You're never happy with a third, but it was a good run for tonight,” stated the defending RoC Tour champion and current point leader Pete Brittain, who started fourth. “Matt (Hirschman) won the race on the first lap after I hesitated and went to the bottom and he went to the outside and that was the winning move. I think the top three cars were pretty much equal all night long, but I'm wanted to win. You always want to win.” Hirschman, Brittain, Billy Putney, and Steven Reed won the qualifying races with Rusty Smith capturing the B-Main.

July 16 - Seekonk Speedway - 10 k to win - Winner

When the 24 car field rolled out for the 4th Annual Viveiros Insurance Modified Madness, it was Matt Hirschman and Bobby Grigas III sitting on the front row. In a race that saw only 3 cautions, it wasn’t enough to slow Matt from putting his name in the record books as the fourth driver to pick up the $10,000 grand prize. When the green flag dropped, Matt took command, and let the rest of the field fight for second. And fight they did. Grigas held on for second for several laps, until the Viveiros Insurance sponsored Chevy of Dick Houlihan jumped into second by lap 10. Ryan Preece had worked himself into third by that point, and was putting pressure on Houly.

The first caution came out on lap 14, when Eric Beers spun his Cape Cod Aggregates Chevy in turn 2. John Fortin’s SGS Stoneworks machine broke, and needed assistance as well. Dave Berghman had moved his Hub Construction 82 into fourth, with Grigas fifth. Chuck Hossfeld, Ed Dachenhausen, Ted Christopher, Rob Summers, and Jimmy Blewett made out the top ten. After a false restart, the field was back underway. Hirschman continued to set the pace in the Furnace and Duct Corvette, but behind him, positions were up for grabs. Ryan Preece used an inside move on Houlihan and put the Reynolds Auto Wrecking 3 into second, and began to pressure the leader.

By lap 25, Berghman was running third, with Houly and Hossfeld the top five. One driver on the move was reigning True Value Modified Champion Kirk Alexander, as the Gary’s Best 43 was passing cars wholesale style. Between laps 25 and 30, he moved up 6 positions on the outside, and wasn’t done yet. He cleared the Triple G Scaffolding mount of Grigas, but had almost a full straightaway of distance ahead to the Jerry Gradl Motors 22 of Hossfeld.

At the halfway point, the top six remained unchanged, while Dachenhausen, McKennedy, Les Hinckley, and Grigas rounded out the top ten. The gap between Hossfeld and Alexander had shrunk to a couple of car lengths at this point, and by lap 55, there was a new fourth place runner. Hirschman was started to close in on the tail end of the field, and the drivers behind him knew then had to start making a move. About this time, Berghman started to flex some muscle, and he looked to the outside of Preece, trying to pick up second. As the leaders ran through heavy lapped traffic, they were jockeying for position, trying to use the lapped cars as picks. Lap 67 saw the second yellow of the event when Carl Pasteryak spun his Bill Dawley’s Collision Center Pontiac just in front of the leaders. Everyone was able to make it through unscathed.

As the field completed lap 70, Dave Berghman and Ryan Preece made contact, sending Preece around. Berghman was sent to the rear for the contact. This moved Houlihan back into second. Hossfeld was third, with Alexander and McKennedy now rounding out the top 5. Rob Summers, Eric Beers, Jimmy Kuhn, Ken Bouchard and Vinny Annarummo now rounded out the top ten.

Rob Summers started to show he was here for the money, as the outside lane became his friend. Working the second groove, the Frasco Oil machine quickly found his way into the top 4 by lap 73. After holding off Alexander for several laps, lap 80 saw him lose the back end of the car for just a bit. With a great save, he lost only one position to Alexander. The handles started to go away, and Summers faded out of the top 5. Jon McKennedy had worked his way into fourth by lap 88, but over the last 10 laps, the Power Mist Racing Fuels 73 fell back into fifth.

In the end, Matt Hirschman, fresh off his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Series win just 4 days prior, showed the kind of groove he has gotten into, as he drove under the checkered flag $10,000 richer. Dick Houlihan finished second, while Chuck Hossfeld was third. Alexander and McKennedy rounded out the top 5. Summers, Bouchard, Christopher, Grigas and Beers rounded out the top ten.

“This is a great win for the car owner, Wayne Darling.” said Hirschman, after taking his victory lap. “This is his home track. It’s been a great week for me. $10,000 to win is awesome. I got a good pick, and was able to use it to my advantage. Two years ago, I didn’t qualify for this race. Last year I started last and finished second, so I know haw much qualifying means. I had a car to win this year, and we were able to do it. Thanks to Viveiros insurance for putting this race on.”

Matt Hirschman, Northampton PA
Disk Houlihan, Bridgewater MA
Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville NY
Kirk Alexander, West Swanzey NH
Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford MA
Rob Summers, Manchester NH
Ken Bouchard, Fitchburg MA
Ted Christopher, Plainville CT
Bobby Grigas III, Marshfield MA
Eric Beers, Northampton PA
Les Hinckley, Winsdor Locks CT
Jimmy Kuhn Jr, Bridgewater MA
Ed Dachenhausen, Danbury CT
Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon CT
Ryan Preece, Kensington CT
Dan Sammons, Hamilton, NJ
Ken Spencer, Taunton MA
Mike Andrews, Bohemia NY
Andy Suess, Hampstead NH
Vinny Annarummo, Swansea MA
Dave Berghman, Seekonk MA
Jimmy Blewett, Howell NJ
Rowan Pennick, Huntington PA
John Fortin, Holtsville NY

