2021

Matt Hirschman wins Paul Bauscher Tribute ON OCTOBER 2 and Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series title

The Paul Bauscher Tribute marked the finale of the 2021 John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series (MVSHoFS) and for the fourth time in five Series races Matt Hirschman was first to cross the line. Hirschman started sixth in the 91-lap contest – that number reflective during Bauscher’s career – and passed John Markovic for the lead 28 laps into the race. He then held off Austin Kochenash the rest of the way to collect his sixth Mahoning win in seven 2021 starts and also claim his second straight MVSHoFS title. “This has been a great season for us here at Mahoning and we still have one more to go (October 30) and for the Hall of Fame Series we were nearly perfect and one of them just wasn’t meant to be but all in all we are thankful for a great season here and to win this Series for a second year in a row,” said Hirschman, who picked up his 28th Mahoning victory. “There was a lot of good support here tonight from all the Bauscher fans and it was great to have Paul here too. It was pretty cool that he got to pace the field with his Modified. It’s important that we continue to honor guys like him for all they did back in the day.” A random draw amongst the top 12 from the heats would see Markovic and Rod Snyder Jr., start from the front row. At the drop of Frank Mertz Sr.’s race commencing green Markovic charged to the lead with Snyder, Lou Strohl, Hirschman and Zane Zeiner in tow. The race then went into a long nonstop stretch as the first 46 laps ran caution free and during the first 25 laps Markovic and Snyder remained very close. Snyder even took away the lead on lap 24 but Markovic wasted no time in getting right back the next time around. At that point Hirschman made quick work of Strohl for third and in the next circuit he bested Snyder and in yet one more lap was able to drive underneath Markovic for the top spot.  With 36 laps complete Kochenash was now running third and giving Markovic all he could handle. Within in a few tours of that he took care of business and motored into second with his sights now set on Hirschman. Hirschman, though, would use the ensuing stints between the few restarts to show who had the upper hand between them. “I think maybe about mid-race the car wasn’t totally to my liking but it seemed to come back in late and I was happy with it obviously,” noted Hirschman. 
Kochenash had a very strong car but was just a bit off in trying to keep with the leader. He had a few occurrences on restarts to overtake but Hirschman was able to launch ahead each time. In 10 MVSHoFS races in the past two years Hirschman has now won eight times. “The restarts were the only chance we had to try and cross him (Hirschman) over but other than that he was in a class of his own,” offered Kochenash. “I saved my tires in the beginning but obviously we just need to get a little bit better to catch Matt. We’ll go home and try to make some adjustments and come back at the end of this month and shoot for the win.” Zeiner was part of a torrid battle that finished under a blanket as he nipped Strohl for third and Nick Baer in fifth.

Modified feature finish (91-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Zane Zeiner, 4. Lou Strohl, 5. Nick Baer, 6. Earl Paules, 7. Cody Kohler, 8. Nevin George, 9. John Markovic, 10. Jaden Brown, 11. Rod Snyder Jr., 12. Don Wagner, 13. Bobby Jones, 14. Carl Altemose, 15. Jesse Strohl, 16. Jacob Kerstetter, 17. Terry Markovic, 18. BJ Wambold


MATT HIRSCHMAN HAS ENGINE PROBLEMS AT SEPTEMBER 26th RACE OF CHAMPIONS AND LOSES ROC TITLE
Matt Hirschman entered Sunday’s main event as a heavy favorite after having won eight of the last nine Race of Champions features. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, driver ran into motor problems early and was forced to the pits. Hirschman had a 41-point lead over Austin Beers for the overall Race of Champions title, so Matt made the motor repairs and returned to the race many laps down to try to pick up some positions and save the championship,
Hirschman ended up 21st, but the sixth-place finish for Beers gave him the title by just 11 points.

Pos    Start    Driver    Hometown    Car
1    6    Andy Jankowiak    Tonawanda, NY    73
2    2    Michael Christopher Jr    Mooresville, NC    7NY
3    5    Patrick Emerling    Orchard Park, NY    07
4    23    Zane Zeiner    Bath, PA    22
5    9    Daryl Lewis Jr.    Ontario, NY    10
6    3    Austin Beers    Northampton, PA    45B
7    17    Danny Knoll Jr    Amherst, NY    17
8    20    Timmy Catalano    Ontario, NY    45PJ
9    14    Daren Scherer    Binghamton, NY    3
10    15    Ricky Knapp Jr.    Buffalo, NY    11
11    11    Bryan Sherwood    APALACHIN, NY    95
12    28    Dan Majchrzak    Perry, NY    14M
13    24    Sean Verwys    East Stroudsburg, PA    88V
14    16    Earl Paules    Palmertown, PA    8
15    25    Gary Noe    Barton, NY    99
16    4    Tommy Catalano    Ontario, NY    54PJ
17    21    Kyle Strohl    Palmertown, PA    44
18    22    Jim Gavek    Effort, PA    21
19    13    Jack Ely    Wall Township, NJ    81
20    10    Kevin Miller    Rochester, NY    2
21    1    Matt Hirschman    Northampton, PA    60
22    19    Randall Richard         0
23    26    Jeff Szafraniec    Akron, NY    83
24    18    T.J. Potrzebowski    Elmira, NY    72
25    12    Blake Barney    Jackson, NJ    14
26    7    Jimmy Zacharias    Candor, NY    71
27    8    Tyler Catalano    Ontario, NY    64PJ
28    27    Craig Dolphin    North Tonawanda, NY    98

Ron Silk wins Oswego Speedway NASCAR Modified Tour Race September 4th - Matt crashes and comes back for 2nd.
Austin was running in 8th when he got harpooned by Kyle Bonesigure ending his NASCAR debut

