2021
Matt Hirschman returns for a second week and repeats as Mahoning Valley Speedway winner on April 10
(April 10, 2021) Matt Hirschman took advantage of a rare weekend off from his usual traveling the region to more high profile events, instead returning to his home base of Mahoning Valley Speedway and in doing so was able to claim a second straight win in the process. Hirschman, who was fresh off of a thrilling Opening Day photo finish victory over Austin Beers in the Bill Teel Tribute, once again bested his fellow Northampton opponent only this time he would be the one in control rather than the week prior when he had to chase down leader. Hirschman drew the pole for the 35-lap contest and would stay out-front the entire distance for his seventh win in 11 starts this season. “We really only had the option of racing closer to home. It’s been a busy early season and the plan was to not race at all this weekend and prep for the upcoming races but we made a last minute decision and I’m glad we did,” said Hirschman, who picked up his 24th career win at Mahoning Valley and sixth in as many starts. “I think the longer the race went on we needed to improve a little on the handling. On a shorter run like today we were okay but I think if the race continued I feel we were going to struggle a little.” At the outset Hirschman jumped to the early lead over Nick Baer and Earl Paules. Paules then took second spot on lap six and was able to stay very close to the leader. Bobby Jones, who had raced up to third on lap seven, was also running strong and remaining nearby the front pair. The race was slowed for the first time on lap 13 when Kyle Strohl spun in Turn 3. Under that caution Paules was pulled to the side by officials to check for leaking and it was confirmed positive which then sent him pit-side. On the restart Jones took aim at Hirschman but the No. 60 again had the upper hand. By lap 21 Beers propelled into second spot and it was yet again a familiar scene playing out between the two Mud Lane racers – running one-two while battling for the win. Unlike the last week though when Beers led until the finish line and was overtaken by Hirschman, there would be no denying the Harry’s U-Pull-It No. 60 as he drove to a car length margin of victory. “We’re not use to racing here in daytime conditions and last week during the opener I don’t think was a true reading on the track and out next show for us planned is the (April 24) RoC here in two weeks and it’s again a day show,” said Hirschman. “I prefer the night shows and I think we have it dialed in but that’s why we’re here today to see if we can get a little bit better because I feel we need to for the 75-lap RoC race.” Jones took third with Brian DeFebo and Baer rounding out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (35-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Brian DeFebo, 5. Nick Baer, 6. Cody Kohler, 7. Terry Markovic, 8. Jesse Strohl, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Earl Paules
Hirschman over Beers in photo finish at Mahoning Valley Speedway season opener April 3
(April 3, 2021) You couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the season at Mahoning Valley Speedway with an incredible Modified finish that was decided by a whisker by two drivers who came from deep in the pack as 13th starting Matt Hirschman nipped Austin Beers, who drove to the lead from 16th on the grid, for the win in the opening round of the John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Bill Teel Tribute, equally exiting action in the support classes, a sun splashed afternoon and a five division program that was in the books in just a bit over four hours.
And, for Hirschman, he may have chocked another victory at the paved quarter mile oval – his fifth in a row and 23rd overall – but it was by far one of the most hard-earned yet. After a revenge draw, Hirschman used every bit of talent he had to execute his drive to victory as he was placed to the back after getting caught up in a lap seven dust up, then methodically picked his way back with savvy driving and the help of a sprinkling of cautions. Within the final half dozen laps he was able to move past Zane Zeiner and Jack Ely leaving only Beers to contend with which immediately began a fierce side-by-side duel.Beers would actually catch a break with three laps to go when a caution flew and the ensuing restart would go single file, however, Hirschman went right back at it and as the white flag waved it was a hard charging battle to the end. The pair where dead even as they rolled out of turn four and when they crossed the finish line it was determined that Hirschman was barely ahead to claim the verdict. “That was a hell of finish and I’ve been a part of some amazing last lap finishes this year and we keep coming out on top and it’s an awesome way to win a race but it also stinks to lose a race that way too,” expressed Hirschman. “The fans were certainly treated to a great finish whether they were cheering for us or Austin (Beers), they got a great race and at the end of the day that’s what you come to see,” he continued. “We actually got handicapped twice between the redraw and then getting spun near the start but you never give up and that’s always been my motto, never give up until the checkered flag falls.” The thrilling finish between Hirschman and Beers was only part of the story. At the outset Nevin George overtook pole sitter Ely for the early lead but then gave way to Zeiner after a lap-12 restart. Bobby Jones was then glued to Zeiner’s rear bumper with George just as close. Zeiner and Jones continued on one-two until Ely found a burst to get by Jones with 39 laps in and the next time around did the same to Zeiner. Following Ely was his teammate Beers who wasted little time in taking the DeLange Racing No. 45 to the front as the field recorded 43 laps. It was evident to both Beers and Ely that Hirschman was on their heels and they worked there best to keep him at bay. But after Hirschman passed Ely the stage was set to the thrilling run to the checkers.
“The laps where ticking off and once it got past 50 I was thinking ‘Man 14 laps and we’re in sixth spot and we have to do something quick.’ Then things started to open up and we made some good passes,” explained Hirschman.
“People may not like that we’re winning and our success but there isn’t one guy at this race track that can be mad about me today and the way I raced them and it was a good entertaining finish and you’re going to leave here talking about this finish for a long time.” For the second time in as many races Beers finished second to Hirschman at Mahoning. They closed out 2020 in the same order and a number of times prior to this race as well. “It was very tough to swallow this one but I’m sure it was a great show for the fans, what a race. It was an honor to race in the memory of Bill Teel,” said Beers.
“Our right rear (tire) went around lap 45 so that didn’t help but honestly to finish second to Matt (Hirschman), it’s hard to swallow because it’s happened now several times but I think we’re going to get him soon.” Taking third was Tyler Haydt, who’s Future Homes Custom Builders stepped with additional first place money. Ely hung in for fourth while Brian DeFebo rounded out the top five,
Modified Feature Finish (64-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Tyler Haydt, 4. Jack Ely, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Zane Zeiner, 7. Nick Bear, 8. Earl Paules, 9. Don Wagner, 10. Austin Kochenash, 11. Kyle Strohl, 12. Blake Barney, 13. Cody Kohler, 14. Sean Verwys, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Rod Snyder Jr., 17. Brian Romig, 18. John Markovic, 19. Nevin George, 20. Terry Markovic, 21. Bobby Jones, 22. Jacob Kerstetter DNQ: Jesse Strohl
HIRSCHMAN SWEEPS TOUR MOD 50'S TO EARN WALL TURKEY DERBY CROWN ON MARCH 27
WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. ~ Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. raced to a pair of 50-lap victories to claim the overall Tour Modified Turkey Derby crown at Wall Stadium Speedway Saturday afternoon. The event was originally set for last Thanksgiving weekend as has become a tradition, but was postponed until March 27 due to COVID 19 restrictions. After posting fast time in time trial qualifying, Hirschman rocketed to the lead of the first 50-lapper and never looked back. Farmingdale's Tom Martino, Jr. chased Hirschman most of the way before Andrew Krause of Holmdel advanced to second in the closing laps. Martino held on for third at the finish, with Long Island's Timmy Solomito and Ron Frees of Lanoka Harbor wrapping up the top five. In the second 50-lapper Martino was the early pace setter as Hirschman came from fourth spot. Hirschman advanced to second by lap four and then shadowed Martino for nearly 30 laps. Hirschman then dove to the inside to take the lead as Krause advanced to second seven laps later. Krause then chased Hirschman to the finish line with Martino, Solomito and Anthony Sesely of Port Monmouth completing the top five. “These Turkey Derby titles are tough to come by so I appreciate every one,” Hirschman said. “I want to thank every one of you for coming out and supporting this place. It has been a tough year. I hope everything is back to normal by November so that we can all enjoy a normal Turkey Derby!”
1ST MODIFIED FEATURE – 50 Laps – 1. MATT HIRSCHMAN, NORTHAMPTON, PA., 2. Andrew Krause, 3. Tom Martino, Jr., 4. Tim Solomito, 5. Ron Frees, 6. Jonathan Mandato, 7. Derek Hopkinson, 8. Dave Sapienza, 9. Neil Rutt III, 10. Eddie McCarthy, 11. Anthony Sesely, 12. Jason Treat, 13. Doug Coby, 14. Zack Alspach
2ND MODIFIED FEATURE – 50 Laps – 1. MATT HIRSCHMAN, NORTHAMPTON, PA. 2. Krause, 3. Martino, 4. Solomito, 5. Sesely, 6. Frees, 7. Sapienza, 8. McCarthy, 9. Mandato, 10. Treat, 11. Hopkinson, 12. Alspach, 13. Rutt
MAURIELLO UNRETIRES TO WIN WALL MODIFIED 100 AT TURKEY DERBY DAY 1 - MATT GOES FOR A WILD RIDE - MARCH 20
In early March Eric Mauriello announced on social media that his race car driving days had come to an end. Then, just days before the rescheduled Day 1 of Turkey Derby on Saturday, he got a phone call from fellow driver Jimmy Blewett requesting that Mauriello fill in for him the the No. 51 since Blewett had taken ill. It did not take long for Mauriello to jump at the chance to drive the top notch race car and he then went on to win a thrilling rescheduled 100-lap Wall Modified event. The second and third days of the Turkey Derby, which were also postponed in November due to COVID restrictions, will be contested this Saturday and Sunday (March 27 and 28).