From Speed 51

The fourth annual Viveiros Insurance Open Wheel Wednesday Modified Race, at Seekonk Speedway (MA), was won by Matt Hirschman. The young driver started the race on the pole and led the race for all 100 laps. After the race, he couldn't hide his excitement. “I am ecstatic,” said Hirschman. “To get a win here and for it to pay $10,000 sure is nice.” Although the track is a few states away form his own Pennsylvania home, the Seekonk tracks has some pretty strong ties to the #59 team “This is a great win for the car owner, Wayne Darling.” said Hirschman, after taking his victory lap. “This is his home track. It's been a great week for me. $10,000 to win is awesome. I got a good pick (for his heat race), and was able to use it to my advantage.”This is the third year that Hirschman had been participating in the Open Modified Race and each year he has improved“Two years ago, I didn't qualify for this race. Last year, I started last and made it all the way up to second, so I know how much qualifying means. This year qualifying well and starting up front made it a lot easier.” Hirschman won his heat race and went forward from there to dominate the race feature. “I had a car to win this year. The car was setup good and we were able to do it. I was running as hard as I could. Thanks go to Viveiros Insurance for putting this race on.“I am just happy to get a win for this team. I have raced with this team for three years and over three years for the other one (NWMT #59 team). And when you don't win a race for the teams and then when a race for both of them within a week. It has been a great week. Unbelievable! “The car was great. I ran a pace as hard as I could run. The car was perfectly under me the whole time. That is all that you could ask for.” By the tenth lap Dick Houlihan had jumped into second and he stayed there behind Hirschman for the rest of the race.“First off, I want to congratulate Matt Hirschman. He did an awesome job and he ran me very clean,” said Houlihan from victory lane. On the last restart I was on the outside and I knew that I did not have anything. I was just way too tight by then and he had a pretty good car. He preserved his car just enough. He would have had to make a big mistake. He was going that good.”With only three cautions in the 100 laps of racing, the green laps of racing may have hurt those chasing the leaderIn a way it kind of worked out for me. Probably if my car was a little better I would have wanted some cautions because I would have been able to get something done. But the way that it actually worked out I was tight and it kind of split the field out enough that I could hold my own and ride at a certain speed without hurting the car any worst then it was.”Chuck Hossfeld had a podium finish at Seekonk after a strong and clean race run. “Dick Houlihan is a friend of mine and a good racer. I did everything that I could to try to get by him. I did everything but spin him. He did what he had to do and I am glad he could run well for his sponsor. Hossfeld started out the race in fourth but dropped back in the pack as his car tightened. We started out of here snug. We had a long green flag run and we needed that caution that came out.n lap 70, the last race caution came out and put a break in the long run of green laps. It also cooled off some tires and may have changed the race outcome. That helped us big time“, said Hossfeld about the race change. “It let the front tires cool and we were able to regain some momentum. If I could have gotten by Houli I could have maybe run with MattIn the end Hossfeld wished he raced against Hirschman for the win but he had to settle for running with Houlihan“You do not know if he (Matt) had anything in the bank, if he was saving anything. We were definitely faster than Houli. I like Houli and we ran him as clean as we could. He did a good job. He protected the track like he had to and we wound up third. My car is in one piece and I can go home and polish it or whatever

July 12 - Spencer Speedway - WMT - First NASCAR MODIFIED TOUR WIN

From Speed 51

MATT HIRSCHMAN GETS TO VICTORY LANE AT SPENCER
- HIRSCHMAN WINS NEW FORMAT RACE, JOINS FATHER-SON WINNERS ON NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR -

Williamson, N.Y. – (July 12, 2007) – Matt Hirschman has a pretty good record in asphalt modified racing. He’s an Race of Champions Tour champion, he’s won everywhere in his RoC car, including a couple of big victories the North/South Shootout in Concord, N.C., and he’s been dominant at Mountain Speedway near his Northampton home in Pennsylvania, but a win on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, considered the premier asphalt modified tour by many, has eluded him.
That all changed this past Saturday night when Hirschman found himself in victory lane after a dominating victory in the Tour’s first stop at the Rochester speed plant since Mike Ewanitsko drove Art Barry’s machine to victory lane in 1994.
“The tracks in Western New and Central New York have been very good to me,” smiled Hirschman from victory lane.
Hirschman joined his Father, Tony, as the third Father and son duo to have won NASCAR Modified Tour races. The other two are John Blewett, Jr., and John Blewett, III, along with Steve and Bob Park.
In the end Hirschman had to battle back Chuck Hossfeld, Mike Stefanik and ultimately Ronnie Silk, but he was able to drive to victory lane for the first time in his career.
“This is a big night for us,” offered Hirschman as he received the accolades of his victory and congratulatory offerings from his family and teammates. “We had a good car tonight. Ed Bennett and all of the guys worked very hard to make this happen and we’re finally here. It’s very rewarding.”
Hirschman has won several DART Race of Champions Asphalt Tour events as well as several special events, but the NASCAR victory had eluded him until Saturday night, when he wrestled the lead away from Chuck Hossfeld on the 19th circuit with a bold outside move on a restart and then held off Stefanik, who was credited with leading lap 89. Hossfeld and Hirschman did swap the lead on a couple of mid-race restarts, but Hirschman held the dominate car.
“Everyone has asked me when I’m going to win a Tour race and I finally don’t have to answer that question anymore and that feels very good,” Hirschman added. “It’s been a long time coming and I would have liked to win sooner, but winning here at Spencer suits me just fine and I hope we don’t have as a long of a spell for the next one.”
The fireworks began early in the 100-lap grind, in fact before one lap was completed. Jan Leaty, who won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, and started the race, fifth slammed the outside retaining wall in turn four in a scary fashion. Leaty was okay, but his night was over and it set the tone for the event as the yellow flag was displayed on nine occasions placing the field at a reduced pace for 40 laps of the event.
Probably the most controversial incident of the night came on lap 89 when Ronnie Silk got up under second place running and hard charging Mike Stefanik and the two made contact. Stefanik spun around and caused several cars to be collected, while Silk motored on to second. Stefanik recovered without damage and finished fifth.
Over the last couple of laps Hirschman drew away from Silk in the short green flag run to the checkers, while Chuck Hossfeld came home third. Jimmy Blewett and Stefanik rounded out the top-five. Hossfeld and Hirschman split the 25-lap qualifying races, while Jan Leaty set fast time.
The next event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is the Miller Lite 140 at the Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, Long Island, New York on August 2nd.