Sometimes those breakups can be ugly, and sometimes not.  Earlier this week Ron Silk made it publicly known that he would be leaving the Kevin Stuart Motorsports Whelen Modified Tour team at the conclusion of the 2021 season.  Both Silk and team owner Kevin Stuart insisted last Monday that it was an amicable breakup and all parties involved hoped to make the most of the final four events of the 2021 Whelen Modified Tour season. Saturday at Oswego Silk and the team showed that no matter the impending divorce, winning as a team is still priority number one. Silk scored a dominating victory in winning the Whelen Modified Tour Toyota Mod Classic 150 Saturday at Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway. It was the second consecutive series victory for Silk, of Norwalk, who won at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine on Aug. 21. Silk, who started on the pole and led the majority of the event, beat second place Matt Hirschman to the checkered by 2.9 seconds.  “It was just a fantastic job by my guys,” Silk said. “The car was spot on. I’m just real excited for my team to get back to victory lane.”  Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. furiously rallied from a lap 43 wreck to grab the runner-up spot.  
“We just had to overcame a lot,” Hirschman said. “I wish we didn’t have to. We came up with a strong second at the end.”  Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, N.Y. was third and extended his lead at the top of the series standings. Bonsignore, the reigning series champion – who is looking for his third series title in four years – went from holding an eight-point lead over second place Patrick Emerling coming into the event to a 20-point lead over Emerling, who was 15th Saturday.  “It was a good night for us,” Bonsignore said. “It’s getting down to crunch time as far as points are concerned. Gives us a little bit of breathing room, but we still have to race hard the next three [races].”  Bonsignore went by Silk for the lead on lap five. Silk went back to the front on lap 15.  The first caution of the event flew on lap 37 for the spinning car of Mike Leaty. The race restarted on lap 43 with Silk fending off Bonsignore on the restart.  But the red flag was shown on lap 44 for a huge wreck. The melee began with Hirschman and Doug Coby battling for fourth place. Hirschman looked under Coby but Coby closed the door on him and contact from sixth place running Anthony Nocella sent Hirschman spinning. The wreck collected a number of cars, including Bobby Santos III, Woody Pitkat, Tommy Catalano, Gary Putnam and Leaty.  
“I was thinking it wasn’t looking to good,” Hirschman said. “[Coby] hacked us and it spun us around there. We got clipped and a bunch of other cars got wrecked there. We didn’t need that to happen.”  The race went back to green on lap 49 with Bonsignore going back to the front by Silk, but it was a short-lived stretch. Caution flew once again on lap 55 when Austin Beers ended up in the wall.  The race went back to green on lap 62 with Bonsignore continuing to fend off the stalking Silk in second.  On lap 78 Silk found the way by Bonsignore to regain the lead, and he was quickly able to open some breathing room on second place.  “I knew if it was a longer run that I would be able to drive back by him,” Silk said. “My car took a few laps to fire off on restarts.”  With a long green flag stretch Silk was able to check out from Bonsignore, opening up a 2.6 second lead by lap 120. By lap 127 Silk had opened that lead to 3.3 seconds, but heavy traffic slowed Silk by lap 130. On lap 132 Bonsignore had cut the lead back to 1.9 seconds. By lap 134 Bonsignore closed the gap to 1.1 seconds behind Silk.  Silk was able to clear the heavy traffic issues and quickly opened his lead back to 2.8 seconds by lap 138.  “I went pretty hard there like halfway through the race and I said ‘I’m sure there will be a caution and we’ll end up taking tires.’” Silk said. “With 20 to go I was getting a little nervous wondering ‘Did I save enough?’ Hirschman got by Coby for third with nine laps remaining and then went by Bonsignore for second with seven to go. Hirschman was 3.4 seconds behind Silk when he got to second, and at one point cut Silk’s lead to about two seconds, but Silk pulled away over the final two laps.  Said Hirschman: “We made a charge. … Congrats to [Silk], he went the whole way and still was driving away from the rest of us. He had a very good car.”

1. Ron Silk (85), 2. Matt Hirschman (60), 3. Justin Bonsignore (51), 4. Doug Coby (10), 5. Anthony Nocella (82), 6. Bobby Santos III (44), 7. Andrew Krause (24), 8. Woody Pitkat (1), 9. Kyle Bonsignore (22), 10. Kyle Ebersole (5), 11. Gary Putnam (77), 12. Eric Goodale (58), 13. Chuck Hossfeld (2), 14. Tyler Rypkema (32), 15. Patrick Emerling (07), 16. Jon McKennedy (7), 17. J.B. Fortin (34), 18. Melissa Fifield (01), 19. Walter Sutcliffe Jr. (78), 20. Austin Beers (64), 21. Tommy Catalano (54), 22. Mike Leaty (25

​

MATT HIRSCHMAN WINS MAYNARD TROYER CLASSIC AT SPENCER SPEEDWAY - SEPT 3rd - Austin great run for 5th

Red-hot Matt Hirschman won Friday night’s 2nd annual Maynard Troyer Classic at the Spencer Speedway in Williamson. The victor picked up more than $7,000 for the win on the half-mile paved oval

Pos    Start    Driver    Hometown    Car
1    4    Matt Hirschman    Northampton, PA    60
2    1    Andy Jankowiak    Tonawanda, NY    73
3    12    Chuck Hossfeld    Lockport, NY    14
4    6    Patrick Emerling    Orchard Park, NY    07
5    8    Austin Beers    Northampton, PA    45
6    7    Mike Leaty    Williamson, NY    25
7    2    Zane Zeiner    Bath, PA    22
8    9    Jimmy Zacharias    Candor, NY    71Z
9    15    T.J. Potrzebowski    Elmira, NY    72
10    17    Kevin Timmerman    Ontario, NY    17T
11    16    Bryan Sherwood    APALACHIN, NY    95
12    3    Amy Catalano    Ontario, NY    56
13    11    Timmy Catalano    Ontario, NY    45PJ
14    22    Tyler Catalano    Ontario, NY    64PJ
15    21    Daren Scherer    Binghamton, NY    3
16    23    Jim Gavek    Effort, PA    21G
17    10    Danny Knoll Jr    Amherst, NY    17K
18    19    Sean Verwys    East Stroudsburg, PA    88V
19    18    Kreig Heroth    Fort Plain, NY    00
20    20    Tom Keyes    Fairport, NY    5
21    5    Daryl Lewis Jr.    Ontario, NY    10
22    14    Chris Finocchario    Macedon, NY    8
23    13    Gary Putnam    Concord, NC    77


Fast Cash: Matt Hirschman Holds Off Chase Dowling To Win Tri-Track Open Wheel Wednesday At Seekonk on August 25

Open Wheel Wednesday proved to be almost a Sunday cruise for Matt Hirschman. It was a virtual race-long sail away out front for Hirschman until the final four laps when Chase Dowling turned Hirschman’s smooth seas into a rough ride into harbor.
In the end Hirschman was able to hold off the charges of Dowling over the final four laps and the driver dubbed “Money Matt” once again took home the big cash in winning the 100-lap Tri-Track Open Modified Series Open Wheel Wednesday feature at Seekonk Speedway. It was the fourth time that Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., has been victorious in the $10,000 to win event. Hirschman went from second to first on the opening lap and led 99 of 100 laps. “I feel very winded, very relieved to hold on to that,” Hirschman said. “I almost lost it into [turn] one a couple times. … It’s a big race. This is a big win. … This one of less than maybe a handful of races all year you look forward to and if you don’t get it done you’ve got to wait a whole calendar year for another chance.” Dowling, of Roxbury, held on for second and Anthony Nocella of Woburn, Mass. was third. “I was just doing everything we could with the apron, trying to use the apron and the whole race track just to figure out something to make the car the best we could,” Dowling said. “That’s all she had there at the end.” With five laps remaining Hirschman rolled up on a pack of lapped cars. With four laps left Hirschman went to the outside of Blake Barney, who was running at the tail end of the lead lap. With Barney staying to the inside Hirschman wasn’t able to complete the pass on the high side by Barney and it was Dowling filling the hole in the low lane behind Barney and under Hirschman. For two laps Hirschman stayed to the outside of Barney while Dowling tried to find a lane under Barney. At the white flag Hirschman was able to clear Barney into turn one, leaving Dowling chasing his bumper for the remainder of the final lap.  “That was kind of close at the end,” Hirschman said. “I didn’t have anything left there. [Barney] didn’t do anything wrong there. He gave me a lane [on the outside] and I just couldn’t do anymore and [Dowling] filled it. He did what he had to do too. It’s good to be racing with quality racers there at the end with Nocella and [Dowling] and even [Barney] there holding onto his car. I know [Dowling] was working him some. You can’t blame him for that.”  Said Dowling: “That lapped car, I gave him as many big shots as I could to move him up a lane, just wasn’t enough to fit my nose in there and get by him on the bottom. In contention for the win at the end, but it sucks to finish second obviously.”  Hirschman went by pole-sitter Brian Robie on the first lap and took control at the front early. The first caution flew on lap three for the spinning car of Russ Hersey. On the restart it was Doug Coby going by Ron Silk for third and then making quick work of Brian Robie for second. Hersey brought out the second caution of the event on lap 29. The yellow sent third place Silk, fourth place Justin Bonsignore and fifth place Dowling to the pits. Caution flew for the third time on lap 58 for the spinning car of Devin O’Connell with Hirschman leading Coby at the front of the field. Coby headed to the pits under caution putting Nocella in second place for the restart with Matt Swanson in third. The fourth caution came on lap 64 for the spinning car of Kirk Alexander with Hirschman leading, Nocella in second, Swanson in third and Dowling fourth. Dowling went by Nocella for second place on lap 78 and then began the hunt to catch Hirschman. Richard Savary of Canton, Mass. was fourth and Joey Cipriano of Waterbury fifth. Silk, Robie, Coby, Les Hinckley III and Angelo Belsito rounded out the top-10 respectively.  

