Quick Cash: Matt Hirschman Gets Victory In $10K Open Wheel Wednesday Modified Event At Seekonk

Matt Hirschman (Photo: Darren McCollester/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Time and time again Matt Hirschman proves his moniker to be true.

Around the Northeast Modified ranks the Northampton, Pa. driver is known as “Big Money Matt” for his ongoing success in big purse events.

Wednesday at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway Hirschman once again emphasized why people think of dollar signs when they think of him.

Hirschman, seemingly on cruise control, rolled easily to victory in the NorthEast Race Cars & Parts Tri-Track Open Modified Series 100-lap Open Wheel Wednesday event at Seekonk Speedway.

“It seems to either be feast or famine in this race for me,” Hirschman said.

Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass. was second and Rowan Pennink of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. third.

Hirschman became the second three-time winner of the event since it’s inception in 2005. Hirschman also won the event in 2008 and 2012. Doug Coby, the 2011, 2013 and 2016 winner is the only other multi-time winner in the history of the event.

Hirschman started third and got by second place starter Jon Keivman quickly and then made quick work in the early laps to get by pole-sitter Justin Bonsignore for the lead.

From lap nine on the battles were feisty in the top-five for most of the way, but nobody found a way to even get a sniff of Hirschman near the front.

“I had a very good night for drawing numbers and I didn’t have to really work hard to pass a car all night,” Hirschman said. “That makes things so much easier. The cars that were capable of winning the race – the old saying that the cream always rises to the top – they all did. It’s just that we were there long before them and I didn’t have abuse my car at all to be there.”

Anthony Nocella of Woburn, Mass. and Tommy Barrett of Millis, Mass. rounded out the top-five respectively.

Unofficial Results

  1. Matt Hircshman, Northampton, Pa.
  2. Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass.
  3. Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon, Pa.
  4. Anthony Nocella, Woburn, Mass.
  5. Tommy Barrett, Millis, Mass.
  6. Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks
  7. Ryan Preece, Berlin
  8. Todd Annarummo, Swansea, Mass.
  9. Woody Pitkat, Stafford
  10. Blake Barney, Lakewood, N.J.
  11. Ron Silk, Norwalk
  12. Eric Berndt, Cromwell
  13. Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y.
  14. Earl Paules, Palmerton, Pa.
  15. Chuck Hossfled, Ransomville, N.Y.
  16. Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass.
  17. Dennis Perry, Pawcatuck
  18. Kurt Vigeant, Oxford, Mass.
  19. Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, Vt.
  20. Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y.
  21. Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon
  22. Jeff Rocco, Wallingford
  23. Richard Savary, Canton, Mass.
  24. Jon Kievman, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
  25. Doug Coby, Milford
  26. Michael Douglas Jr., Auburn, N.H.

Comments

  1. getserious says

    Thank goodness for you and your reports. Where else would we find out what happened? The tracks and the series” pages are sometimes days late.

  2. A great night of racing. Thanks to Seekonk Speedway and Tri Track for running a much quicker show this year. The night was over a little after 10pm. Awesome NEMA Lite finish too.

    You knew the field was in trouble with Money Matt starting that close to the front. Kievman was directly responsible for the first two cautions. He stacked up the field twice by getting loose and wrecked some fast cars. He might have been over his head starting upfront. The 51 sunk like a stone for the second race in a row. Something isnt right there.

  3. I drove to start oops
    I had to tell my diver off
    Matt is great!!!!@
    Ten thousand I spend a week on dinners
    Oh well not everyone can be loaded like me
    I am buying a so team soon

  4. Bob Npt. says

    Good tight racing for the first 70 laps. Then the Hoosier tires seemed to be going away as the field spread out quickly in the last 30 laps. The American Racer tires held up really well in the 125 lap MTS race 2 weeks ago. The field stayed tight right to the end. Could be American Racer tires are a better choice.

  5. Bill Realist says

    Hirschman sure does have some amazing forward bite on old worn out tires at the end of all of these kinds of races.

  6. Fast Eddie says

    Great race last night! NH Mark, I thought the same thing; Hirschman starting near the front was going to make for few battles for the lead. But the top five battles were fun to watch. And 30 NEMA Lights? I’ve never seen that many midgets racing on a track at one time!

  7. I’ve said it before Matt and his dad two of the smartest in the garage and great people congrats Matt

  8. What happened to TC? How many car went home?

  9. Of course he will have the best handling car. He started 3rd, took the lead on lap nine and from there he could set his own pace, drive the track how he wanted conserving his tires.