Adam LaCicero of Lavallette, Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. and Dom Fattaruso, Eddie McCarthy and Mauriello, all of Brick, struggled, often side-by-side, in the early laps of this one. The race was then stopped cold on lap 18 when Hirschman and McCarthy touched on the front stretch with McCarthy's No. 22 flipping before sliding upside down into the first turn. After several anxious moments the safety crew assisted McCarthy in climbing from the car uninjured. Both McCarthy and Hirschman were done for the day.
Mauriello then raced into the lead on the restart and held his ground through a couple of restarts including one for when Holmdel's Andrew Krause's No. 27 wobbled with a flat tire. Tyler Truex of Mayetta later took the lead of the event before the recovering Krause drove into the lead on lap 60. Soon Mauriello advanced to second and applied the pressure before driving past Krause for the lead and eventual win on lap 89. Krause finished second in the test while Farmingdale's Tom Martino, Jr. recovered from his own on-track problems and the pain of bruised ribs, to finish third. Matawan's Anthony Sesely and Jackson's Steven Reed wrapped up the top five. “I was originally going into Turkey Derby weekend retired until late this week. I got the call from Jimmy Blewett to drive the 51,” Mauriello said. “That's an opportunity you always take! We showed up today fast off the trailer, timed 2nd and had a rocket come feature time. Started 8th got to the lead and won Turkey Derby! Cant thank Jimmy, Scott Brannick, Rob Ormsbee and all the Team Outlaw guys for the opportunity. This is one ill never forget!”
MODIFIED FEATURE – 100 Laps – 1. ERIC MAURIELLO, BRICK, 2. Andrew Krause, 3. Tom Martino, Jr., 4. Anthony Sesely, 5. Steven Reed, 6. Zach Alspach, 7. Derek Hopkinson, 8. Tyler Truex, 9. Adam LaCicero, 10. Kyle Scisco, 11. Dom Fattaruso, 12. Kenny Van Wickle, 13. Ricky Collins, 14. Ken Matlach, 15. Scott Brannick, 16. Ed Delage, 17. Jack Ely, 18. Glenn Slocum, Jr., 19. Matt Hirschman, 20. Eddie McCarthy
Hirschman Beats Myers in Last-Lap SMART Modified Thriller
(March 14) The check in victory lane at Caraway Speedway (NC) didn’t have a name on it. Not because someone didn’t have a pen, not because someone couldn’t spell the winner’s name; it was because nobody knew who was going to win until the final lap. That’s how Sunday’s 2021 SMART Modified Tour season opener will go into the record books as Matt Hirschman snuck past Burt Myers on a last-lap pass to win 99-lap event. “I thought we were going to run out of time, but the cautions at the end did help put us in the right place,” said Hirschman who came from 14th in the final 20 laps to get the win. “It was a little crazy there on the last lap, but we are able to roll it on the trailer and to do it with a last-lap pass is pretty special.”Hirschman led up until lap 70 when he dove into the pits for a fresh tire and an adjustment. The adjustment allowed a few cars to get past him, and it wasn’t until four laps remaining that he moved into the second spot behind Myers. The door opened when Myers drifted high off turn two on the final circuit, allowing the pair to drag race down the backstretch. Myers tried a crafty block on the low side, but Hirschman was too much. He made the pass as Myers slowed up and left Bobby Labonte spinning from the third spot in his second Modified race in the series. The win marks the fourth victory for Hischman at Caraway in nine starts and his second win in the spring race at Caraway, his first coming in 2019. “I’ve always run well down here from the first time we won a North-South Shootout down here,” added Hirschman. “This was everyone’s home track and he came and did it and that just got things rolling.” Second-place finisher Burt Myers had to explain to his crew, who were upset at first with the defeat, that Hirschman didn’t do anything wrong on the final lap, but more of the fact they almost got locked up a bit heading into turn three. “I got into turn two too hot trying to play defense and I gave him the bottom. It cost us,” Myers admitted. “I mean this one stings on my end because I know it was something I did that cost us a win. Right now I feel broken, but we likely had a 10th-place car and we got second and nothing is tore up.” Myers days was a roller coaster with at least three pit stops before the last one when they added their right rear tire. At one point, he was riding and saving and just barely staying up with race pace. “We kept trying to adjust our car and setup to fix the problem we were having,” said Myers. “We still don’t know what it is. We knew we couldn’t go with the same plan as everyone else so we tried something different. Hey, it almost worked.” The lead of the race was traded some seven times among seven different drivers on Sunday at Caraway. Along the way, Hirschman led 34 laps to lead all drivers in that category, but it wasn’t an easy recovery after he pitted on lap 70. The shuffle of the pit cycle and getting off pit road left him 14th in line. “It cost us a few spots, but it wasn’t a lot. The 1 (Myers) and the 83 (Tim Brown) were in front of us because they had pitted. The traffic was tough and yellows helped. We could have been third or fifth. That’s why you run the race.” In a way, the win acted as a redemption victory from the 2020 North-South Shootout at Caraway where Hirschman had one of the strongest cars only to get tangled up on a restart with eight laps to go ending his night. This time the chips fell a little differently and the checkered flag and trophy are heading back to Pennsylvania. “It makes up for that in a way,” Hirschman said. “I really like this southern tour because it’s going to give us the opportunity to go race at a track that we have not run at before and that is what we like to do. Caraway has been really good to us and we like coming here.” John Smith had an up-and-down day and finished third with the scramble on the final lap. Chuck Hossfeld overcame a minor smoking problem to post fourth and Caleb Heady posted fifth in the Tommy Baldwin Racing Modified.
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 5
by Shawn Courchesne
Big Score: Matt Hirschman Wins Richie Evans Memorial, World Series Title At New Smyrna
Matt Hirschman came to New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway this week looking to defend his 2020 World Series of Asphalt Stock Racing Tour Type Modified division championship. And Hirschman played the defense of that title to near perfection. Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., closed out his second consecutive Tour Type Modified division championship in a way he’s become quite familiar with. Hirschman held off Ryan Preece on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Richie Evans Memorial 100 Friday at New Smyrna Speedway. The victory Friday easily clinched the championship for the five-event mini-series at New Smyrna. It was the second consecutive victory on the week for Hirschman, who won the 35-lap Tour Type Modified event on Thursday. “Last night, it was nice to win, but it was hard for me to celebrate it because to me there was a bigger prize ahead,” Hirschman said. “Tonight we got it. We also won the championship. It’s a team accomplishment. It’s just great to be here.” Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass. was second and Anthony Nocella of Woburn, Mass. third. Preece fell to fourth after getting passed by McKennedy and Nocella on the final lap. It was Hirschman’s third consecutive victory in the Richie Evans Memorial 100 and his fifth victory in eight starts in the event. The five victories matched the late Ted Christopher for career wins in the historic event. “I started my career over 20 years ago at Evergreen Speedway in Pennsylvania,” Hirschman said. “I never knew if I’d win one race. To come down here to Florida and win the biggest race here, named after Richie Evans, is just quite a career. I’m thankful for everyone that’s helped get me here. Not just here to Florida, but just throughout my career, especially tonight. I’ve got to thank my guys. They worked hard all week. Pee Dee Motorsports, we’ve had a lot of success here over the last few years. They’re all memorable these Evans 100 wins.” Hirschman was on the podium for all five events at the World Series. He was third in the 50-lap opener on Monday, second in the 35-lap event on Tuesday and third in the John Blewett III Memorial 76 on Wednesday. He got his first win of the week in Thursday’s 35-lap feature. Hirschman was the only multi-time winner on the week. Craig Lutz (Monday), Patrick Emerling (Tuesday) and Preece (Wednesday) were the other winners on the week. Lutz started on the pole and led the first 76 laps before heading to pit road with mechanical issues. The Lutz retirement handed Hirschman the lead with Preece behind him in second. The fourth caution of the race flew on lap 99 when Stephen Kopcik ended up hard into the backstretch wall after his right front tire caught a piece of debris off the car of Chuck Hossleld and came apart. On the ensuing restart Preece was able to get the lead from Hirschman. Hirschman battled back with a shot from behind in turn three, but the caution flew once again before the lap was completed, setting Hirschman back to the lead for a second attempt at the green-white-checkered finish. On the final restart Hirschman got the jump on Preece and left him fighting for second place. On the final lap McKennedy was able to get outside of Preece for second place with Nocella following to third. “We were just able to get ahead of him there and get the win,” Hirschman said of Preece. “Obviously he’s a great talent. I hope he wins the Daytona 500 on Sunday.” After issues the first two nights McKennedy closed out the week with a fourth place on Wednesday and consecutive second place finishes on Thursday and Friday. “The car was good, it was a good solid run,” McKennedy said. “My guys all worked their butts off all week. We started off the week a little bit behind there. A couple of torn up cars the first two nights. But the guys did an awesome job the last few nights. A fourth and two seconds. Big thanks to them.”