Little Hirschy Stands Tall Under Big Pressure

Matt Hirschman is a pretty cool customer. He’s grown up around modified racing, so many of us take him for granted, but he truly knows how to get the job done. He served as a co-crew chief for his Father in championship seasons, he spotted for races before he was old enough to get in the pits, he has been an observant preserver of the sport since birth and Saturday night his talent was obvious.
Most folks did think Hirschman had an advantage at Spencer, but the truth of the matter was, that he had only raced there once prior to Saturday, when he finished third in the RoC event last season, behind Jan Leaty and Eric Beers.
“I knew we had a good car and we did a good job of dialing it in during practice, the guys really hit it,” offered Hirschman. “But with Chuck (Hossfeld) on the pole and his experience there and recent success with that team, I thought it might be an easy night for him. We got a good run on him as soon as the green flag dropped and from that point on those thoughts went away, it was kind of like ‘game on’.”
After Hossfeld faded Mike Stefanik and Ronnie Silk were able to run second and try to run down Hirschman’s Ed Bennett 59, but it was to no avail, however, Hirschman was inquiring.
“I can’t say I was worried about one guy more then the other, but I kept asking the crew who was doing what and if they had anything for us. It really wasn’t a factor of who was back there, but how strong their cars were?”
Following the checkered flags, you could sense the relief in the air for Hirschman, he had finally silenced his critics and for the first time in 45 starts pulled into victory lane.
“It was good, I felt good and super excited and I was honestly pretty relieved too,” Hirschman smiled and reflected. “The fact that I hadn’t won a tour race weighed in my mind, it bothered me and I was glad to get it over with. They say winning the first one is the hardest and I believe that now. I didn’t think it would take this long because we’ve run good and qualified at the front and been very competitive. The relief part is good and it will silence those critics who say I haven’t won a tour race and remember, this is just the first one, there is plenty more that I want to do and plenty more that I want to win.”
One of the first folks to victory lane was Matt’s Mother, Brenda and his Father, Tony, wasn’t too far behind. For Matt, that helped to make things that much more worthwhile.
“My Mother and Father support me in everything I do,” related Hirschman. “And having them here for tonight made things pretty special. My Mother is very excited and I am proud to join my Dad as a winner on this series, even though I’ve got a long way to go if I want to catch up to him.”
Tony Hirschman is five-time series champion and currently sits third on the all-time victory list with 35. The eldest Hirschman, currently has not run a Tour race this season. In fact, his last race was last year in the season ender at Thompson for the Kehley’s. Currently they still have one car and recently Tony Hirschman took it to a Key Materials location for an appearance, but as of right now there is no racing in site for him.

SILK AND STEFANIK

At the Tour’s last visit to the Stafford Motor Speedway seven-time series champion Mike Stefanik got into the back of Ronnie Silk, who drives the Hill Enterprises entry. At Spencer, the roles were reversed, when Silk turned Stefanik on a late race restart. Stefanik recovered to finish fifth while Silk ran to second.
“I kind of got pushed in down there,” stated Silk regarding his contact with Stefanik in his post race interview. “We had a good car tonight and this finish shows it, because I’ve never been here before.”
Stefanik obviously had a different view of it and was visibly upset during the cool down lap when he pulled up next to Silk in turn four, but after cooling down he had this to say.
“We had a good car tonight. I think I got the right rear a little hot chasing Matty down. But it’s the racing game and we got a fifth,” related Stefanik without saying as much of a word about the incident.
You could however sense that Stefanik wasn’t very happy and race fans should probably keep an eye on this battle. It could get interesting.

NEW FORMATS ARE FOR COMPUTER DISKS NOT RACES…

The Spencer Speedway race was a version of the not well received ‘Flash’ races of 2007, with a purse reduction. Teams were put through a multi-car time trial format as well as 25-lap heat races in addition to the 100-lap feature, in which only 60 laps were run under green flag conditions. There are several ways to look at the race, in both a positive light and a negative light, but perhaps, the race winner put it into a great perspective. In the coming weeks, much will be said about the facility, the purse, etc…, but Matt Hirschman had this to say.
“I think people get spoiled by Thompson and Stafford,” stated Hirschman. “Those racetracks are first class facilities, that this series has helped build up, but I wouldn’t say I feel more privileged racing at those tracks as opposed to Spencer. A race track is a race track and the modifieds are able to put on a good show whether racing on a quarter mile or a mile and everything in between, so I wouldn’t put one track in front of the other, plus looking at the win, I still beat everyone that runs this series on a regular basis and that makes the win so gratifying.”
Hirschman followed up with some thoughts on the format and where he thought changes could be made.
“The challenge is that, it’s probably what Spencer could afford,” Hirschman said regarding Spencer’s purse. “But the thing we need to look at is that with the race, we actually increased our cost, when we should have focused on reducing those costs. There was some added cost to the tire expense for this type of race and then adding additional races and more time on the track with other cars adds risk to damaging your equipment. Most often heat races aren’t 25 laps, I know because I run a lot of races that have heat races, plus they don’t have 16 or 17 cars, they have 8 or 9 cars. It’s just that we need to look at this from the cost perspective and NASCAR needs to look at ways of cutting that expense when it comes to a situation like this.”
Hirschman continued, “I certainly don’t take anything away from the speedway or the fact that we won with this format, but the purse was significantly less and the format that was presented actually cost us more. I just feel the entire approach needs to be changed and all of the elements need to be addressed.”
The multiple car time trials (the first ever at a NASCAR oval for the division, it is common in road course events) set the lineups for the two 25-lap qualifying races that established the inside and outside rows of the feature lineup. The show, although it got done, never seemingly was on time and it was a severely condensed scheduled. The teams racing were given only 25 less laps to compete on the night and the cost of traveling to and from the race because of the length from the team base placed a premium on travel plans.
The next event on the schedule at Riverhead Raceway is similar, with a purse that is paying less to win then Spencer, but it is just as challenging for the teams to travel to Long Island as anywhere else and due to the high price of things on Long Island it could cause some strain on several teams.