RESULTS: Tri Track Open Modified Series at Seekonk Speedway

Matt Hirschman
Chase Dowling
Anthony Nocella
Richard Savary
Joey Cipriano
Ron Silk
Brian Robie
Doug Coby
Les Hinckley
Angelo Belsito
Chris Pasteryak
Dylan Izzo
Justin Bonsignore
Tommy Barrett
Matt Swanson
Austin Beers
Russ Hersey
Woody Pitkat
Max Zachem
Matt Galko
Anthony Sesely
Devin O’Connell
Blake Barney
Kirk Alexander
Austin Kochenash
Ronnie Williams

Ron Silk uses late-race heroics to win in Modified Tour’s return to Beech Ridge on August 21 over Matt Hirschman
 
Davey Segal NASCAR.com 
He may not be a fighter, but Ron Silk proved he was ready to rumble late Saturday night, passing Matt Hirschman with less than 10 laps remaining to win the Rumble at the Ridge 200 at Maine’s Beech Ridge Speedway.  The win was Silk’s first of the season and 16th of the veteran’s career, coming in a season that’s been up and down for the No. 85 Kevin Stuart-led machine.  “Pretty damn good,” Silk said with a smirk of how he was feeling in Victory Lane. “We had a great car the whole race. I knew right from the beginning that we were going to have a car that had a shot to win. Just pumped for all my guys to get them back to Victory Lane. … A great night for us.” Like most of the field, it was Silk’s first trip to the third-mile Scarborough oval, being the Whelen Modified Tour’s first event at the facility in over 15 years.
But he and eventual runner-up Hirschman made it seem like they were veterans at the track, slowly conserving their equipment while running inside the top five, preparing for a late-race battle.Known on the tour as the best of the best when it comes to tire conservation, Hirschman led the opening 62 laps from the pole and dominated most of the event. He just couldn’t hold off the hard-charging Silk in the closing stages.The second-place finish for Hirschman is his worst result of 2021 — because it’s only his second start of the season. He’s chosen to enter only a handful of races on the tour, and after winning Oswego and another strong showing at Beech Ridge, explained why he and the No. 60 team decided to Rumble at the Ridge of all places.  “A lot of people ask, ‘Well why’d you come here?’ The answer to be honest is it’s just a different race track,” Hirschman said. “I like to see different places on the schedule, get to go to new tracks. And for the first time here we did pretty well. We just gotta be a little bit better and hopefully we have the opportunity to come back here again.”  Beating Hirschman gives Silk even an added ounce of satisfaction with this particular win. “It was exciting racing there with Matt at the end,” he said. “Feels good to beat him. You beat the best. We got four more (races) to go and we’re gonna go and try win some more.” After losing a lap due to the right rear tire falling off the hub under caution, Patrick Emerling came home third for his seventh top five of the year. Still trailing Justin Bonsignore in the overall points standings, the driver of the No. 07 thinks if a late caution came out, they would’ve been able to challenge for their third victory of 2021. “We improved upon our car a lot on the pit stops there,” he said. “We were knocking on the door of Matty (Hirschman) and I think we were the fastest car on the track at the end. Good points day for us. First time here, we can’t be disappointed salvaging a pretty solid day over a pretty major issue we had in the pits and getting ourselves trapped a lap down.” Entering only his fourth race of the year, Matt Swanson came home fourth, his first top 10 and best result this season. Doug Coby, who was one of only two drivers with prior NWMT experience at Beech Ridge entering the 200-lap event, rebounded from a mid-race spin that put him a lap down to finish fifth. Anthony Nocella, Kyle Bonsignore, Justin Bonsignore, Kyle Ebersole and J.B Fortin completed the top 10 finishers.
Despite only his second finish outside the top five this season, defending series champion Justin Bonsignore holds his points lead over Emerling with just four races remaining on the slate. Entering the event third in the standings, Jon McKennedy finished 16th, 13 laps down with front-end issues. Up next for the Whelen Modified Tour is a trip to Owesgo Speedway on Sept. 4 for the Toyota Mod Classic 150. Earlier this year, Hirschman was victorious at the 5/8-mile, with Bonsignore taking the win in 2019.

AUGUST 15 NEWS ALERT:  While competing at Evergreen on August 15 a Lap 19 accident occurred
​that ripped apart the guardrail that could not be fixed so all three Modified features have been scheduled for August 22


Matt gets 2nd as Chase Dowling Tops Tri-Track Open Modified Series At Monadnock Speedway on Aug 15

The pairing of Chase Dowling and the Ben Dodge owned Start/Finish Motorsports team has proved to be a potent combination since late last year in Tour Type Modified events at Stafford Speedway.  Saturday they took their magic on the road.  Dowling, of Roxbury, scored victory in the 100-lap Tri-Track Open Modified Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. was second and Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, N.Y. third. Dowling held off Hirschman and Bonsignore in a green-white-checkered finish.  It was Dowling’s second victory in the last five Tri-Track Open Modified Series events dating back to the season ending event for the division last October at Stafford Speedway.  Dowling has also won two of the three Open Modified events this season at Stafford. Dowling took the lead on lap 55 and never trailed again. Ronnie Williams of Tolland was fourth and Brian Robie of Sunapee, N.H. fifth.