Pos # Driver Start
1 60 Matt Hirschman 8
2 7NY Jon McKennedy 4
3 92 Anthony Nocella 17
4 6 Ryan Preece 10
5 58 Eric Goodale 13
6 20 Eddie McCarthy 16
7 50 Ronnie Williams 7
8 2 Chuck Hossfeld 15
9 2X JR Bertuccio 11
10 36 David Sapienza 24
11 0 Zane Zeiner 18
12 55 Jeremy Gerstner 22
13 14 Bobby Measmer, Jr. 25
14 25 Brian Robie 23
15 45 Timmy Catalano 20
16 59 Matthew Galko 19
17 179 Stephen Kopcik 2
18 8 Chris Finocchario 26
19 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 28
20 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 27
21 32 Tyler Rypkema 5
22 46 Craig Lutz 1
23 17TC Tommy Catalano 12
24 07 Patrick Emerling 9
25 79 Chris Jensen 29
26 51 Jimmy Blewett 14
27 64 Tyler Catalano 35
28 16 Ron Silk 6
29 56 Amy Catalano 21
30 70 Andy Seuss 3
31 1 Bobby Jones 30
32 73 Paul Hartwig, Jr. 33
33 73J Jonathan Laureigh 34
34 21 Jim Gavek 32
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 4
Matt Hirschman was a model of consistency during the first three nights of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. But the driver known as “Big Money” didn’t earn his nickname by finishing second and third.
On Thursday night, Hirschman used an exciting last-lap pass on Jon McKennedy to break through and score his first victory of the week at New Smyrna Speedway.
“I have to thank my whole team, Pee Dee Motorsports. It’s a big effort to come here and do this, so I have to thank them,” Hirschman said on the NBC Trackpass broadcast. “My whole crew, they’ve been working hard. We’ve been here later than we have in recent years with the delays and rain and stuff like that, so I’m glad to get a win for them. Hope for tomorrow night, too, but at least we got one because one is going to be tough to get this week.”
Former Tri-Track Open Modified Series champion Ronnie Williams set fast time in qualifying at the half-mile oval and started on the outside of the front row after an invert of two. Williams jumped out to the early lead, showing the way for the opening 15 laps.
Jon McKennedy, who has battled bad luck throughout the week, charged to the front and moved under Williams for the lead on lap 16. McKennedy led until the final lap, when Hirschman powered to his inside in turn three and made slight contact battling for the win. As McKennedy drifted high, Hirschman powered off of turn four to the checkered flag and his ninth career World Series victory.
“We’ve been close all week to winning and started getting closer and closer,” Hirschman said. “I would’ve been content with a second, but he just backed up to me too much. The 50 (Williams) was backing up to me at the beginning and I probably should have been more aggressive because as soon as the 16 (Ron Silk) got a chance there, he sent it in. Last night, I saw Preece send it in. It’s been tough, but tonight they came to me at the right time and we didn’t get any late restarts because we’ve been terrible on those.”
McKennedy recorded his best finish of the week with a runner-up performance. Ron Silk finished third, while Patrick Emerling and Ronnie Williams completed the top five.
With the win, Hirschman will extend his points lead entering Friday’s Richie Evans Memorial, the finale for Tour-type Modifieds at New Smyrna. Ryan Preece, who sat 10 points behind Hirschman after Wednesday’s racing, missed Thursday night’s race while competing in the Duels at nearby Daytona International Speedway.
-Story by: Brandon Paul, Speed51 Director of Content – Twitter:
-Photo credit: Speed51 / Will Bellamy
Tour-type Modifieds Unofficial Results
New Smyrna Speedway (FL) – February 11, 2021
Pos # Driver Start
1 60 Matt Hirschman 4
2 7NY Jon McKennedy 3
3 16 Ron Silk 1
4 07 Patrick Emerling 5
5 50 Ronnie Williams 2
6 46 Craig Lutz 7
7 58 Eric Goodale 6
8 2X JR Bertuccio 13
9 92 Anthony Nocella 12
10 32 Tyler Rypkema 14
11 2 Chuck Hossfeld 11
12 179 Stephen Kopcik 15
13 20 Eddie McCarthy 16
14 51 Jimmy Blewett 8
15 59 Matthew Galko 17
16 36 David Sapienza 9
17 56 Amy Catalano 18
18 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 24
19 25 Brian Robie 20
20 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 27
21 8 Chris Finocchario 26
22 28 Buddy Charette 22
23 64 Tyler Catalano 29
24 1 Chris Ridsdale 25
25 79 Chris Jensen 28
26 21 Jim Gavek 31
27 48 Marcello Rufrano 10
28 17TC Tommy Catalano 19
29 14 Bobby Measmer, Jr. 21
30 45 Timmy Catalano 23
31 0 Zane Zeiner 32
32 1S Bobby Jones 30
33 55 Jeremy Gerstner 35
34 73J Jonathan Laureigh 34
35 73 Paul Hartwig, Jr. 33
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 3
Shortly after 8 p.m. on Wednesday night, NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece locked himself into Sunday’s 63rd Annual Daytona 500. Three hours later, after making the quick drive from Daytona International Speedway to New Smyrna Speedway, Preece stood in victory lane celebrating his second career win in the John Blewett III Memorial for Tour-type Modifieds. After missing qualifying at New Smyrna while driving his No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing car at Daytona, Preece started the race at the tail of the field. Patiently navigating his way to the front while avoiding the mishaps of others, the Connecticut native found himself in victory lane after 76 laps. “A bad race car. A really bad a– race car,” Preece said on the NBC Trackpass broadcast. ” I’ve got to thank my team for working here today, getting this thing prepared, and letting me just come and drive. We actually broke something [in the rear suspension] when Matt got turned. I was just hoping it would hold on, and it did.” Tuesday night’s winner Patrick Emerling led the field to the green flag and led the opening 31 laps before Eric Goodale powered out front on lap 32. Making good on his Tuesday night promise to be in contention the rest of the week, Goodale showed the way until Preece made the race-winning pass with slight contact on lap 69. An array of late-race cautions forced Preece to work even harder for the victory, but he fended off a fierce challenge from Matt Hirschman in the closing laps. Scoring a win in one of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing’s most prestigious races made the triumph even more meaningful for Preece. “I remember the day John died. He was a racer, man. A lot of Modified guys are racers, but John Blewett was a racer,” he said. “I’ve had a ton of respect for Jimmy Blewett and John Blewett, so to be able to win this race, it’s been a while since I’ve won here. It’s been over a year, so it’s pretty cool.” Hirschman overcame adversity of his own Wednesday night. After being involved in an accident with 15 laps to go, the driver known as “Big Money” charged back to the front before ultimately finishing second to Preece. “I congratulated [Preece] and also thanked him for not cleaning me out after I got cleaned out,” Hirschman said. “He was the first car I saw when I spun around, coming right at me. Obviously he’s a talent, so he was able to avoid that. I’ll go to bed and thank my lucky stars tonight that we have a race car because that was very bad.” Tuesday’s winner Patrick Emerling completed the podium, while Jon McKennedy and Ron Silk round out the top five. Fans can follow Speed51’s on-location coverage presented by BMR Drivers Academy throughout the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. Live updates are available on Race Day Now by clicking here. Fans can also enjoy all of Speed51.TV’s on-demand video content from the World Series with a free seven-day trial by clicking here.