  10. TC said his team’s motor wasn’t ready.

  11. I'M MIKE FROM UTICA says

    Maybe if they started doing tech at these races, they would find out why the 60 car is so much faster than the rest. Same car as used on the ROC. They don’t do any thorough tech either.

  12. very odd to me that Matt wins 75% of races in that car, but dosent bring it to a tour show. Is it he doesn’t want Nascar looking at it? When he does run the tour it’s never in the red 60 and he’s not as dominant.

  13. Crazy in NY says

    Funny..Coby won last year….no calls for Matt cheating…..When Barrett beat him in 2014…again no call
    for Matt cheating. Only when you win do “haters” come out. Or….( just a thought) the nearly 2 hours
    the 60 crew spent doing tires (out in the open in plain sight of all) had paid off when he nailed the set up near perfect. And.. because there is no tech Matt was “given” the 3rd starting spot and didn’t get lucky in the draw.
    rich, I have a question. Do the 51,58 and 6 run the same car on the Tour as they do in the open shows?

  14. darealgoodfella says

    How dare you suspect that car of Matt that he only runs at these no rules special shows. That car has the special flux capacitor.

    End of story.

    Period.

  15. knucklesmahoney says

    I have said for a few years now that there is no way he can win that many races against top talent and be legal. My guess is that he has traction control in the car, and the tech isn’t looking for it. Need way better tech inspection at these races.

  16. all I am saying is if that if I had a car that dominant I would run it on the tour when I chose to race in that series. And yes some of the tour guys run their tour cars or their back ups that also have won on the tour. Matt is real good driver but was never like this on tour and at same tracks. Just doesn’t add up and I’m sure he spent same time on tour looking at tires

  17. NH Mod Fan says

    I think a lot of it comes down to starting position for these 100 lap races at Seekonk. I’ve been to the 4 Tri-Track shows there and the winner has come from the first couple of rows each time.
    2014 Barrett, 2015 Savary, 2016 Coby, 2017 Hirschman. A Haven’t seen anyone 6th or worse win at Seekonk. I watched McKennedy put a tire on and make it back to second the year Barrett won but in that race there was a lot of action in front of him in the closing laps. He should have probably finished 6th or 7th if the cars in front of him didn’t take each other out. You need to have one of the better cars but track position at Seekonk has been just as important. I’m not saying that Matt wouldn’t have won if he started 10th or 12th but there is a good chance he would have used up his car getting there. At the other places the Tri Track series has run (Star, Lee, Monadnock, Waterford) tires did get you back to the front after a pit stop. I thought the racing was great Wednesday. Matt won, ok, now were on to Star. Can’t wait….

  18. Ok so I will try to enlighten you maybe I have owned a motor from hirshman and ran it on the tour all legal Bruneau builds good power ask anyone.When someone does there homework he has to be cheating I am not a coby fan but same goes for there crew they do there homework.Next time your at a show hirshman always does his homework

  19. darealgoodfella says

    Bill d, I doubt that all those other teams aren’t doing any homework.

  20. Matt and his dad are very good at setting the car up for Matt remember how well he ran in his own car on the tour when they set it up if you let them set it up the way they want he could run upfront on the ty

  21. wmass01013 says

    WHY couldn’t they set it up the way they want on the TOUR?

  22. When they set there own car up in there shop it makes a difference

  23. That makes zero sense. They could set car up at shop and show up anytime for a tour race.Its a ligitimit question as to why that car is never raced in a situation were there is a “real tech” done to cars not just a couple no go gauges. Unless you believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny you have to wonder why?

  24. Fast Eddie says

    Four things come to mind with Hirschman’s TriTrack record.
    1) It’s an ROC car, which runs most of their events on smaller bullring tracks.
    2) The team’s prep work is about perfect. I’ve only seen one race he wasn’t fast right off the trailer, and he STILL won that one!
    3) He always has great restarts. He often gets a carlength or more when he’s up front on a restart.
    4) That may say something as to why he hasn’t had the past expected success on the bigger WMT tracks. With more time at those tracks I’m sure he would be just as successful. But from what I’ve seen, he’s ALWAYS the man to beat when he shows up at a small track. .

  25. Well said he’s one of the best and treats racing like a business and he also won’t run through people he’s clean

  26. Crazy in NY says

    He wins in his own 60, the Pee Dee 60, the Horn 50, J&J 59 and the Gallaer 41…..but he cheats ?!!
    Yeah…… get real.

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