RESULTS: Tri Track Open Modified Series at Monadnock Speedway, Saturday, August 14, 2021:

Chase Dowling
Matt Hirschman
Justin Bonsignore
Ronnie Williams
Brian Robie
Joey Cipriano
Matt Swanson
Kirk Alexander
Richard Savary
Chris Pasteryak
Les Hinckley
Max Zachem
Earl Paules
Ryan Doucette
Tommy Barrett
Matthew Kimball
Rob Murphy
Ron Silk
Woody Pitkat
Anthony Sesely
Tyler Barry
Sam Rameau
Derek Robbie
Dylan Izzo
Frank L’Etoile Jr.
Robert Bloxsom III

MATT SCORES HARD FOUGHT VICTORY OVER AUSTIN BEERS AT CHEMUNG ON AUGUST 7

Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., chalked up another victory in the Race of Champions Modified Series this past Saturday night in the Night before the Glen, Rod Spalding Classic 75 at the Chemung Speedrome.  Hirschman made all of the right moves darting through traffic, eventually working himself to the lead on lap 60 of the event as he worked past early race leader Andy Jankowiak of Buffalo, N.Y. “We had a good car and it was a challenging race, it always seems that way here,” stated Hirschman. “It was good racing and we did have a good car, we are just happy to be back here in victory lane. Thank you to all of the fans who came out and all of my guys on the team for a great job today.”  Hirschman led Austin Beers of Northampton, Pa., to the line. Beers had been involved in an early race altercation with Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y., but recovered to finish second. Ryan Preece of Berlin, Conn., finished third. Former Race of Champions driver, Rete Britten of Howell, N.J., posted a $500 bonus in a random draw to the 5th through 10th place finishers, which went to the 9th place finisher. The award went to Scott Wylie of Blasdell, N.Y.
1    6    Matt Hirschman    Northampton, PA    60
2    12    Austin Beers    Northampton, PA    45
3    11    Ryan Preece    Berlin, CT    6
4    2    Andy Jankowiak    Tonawanda, NY    73
5    10    Danny Knoll Jr    Amherst, NY    17K
6    5    Daryl Lewis Jr.    Ontario, NY    10
7    7    Zane Zeiner    Bath, PA    0
8    8    Patrick Emerling    Orchard Park, NY    07
9    1    Scott Wylie    Blasdell , NY    14
10    15    Tony Hanbury    Owego, NY    99
11    13    Tommy Rought    Rome, PA    40
12    4    Daren Scherer    Binghamton, NY    3
13    20    Gunnar Zeiner    Bath, PA    16
14    17    Jim Gavek    Effort, PA    21G
15    16    Ricky Knapp Jr.    Buffalo, NY    11
16    19    Sean Verwys    East Stroudsburg, PA    88V
17    9    Roger Coss    Lafayette, NJ    17C
18    14    Gary Noe    Barton, NY    1
19    18    Travis Montgomery    Ontario, NY    65
20    3    T.J. Potrzebowski    Elmira, NY    72


Matt Hirschman tops the field at Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Lorin Arthofer Sr. Tribute on August 1

(Lehighton 7-31-21) Matt Hirschman proved yet again his role as one of the premier Northeast pavement Modified stars as he collected his 14th win of the year, this latest one taking place Saturday evening in the fourth installment of the 2021 John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Lorin Arthofer Sr. Tribute 71 lapper.   Hirschman redrew ninth in the 24 car field. Inside of 11 laps he was in the top five and within eight tours of that was running down the front pair of Cody Kohler and Nick Baer. It only took him another four circuits, a restart on lap 24, in gaining the top spot from Baer and afterwards made it a race for second as he sailed on to his fifth Mahoning win in six starts and 27th at the ¼-mile oval. “It was a really good race for us starting from ninth and then to advance and go with all good clean passes all the way to the lead and just hold everyone off from there. It’s was a good night and it’s been a good year for us here at Mahoning,” said Hirschman.  “It’s so nice to honor some of these guys with the Hall of Fame Series while there still with us and they’re able to enjoy it and see the recognition they deserve. Those guys were some real wheelmen back in the day.”  Veteran Don Wagner and rookie Kohler shared the front row and at the waving of the race commencing green by honorary starter Lorin Arthofer Sr., Wagner would get the jump and take the early lead but by the second go-around Kohler unseated him.  Kohler, who was leading a Modified feature for the first time, then set out on a steady pace while holding off both Wagner and Baer as they raced side-by-side directly behind him. Making haste as well was Austin Kochenash who joined in the lead trio by lap nine and two laps later Hirschman added his No. 60 to the fight.  By lap 18 Baer was finally able to pull ahead of Wagner and once he did continued on towards Kohler’s outside. Hirschman likewise advanced to third, partly from a restarts and lane choice with the fact of this being a cone race. As the leaders then completed lap 21 Baer had his nose out front but unfortunately it would be short lived as Hirschman utilized a restart to move to the front two laps later.  Afterwards he would have to contend with numerous challengers such as Kochenash, Brian DeFebo and eventual runner-up Zane Zeiner, the majority of those encounters taking place on restarts but each time he was quick to go and would leave no doubt of his unquestionable prowess.  “Restarts is how I got spun out on the last one (June 26) here so I wanted to make sure I got as best start as I could. I felt I got good ones the last time here but I guess there was a little to much room for a nose to get in there so this time I tried to close that off and just try and get away,” explained Hirschman. “You never know here with no radios and no mirrors. You can always sense if you have pressure or not and feel if their tight on you. So we just needed to execute a few laps and then I felt like we were safe.” While Hirschman had control of the lead DeFebo and Zeiner would lock horns in a great battle for second spot as they traded the position back and forth all the way to the finish.  “It was a strong run and I may have used my stuff up a little too much but it was hard racing with Brian (DeFebo). Randall Richard’s gives us a great car and I a big thanks to the Arthofer family for all they did to out this race on,” said Zeiner.  
Baer had a solid run all race long and took fourth while Earl Paules came on strong late into the race a garnered a respectable fifth.   

Modified feature finish (71-laps) 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Zane Zeiner, 2. Brian DeFebo, 4. Nick Baer, 5. Earl Paules, 6. Terry Markovic, 7. Carl Altemose, 7. Sean Verwys, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Tommy Flanagan, 11. Cody Kohler, 12. Wes Gilbert, 13. John Markovic, 14. Lou Strohl, 15. Don Wagner, 16. Rod Snyder Jr, 17. Avery Arthofer, 18. Austin Kochenash, 19. Nevin George, 20. Lorin Arthofer, 21. Peyton Arthofer, 22. Stephanie Moyer, 23. Bobby Jones, 24. Rich Cooper

PATRICK EMERLING GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE TO WIN WHITTAKER FORD F-50 AT SPENCER SPEEDWAY ON JULY 30 - Matt 3rd

Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y. dominated the Race of Champions Modified Series Billy Whittaker Ford F-50 on Friday night at the Spencer Speedway. Emerling led all 50 laps to earn his second RoC Modified Series win of 2021. Andy Jankowiak of Tonawanda, N.Y. finished second followed by Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA. A near capacity crowd took in the action that featured five divisions of racing. Gary Noe of Barton, N.Y. won the Race of Champions Super Stock 30-lap feature. Jacob Gustafson of Webster, N.Y. captured the Wilbert’s U-Pull It 4-Cylinder race. The Super Sixes feature was won by Ashley Schoonmaker of Williamson, while Andrew Lewis, Jr. won his third Rocket Performance 602 Sportsman Modified feature of the season.
Emerling started third in a stacked field of 24 Race of Champions Modifieds. He was able to overtake front row starters Zane Zeiner and Ricky Knapp on the opening lap by the time the field of Modifieds exited the fourth turn. Zeiner chased Emerling for the opening 12 laps before giving up the runner-up position to Jankowiak, who started fourth.
While the duo of Emerling and Jankowiak paced the field for most of the event, it was Hirschman that played the role of hard charger. Hirschman started eighth and it took him 20 laps before landing in the third position.
In the end the race came down to Emerling being able to grab the lead on the opening lap to keep himself ahead of Jankowiak and Hirschman all the way to the finish.
“My guys gave me a great car, but track position is so important here,” said Emerling. “It was awesome to win in front of this great crowd at Spencer and now we’re 2-for-2 with the Race of Champions this year.”
Emerling now has 20 career Race of Champions Modified Series wins, which is fourth best in series history. The three-time and defending series champion is just two wins behind George Kent for third place on the win list. Hirschman padded his series points lead over Austin Beers, who finished tenth.


Mo Money: Matt Hirschman Scores Big Payday In Tri-Track Open Mod Event At Star Speedway on July 24

(Story: Shawn Courchesne/RaceDayCT)

EPPING, N.H. – When you’re a race car driver and your nickname is “Money Matt”, it goes without saying that you probably know the feeling of winning big paying races. But Saturday at Star Speedway even had “Money Matt” in awe of his payday. Matt Hirschman put on a driving clinic on the way to winning the Tri-Track Open Modified Series SBM 125 Saturday at Star Speedway. The victory earned the Northampton, Pa. driver more than $14,000 in purse money and bonuses. “I’ve done this race enough and I’ve learned how to win this race and I’ve learned how to lose it before,” Hirschman said. “Everything really fell into place well. This is going to be one of the best days we’ve ever had and we’ve had a lot of really good one’s, even here. But I’m talking in my career and that’s thanks to Star Speedway and [track owner] Bob Webber for putting up the money that even second place is going to have a great day.” Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass. was second and Chase Dowling of Roxbury third.
“This has been a great race for my career and this is probably going to top them all,” Hirschman said. “It’s just incredible for me and my team and what this means to an owner and driver.” Hirschman started on the pole and led the event until caution flew on lap 79 and he headed to the pits. He restarted the event 14th and put on a show marching to the front. Though the show nearly came to an abrupt halt when on lap 85 when he ended up going through the grass after trying to make a pass for 12th going into turn three.  “My guys were great,” Hirschman said. “They had a flawless pit stop. The car performed great. The racing was good. One little scare on the backstretch. … It was a career day.” Hirschman was up to seventh on lap 89. On lap 95 he passed Ronnie Williams for fifth and two laps later went by Justin Bonsignore for fourth. On lap 103 Hirschman passed Matt Swanson for third and then on lap 109 he used a diving move under turn Dowling in turn one to go to second. On lap 112 Hirschman went under McKennedy for the lead through turns one and two. Hirschman was able to defend against McKennedy’s charges on three late restarts. “It was a good run,” said McKennedy, who had pitted on lap 51. “As far as where we were at with everyone else with the tire strategy, I thought we had the best car. Matt just pitted later than everyone and I think he had on a 30-lap newer tire. That was the difference. Matt’s a good driver. They’ve got a good setup. Between that and the newer tire I knew I was going to have my hands full. … We’ll take second. Still a good run.” Dowling came out on top of a late battle for position with Williams.
“We don’t want worry about [Williams], Dowling said. “We finished third, he finished, I don’t know where. Congrats to Matt Hirschman. They were really good. We were really good in the daytime. Just got a little too free there [at night].”

RESULTS: TRI TRACK OPEN MODIFIED SERIES SBM X: STAR SPEEDWAY: JULY 24, 2021

Matt Hirschman
Jon McKennedy
Chase Dowling
Ronnie Williams
Ron Silk
Max Zachem 
Justin Bonsignore
Brian Robie
Dana DiMatteo
Ryan Preece
Andy Jankowiak
Chris Pasteryak
Dylan Izzo
Earl Paules
Les Hinckley
Kirk Alexander
Anthony Sesely
Cam McDermott
Richard Savary
Woody Pitkat
Matt Swanson
Ryan Doucette
Sam Rameau
Anthony Nocella
Kyle James
Patrick Emerling
Eric Berndt
Austin Kochenash
Josh Cantara

Austin Beers shakes off runner-up blues with win in Roger Heffelfinger Sr. Tribute at Mahoning Valley Speedway June 26th

(June 26, 2021) There is a saying in racing, ‘Second place is the first loser’ and no one would know that better than Austin Beers who was a runner-up five times this season and most of those coming in close thrillers.  However, for the second generation talent from Northampton he was finally able to shake the runner-up finish with his victory on the 66-lap Roger Heffelfinger Sr., Tribute, which was race #3 in the Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series. And, as it had been for him during his spell of seconds it was a close battle to the wire with this time with Austin Kochenash en route.  “This means so much to me to win this tribute race for Roger (Heffelfinger). He ran for my grandfather (Dale Beers) back in the day so it’s an honor to win this and with Austin (Kochenash) coming in second and him being his grandson and all. It was a clean race and it was awesome,” expressed an elated Beers.  Beers started second and ran behind early leader Matt Hirschman and at the same time had to deal with strong running Zane Zeiner. With Hirschman leading it was looking as though he would be in position to chalk up another win but that notion went away when he was pinched from behind by Zeiner on a lap 35 restart. Both drivers then pitted which elevated Kochenash to the lead over Bobby Jones, Nevin George and Nick Baer. The lap prior to that Beers had checked into the pits also with his crew swapping around tires on his DeLange Racing No. 45. As the action was back underway there was a passionate feeling of excitement as Kochenash looked poised to see victory on a night honoring his legendary grandfather who was watching attentively from the sidelines. Beers though began a charge and began picking his way to the front, eventually closing in behind Kochenash by lap 51. He then began to apply pressure on him and after several side-by-side laps was able to slip underneath Kochenash with seven laps to go. “We changed a tire and put the right front to the right rear and this thing just came alive,” said Beers.  “He (Kochenash) gave me good room and ran me very clean but I knew I had to get it done because I was tired of finishing second. I very thankful too for Dave and Laura DeLange giving me the opportunity to give their car and my dad and the whole crew for the hard work they put in.”  For Kochenash, although a tough pill to swallow, it was a very respectable, solid run and his second straight runner-up finish. Jones was steady over the last half of the race in garnering third with George and John Markovic rounding out the top five.