-Story by: Brandon Paul, Speed51 Director of Content
-Photo credit: Speed51 / Will Bellamy
John Blewett III Memorial Unofficial Results
New Smyrna Speedway (FL) – February 10, 2021
Pos # Driver Start
1 6 Ryan Preece 37
2 60 Matt Hirschman 11
3 07 Patrick Emerling 1
4 7NY Jon McKennedy 5
5 16 Ron Silk 8
6 59 Matthew Galko 34
7 2H Chuck Hossfeld 13
8 20 Eddie McCarthy 19
9 14 Bobby Measmer, Jr. 18
10 36 David Sapienza 15
11 56 Amy Catalano 20
12 58 Eric Goodale 4
13 2 JR Bertuccio 14
14 46 Craig Lutz 12
15 28 Buddy Charette 21
16 8 Chris Finocchario 28
17 32 Tyler Rypkema 3
18 179 Stephen Kopcik 7
19 79 Chris Jensen 31
20 4 Burt Myers 17
21 92 Anthony Nocella 2
22 50 Ronnie Williams 6
23 55 Jeremy Gerstner 16
24 17TC Tommy Catalano 10
25 51 Jimmy Blewett 36
26 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 26
27 48 Marcello Rufrano 9
28 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 23
29 99 Tyler Truex 24
30 1 Bobby Jones 30
31 1NY Chris Ridsdale 27
32 73J Jonathan Laureigh 33
33 73 Paul Hartwig, Jr. 32
34 0 Randall Richard 25
35 21 Jim Gavek 29
36 25 Brian Robie 22
37 73M Ron Mullen 35
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 2
by Shawn Courchesne
It’s been a rough week for Patrick Emerling at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway. He blew a motor in his primary car. He got taken out while running in the top-five late in the first feature of the week. He even had issues in the pits with the lift gate on his trailer going bad. Tuesday night the Orchard Park, N.Y. driver got lifted up finally in New Smyrna, and in the process got to exact a bit of revenge. Emerling held off Eric Goodale on a pair of late restarts to win the caution-marred 35-lap Tour Type Modified division feature Tuesday at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway. “So far there’s just been a lot of things go wrong,” Emerling said. “It’s good to have one thing go right for once.” Goodale, of Riverhead, N.Y., was second and Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. third. Ryan Preece of Berlin and Craig Lutz of Miller Place, N.Y. rounded out the top-five respectively. It was the second of five consecutive nights of Tour Type Modified features at the World Series. Lutz won the 50-lap opening feature on Monday. Emerling got by Goodale for the lead on a lap 23 restart then never trailed again. It was fitting payback. Goodale spun Emerling out of fourth place with two laps remaining in Monday’s feature. “Last night was pretty unfortunate to us,” Emerling said. “We were decent. We were good enough to stay in the top-five and lead some laps last night. But we got taken out, so this definitely makes up for it.” Emerling was able to easily pace away from Goodale over the two late restarts Tuesday. “I was just trying too hard,” Goodale said of the final restart. “I spun the tires a little bit there. I still had a chance at him in [turns] one and two but [Emerling] was just a little bit better late in the race. He just had a little bit better drive on exits. This one slipped away. Me and Patrick got into yesterday so I’m glad for him to come back and get the win. It just sucks.” The “Big One” for the 36-car field came on lap 23 with some battling going on at the back end of the top-10 going bad. In turn three Doug Coby – running eighth – got hit from behind by Jimmy Blewett and forced into seventh place running Ryan Preece. Coby ended up spinning and jerked hard around into the outside wall. Marcello Rufrano on the outside got pushed into the wreck and piled into Coby. “Just a bunch of animals trying to win everything we can in a short feature and some guys just kind of started to go away with the handling there about halfway through the race,” Coby said. “[Blewett] was real loose. Couldn’t go on the outside that’s for sure. [Preece] looked real tight on the bottom so he was trying to arc his entry point a bit and stay on the bottom. I think he thought he could maybe [Ron Silk] and [Ronnie Williams] and he did a real wide arc into [turns] three and four to try to make a move. And I gave him the room in front of me, but then I got hit from the back [by Blewett] and got shoved into him, got crossed up, tried to save it, got hit again because nobody lifts for anybody. That’s asphalt Modified racing here when there’s no rules and no consequences other than wrecked race cars and people getting hurt. … It’s rough down here.” Said Rufrano: “I guess the guys don’t know that the pedal in the middle is the brakes. You’ve got a guy checked up sideways pointed toward the fence coming out of [turn] and the best decision for you is to push him through it? You’ve got hundreds of thousands of dollars in race cars out there and it’s uncalled for really. … It’s aggravating. It’s not cheap to come out here and run these.”
1 07 Patrick Emerling 4
2 58 Eric Goodale 3
3 60 Matt Hirschman 2
4 6 Ryan Preece 10
5 46 Craig Lutz 5
6 16 Ron Silk 8
7 50 Ronnie Williams 7
8 51 Jimmy Blewett 6
9 179 Stephen Kopcik 23
10 55 Jeremy Gerstner 22
11 92 Anthony Nocella 15
12 2X JR Bertuccio 19
13 70 Andy Seuss 17
14 56 Amy Catalano 27
15 32 Tyler Rypkema 25
16 59 Matthew Galko 24
17 36 David Sapienza 12
18 28 Buddy Charette 30
19 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 26
20 1 Bobby Jones 33
21 21 Jim Gavek 34
22 4 Burt Myers 20
23 1R Chris Ridsdale 31
24 8 Chris Finocchario 28
25 20 Eddie McCarthy 18
26 2H Chuck Hossfeld 11
27 0 Zane Zeiner 13
28 158 Michael Curtis 35
29 10 Doug Coby 14
30 48 Marcello Rufrano 9
31 25 Brian Robie 21
32 7NY Jon McKennedy 1
33 17 Tommy Catalano 16
34 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 29
35 99 Tyler Truex 32
36 73J Jonathan Laureigh 36
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 1
by Shawn Courchesne
Craig Lutz didn’t want to wait until Tuesday night to visit New Smyrna Speedway victory lane. After winning the Tuesday night race during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing one year ago, Lutz did one better on Monday night by winning the Tour-type Modified opener. The Miller Place, New York native bested a strong field of 40 drivers to claim the 50-lap victory, which didn’t end until early Tuesday morning. To get the job done, Lutz was forced to hold off some of the best in the business on a handful of late-race restarts, including a green-white-checkered finish with Matt Hirschman, Ron Silk and Doug Coby breathing down his neck. “I was just hoping it was going to be the last [restart],” Lutz said on the NBC Trackpass broadcast. “This was the longest 50 laps I’ve ever raced, but it all worked out. We struggled a little bit in practice, but this is an awesome group.”Lutz of Miller Place, New York started from the pole after an eight-car invert following qualifying. He jumped out to the early lead over Patrick Emerling and led the first 14 laps before a red flag for a multi-car accident on the backstretch. The incident, which started with contact between Ryan Preece and Jon McKennedy, claimed a handful of competitors including Anthony Nocella, Eric Goodale, Tyler Rypkema and Tommy Catalano. Race of Champions Modified Series champion Patrick Emerling jumped out to the lead for one lap on the ensuing restart before Lutz battled back on the outside to reclaim the lead on Lap 16. Lutz controlled the majority of the race from that point forward until defending champion Matt Hirschman lined up to his inside for a restart with four laps to go.
Hirschman briefly took over the lead on the restart before receiving directive from race control to give back the spot for jumping the restart. From there, Lutz reclaimed the spot and survived a trio of restarts with Hirschman to his inside.“I was told that I beat him to the line. It’s one of those things that I need to watch a video to form an opinion,” Hirschman said of the restart that he initially took the lead on. “I can have an opinion, but I may watch a video and think it’s different. We’ll take a look and analyze the whole race and see what we can do to be better.“The part about that official call doesn’t concern me at all; it’s more the straight line speed that they out-pull you,” he continued. “It almost forces you to try to jump a little because he’s still coming with a head of steam. It’s a difference in engine packages. It’s pretty tough; they definitely out pull you. It’s like drag cars and they’re going to win the drag race every day.” Ron Silk remained inside the top-five throughout the race before finishing third behind Lutz and Hirschman. Six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby charged from his 21st qualifying position to finish fourth, while 10-time Bowman Gray Stadium champion Burt Myers made a late charge into the top five. Fans can follow Speed51’s on-location coverage presented by BMR Drivers Academy throughout the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. Live updates are available on Race Day Now by clicking here. Fans can also enjoy all of Speed51.TV’s on-demand video content from the World Series with a free seven-day trial by clicking here.
