Matt Hirschman recorded his fifth straight Modified victory on Saturday in the SMART Modified Tour season opener at Florence Motor Speedway. Photo: SMART Modified Tour
Matt Hirschman’s hot streak to start 2023 continues.
The veteran driver from Northampton, Pennsylvania won Saturday’s SMART Modified Tour season opener at Florence Motor Speedway in Timmonsville, South Carolina.
Hirschman took the checkers in four-straight Tour-Type Modified races during Florida Speedweeks in February at New Smyrna Speedway. With Saturday’s victory, it marks five-consecutive victories to begin the year.
The triumph did not become a reality until a late-race caution with eight laps to go in the 99-lap event. Caleb Heady led all lead lap cars down pit road for what resulted in a right-rear tire change for all teams. Hirschman was the first car off of pit road to assume the lead. He led the final eight laps of the race to score his seventh victory in his last nine series starts.
“It was really timely and it worked out for us,” said Hirschman. “We needed that to give us a chance. We weren’t the car to beat today. I didn’t have anything for the top two (Heady and Burt Myers), they had me covered. They had such a gap (on us) and we were looking at a third place finish.”
“The guys killed it on the pit stop and I owe this to them,” Hirschman added. “We were not the car to beat today, but sometimes you just find a way and we did today. That’s the racing game.”
Heady finished second after leading 32 laps. Burt Myers followed in third, with Brandon Ward in fourth, and Jonathan Brown in fifth.
NASCAR veteran Ryan Newman, Gary Putnam, Jason Myers, former NASCAR champion Bobby Labonte, and Gary Young, Jr. rounded out the top 10.
Next up for the SMART Modified Tour is a trip to Caraway Speedway in Sophia, North Carolina on Sunday, May 12. For more information, visit SMARTModTour.com.
SMART Modified Tour
Florence Motor Speedway – Timmonsville, SC
Low Country 99* – March 4, 2023
1. 60 Matt Hirschman
2. 7ny Caleb Heady
3. 1 Burt Myers
4. 2 Brandon Ward
5. 24 Jonathan Brown
6. 39 Ryan Newman
7. 77 Gary Putnam
8. 4 Jason Myers
9. 18va Bobby Labonte
10. 45 Gary Young, Jr.
11. 23 Carson Loftin
12. 25 Tim Brown
13. 14 Bobby Measmer, Jr.
14. 02 Joey Coulter
15. 07va Dennis Holdren
16. 79 Zach Brewer
17. 55 Jeremy Gerstner
18. 11 Michael Ritch
19. 15 Brian Loftin
20. 22 Jason Tutterow
21. 21NC Dwight Sauls
22. 01 Brian Weber
23. 07N Riley Neal
24. 21 Jimmy Wallace
*Unofficial Results
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