Modified feature finish (66-laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Nevin George, 5. John Markovic, 6. Earl Paules, 7. Matt Hirschman, 8. Terry Markovic, 9. Brian DeFebo, 10. Kyle Strohl, 11. Carl Altemose, 12. Zane Zeiner, 13. Lou Strohl, 14. Nick Baer, 15. Jesse Strohl, 16. Johnny Bennett, 17. Tommy Flanagan, 18. Cody Kohler


Matt Survives Evergreen Raceway on June 18 for 50 lap win

Less than a week ago Matt Hirschman and Ryan Preece were battling for the win at Oswego Speedway on the NASCAR Wheln Modified Tour.  Ironically both modified drivers made to victory lane on June 18th as Ryan Preece won in his first career start in a NASCAR Truck at Nashville Speedway while Matt Hirschman was winning the 50 Lap Tour Type Modified feature at Evergreen Raceway in Drums, PA.

While Matt continued his winning streak at Evergreen Raceway this win was far from a given.  From the green flag it was an exercise in survival as Kyle Strohl and Wayne Szerencsits got together bringing out the caution and ending Waynes night. The caution flew again on lap 3 as Austin Beers running in 7th looked to get tight and got moved out the groove while rubbing the back stretch wall.  While Austin never went into the pits, his chance for the win at this point was out of the question but was able to survive and bring the Delange Racing #45 Modified across the line for a 8th place finish.

The next race changing moment was an accident on lap 11 where a number of competitors running in the top 10 stacked up causing some interesting damage.  Hirschman ended up with a bent up rear bumper, Roger Coss's left rear looked like a freshly opened sardine can, Kochenosh had cosmetic damage as well.  Up to this point the Future Homes #16 modified driven by Ron Silk was making his way to the front but after this incident never really was in contention again.

With he green flag now back in the air, The action settled down and it was Daren Scherer with a strong showing and running a great race however by lap 16 Hirschman was up to 2nd with Silk falling back and Jack Ely putting the Beers Motorsports #19 in there top 5.  For the next 10 laps Scherer and Hirschman put on a great show and on Lap 21 Hirschman  was one car back, Lap 25 Matt was up to the bumper and on Lap 27 Matt made the move in turn one going under Scherer who pushed up just a bit.

From there the battles on the track behind Matt were fierce and furious, especially with Blake Barney getting around Scherer for 2nd and Ely battling with Paules to grab the 4th spot.

They say you never know what might happen during a race while leading, on lap 46 Hirschman was probably wondering what was going on as he got pinned in behind Roger Coss and under the 44 of Kyle Strohl, who was making his first career Modified start at Evergreen.  Blake Barney was able to get close but not close enough as Matt was able to navigate out of trouble and bring it home in one piece for the win.



Matt Hirschman Scores Victory In Whelen Modified Tour Steel Palace 150 At Oswego on June 12

Matt Hirschman may not run the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour often, but when he does, he makes his trips well worth it. The Pennsylvania driver drove to his fourth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win at Oswego Speedway on Saturday night, which was his second at the tricky New York oval. Hirschman became the fifth different winner in the first five races of the tour season by pulling away from NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece in the final laps to win the Steel Palace 150.
The race was the second of three for the season promoted by JDV Productions, led by Josh Vanada. “I love every ripple, bump and crack in this place,” Hirschman said. “I’ve been coming here for a long time and it’s a special place to my whole family. I’ve always just enjoyed coming up here. This place has a lot of character and it really suits me well. It’s tough winning these races. We’re a limited, part-time team.” Max McLaughlin won the Mayhew Tools pole award in qualifying and led the first 44 laps, before Craig Lutz took the lead on lap 45. Hirschman, who qualified third, would follow to second — and the two drivers pulled away from their challengers until Hirschman made the move around for the top spot on lap 67. Entering turn three on the same lap, contact from a lapped car sent Lutz spinning in the next corner, drawing the only caution period of the race. During the caution, pit stops for fresh Hoosier rubber and Sunoco fuel ended with Lutz back out front over Ron Silk, Chuck Hossfeld, who was fastest in practice, and Patrick Emerling, for the restart. Hirschman lined up fifth for the green — with two-time tour champion Justin Bonsignore in sixth.  Hirschman worked his way to second within two laps, then passed Hossfeld for the lead on lap 85. He would never relinquish the top spot for the rest of the distance — but it wasn’t an easy run to the checkered flag. Preece charged from outside the top-five right to the front, taking second on lap 94, then setting chase for Hirschman. Preece chased his back bumper over the final 50 laps, coming close, but couldn’t get around.Behind Hirschman and Preece was Patrick Emerling — who maintained the series points lead with a third-place finish. Justin Bonsignore and Kyle Ebersole finished the top-five over Woody Pitkat, Tyler Rypkema, Chase Dowling, Anthony Nocella and Ron Silk. McLaughlin finished 11th after leading laps early, while Lutz was 17th, three laps down. Twenty-four drivers took the green flag in the Steel Palace 150.

Loose wheel relegates Matt to 13th place finish at Star Tri Track Race on May 22

Through all the bad luck Jon McKennedy has experienced in a Tour-type Modified lately, he has refused to back down. That determination was rewarded with a win on Saturday, as McKennedy took home the checkers in the Tri-Track Open Modified Series Prelude to the SBM X 100-lap feature at Star Speedway.
 McKennedy’s team rolled into the Epping, NH quarter-mile bullring with a brand-new car after wrecking hard during the 2021 Icebreaker at Thompson in the Outlaw Open Modified race. The team built a new car from the ground up in a little over three weeks, and McKennedy rewarded their hard work by parking the car in Victory Lane. [It was] a ton of work, man,” McKennedy told Speed51.com after the race. “We had an awesome car at Thompson, I honestly thought we had a car that probably should have won there. Unfortunately wrong place wrong time. Got caught up by a car that blew an engine and went straight in the wall, slid in his oil. It’s unfortunate, we junked that car and literally built a brand-new car in three weeks.”After having to race his way into the main event via the consolation race, McKennedy took advantage of an early pit stop for fresh tires and spent the middle part of the race laying low and trying to stay out of trouble. A late-race spin for Matt Hirschman brought out the caution, and after the round of pit stops, McKennedy found himself in second place behind Chris Pasteryak.A bold move around the outside cemented McKennedy’s place at the top of the field, and he held off a late-race charge by Matt Swanson to take home his first Tour-type Modified win since the 2018 North-South Shootout at Concord Speedway in North Carolina. “Again, we had wrong place, wrong time in the heat,” McKennedy said. “Broke the left-front suspension, and the crew worked their butts off and fixed it.”Matt Swanson has been building momentum in the Boehler Racing Enterprises No. 3 since early last year, and showed the team is on the right track by racing to a strong second-place finish. Swanson felt encouraged by the result, if not a little disappointed at how this particular race played out.“We definitely had a good car, I think a car to win, Jon just has way better car control,” Swanson said after the race. “He’s got a lot more experience than I do and he got through lapped traffic a lot better than I did. But I think we have a good, solid baseline to come back for the SBM, and try and do the same thing again.”Chris Pasteryak drove to his best finish of the year, bringing his No. 75 to the final step of the podium. Teammates Anthony Sesely and Ron Silk rounded out the top five.Cam McDermott, Ronnie Williams, Woody Pitkat, Les Hinckley, and Brian Robie finished in the top 10.