-Story by: Brandon Paul, Speed51 Director of Content – Twitter: @Brandon_Paul51
-Photo credit: Speed51 / Will Bellamy
Tour-type Modified 50 Unofficial Results
Pos # Driver Start
1 46 Craig Lutz 1
2 60 Matt Hirschman 8
3 16 Ron Silk 4
4 10 Doug Coby 21
5 4 Burt Myers 20
6 92 Anthony Nocella 14
7 6 Ryan Preece 7
8 25 Brian Robie 18
9 8 Chris Finocchario 25
10 36 David Sapienza 19
11 2X JR Bertuccio 23
12 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 30
13 28 Buddy Charette 17
14 07 Patrick Emerling 2
15 58 Eric Goodale 15
16 59 Matthew Galko 33
17 48 Marcello Rufrano 3
18 2 Chuck Hossfeld 5
19 1 Chris Ridsdale 26
20 55 Jeremy Gerstner 24
21 51 Jimmy Blewett 11
22 50 Ronnie Williams 12
23 21 Jim Gavek 35
24 1S Bobby Jones 27
25 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 28
26 0 Zane Zeiner 10
27 45 Timmy Catalano 29
28 56 Amy Catalano 32
29 54C Tyler Catalano 31
30 7NY Jon McKennedy 6
31 32 Tyler Rypkema 9
32 20 Eddie McCarthy 13
33 179 Stephen Kopcik 16
34 17TC Tommy Catalano 22
35 99 Tyler Truex 34
(April 10, 2021) Matt Hirschman took advantage of a rare weekend off from his usual traveling the region to more high profile events, instead returning to his home base of Mahoning Valley Speedway and in doing so was able to claim a second straight win in the process. Hirschman, who was fresh off of a thrilling Opening Day photo finish victory over Austin Beers in the Bill Teel Tribute, once again bested his fellow Northampton opponent only this time he would be the one in control rather than the week prior when he had to chase down leader. Hirschman drew the pole for the 35-lap contest and would stay out-front the entire distance for his seventh win in 11 starts this season. “We really only had the option of racing closer to home. It’s been a busy early season and the plan was to not race at all this weekend and prep for the upcoming races but we made a last minute decision and I’m glad we did,” said Hirschman, who picked up his 24th career win at Mahoning Valley and sixth in as many starts. “I think the longer the race went on we needed to improve a little on the handling. On a shorter run like today we were okay but I think if the race continued I feel we were going to struggle a little.” At the outset Hirschman jumped to the early lead over Nick Baer and Earl Paules. Paules then took second spot on lap six and was able to stay very close to the leader. Bobby Jones, who had raced up to third on lap seven, was also running strong and remaining nearby the front pair. The race was slowed for the first time on lap 13 when Kyle Strohl spun in Turn 3. Under that caution Paules was pulled to the side by officials to check for leaking and it was confirmed positive which then sent him pit-side. On the restart Jones took aim at Hirschman but the No. 60 again had the upper hand. By lap 21 Beers propelled into second spot and it was yet again a familiar scene playing out between the two Mud Lane racers – running one-two while battling for the win. Unlike the last week though when Beers led until the finish line and was overtaken by Hirschman, there would be no denying the Harry’s U-Pull-It No. 60 as he drove to a car length margin of victory. “We’re not use to racing here in daytime conditions and last week during the opener I don’t think was a true reading on the track and out next show for us planned is the (April 24) RoC here in two weeks and it’s again a day show,” said Hirschman. “I prefer the night shows and I think we have it dialed in but that’s why we’re here today to see if we can get a little bit better because I feel we need to for the 75-lap RoC race.” Jones took third with Brian DeFebo and Baer rounding out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (35-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Brian DeFebo, 5. Nick Baer, 6. Cody Kohler, 7. Terry Markovic, 8. Jesse Strohl, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Earl Paules
Hirschman over Beers in photo finish at Mahoning Valley Speedway season opener April 3
(April 3, 2021) You couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the season at Mahoning Valley Speedway with an incredible Modified finish that was decided by a whisker by two drivers who came from deep in the pack as 13th starting Matt Hirschman nipped Austin Beers, who drove to the lead from 16th on the grid, for the win in the opening round of the John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Bill Teel Tribute, equally exiting action in the support classes, a sun splashed afternoon and a five division program that was in the books in just a bit over four hours.
And, for Hirschman, he may have chocked another victory at the paved quarter mile oval – his fifth in a row and 23rd overall – but it was by far one of the most hard-earned yet. After a revenge draw, Hirschman used every bit of talent he had to execute his drive to victory as he was placed to the back after getting caught up in a lap seven dust up, then methodically picked his way back with savvy driving and the help of a sprinkling of cautions. Within the final half dozen laps he was able to move past Zane Zeiner and Jack Ely leaving only Beers to contend with which immediately began a fierce side-by-side duel.Beers would actually catch a break with three laps to go when a caution flew and the ensuing restart would go single file, however, Hirschman went right back at it and as the white flag waved it was a hard charging battle to the end. The pair where dead even as they rolled out of turn four and when they crossed the finish line it was determined that Hirschman was barely ahead to claim the verdict. “That was a hell of finish and I’ve been a part of some amazing last lap finishes this year and we keep coming out on top and it’s an awesome way to win a race but it also stinks to lose a race that way too,” expressed Hirschman. “The fans were certainly treated to a great finish whether they were cheering for us or Austin (Beers), they got a great race and at the end of the day that’s what you come to see,” he continued. “We actually got handicapped twice between the redraw and then getting spun near the start but you never give up and that’s always been my motto, never give up until the checkered flag falls.” The thrilling finish between Hirschman and Beers was only part of the story. At the outset Nevin George overtook pole sitter Ely for the early lead but then gave way to Zeiner after a lap-12 restart. Bobby Jones was then glued to Zeiner’s rear bumper with George just as close. Zeiner and Jones continued on one-two until Ely found a burst to get by Jones with 39 laps in and the next time around did the same to Zeiner. Following Ely was his teammate Beers who wasted little time in taking the DeLange Racing No. 45 to the front as the field recorded 43 laps. It was evident to both Beers and Ely that Hirschman was on their heels and they worked there best to keep him at bay. But after Hirschman passed Ely the stage was set to the thrilling run to the checkers.
“The laps where ticking off and once it got past 50 I was thinking ‘Man 14 laps and we’re in sixth spot and we have to do something quick.’ Then things started to open up and we made some good passes,” explained Hirschman.
“People may not like that we’re winning and our success but there isn’t one guy at this race track that can be mad about me today and the way I raced them and it was a good entertaining finish and you’re going to leave here talking about this finish for a long time.” For the second time in as many races Beers finished second to Hirschman at Mahoning. They closed out 2020 in the same order and a number of times prior to this race as well. “It was very tough to swallow this one but I’m sure it was a great show for the fans, what a race. It was an honor to race in the memory of Bill Teel,” said Beers.
“Our right rear (tire) went around lap 45 so that didn’t help but honestly to finish second to Matt (Hirschman), it’s hard to swallow because it’s happened now several times but I think we’re going to get him soon.” Taking third was Tyler Haydt, who’s Future Homes Custom Builders stepped with additional first place money. Ely hung in for fourth while Brian DeFebo rounded out the top five,
Modified Feature Finish (64-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Tyler Haydt, 4. Jack Ely, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Zane Zeiner, 7. Nick Bear, 8. Earl Paules, 9. Don Wagner, 10. Austin Kochenash, 11. Kyle Strohl, 12. Blake Barney, 13. Cody Kohler, 14. Sean Verwys, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Rod Snyder Jr., 17. Brian Romig, 18. John Markovic, 19. Nevin George, 20. Terry Markovic, 21. Bobby Jones, 22. Jacob Kerstetter DNQ: Jesse Strohl
HIRSCHMAN SWEEPS TOUR MOD 50'S TO EARN WALL TURKEY DERBY CROWN ON MARCH 27
WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. ~ Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. raced to a pair of 50-lap victories to claim the overall Tour Modified Turkey Derby crown at Wall Stadium Speedway Saturday afternoon. The event was originally set for last Thanksgiving weekend as has become a tradition, but was postponed until March 27 due to COVID 19 restrictions. After posting fast time in time trial qualifying, Hirschman rocketed to the lead of the first 50-lapper and never looked back. Farmingdale's Tom Martino, Jr. chased Hirschman most of the way before Andrew Krause of Holmdel advanced to second in the closing laps. Martino held on for third at the finish, with Long Island's Timmy Solomito and Ron Frees of Lanoka Harbor wrapping up the top five. In the second 50-lapper Martino was the early pace setter as Hirschman came from fourth spot. Hirschman advanced to second by lap four and then shadowed Martino for nearly 30 laps. Hirschman then dove to the inside to take the lead as Krause advanced to second seven laps later. Krause then chased Hirschman to the finish line with Martino, Solomito and Anthony Sesely of Port Monmouth completing the top five. “These Turkey Derby titles are tough to come by so I appreciate every one,” Hirschman said. “I want to thank every one of you for coming out and supporting this place. It has been a tough year. I hope everything is back to normal by November so that we can all enjoy a normal Turkey Derby!”
1ST MODIFIED FEATURE – 50 Laps – 1. MATT HIRSCHMAN, NORTHAMPTON, PA., 2. Andrew Krause, 3. Tom Martino, Jr., 4. Tim Solomito, 5. Ron Frees, 6. Jonathan Mandato, 7. Derek Hopkinson, 8. Dave Sapienza, 9. Neil Rutt III, 10. Eddie McCarthy, 11. Anthony Sesely, 12. Jason Treat, 13. Doug Coby, 14. Zack Alspach
2ND MODIFIED FEATURE – 50 Laps – 1. MATT HIRSCHMAN, NORTHAMPTON, PA. 2. Krause, 3. Martino, 4. Solomito, 5. Sesely, 6. Frees, 7. Sapienza, 8. McCarthy, 9. Mandato, 10. Treat, 11. Hopkinson, 12. Alspach, 13. Rutt
MAURIELLO UNRETIRES TO WIN WALL MODIFIED 100 AT TURKEY DERBY DAY 1 - MATT GOES FOR A WILD RIDE - MARCH 20
In early March Eric Mauriello announced on social media that his race car driving days had come to an end. Then, just days before the rescheduled Day 1 of Turkey Derby on Saturday, he got a phone call from fellow driver Jimmy Blewett requesting that Mauriello fill in for him the the No. 51 since Blewett had taken ill. It did not take long for Mauriello to jump at the chance to drive the top notch race car and he then went on to win a thrilling rescheduled 100-lap Wall Modified event. The second and third days of the Turkey Derby, which were also postponed in November due to COVID restrictions, will be contested this Saturday and Sunday (March 27 and 28).