Car Count and Locals…

31 teams made the tow to the Rochester oval with Buck Catalano, Wilbur Hebing, Jan Leaty and Mike Leaty were the local cars making the event. Erik Rudolph raced in the event, but has run three Tour events prior to Spencer in 2008. Hebing scored the best finish of the evening for the locals as he came home 20th.
Young Rudolph, who is ultra-talented (he won two features, the SST and Modified at Lancaster on a recent Saturday night) was penalized during his qualifying race for jumping the start with a pass through penalty and it essentially ruined his night after a very strong time trial session. The most notable absentees were Curt Chase and the Pasteryak’s who did not bring their cars to compete.

BOX SCORE – STAFFORD SPRINGS, CONN., -
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Mason Farms 100 Results Saturday At Spencer Speedway Williamson, NY Lap length: 0.5 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (2) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 100 laps, 45.374 mph, $3,700.
2. (8) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Pontiac, 100, $2,200.
3. (1) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Dodge, 100, $1,900.
4. (10) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 100, $1,650.
5. (4) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 100, $1,550.
6. (19) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, $2,050.
7. (23) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 100, $1,350.
8. (29) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $2,050.
9. (25) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 100, $1,050.
10. (9) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, $1,200.
11. (18) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Dodge, 100, $1,150.
12. (13) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 100, $1,025.
13. (24) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100, $925.
14. (22) Joe Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100, $875.
15. (30) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $630.
16. (17) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $800.
17. (3) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 99, $775.
18. (28) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 99, $725.
19. (6) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 90, suspension, $700.
20. (27) Bill Hebing, Ontario, N.Y., Chevrolet, 89, accident, $475.
21. (21) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 89, $425.
22. (26) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, Conn., Chevrolet, 83, $600.
23. (15) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 67, steering, $575.
24. (31) Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 63, clutch, $325.
25. (12) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 62, accident, $500.
26. (20) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 61, $500.
27. (7) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 36, accident, $500.
28. (16) Jim Storace, Kingston, N.H., Pontiac, 24, accident, $300.
29. (11) Mike Leaty, Williamson, N.Y., Chevrolet, 14, accident, $300.
30. (14) Buck Catalano, Ontario, N.Y., Chevrolet, 12, accident, $300.
31. (5) Jan Leaty, Williamson, N.Y., Pontiac, 0, accident, $900.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 6 minutes 7 seconds Margin of Victory: 0.782 seconds Fastest Qualifier: J.Leaty (94.251 mph, 19.098 seconds) Caution Flags: 9 for 40 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C.Hossfeld 1-18; M.Hirschman 19-39; C.Hossfeld 40; M.Hirschman 41-59; C.Hossfeld 60; M.Hirschman 61-88; M.Stefanik 89; M.Hirschman 90-100.
Standings: 1. C.Hossfeld, 1020; 2. T.Christopher, 925; 3. T.Szegedy, 896; 4. M.Hirschman, 823; 5. E.Beers, 797; 6. M.Stefanik, 789; 7. E.Flemke,Jr., 777; 8. R.Pennink, 766; 9.
R.Silk, 751; 10. R.Preece, 692

July 5 - Mountain Speedway - PA Mod Series - 6th place

Rough night at Mountain still has Matt bringing home a 6th place finish. . . .

With a full capacity crowd and a jam-packed pit area, Round no. 4 of the PA Asphalt Modified Champion Series kicked off Saturday evening at Mountain Speedway. Earl Paules held off Rusty Smith throughout the last lap to notch his first win of the year in the series. Mike Sweeney notched his second late model win of the season and Paul Morgan, Jr. visited victory lane for the very first time in the thriller division. Two drivers backed into victory lane after post race tech inspection- Zane Zeiner was awarded the sport modified win, as was Jeff Biegley in the four cyl. FWD division. The evening was capped off with a gigantic fireworks display, in celebration of Independence Day. Twenty-six full-blown modifieds competed in heat races, where the top five finishers automatically qualified for PA Asphalt Modified Championship Series 75-lap main event. Harry Buchman, Brian DeFebo and Zane Zeiner notched heat race wins and Matt Hirschman picked up the consi victory.
A redraw for the top nine starting spots took place during intermission and Andy Walko picked the pole. Walko led the 20-car field to the drop of the green and only two laps passed by and DeFebo took command. Walko dropped to the second spot with Steve Reed, Zeiner and Earl Paules making up the top five. The second of ten cautions flew on lap fourteen when Todd Baer got into Zeiner on the front stretch. Others who were in the top ten were collected in the melee, including Billy Weichert and Hirschman. Hirschman’s car was torn up and after quick crew work he rejoined the field for the restart. DeFebo remained out front after the restart. Quietly, Paules began to move through the field and on lap twenty-four he grabbed second from Reed. Rusty Smith held fourth followed by John Markovic. A lap forty-five yellow waved when Weichert, Johnny Bush and Zeiner collected in turn one. All of the drivers were able to continue and Rusty Smith gave up the fourth position and headed into the pit area. He rejoined the tail end of the field for the restart. Hirschman began to a charge back to the front of the pack. With only twenty-five laps remaining, he shot by both Markovic and Reed to take third. DeFebo remained out front over the next forty-four circuits, but that changed on lap sixty-one when the three-time modified track champion was forced to chase his car up the hill in turn two. Paules went to the bottom and took the lead. While running third, Hirschman’s car slowed, and then came to a stop to bring out the lap sixty-one caution. The exchange forced him to restart deep in the field with less than fifteen laps remaining. After pitting earlier, Smith jumped to the outside and began to blister off laps. He worked around DeFebo and into the second spot with seven laps remaining. Over the last two laps, Smith closed a ten-car gap that separated the two, but ran out of time and settled for second. After leading many laps earlier, DeFebo finished third, followed by Markovic and Zeiner. Paules received a trophy in victory lane, which was courtesy of Babula Racing and in memory of Dave Babula. Before his passing, Dave was the crew chief of the #37 super stock, driven by his brother Ron. “I knew Rusty was coming, and Brian (DeFebo) was strong earlier”, said Paules in victory lane. “It’s good racing with these guys”, said Paules as he began to head for the pits to get ready for the late model feature. For Smith, his worst finish at the speedway this season is second. Once again, Smith seemed content with the position after pitting for a tire with thirty laps remaining. “We were loose for some reason tonight”, he said. “We decided to roll the dice and put a different tire on and it worked out for us”. “Obviously if we had done that earlier, we might be sitting over there”, in victory lane. “I used my tires up a little too much in the beginning”, said DeFebo after finishing third. Lady luck hasn’t exactly shine upon DeFebo in the extra distance events so far this season, and now he hopes that is all behind him. “You take the good with the bad, what can you do”, he said. By: Gene Ostrowski July 5, 2008