A full replay of Saturday’s Tri-Track Open Modified Series race can be viewed now on Speed51.TV.
The Tri-Track Open Modified Series is back in action on Wednesday, June 30 as they storm into Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts for Open Wheel Wednesday. Fans will be able to watch all of the action on Speed51.TV.

-Story by: Ian Pettigrew, Speed51 Northeast Correspondent

Prelude to the SBM X Unofficial Results
1) Jon McKennedy
2) Matt Swanson
3) Chris Pasteryak
4) Anthony Sesely
5) Ron Silk
6) Cam McDermott
7) Ronnie Williams
8) Woody Pitkat
9) Les Hinckley
10) Brian Robie
11) Sam Rameau
12) Matt Hirschman
13) Max Zachem
14) Chase Dowling
15) Tommy Barrett
16) Kevin Iannarelli
17) Joey Cipriano
18) Kirk Alexander
19) Kyle James
20) Earl Paules
21) Josh Cantara
22) Anthony Nocella
23) Jon Kievman
24) Justin Bonsignore
25) TJ Bleau
26) Austin Kochenash
27) Carl Medeiros, Jr.
28) Andy Shaw

Matt Hirschman remains undefeated at Mahoning Valley Speedway with win in Ward Crozier Sr. Tribute on May 15th

(May 15, 2021) If ever there was a driver on a roll at Mahoning Valley Speedway its Matt Hirschman who, in his fourth consecutive start at the ¼-mile paved oval, raced to victory and dating back to last season has now reeled off eight straight wins.  In race #2 of the John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Ward Crozier Sr., Tribute, the Northampton driver came from 12th on the grid and made the winning pass over Earl Paules with six laps to go, parking his Harry's U Pull It Allentown No. 60 into Victory Lane for his 26th career win here. The start of the 50-lap event saw Paules – who drew the pole position – jump to the early lead and then steadily remain there. Behind him though was some intense action as Jack Ely was second, Blake Barney third and by lap 10 Austin Beers and Hirschman entered the top five which from that point saw the aforementioned battle under a tight blanket, especially considering a long green flag stint from lap nine until six tours remaining which kept the crowd quite captivated by their close proximity. By lap 24 Hirschman had maneuvered into second and began laying down heavy pressure on leader Paules. Barney was still third with teammates Beers and Ely next in line. With the laps winding down Hirschman was trying every avenue to get by Paules and not making matters an easier at the same time had Beers alongside. Then Terry Markovic spun in front of the front-runners to bring out the caution with a half dozen laps remaining. On the ensuing green Hirschman used his outside restart flank on Paules to edge his way to the front and from there he would go on to another win – his 10th in 16 2021 starts.  “This was far from a predictable finish even though we won again. The laps tick off quick here when you get green flag runs like we had and this was not an easy race. The lap counter wasn’t working so I really didn’t know how close we were to the end until that caution came out and they said there was only six (laps) to go,” said Hirschman.  “I think actually if you were to divide up the odds of who was going to win this race I feel you could have went evenly between any of us in the front pack. It wasn’t decided at all until that restart helped me to get the lead.”  Paules was impressive and fought hard to maintain the front spot before setting for his best effort of the season. Barney was never lower then fourth all race long and registered a fine third. Zane Zeiner and Brian DeFebo came on strong in the final laps to round out the top five.

Modified feature finish (50-laps) 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Blake Barney, 4. Zane Zeiner, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Nevin George, 7. Don Wagner, 8. Austin Beers, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Jacob Kerstetter, 11. Jack Ely, 12. Terry Markovic, 13. Cody Koehler, 14.Nick Bear, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Rod Snyder Jr. 17. Al Arthofer, 18. Bobby Jones, 19.John Markovic, 20. Sean Verwys, 21. Bobby Butler


Matt Hirschman christens new Evergreen pavement with Opening Day Modified win May 2

By DINO OBERTO

(May 2, 2021) Evergreen Raceway opened up the 2021 season with a brand new layer of asphalt but it was the same old results as Matt Hirschman continued to showcase his dominance of the Butler Township 1/3-mile oval with another winning effort, his ninth victory in 14 overall starts this season.  Hirschman was gridded seventh for the 75-lap affair and then picked his way forward over the first 30 laps. With 35 circuits in he was tailing early pace setter Blake Barney who had been running a strong race while holding the front spot since the drop of the initial green.  Hirschman hounded Barney and tried several times over the next ten laps after to overtake him but each time the talented driver of the Big Red No. 14 was having nothing of it.  Then with the field realigned following a lap 45 restart Hirschman was able to run even with Barney and when they rolled out of Turn 4 ready to complete lap 47 the lead would pass. From then on Hirschman held off the untiring efforts by Barney to regain the top spot but the undisputed kingpin of Evergreen was not about to let up as he raced to his 44th career win at the track. “I tried to get to the lead and I had to work pretty hard to get there. Blake (Barney) was running good and he was still good at the end and was real competitive and it was not easy to get by him,” said Hirschman, who thus far has not lost a race in his home state this year which includes three straight wins at Mahoning Valley Speedway.  With the fresh blacktop down Hirschman, like everyone else, came into the day with open minded optimism.    “You didn’t know what you had to do and the changes you needed to make. You couldn’t really be set on what use to work because it was going to be different so you just had to adapt. I feel that today is not a true test but it was still racy out there and it’s only going to get better,” surmised Hirschman. “It’s always good to win when we come here and I’ve won with so many different variations of the track here over the years before either end was paved then (turns) three and four was paved or when the aprons were paved and you could run on them and then you couldn’t but now with the new blacktop it’s nice to see the investment and it’s a real positive.”  Barney’s second place was well fought. He was never any further back then second and clearly made Hirschman work for the win. His car was quick from the start and after giving up the lead he remained close for his best Evergreen finish in recent years.  “I thought I was setting a good pace and honestly I was saving so much, lifting and giving it no throttle and treating the right rear (tire) but it wasn’t the rear tires that got me it was my right front,” said Barney.  “I can’t be down on finishing second here today. Of course I wanted to win but to come here and get this kind of results, hopefully we can improve on it the next time. For me to be that guy to challenge him (Hirschman), I was running good times with him near the end and I’m so proud of my guys and my grandfather (Dick Barney) for giving me a great car and my dad for setting it up.”   Third place finisher Austin Beers may very well have passed more cars than anyone. Having to start last due to a tire change he charged up through the pack not once but several times due to pit stops. “It was kind of crazy from where we started. We pitted four times because the car just wasn’t right all day. Unfortunately we just never got to where we needed to be to contend and our car was just good enough for third,” explained Beers, who has had all top-5 finishes in each of his 2021 starts.  Former track champion Dave Brigati and Jack Ely rounded out the top five.