Adam LaCicero of Lavallette, Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. and Dom Fattaruso, Eddie McCarthy and Mauriello, all of Brick, struggled, often side-by-side, in the early laps of this one. The race was then stopped cold on lap 18 when Hirschman and McCarthy touched on the front stretch with McCarthy's No. 22 flipping before sliding upside down into the first turn. After several anxious moments the safety crew assisted McCarthy in climbing from the car uninjured. Both McCarthy and Hirschman were done for the day.
Mauriello then raced into the lead on the restart and held his ground through a couple of restarts including one for when Holmdel's Andrew Krause's No. 27 wobbled with a flat tire. Tyler Truex of Mayetta later took the lead of the event before the recovering Krause drove into the lead on lap 60. Soon Mauriello advanced to second and applied the pressure before driving past Krause for the lead and eventual win on lap 89. Krause finished second in the test while Farmingdale's Tom Martino, Jr. recovered from his own on-track problems and the pain of bruised ribs, to finish third. Matawan's Anthony Sesely and Jackson's Steven Reed wrapped up the top five. “I was originally going into Turkey Derby weekend retired until late this week. I got the call from Jimmy Blewett to drive the 51,” Mauriello said. “That's an opportunity you always take! We showed up today fast off the trailer, timed 2nd and had a rocket come feature time. Started 8th got to the lead and won Turkey Derby! Cant thank Jimmy, Scott Brannick, Rob Ormsbee and all the Team Outlaw guys for the opportunity. This is one ill never forget!”
MODIFIED FEATURE – 100 Laps – 1. ERIC MAURIELLO, BRICK, 2. Andrew Krause, 3. Tom Martino, Jr., 4. Anthony Sesely, 5. Steven Reed, 6. Zach Alspach, 7. Derek Hopkinson, 8. Tyler Truex, 9. Adam LaCicero, 10. Kyle Scisco, 11. Dom Fattaruso, 12. Kenny Van Wickle, 13. Ricky Collins, 14. Ken Matlach, 15. Scott Brannick, 16. Ed Delage, 17. Jack Ely, 18. Glenn Slocum, Jr., 19. Matt Hirschman, 20. Eddie McCarthy
Hirschman Beats Myers in Last-Lap SMART Modified Thriller
(March 14) The check in victory lane at Caraway Speedway (NC) didn’t have a name on it. Not because someone didn’t have a pen, not because someone couldn’t spell the winner’s name; it was because nobody knew who was going to win until the final lap. That’s how Sunday’s 2021 SMART Modified Tour season opener will go into the record books as Matt Hirschman snuck past Burt Myers on a last-lap pass to win 99-lap event. “I thought we were going to run out of time, but the cautions at the end did help put us in the right place,” said Hirschman who came from 14th in the final 20 laps to get the win. “It was a little crazy there on the last lap, but we are able to roll it on the trailer and to do it with a last-lap pass is pretty special.”Hirschman led up until lap 70 when he dove into the pits for a fresh tire and an adjustment. The adjustment allowed a few cars to get past him, and it wasn’t until four laps remaining that he moved into the second spot behind Myers. The door opened when Myers drifted high off turn two on the final circuit, allowing the pair to drag race down the backstretch. Myers tried a crafty block on the low side, but Hirschman was too much. He made the pass as Myers slowed up and left Bobby Labonte spinning from the third spot in his second Modified race in the series. The win marks the fourth victory for Hischman at Caraway in nine starts and his second win in the spring race at Caraway, his first coming in 2019. “I’ve always run well down here from the first time we won a North-South Shootout down here,” added Hirschman. “This was everyone’s home track and he came and did it and that just got things rolling.” Second-place finisher Burt Myers had to explain to his crew, who were upset at first with the defeat, that Hirschman didn’t do anything wrong on the final lap, but more of the fact they almost got locked up a bit heading into turn three. “I got into turn two too hot trying to play defense and I gave him the bottom. It cost us,” Myers admitted. “I mean this one stings on my end because I know it was something I did that cost us a win. Right now I feel broken, but we likely had a 10th-place car and we got second and nothing is tore up.” Myers days was a roller coaster with at least three pit stops before the last one when they added their right rear tire. At one point, he was riding and saving and just barely staying up with race pace. “We kept trying to adjust our car and setup to fix the problem we were having,” said Myers. “We still don’t know what it is. We knew we couldn’t go with the same plan as everyone else so we tried something different. Hey, it almost worked.” The lead of the race was traded some seven times among seven different drivers on Sunday at Caraway. Along the way, Hirschman led 34 laps to lead all drivers in that category, but it wasn’t an easy recovery after he pitted on lap 70. The shuffle of the pit cycle and getting off pit road left him 14th in line. “It cost us a few spots, but it wasn’t a lot. The 1 (Myers) and the 83 (Tim Brown) were in front of us because they had pitted. The traffic was tough and yellows helped. We could have been third or fifth. That’s why you run the race.” In a way, the win acted as a redemption victory from the 2020 North-South Shootout at Caraway where Hirschman had one of the strongest cars only to get tangled up on a restart with eight laps to go ending his night. This time the chips fell a little differently and the checkered flag and trophy are heading back to Pennsylvania. “It makes up for that in a way,” Hirschman said. “I really like this southern tour because it’s going to give us the opportunity to go race at a track that we have not run at before and that is what we like to do. Caraway has been really good to us and we like coming here.” John Smith had an up-and-down day and finished third with the scramble on the final lap. Chuck Hossfeld overcame a minor smoking problem to post fourth and Caleb Heady posted fifth in the Tommy Baldwin Racing Modified.
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 5
by Shawn Courchesne
Big Score: Matt Hirschman Wins Richie Evans Memorial, World Series Title At New Smyrna
Matt Hirschman came to New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway this week looking to defend his 2020 World Series of Asphalt Stock Racing Tour Type Modified division championship. And Hirschman played the defense of that title to near perfection. Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., closed out his second consecutive Tour Type Modified division championship in a way he’s become quite familiar with. Hirschman held off Ryan Preece on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Richie Evans Memorial 100 Friday at New Smyrna Speedway. The victory Friday easily clinched the championship for the five-event mini-series at New Smyrna. It was the second consecutive victory on the week for Hirschman, who won the 35-lap Tour Type Modified event on Thursday. “Last night, it was nice to win, but it was hard for me to celebrate it because to me there was a bigger prize ahead,” Hirschman said. “Tonight we got it. We also won the championship. It’s a team accomplishment. It’s just great to be here.” Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass. was second and Anthony Nocella of Woburn, Mass. third. Preece fell to fourth after getting passed by McKennedy and Nocella on the final lap. It was Hirschman’s third consecutive victory in the Richie Evans Memorial 100 and his fifth victory in eight starts in the event. The five victories matched the late Ted Christopher for career wins in the historic event. “I started my career over 20 years ago at Evergreen Speedway in Pennsylvania,” Hirschman said. “I never knew if I’d win one race. To come down here to Florida and win the biggest race here, named after Richie Evans, is just quite a career. I’m thankful for everyone that’s helped get me here. Not just here to Florida, but just throughout my career, especially tonight. I’ve got to thank my guys. They worked hard all week. Pee Dee Motorsports, we’ve had a lot of success here over the last few years. They’re all memorable these Evans 100 wins.” Hirschman was on the podium for all five events at the World Series. He was third in the 50-lap opener on Monday, second in the 35-lap event on Tuesday and third in the John Blewett III Memorial 76 on Wednesday. He got his first win of the week in Thursday’s 35-lap feature. Hirschman was the only multi-time winner on the week. Craig Lutz (Monday), Patrick Emerling (Tuesday) and Preece (Wednesday) were the other winners on the week. Lutz started on the pole and led the first 76 laps before heading to pit road with mechanical issues. The Lutz retirement handed Hirschman the lead with Preece behind him in second. The fourth caution of the race flew on lap 99 when Stephen Kopcik ended up hard into the backstretch wall after his right front tire caught a piece of debris off the car of Chuck Hossleld and came apart. On the ensuing restart Preece was able to get the lead from Hirschman. Hirschman battled back with a shot from behind in turn three, but the caution flew once again before the lap was completed, setting Hirschman back to the lead for a second attempt at the green-white-checkered finish. On the final restart Hirschman got the jump on Preece and left him fighting for second place. On the final lap McKennedy was able to get outside of Preece for second place with Nocella following to third. “We were just able to get ahead of him there and get the win,” Hirschman said of Preece. “Obviously he’s a great talent. I hope he wins the Daytona 500 on Sunday.” After issues the first two nights McKennedy closed out the week with a fourth place on Wednesday and consecutive second place finishes on Thursday and Friday. “The car was good, it was a good solid run,” McKennedy said. “My guys all worked their butts off all week. We started off the week a little bit behind there. A couple of torn up cars the first two nights. But the guys did an awesome job the last few nights. A fourth and two seconds. Big thanks to them.”