Modifieds (75-laps) 1. EARL PAULES 2. Rusty Smith 3. Brian DeFebo 4. John Markovic 5. Zane Zeiner 6. Matt Hirschman 7. Andy Walko 8. Justin Gumley 9. Steven Reed 10. Todd Baer 11. Amber Levandowski 12. Nevin George 13. Billy Weichert 14. Ron Smith 15. Billy Pauch Jr 16. Matt Clemens 17.Johnny Bush 18. Dave Bellis 19. Kyle Ebersole 20.Harry Buchman DNQ: Barry Callavini, Paul Skodachek, Steve Tooker, Geary Rinehimer, Buddy Miller DQ: JR Swansboro

July 4 - Mahoning Speedway - 100 laps - Rain

June 28 - All Star Speedway - Win

Matt Hirschman Flips the Switch for All-Star Mod Win by Matt Kentfield

From Wide-Open NHMS to All-Star Bullring, Hirschman Gets It Done

“I knew we had a good car,” added Hirschman. “We practiced last night and it was good. But when you’re starting in a group when you’ve got (Jon) McKennedy, who runs great here, next to you and Teddy (Christopher) one row behind you, you’ve got to go. You can’t fool around. It’s 50 laps, but it’s a Saturday night shootout. You’ve got to get it done.“The car just hooked up great at the start. I let those guys sit and I was just trying to get them as quick as I could, but I got up to first or second and my dad got on the radio and said, ‘You left those guys sitting.’ That’s when I knew I was tearing through the field pretty good. We ended up passing nine cars in like 10 laps, so the car was pretty good.” It was like Tom Brady leaving the Super Bowl and going to play in an Arena Football League game, but still having a 300-pound NFL linebacker in his mug. It was like Manny Ramirez swinging at a 100-mph fastball from Randy Johnson in a Little League ballpark. Matt Hirschman battled with the best of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the showcase track for the open-wheeled groundpounders with long straightaways full of chrome horn bump-drafting. Then, after finishing 13th at NHMS, Hirschman flipped the switch from taking on a wide-open big track at the NHMS mile to becoming crafty short track warrior. The transition seemed seamless for the young Pennsylvania driver at All-Star Speedway in Epping, NH Saturday night, as Hirschman made quick work of the field after starting 10th to earn the victory in the $2500-to-win 50-lap All-Star Modified feature. “I think I take to these kinds of places and I love this place,” said Hirschman. “I won the first-ever time I came here last year. You could’ve probably run me at Daytona earlier today and then put me out here and I probably would’ve done just as good. I feel at home at places like this.

“Plus, I probably had a little bit of built-up frustration in me because we didn’t run as good as we wanted to at New Hampshire. Last year, we finished fourth, but this year we weren’t nowhere near as good and finished 12th. We were between an eighth and 10th-place car all day. I’m not getting down on anybody or myself, but I wanted to perform better than that. Coming over here, I just had a little frustration built-up and I used that in the first few laps.” Hirschman started deep in the field of All-Star regulars as well as several competitors from the True Value Modified Racing Series and fellow WMT invader Ted Christopher, who finished second at NHMS earlier in the day. Hirschman wasted little time in getting to the front of the field, however, running as wide-open as a tight bullring like All-Star would allow. Hirschman used the high road to make his way towards the front of the All-Star field. Once out front, Hirschman was on cruise control for the majority of the event. As contenders came and went, Hirschman stayed about eight car lengths ahead of any adversaries. But, several late-race cautions kept track favorite Louie Mechalides close.

With just five laps remaining, Mechalides had a shot at Hirschman on the outside groove on a restart. Hirschman slammed the gas off the fourth turn coming to the green, leaving Mechalides sitting still. Just when Hirschman appeared to have an easy win in his grasp after that restart, the yellow flew once again just a lap later, giving Mechalides another chance at victory. This time, however, Mechalides stayed even with Hirschman, but with the preferred lane, Hirschman wound up pulling ahead and holding off Mechalides and Mike Murphy at the line. “That was a killer restart,” said Hirschman of his second-to-last restart. “You’ve got to try different things. That one we killed him on, but on other ones he kept up pretty good like on the last one. He knew what to expect on that last one. He was pretty stout, but so was I.” Mechalides gave Hirschman a run for his $2,500 winner’s purse, but it was only good enough for second this night.