Modified feature finish (75-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Blake Barney, 3. Austin Beers, 4. Dave Brigati, 5. Jack Ely, 6. Chuck Hossfeld, 7. Brian DeFebo, 8. Earl Paules, 9. Chris Turbush, 10. Jerry Hildebrand, 11. Amber Fortin, 12. James Pritchard, 13. Daren Scherer, 14. Todd Baer, 15. Gerry Rinehimer Jr., 16. Tom Wanick III, 17. Bobby Jones, 18. Ricky Ross Jr., 19. Wayne Szerencsits, 20. Carl Altemose

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Rameau Uses Late Pass to Double Down at Monadnock as Matt gets 3rd on May 1

The ¼-mile Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH is a notoriously difficult track to figure out. But Saturday evening, Sam Rameau made everything look easy, charging up through the field late to score a stunning win in the Tri-Track Open Modified Series season-opening Wonder Casino 100. 

Rameau started the race off strong, leading almost the entire first half before a caution on Lap 56. The entire field came in for pit stops, and Rameau found himself buried down in 17th on the following restart. He stormed back though the pack to find himself in contention, and made a thrilling pass on Ron Silk coming to the white flag to notch his second TTOMS win at “Mad Dog” in as many races.

“[It was a] good run. I wish I didn’t have to rough him up like that, I don’t like to win like that, would rather have a clean race. But with three to go, I knew I was coming and I had the car to win, so I had to make a move,” Rameau said after the race. “It’s awesome to beat guys like Ron Silk, Matt Hirschman, and Chase Dowling, and guys like that that win everywhere. To win here at the Dog twice is pretty cool, but we’ve got some more coming this year.”

Despite opening the 2021 campaign with a victory, Rameau is focusing on the season-long championship instead of occasional race wins, and he certainly feels that he and his crew can get it done.

“I know one thing, at the end of the season, it’s going to feel damn good to be the champion! That’s all I care about, that’s why I’m here. We came here to win races, and that’s what we do. We’ve got many more coming, these guys don’t give up.” – Sam Rameau  Even though Ron Silk led the majority of the second half of the race, he had to settle for second place. He emerged from the Lap 56 pit stop cycle with the lead, but was unable to hold back a surging Rameau in the final laps.
“He was just better than we were at the end,” Silk said. “Obviously it’s disappointing to lead that much of the race and come up short there right at the end. Those guys did a good job, they were fast all day, and he did what he needed to do to win. We’ll build off that, second is a decent result. Disappointing, but you can’t be too disappointed with second, I guess.”

“Big Money” Matt Hirschman survived an early race spin, and came back from as far back as 22nd to finish third. Defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore drove Jimmy Paige’s chrome-nosed No. 00 up to fourth, and New Hampshire’s own Les Hinckley finished fifth.

Ben Byrne, Woody Pitkat, Anthony Nocella, Ryan Preece, and Joey Cipriano III completed the top 10.
 

-Story by Ian Pettigrew,

 

WONDER CASINO 100 UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
1) Sam Rameau
2) Ron Silk
3) Matt Hirschman
4) Justin Bonsignore
5) Les Hinckley
6) Ben Byrne
7) Woody Pitkat
8) Anthony Nocella
9) Ryan Preece
10) Joey Cipriano III
11) Anthony Sesely
12) Max Zachem
13) Devin O’Connell
14) Joel Monahan
15) Chase Dowling
16) Chris Pasteryak
17) Kurt Vigeant
18) Brian Robie
19) Dylan Izzo
20) Richard Savary
21) Earl Paules
22) Matt Swanson
23) Matt Kimball
24) Tommy Barrett
25) Kirk Alexander
26) Austin Kochenash
27) Ronnie Williams
28) Glen Reen

Matt Hirschman takes RoC 75-lap opener and seventh straight Mahoning win on April 24; Austin Beers is runner-up in as many times 

(April 24, 2021) For the seventh time in as many starts at Mahoning Valley Speedway Matt Hirschman has driven to victory, this time doing so for the season opening Race of Champions (RoC) Asphalt Modified Series 75-lapper. And, in each of those wins the runner-up has been Austin Beers. At one point the race had an extended stretch of green flag laps which put Hirschman as the pace setter but never by far. Bobby Jones was very tough on him and late into the event a strong Kyle Strohl was giving him a run before Beers took up the chase to the checkers.  “That was a workout and sometimes it’s harder to do it from out front than it is when you’re coming from behind,” admitted Hirschman, who collected his 25th Mahoning win.  “We took advantage of a good starting spot and the outside lane opened up. We got to the lead but as I said this was a harder drive then some of the ones when we come from the back.”  An equal mix of RoC and Mahoning regulars made for a well-defined field. A redraw of the top 13 from the three heats run saw Snyder Jr., and Daryl Lewis Jr., on the front row and within one lap after the initial green Snyder led the way but on the subsequent tour the outside lane opened up in the path of Hirschman and he quickly vaulted to the lead.  Jones, who won here the previous week, followed right behind and planted himself on Hirschman’s rear bumper while Snyder held steady in third. There was a few minor incidents on laps six, 13 and 19 that slowed the action but from that point it was stint of nonstop laps over next 36 circuits. All the while the front trio of Hirschman, Jones and Snyder stayed nose-to-tail.  At lap 55 Lewis came to a halt which in turn prompted a caution. On that restart Hirschman and Jones where still one-two but into third came Strohl who had done a remarkable job of working up from 13th and then took second just prior what was the final caution with 14 laps remaining. At the same time Beers had also joined the front fray.  As the race resumed Beers made a quick move to get around Strohl and from then on kept his sights set on Hirschman. Regrettably for him it was another runner-up.  “I know it’s getting old for him (Beers) but I have to remember that when the roles are reversed not to get too frustrated because he was on the other end,” said Hirschman after  “I actually preferred it if we kept going green because on the restarts the cars are tougher to handle and I was already starting to struggle on that last run.”  For Beers and his runner-up to Hirschman hasn’t just been at Mahoning Valley but elsewhere as well.  “We got pushed back pretty early and fell to about 17th but it we made a good recovery. When we got to second I saw that he (Hirschman) was loose and I stayed with him not thinking that I had a chance but I did and it kind of shocked me and I feel we could have gotten him but unfortunately we ran out of time,” explained Beers.  “Matt is probably the best Modified driver right now and it’s good to know that we’re right with him and not just here but at different tracks too.”  Zane Zeiner worked from as far back as 17th to take fourth while Don Wagner rounded out the top five.

Modified Feature Finish (75-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Kyle Strohl, 4. Zane Zeiner, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Brian DeFebo, 7. Bobby Jones, 8. Daren Scherer, 9. Nick Baer, 10. Daryl Lewis Jr., 11. Kirk Totten, 12. Rod Snyder Jr., 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Chris Risdale, 15. Sean Verwys, 16. Carl Altemose, 17. Cody Kohler, 18. Jim Gavek, 19. Danny Knoll Jr.


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

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