Pos # Driver Start
1 60 Matt Hirschman 8
2 7NY Jon McKennedy 4
3 92 Anthony Nocella 17
4 6 Ryan Preece 10
5 58 Eric Goodale 13
6 20 Eddie McCarthy 16
7 50 Ronnie Williams 7
8 2 Chuck Hossfeld 15
9 2X JR Bertuccio 11
10 36 David Sapienza 24
11 0 Zane Zeiner 18
12 55 Jeremy Gerstner 22
13 14 Bobby Measmer, Jr. 25
14 25 Brian Robie 23
15 45 Timmy Catalano 20
16 59 Matthew Galko 19
17 179 Stephen Kopcik 2
18 8 Chris Finocchario 26
19 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 28
20 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 27
21 32 Tyler Rypkema 5
22 46 Craig Lutz 1
23 17TC Tommy Catalano 12
24 07 Patrick Emerling 9
25 79 Chris Jensen 29
26 51 Jimmy Blewett 14
27 64 Tyler Catalano 35
28 16 Ron Silk 6
29 56 Amy Catalano 21
30 70 Andy Seuss 3
31 1 Bobby Jones 30
32 73 Paul Hartwig, Jr. 33
33 73J Jonathan Laureigh 34
34 21 Jim Gavek 32
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 4
Matt Hirschman was a model of consistency during the first three nights of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. But the driver known as “Big Money” didn’t earn his nickname by finishing second and third.
On Thursday night, Hirschman used an exciting last-lap pass on Jon McKennedy to break through and score his first victory of the week at New Smyrna Speedway.
“I have to thank my whole team, Pee Dee Motorsports. It’s a big effort to come here and do this, so I have to thank them,” Hirschman said on the NBC Trackpass broadcast. “My whole crew, they’ve been working hard. We’ve been here later than we have in recent years with the delays and rain and stuff like that, so I’m glad to get a win for them. Hope for tomorrow night, too, but at least we got one because one is going to be tough to get this week.”
Former Tri-Track Open Modified Series champion Ronnie Williams set fast time in qualifying at the half-mile oval and started on the outside of the front row after an invert of two. Williams jumped out to the early lead, showing the way for the opening 15 laps.
Jon McKennedy, who has battled bad luck throughout the week, charged to the front and moved under Williams for the lead on lap 16. McKennedy led until the final lap, when Hirschman powered to his inside in turn three and made slight contact battling for the win. As McKennedy drifted high, Hirschman powered off of turn four to the checkered flag and his ninth career World Series victory.
“We’ve been close all week to winning and started getting closer and closer,” Hirschman said. “I would’ve been content with a second, but he just backed up to me too much. The 50 (Williams) was backing up to me at the beginning and I probably should have been more aggressive because as soon as the 16 (Ron Silk) got a chance there, he sent it in. Last night, I saw Preece send it in. It’s been tough, but tonight they came to me at the right time and we didn’t get any late restarts because we’ve been terrible on those.”
McKennedy recorded his best finish of the week with a runner-up performance. Ron Silk finished third, while Patrick Emerling and Ronnie Williams completed the top five.
With the win, Hirschman will extend his points lead entering Friday’s Richie Evans Memorial, the finale for Tour-type Modifieds at New Smyrna. Ryan Preece, who sat 10 points behind Hirschman after Wednesday’s racing, missed Thursday night’s race while competing in the Duels at nearby Daytona International Speedway.
-Story by: Brandon Paul, Speed51 Director of Content – Twitter:
-Photo credit: Speed51 / Will Bellamy
Tour-type Modifieds Unofficial Results
New Smyrna Speedway (FL) – February 11, 2021
Pos # Driver Start
1 60 Matt Hirschman 4
2 7NY Jon McKennedy 3
3 16 Ron Silk 1
4 07 Patrick Emerling 5
5 50 Ronnie Williams 2
6 46 Craig Lutz 7
7 58 Eric Goodale 6
8 2X JR Bertuccio 13
9 92 Anthony Nocella 12
10 32 Tyler Rypkema 14
11 2 Chuck Hossfeld 11
12 179 Stephen Kopcik 15
13 20 Eddie McCarthy 16
14 51 Jimmy Blewett 8
15 59 Matthew Galko 17
16 36 David Sapienza 9
17 56 Amy Catalano 18
18 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 24
19 25 Brian Robie 20
20 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 27
21 8 Chris Finocchario 26
22 28 Buddy Charette 22
23 64 Tyler Catalano 29
24 1 Chris Ridsdale 25
25 79 Chris Jensen 28
26 21 Jim Gavek 31
27 48 Marcello Rufrano 10
28 17TC Tommy Catalano 19
29 14 Bobby Measmer, Jr. 21
30 45 Timmy Catalano 23
31 0 Zane Zeiner 32
32 1S Bobby Jones 30
33 55 Jeremy Gerstner 35
34 73J Jonathan Laureigh 34
35 73 Paul Hartwig, Jr. 33
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 3
Shortly after 8 p.m. on Wednesday night, NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece locked himself into Sunday’s 63rd Annual Daytona 500. Three hours later, after making the quick drive from Daytona International Speedway to New Smyrna Speedway, Preece stood in victory lane celebrating his second career win in the John Blewett III Memorial for Tour-type Modifieds. After missing qualifying at New Smyrna while driving his No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing car at Daytona, Preece started the race at the tail of the field. Patiently navigating his way to the front while avoiding the mishaps of others, the Connecticut native found himself in victory lane after 76 laps. “A bad race car. A really bad a– race car,” Preece said on the NBC Trackpass broadcast. ” I’ve got to thank my team for working here today, getting this thing prepared, and letting me just come and drive. We actually broke something [in the rear suspension] when Matt got turned. I was just hoping it would hold on, and it did.” Tuesday night’s winner Patrick Emerling led the field to the green flag and led the opening 31 laps before Eric Goodale powered out front on lap 32. Making good on his Tuesday night promise to be in contention the rest of the week, Goodale showed the way until Preece made the race-winning pass with slight contact on lap 69. An array of late-race cautions forced Preece to work even harder for the victory, but he fended off a fierce challenge from Matt Hirschman in the closing laps. Scoring a win in one of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing’s most prestigious races made the triumph even more meaningful for Preece. “I remember the day John died. He was a racer, man. A lot of Modified guys are racers, but John Blewett was a racer,” he said. “I’ve had a ton of respect for Jimmy Blewett and John Blewett, so to be able to win this race, it’s been a while since I’ve won here. It’s been over a year, so it’s pretty cool.” Hirschman overcame adversity of his own Wednesday night. After being involved in an accident with 15 laps to go, the driver known as “Big Money” charged back to the front before ultimately finishing second to Preece. “I congratulated [Preece] and also thanked him for not cleaning me out after I got cleaned out,” Hirschman said. “He was the first car I saw when I spun around, coming right at me. Obviously he’s a talent, so he was able to avoid that. I’ll go to bed and thank my lucky stars tonight that we have a race car because that was very bad.” Tuesday’s winner Patrick Emerling completed the podium, while Jon McKennedy and Ron Silk round out the top five. Fans can follow Speed51’s on-location coverage presented by BMR Drivers Academy throughout the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. Live updates are available on Race Day Now by clicking here. Fans can also enjoy all of Speed51.TV’s on-demand video content from the World Series with a free seven-day trial by clicking here.