“He was going really good and I could hang with him for a couple of laps, but then he could just pull away. That’s all I had,” said Mechalides. “On that second-to-last restart, I was trying to go with him and the guy behind me ran into me and knocked it out of gear. On that last restart I stuck with him pretty good, but staying with him and passing him are two different things. He’s got a fast car.” Murphy came home third, getting into a brief war of words with Mechalides’ team about the late-race restart contact as the top-three finishers assembled on the front stretch for victory lane ceremonies. Josh Cantara and Jacob Dore rounded out the top-five

June 28 - New Hampshire - Lineup set by Points - Finish 12

PAVEMENT NOTES: 6/28/08 by Walt Stubbs

Now I remember why I fell in love with the modified division. Boy, how things can change from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day and week to week. Just last week, as I was driving back home to Jersey in the early morning hours from the just concluded Tour race at Thompson, I found myself talking to myself and asking the question why I even bothered to make the trip up I95 to Connecticut to watch a caution marred race. It wasn't just that 75 lap disaster, but it seemed that most of the modified Tour races that I had attended lately had become nothing more than a picture of yellow, with all the caution flags flown. And to be honest, without a good race to see, what's the point in even going? I can assure you, it's not because I want to deal with the traffic, tolls and out of whack gas prices, that's for sure.

Things, though, can change in a nano second, or in the case this past Saturday afternoon, .001 seconds. That's all that separated second place finisher Ted Christopher and winner Chuck Hossfeld as they crossed the stripe at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the New England 100 Whelen Modified Tour race. And it wasn't just the last lap that had the fans on their seats. That's what can happen when you ONLY see four cautions for a total of 20 laps. It's racing the way it oughta be, and to be fair, is mostly the norm when the modifieds come to Loudon. Six drivers all had a shot at winning, with Christopher appearing to have the best shot. TC had led the most laps, and had managed to hold off Hossfeld each and every time that Hossfeld had taken the lead from him going into turn one. However, getting out of the turn was a different story as Christopher had more than enough car to pull away coming out of turn two. Hossfeld even acknowledged as much, and knew he had to do something different on the last lap. "I think you guys have watched Teddy long enough to know that he is a hard racer and he wasn't going to let me win easily. I tried to use some patience because I figured if we were side by side lap after lap it was going to be a six or seven car race rather than a two car race. Teddy's car was tight so I was able to watch that and make a couple of moves on him, but like I said, he's a hard nosed racer and he was able to keep coming back. I'm not the smartest driver out there but when I kept passing him (Christopher) in one and two and then he'd get me back in three and four; I pretty much knew that wasn't going to work for the last lap. I kind of set him up. What's good about restrictor plate racing is that he was able to make that run back on us on the outside and luckily we kind of held him off. I thought about squeezing him and I tried to do it clean and it worked out great."

Christopher, who now has had to settle for consecutive runner up finishes despite, some would argue, of being the car to beat in both races, blamed himself on his finish this time around. "We really had a good car. It's really kind of funny because we're usually the ones who pit for tires and this time it was everybody else pitting but us. The car was that good. I was able to lead and any time anybody got by me, it was when they would dive bomb in there and take my lane away but then I'd pass them right back. I really made a mistake myself there on the last lap and that's how it goes sometimes. Sometimes you take the right lane and sometimes you take the wrong one. I just didn't keep my momentum," said Christopher.

Right behind Hossfeld and Christopher, waging their own battle were Todd Szegedy, Ed Flemke, Eric Beers and Reggie Ruggiero. Going into the final turn, Flemke got into Szegedy, sending Szegedy high into the fourth turn wall, where he stuck to the wall and rode across the finish line seventh, losing four spots in the process. Flemke was apologetic afterward towards Szegedy. "My car was a little bit too tight. In the last lap, I drove down into the bottom and it wouldn't stay there and I got into Todd a little bit, we rubbed and sent him back a little bit. I feel bad about that because Todd's one of the few guys that you can race and not expect to be banged around. But it's the last lap, and you're getting pushed and shoved, you gotta either get in or get out and today we got in."

For Szegedy, a sure top five finish was taken away. "I would have had third wrapped up but I didn't have anything for Teddy or Chuck. I was just a little too tight coming up off the turn and couldn't get the run coming off. I couldn't close up so I was satisfied with finishing third when we got banged in to. I didn't even know he (Flemke) was there. I knew the 46 (Beers) was behind me and then he came out of nowhere. I got hit so hard it just shot me up into the wall. Once I hit the wall, I just floored it so I wouldn't lose anymore speed and rode the wall through three and four and to the finish," said Szegedy.

While Flemke was not penalized for the incident, this is not to say that the new NASCAR Modified regime, headed by Chad Little, has gotten more lenient after it handed down three penalties the week before at Thompson for what they termed "aggressive or stupid driving." Eric Beers found that out the hard way after he was penalized at New Hampshire for going too fast off of pit road. The mistake cost Beers around 21 spots on the ensuing restart as he had to go back to the longest line. As a result, Beers had to use up most of his car to get back to where he was for much of the afternoon, which was in the front. He wound up fourth, which could have been much better. Even so, he did not fault NASCAR for the call, only himself and actually gave credit to NASCAR for toughening up on the competitors . "It was all my fault. We pulled out of the pits there and I thought the end of pit row was the end of the pit wall and it was the pit cone, which was another ten feet. I guess I picked up the gas a little early. I think it's a good thing that they are making calls and they are penalizing people for being over aggressive. It's going to help people save equipment in the long run. If you're letting stuff go, and guys are putting people in the wall and nothing is being said, everybody else is seeing it and they're going to do it too. Now, you turn somebody around and they put you to the rear or hold you a lap or something, that's a big penalty. That's a positive because back when I started racing this series that's not how it was. People drove clean and then it got to a point where a lot of people started to get carried away, for whatever reason, and figured they could get away with stuff since nothing was being done so people were getting the wrong idea. I think it's coming back around to where it's going to be good, clean hard racing without tearing up a lot of cars."

Flemke is also a proponent of the goings on so far with NASCAR and its officiating. "If the roles were reversed, and Chad went out and Ed Cox (Former race director) came in . He has an opportunity to start clean. I think that is what he is doing. Chad's setting his base line with what he feels he has to because he's starting fresh. On one hand, Chad has one different perspective that Ed didn't have. He was a race car driver. I think I ruined his day when I admitted to him that I screwed up last week and got what I deserved. There was no question I should have been called on it and I was. I do think the new regime is doing a good job but I do believe the old one could have if it could have started all over again and that's the big key," said Flemke.

