So after Matt Hirschman won the Tour Type Modified events on Monday and Tuesday at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway Speedway we asked Wednesday morning if you thought he could win all five events at the World Series. Fifty-nine percent of voters didn’t think he could pull off the feat. Wednesday Hirschman won the John Blewett III Memorial 76 to go three-for-three this week at New Smyrna. So we figured we’d ask again, do you think Matt Hirschman will win all five Tour Type Modified division events this week at New Smyrna. Vote below.
Probably.
The thing is, there are cars with the potential to run with Hirschman. The drivers just need to be patient, and save their cars, as Hirschman does, but better.
The 54 can run very fast at times, just needs to run that way for more than a few laps. Sesely, Blewett, Williams, Nocella, Sap, Goodale, Krause, Rypkema, and others are so close.
Not sure how they qualify the cars, but as long as he is starting near the front he is going to win.. Would be interesting to see if he can win from the back of the pack.
good-fella-good-points.. One Observation from being at the Track…. Big Money runs His car higher than most coming off turn four.. He lets it roll up higher on a smoother arc and gets to the outside wall much sooner and runs the wall tighter and longer , By letting his car roll up higher it saves his Right side tires…. Guys trying to run the lower groove are pinching it and trying to hold it down getting off the corner are using more rubber on RF …Matt will run the low groove when needed to pass or defend a position…As soon as he gets out front he establishes a 5 or 6 car lead … then puts it on cruise control runs high saving tires for a late caution if needed… He is on the wall longer and sooner than anyone else out there…Once again playing chess when others playing checkers…Pretty soon the Jeff Gordon thing will happen by winning too much ….The boo birds will start to circle… accusations of something illegal on the car..etc..etc.. When Patrick took him high on the restart in turn one to take the lead… 3/4’s of the Grandstands rose to their feet in full song cheering the move.. the yellow flew before the lap counted and Matt quickly pulled along side the 14 to show His displeasure with the move.. Matt then hit the brakes the next time and crossed him over and it was lights out.. laying down some of His fastest laps and easily walking away from the field.. Too bad cool hand Silk lost his engine early in the week .. we could have lots of back and forth with the 16,14 & 60 … as it stands it’s amazing he only has like a 6 point lead in the Championship !!! Patrick Emerling has a very strong CAR & TEAM for a new team so I am sure they are burning the midnight oil on their 2 cars, Also Patrick has a different Crew Chief on the 14…Mr Leaty is with another car… Another nice thing.. I had the pleasure to meet Race Day Ct Live Update Team..Hard at work in the Tower pre-race.. HAVE FUN = BE HAPPY…. Next year the ” Anyone but Big Money” t- shirts will start to Circulate I am sure… You can only Win so many and the fickle Race Crowds quickly turn on you …. LOL
I wouldn’t bet against it. He is the show stinker. He stinks up the show by winning going away. It got interesting last night on a restart but that was short lived. It goes to show that his competitors would go to such extremes in an attempt to beat him. Looking at the lap times from last night, Hirschman was fifth fastest. Coulter, Blewett, Rypkema, and Williams had faster laps recorded over the course of the event. By the stopwatch there are cars just as fast as him but, on the track, he looks like he can put that car anywhere he wants and could pass anyone at any time. I like Hirschman, but I am actively rooting for someone to beat him. Just to make the show a little more interesting.
I’ll take your word about the arcing, rolling and wall flirtations but the majority of the race the 60 was in traffic to some degree. A perfectly balanced car prone to distributing the weight as evenly as possible combined with throttle control reduces tire ware as well. Hirschman taking that hard left to go under Emerling while keeping enough momentum to complete the pass was making something few can do look easy.
In the way of did you notice, did you notice every car in the top twenty achieved their fastest lap in the first 6 laps. Sure makes sense, fresh tires and all. Except the 60 that achieved it on lap 57.
Correct.. right after the restarts on lap 55 … Matt decided to check out on the field.. most cars will run their fast laps within 10 laps.. except for those guys riding around.. Once he pulled the crossover on the second restart i checked the lap times after a few and there it was his fastest lap of the race..
Years ago when John Force was starting to win regularly in NHRA Funny Car, he asked his hero, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme how can he tell if he’s really “made it” and is successful. Snake’s answer was, “When you’re winning all the time, and the fans still cheer for you.” Based on that premise and the comments on this site I think Hirschman still has a ways to go… Not a huge fan myself, but you have to acknowledge and respect the talent he has; the most cerebral driver in a Modified.
Adding to Fast Eddie’s comment… must be likable.
John Force is an entertaining character, and he wins. Dale Earnhardt was entertaining, as were so many others.
Nobody likes Dug Kolby or Money Matt. These guys can win all they want, they will not be embraced by the fans like Force, Earnhardt, Stefanik, Evans, etc. .