-Story by: Brandon Paul, Speed51 Director of Content
-Photo credit: Speed51 / Will Bellamy
John Blewett III Memorial Unofficial Results
New Smyrna Speedway (FL) – February 10, 2021
Pos # Driver Start
1 6 Ryan Preece 37
2 60 Matt Hirschman 11
3 07 Patrick Emerling 1
4 7NY Jon McKennedy 5
5 16 Ron Silk 8
6 59 Matthew Galko 34
7 2H Chuck Hossfeld 13
8 20 Eddie McCarthy 19
9 14 Bobby Measmer, Jr. 18
10 36 David Sapienza 15
11 56 Amy Catalano 20
12 58 Eric Goodale 4
13 2 JR Bertuccio 14
14 46 Craig Lutz 12
15 28 Buddy Charette 21
16 8 Chris Finocchario 28
17 32 Tyler Rypkema 3
18 179 Stephen Kopcik 7
19 79 Chris Jensen 31
20 4 Burt Myers 17
21 92 Anthony Nocella 2
22 50 Ronnie Williams 6
23 55 Jeremy Gerstner 16
24 17TC Tommy Catalano 10
25 51 Jimmy Blewett 36
26 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 26
27 48 Marcello Rufrano 9
28 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 23
29 99 Tyler Truex 24
30 1 Bobby Jones 30
31 1NY Chris Ridsdale 27
32 73J Jonathan Laureigh 33
33 73 Paul Hartwig, Jr. 32
34 0 Randall Richard 25
35 21 Jim Gavek 29
36 25 Brian Robie 22
37 73M Ron Mullen 35
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 2
by Shawn Courchesne
It’s been a rough week for Patrick Emerling at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway. He blew a motor in his primary car. He got taken out while running in the top-five late in the first feature of the week. He even had issues in the pits with the lift gate on his trailer going bad. Tuesday night the Orchard Park, N.Y. driver got lifted up finally in New Smyrna, and in the process got to exact a bit of revenge. Emerling held off Eric Goodale on a pair of late restarts to win the caution-marred 35-lap Tour Type Modified division feature Tuesday at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway. “So far there’s just been a lot of things go wrong,” Emerling said. “It’s good to have one thing go right for once.” Goodale, of Riverhead, N.Y., was second and Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. third. Ryan Preece of Berlin and Craig Lutz of Miller Place, N.Y. rounded out the top-five respectively. It was the second of five consecutive nights of Tour Type Modified features at the World Series. Lutz won the 50-lap opening feature on Monday. Emerling got by Goodale for the lead on a lap 23 restart then never trailed again. It was fitting payback. Goodale spun Emerling out of fourth place with two laps remaining in Monday’s feature. “Last night was pretty unfortunate to us,” Emerling said. “We were decent. We were good enough to stay in the top-five and lead some laps last night. But we got taken out, so this definitely makes up for it.” Emerling was able to easily pace away from Goodale over the two late restarts Tuesday. “I was just trying too hard,” Goodale said of the final restart. “I spun the tires a little bit there. I still had a chance at him in [turns] one and two but [Emerling] was just a little bit better late in the race. He just had a little bit better drive on exits. This one slipped away. Me and Patrick got into yesterday so I’m glad for him to come back and get the win. It just sucks.” The “Big One” for the 36-car field came on lap 23 with some battling going on at the back end of the top-10 going bad. In turn three Doug Coby – running eighth – got hit from behind by Jimmy Blewett and forced into seventh place running Ryan Preece. Coby ended up spinning and jerked hard around into the outside wall. Marcello Rufrano on the outside got pushed into the wreck and piled into Coby. “Just a bunch of animals trying to win everything we can in a short feature and some guys just kind of started to go away with the handling there about halfway through the race,” Coby said. “[Blewett] was real loose. Couldn’t go on the outside that’s for sure. [Preece] looked real tight on the bottom so he was trying to arc his entry point a bit and stay on the bottom. I think he thought he could maybe [Ron Silk] and [Ronnie Williams] and he did a real wide arc into [turns] three and four to try to make a move. And I gave him the room in front of me, but then I got hit from the back [by Blewett] and got shoved into him, got crossed up, tried to save it, got hit again because nobody lifts for anybody. That’s asphalt Modified racing here when there’s no rules and no consequences other than wrecked race cars and people getting hurt. … It’s rough down here.” Said Rufrano: “I guess the guys don’t know that the pedal in the middle is the brakes. You’ve got a guy checked up sideways pointed toward the fence coming out of [turn] and the best decision for you is to push him through it? You’ve got hundreds of thousands of dollars in race cars out there and it’s uncalled for really. … It’s aggravating. It’s not cheap to come out here and run these.”
1 07 Patrick Emerling 4
2 58 Eric Goodale 3
3 60 Matt Hirschman 2
4 6 Ryan Preece 10
5 46 Craig Lutz 5
6 16 Ron Silk 8
7 50 Ronnie Williams 7
8 51 Jimmy Blewett 6
9 179 Stephen Kopcik 23
10 55 Jeremy Gerstner 22
11 92 Anthony Nocella 15
12 2X JR Bertuccio 19
13 70 Andy Seuss 17
14 56 Amy Catalano 27
15 32 Tyler Rypkema 25
16 59 Matthew Galko 24
17 36 David Sapienza 12
18 28 Buddy Charette 30
19 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 26
20 1 Bobby Jones 33
21 21 Jim Gavek 34
22 4 Burt Myers 20
23 1R Chris Ridsdale 31
24 8 Chris Finocchario 28
25 20 Eddie McCarthy 18
26 2H Chuck Hossfeld 11
27 0 Zane Zeiner 13
28 158 Michael Curtis 35
29 10 Doug Coby 14
30 48 Marcello Rufrano 9
31 25 Brian Robie 21
32 7NY Jon McKennedy 1
33 17 Tommy Catalano 16
34 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 29
35 99 Tyler Truex 32
36 73J Jonathan Laureigh 36
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY - RACE # 1
by Shawn Courchesne
Craig Lutz didn’t want to wait until Tuesday night to visit New Smyrna Speedway victory lane. After winning the Tuesday night race during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing one year ago, Lutz did one better on Monday night by winning the Tour-type Modified opener. The Miller Place, New York native bested a strong field of 40 drivers to claim the 50-lap victory, which didn’t end until early Tuesday morning. To get the job done, Lutz was forced to hold off some of the best in the business on a handful of late-race restarts, including a green-white-checkered finish with Matt Hirschman, Ron Silk and Doug Coby breathing down his neck. “I was just hoping it was going to be the last [restart],” Lutz said on the NBC Trackpass broadcast. “This was the longest 50 laps I’ve ever raced, but it all worked out. We struggled a little bit in practice, but this is an awesome group.”Lutz of Miller Place, New York started from the pole after an eight-car invert following qualifying. He jumped out to the early lead over Patrick Emerling and led the first 14 laps before a red flag for a multi-car accident on the backstretch. The incident, which started with contact between Ryan Preece and Jon McKennedy, claimed a handful of competitors including Anthony Nocella, Eric Goodale, Tyler Rypkema and Tommy Catalano. Race of Champions Modified Series champion Patrick Emerling jumped out to the lead for one lap on the ensuing restart before Lutz battled back on the outside to reclaim the lead on Lap 16. Lutz controlled the majority of the race from that point forward until defending champion Matt Hirschman lined up to his inside for a restart with four laps to go.
Hirschman briefly took over the lead on the restart before receiving directive from race control to give back the spot for jumping the restart. From there, Lutz reclaimed the spot and survived a trio of restarts with Hirschman to his inside.“I was told that I beat him to the line. It’s one of those things that I need to watch a video to form an opinion,” Hirschman said of the restart that he initially took the lead on. “I can have an opinion, but I may watch a video and think it’s different. We’ll take a look and analyze the whole race and see what we can do to be better.“The part about that official call doesn’t concern me at all; it’s more the straight line speed that they out-pull you,” he continued. “It almost forces you to try to jump a little because he’s still coming with a head of steam. It’s a difference in engine packages. It’s pretty tough; they definitely out pull you. It’s like drag cars and they’re going to win the drag race every day.” Ron Silk remained inside the top-five throughout the race before finishing third behind Lutz and Hirschman. Six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby charged from his 21st qualifying position to finish fourth, while 10-time Bowman Gray Stadium champion Burt Myers made a late charge into the top five. Fans can follow Speed51’s on-location coverage presented by BMR Drivers Academy throughout the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing. Live updates are available on Race Day Now by clicking here. Fans can also enjoy all of Speed51.TV’s on-demand video content from the World Series with a free seven-day trial by clicking here.
-Story by: Brandon Paul, Speed51 Director of Content – Twitter: @Brandon_Paul51
-Photo credit: Speed51 / Will Bellamy
Tour-type Modified 50 Unofficial Results
Pos # Driver Start
1 46 Craig Lutz 1
2 60 Matt Hirschman 8
3 16 Ron Silk 4
4 10 Doug Coby 21
5 4 Burt Myers 20
6 92 Anthony Nocella 14
7 6 Ryan Preece 7
8 25 Brian Robie 18
9 8 Chris Finocchario 25
10 36 David Sapienza 19
11 2X JR Bertuccio 23
12 17K Danny Knoll, Jr. 30
13 28 Buddy Charette 17
14 07 Patrick Emerling 2
15 58 Eric Goodale 15
16 59 Matthew Galko 33
17 48 Marcello Rufrano 3
18 2 Chuck Hossfeld 5
19 1 Chris Ridsdale 26
20 55 Jeremy Gerstner 24
21 51 Jimmy Blewett 11
22 50 Ronnie Williams 12
23 21 Jim Gavek 35
24 1S Bobby Jones 27
25 9 Tom Martino, Jr. 28
26 0 Zane Zeiner 10
27 45 Timmy Catalano 29
28 56 Amy Catalano 32
29 54C Tyler Catalano 31
30 7NY Jon McKennedy 6
31 32 Tyler Rypkema 9
32 20 Eddie McCarthy 13
33 179 Stephen Kopcik 16
34 17TC Tommy Catalano 22
35 99 Tyler Truex 34