Even the modified car owners see the positives in the new regime. Bob Garbarino, who has seen many faces in the NASCAR community, sees things moving forward smoothly. "Every time there is change, there seems to be a resistance to change," said Garbarino. "I think it's going to be good. I certainly respect Ed Cox and I think he is a great guy who did a hell of a job. But after standing in front of the fan for 18 years, I respect his decision to do what he did. I think it's going to be a little different. There seems to be a lot more meetings, organization, and paper work and I'm not too crazy about that but maybe that will work its way off the table as they get more familiar with what's going on. I think Chad's going to do a good job. He's certainly approachable and you can talk to him by phone or what not. In this day and age you can get put off a lot but he's there to answer any questions I might have, which I like."

One driver who was concerned was Jamie Tomaino, who has made more starts than anyone on the Tour. Tomaino's concern has to do more with the direction the Tour could be headed. "The bottom line is that this Tour, though we have some wealthy guys, are still regular people. If I need something, they'll get me whatever I want. This isn't Sprint Cup or the Nationwide Series. It seems that they are trying to push this Tour in that direction and if that happens too much, you are going to see a demise in the series. I think Don Hoenig has already taken a stand, and without Thompson Speedway, there isn't a Tour," said Tomaino. Tomaino, by the way, will be honored as a former Tour Champion when the Tour heads to Spencer Speedway in two weeks.

NEW HAMPSHIRE NOTES: This weekend marked the first Cup weekend with Bruton Smith taking over the reigns from the Bahre family. This first thing getting used to is that the track is now referred to as New Hampshire Motor Speedway, not New Hampshire International Speedway. And, as with any Bruton Smith track, there was plans for some interesting pre and post race festivities. Unfortunately, the Elephant Race, which was to be a part of the pre race show, was cancelled due to last minute permit issues. Apparently pachyderm permits were required to move an elephant across state lines as well as some health certifications that were required. Oh well, maybe next time. As of early last week, it appeared that Kyle Busch would be running in the Tour event at New Hampshire in the JR Motorsports entry. However, Busch had a change of heart, supposedly not wanting to get in the way of the modifieds "Daytona." Anyway, a call Wednesday evening was made to Jeff Fuller in North Carolina and a deal was struck and Fuller made it up to New Hampshire on Thursday. Fuller last drove a modified six years ago but after taking his time in the early laps, Fuller wound up getting more comfortable and finished a very respectable ninth. "I know I had fun," said Fuller before heading to the airport to head back to Carolina. "It seems like the rest of the guys also had fun, which was the main thing. Honestly, I had my mind set that I was going to go the first 1/4 of the race just to get back in the mode because it had been six years since I last raced one of these cars. They are so fun to drive but so different. Somebody was busting me after the race telling me that I thought I was going to take it easy and then saying I made it three wide on the second lap. I don't remember that move but I guess I just threw that all out the window. I forgot as usual."

Jimmy Spencer was honored at New Hampshire as one of the past modified champions and once again had everyone in the media center in hysterics with some of the old stories of his battles in the mid 80's. Of course, I would have voted that he be honored at Spencer versus New Hampshire, considering his same last name and the fact that he raced at Spencer many times but I guess the economics of already being at Loudon factored in... Also good to see the Hard Charger himself, former modified driver Bruce D'Alessandro at Loudon. After "retiring" as a driver, Bruce Dell moved down south and now has been working at Joe Gibbs for the last six years. He only gets to travel to a few races with the team, which is just fine with him. He'd much rather stay back at the shop. But getting up to Loudon, not far from his home roots in Connecticut, wasn't a bad race to get to. Dell doesn't get to as many modified shows as he used to but tries to take in the show at Martinsville every year. Well, it's off to Spencer in two weeks for the first Tour race since the early 90's... Well, I was going to tell all of you who didn't have the opportunity to make it up to Loudon that you would get the chance to watch a re-broadcast of the race on Speed Channel. Unfortunately, that deal fell through, which for the life of me I can't understand based on the fact that you had THREE television networks at Loudon (Speed, ESPN and TNT) and you would think one of there crews could have at least taped the race. But once again, the best race of the weekend gets the shaft. It's not like the announcers and the like aren't aware of how good the modified races can be. I saw Dr. Jerry Punch, Brad Daugherty and some of the other ESPN announcers after Saturday's events at The Yard, a restaurant in Manchester (I recommend the Prime Rib) and asked Punch about the modifieds. And while he might have been just trying to be nice to me, based on my Modified Tour hat, he said he'd love to telecast the modifieds again. I wonder if that would have happened if Kyle Busch did decide to race in a modified? Also, I love the idea of going "green" to help with our societal issues, but is it really possible in a sport where gas is needed? The only suggestion I can think of for NASCAR would be to but the number of "green" laps it runs for some of its Cup races. And as we end this week's edition, we wonder whatever happened to Tim Mroka? And This Week's Quote of The Week comes from Ted Christopher, when asked how old he is, "I'm 50 but have a 28 year old wife." All news and views can reach me at 2 Constitution Court Unit 501 Hoboken, N.J. 07030


1. (1) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Dodge, 100 laps, 96.675 mph, $15,600.
2. (2) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $11,700.
3. (9) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $9,200.
4. (6) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 100, $6,700.
5. (29) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Ford, 100, $4,200.
6. (22) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, $3,550.
7. (3) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 100, $3,950.
8. (12) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $3,500.
9. (38) Jeff Fuller, Auburn, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, $3,750.
10. (15) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Pontiac, 100, $3,250.
11. (36) Brian Loftin, Lexington, N.C., Chevrolet, 100, $2,650.
12. (8) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 100, $3,050.
13. (21) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 100, $2,940.
14. (23) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., 100, $2,425.
15. (34) Rob Summers, Vernon, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $2,300.
16. (7) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 100, $2,775.
17. (11) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100, $2,650.
18. (35) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., 100, $2,225.
19. (37) L.W. Miller, Dushore, Pa., Pontiac, 100, $2,200.
20. (26) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 100, $2,443.
21. (24) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 100, $2,425.
22. (17) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100, $2,400.
23. (28) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 100, $1,850.
24. (18) Joe Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 99, $2,225.
25. (20) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 99, $2,200.
26. (4) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 98, $2,300.
27. (32) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Chevrolet, 98, $1,800.
28. (30) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 96, $1,800.
29. (5) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 79, overheating, $2,300.
30. (19) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Dodge, 56, carburetor, $2,200.
31. (10) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 54, rear end, $2,300.
32. (31) Dale Quarterly, Westfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 42, ignition, $1,800.
33. (33) Sean Patterson, Wading River, N.Y., Pontiac, 22, axle, $2,100.
34. (27) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Ford, 20, transmission, $2,200.
35. (25) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 12, accident, $2,200.
36. (13) Bobby Grigas, III, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 6, accident, $2,200.
37. (14) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 5, accident, $2,400.
38. (16) Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, Conn., Chevrolet, 5, accident, $2,200.
Race Statistics Time of Race: 1 hour 5 minutes 10 seconds Margin of Victory: .001 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: Field set per rule book, rain Caution Flags: 4 for 20 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 4 drivers. Lap Leaders: T.Christopher 1-23; T.Szegedy 24; T.Christopher 25; T.Szegedy 26; T.Christopher 27-29; T.Szegedy 30-32; T.Christopher 33-67; B.Santos 68; T.Christopher
69-99; C.Hossfeld 100. Standings: 1. C.Hossfeld, 855; 2. T.Christopher, 819; 3. T.Szegedy, 750; 4. E.Beers, 685; 5. E.Flemke,Jr., 662; 6. M.Hirschman, 643; 7. R.Pennink, 639; 8. M.Stefanik, 634; 9. R.Preece, 604; 10. J.Civali, 602

June 22 - Mahoning Speedway - 2

John Bennett Holds off Matt Hirschman for Third Mahoning Modified Win of ‘08

(LEHIGHTON, PA. 6-21-08) John Bennett was cruising along with no trouble until a late race caution pulled the field even with him. Over the final four laps he then faced all sorts of pressure from Matt Hirschman who was glued to his bumper. Bennett, from Lehighton, was steadfast and held on for his class leading third win of the year.Point leader Don Wagner nipped Todd Baer at the line for third while John Markovic rounded out the top five.Pole sitter Rick Kirkendall motored out the early lead with Bennett and Chip Santee hot on his tail. It took Bennett every bit of 16-laps to work around Kirkendall but once he did he began to check out. “The car was pretty good tonight. We got around Rick (Kirkendall) on the outside. He seemed to be struggling a little bit,” said Bennett, Mahoning’s all-time leader in feature wins. Meanwhile Kirkendall was in heavy congestion with Santee and Hirschman. There was some very intense three-abreast action unfolding amongst them with the risk of a miscue foreseeable. Unfortunately for Santee that’s just what happened. Running the high line in the three-wide battle, Santee got a nudge from behind and went into a spin exiting turn four. In the process he collected Steven Reed and Mike Quinn. When the action was back underway Bennett was still in control with Kirkendall and Hirschman in tow. Working the bottom groove to perfection, Hirschman pulled off a great inside pass on Kirkendall and then set his sights on Bennett. Bennett was way ahead when a caution waved four laps from the end. Over the remaining circuits he was able to maintain his stance and garner his 10th career Modified victory and 41st overall. “I didn’t really feel a whole lot of pressure. They told me Matt (Hirschman) was coming on towards the end but we held on,” said Bennett. “I was just trying to hold a steady pace I figured I could hold the whole time. “He didn’t put a bumper on me once. He didn’t give me any pressure and he raced me like a real gentleman and I appreciate that.” Despite Hirschman’s success across the region’s raceways, this marked his best finish at Mahoning Valley. “This was the best by far. 15th to second is quite a run here in 35-laps. We were right there with him (Bennett),” noted Hirschman. “I made some risky passes coming up through but I’m not going to make a pass like that and take a guy out leading the race. He earned his way to the front and if I couldn’t pass him clean then I wasn’t going to pass him at all. I’m sure it was exciting, it was for me.” He also feels confident heading into the Modified Firecracker 100 on July 4. “Now we have something for July 4 and the 100-lapper. I’ve struggled here the last two years and I’ve left here sometimes even feeling embarrassed. I run good everywhere but I haven’t run good here and it’s the closest track to home. We’ll be back on July 4th and we now got a race car that can win.”

Modifieds (35): 1.John Bennett 2.Matt Hirschman 3.Don Wagner 4.Todd Baer 5.John Markovic 6.Rick Kirkendall 7.Stacey Brown 8.Tom Flanagan 9.Rod Snyder, Jr. 10.Lou Strohl 11.Boby Jones 12.Gordon Neal 13.Keith Mullineaux 14.Paul Skodacek 15.Mike Quinn 16.Bup Dreher 17.Jarred Nace 18.Chip Santee 19.Steven Reed 20.Jason Bair DNQ: Rick Reichenbach, Matt Clemens

June 19 - Thompson Speedway - 7th

The 59 team overcame an incicdent on Lap 1 to finish in the top ten in 7th.

Silk Edges Christopher In Wreckfest

By SHAWN COURCHESNE
Courant Staff Writer
June 20, 2008

The Whelen Modified Tour showed off a new racing format at Thompson International Speedway on Thursday.

Instead of the normal 125-150 lap event, track owner Don Hoenig decided on a plan for a 75-lap race in which caution flags didn't count. The sprint format seemed to make the drivers more aggressive, which made the event more about dodging spinning cars than racing. In the end, Ron Silk of Norwalk came out of the wreckfest to win the New England Dodge Dealers 75. The race was slowed 13 times by cautions. Silk passed Ted Christ