Veteran Modified racer Matt Hirschman sustained a broken left arm in a chain reaction wreck Wednesday during the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Thompson 150 presented FloSports.com.
On a lap 91 restart a chain reaction wreck took place on the backstretch collecting at least seven cars, including Hirschman’s car.
It was reported through Hirschman’s social media account Thursday morning that he broke his left arm in the incident.
From Hirschman’s Social Media: “Last night during this incident Matt broke his left forearm. Awaiting further evaluation, to determine extent of injury and expected recovery. Thank you to everyone who has reached out.”
Hirschman was not immediately available for comment.
Wednesday’s event was Hirschman’s first Whelen Modified Tour start in an event at Thompson since October 2014.
Hirschman was making his ninth Whelen Modified Tour start of the season Wednesday. He has two Whelen Modified Tour wins this season and was seventh in the series standings following the Thompson race last night.
Wow this is terrible news. I was just wondering last week if Money was going to show at Stafford friday to try to lock in one of the front row spots for the Fall Final open race.
Very bad news, hope Matt gets well soon.
There’s his 60, then the PeeDee 60 and the one he was driving last night that he’s raced at Riverhead the Baker Racing 60. The Baker car never really competing at the Hirschman like level you wonder what the goal was last night. Perhaps logging Tour races at Riverhead and Thompson. A cooperative third team that at the worst can help accumulate more points toward the final standing that could mean a bigger check in the end?
I would not consider this a tragedy of any sort. Although is does show that no matter how safe the cars are these days it’s a dangerous sport. What’s a broken bone take to heal six to eight weeks? It’s the forearm, could be severe or cracked. Will we see Hirschman later this season climbing in the car with a cast on toward the end of the healing process? I’d put “Big Money” on it.
Oh dear. The 60 did not look like it was involved heavily in that mess. Was wondering who was taken away in the ambulance. Wish Matt a speedy recovery.
Doug:
Thanks for that. I was trying to figure if that was a pee-dee, or mire likely I thought, a variation of one of his own red 60’s. Now I know.
His qualifying effort with the car was terrible. It bottommed out all the way around the track. Put him in terrible track position to start, and he never made headway. After he pitted, from my veiw, the car seemed to be better, albiet a spot here, and there. It was tough from my angle to see how hard he hit in that melee, we were at the end of the fourth turn looking across the track. With the grade change, all I could see was the roof of the 60, and it appeared from my view, he ended up in on the drivers side. Ouch. Hope he has a speedy recovery. I like you, now have to wonder what the objective last night for him was, other than to get the best finish he could. Good insight ty
I looked over the 60 a little bit on the way out. The chrome horn was bent up, way up. Cars were stacking up right in front of the 60 in that melee, and it looks like the 60 drove hard into the car in front of him. Real hard.
The 60 was sparking throughout the turns and exits. Lots of sparks. A fireworks show. Looked like a flat track car running the high banking, pushing the chassis into the track and unloading the tires.
Anyways, wish Matt well and a speedy recovery.
Hirschman’s first ride in that car was last year’s Islip 300 at Riverhead which he would have won if Nocella didn’t have fresher tires, so he’s had at least one good run. I also remember seeing that car in the Richmond race. I’m guessing he’s driving for Baker to help get them established in the Whelen Tour. I haven’t found a lot of information on the Baker team but from what I can see they largely race modifieds at Riverhead.
Right back at you big guy. That post in the other thread was the RaceDayCt forum at it’s best capturing the essence of one fans experience.
On the first pit by the 60 I counted four full rounds of wedge in the rear right jacking bolt and a front left tire if memory serves. That addresses a push condition does it not and helps with the bottoming issue.
I was not paying attention in our Pick 6. Had I noticed it was the Baker car he would not have been in my picks at all. But I was paying attention to the 60 hoping he could surprise and believe he’d improved to 8th at the time of the mishap. The screen shot not capturing Hirschman from the start of the wreck but it didn’t look that bad although I did notice him braking but not turning the wheel which seemed strange. Now we know why.
Now that I’m educated on that particular 60, thanks to this forum, I too Doug, made the same error. I wrongfully “assumed” it would be the Pee Dee car at Thompson. And while the pee dee car can sometimes be hit or miss at nascar events, it always has a shot.
Not to be picky but the adjustment on Matt H car was the track bar 4 turns, I saw on FLO as well. The coil over modifieds don’t have jacking bolts per se over the spring, they use the upper spring cup nut on the coil over. Sometimes can move by hand but sometimes it needs a spanner wrench if the spring is loaded up at rest.
Just details. I’d guess they were raising the bar to free the car up but I’m only guessing. Some turn clockwise up, some the opposite way so impossible for me to tell from the sofa. 4 turns is a pretty big swing though in my experience.
Well, well, well, the guy that claims he doesn’t know where the springs are on a modified is giving Doug a lesson on the differences between a wedge adjustment and a track bar adjustment.
😝
Constantly trying to help Doug is just not gratifying. Now I just laugh 😆 at him. I can teach, but he can’t be made to understand.
But Stuart is correct. There’s no way a TV watcher could tell how much wedge a crew person was doing since wedge is done preferably with a rear wheel off and hands deep in the wheel well. Corner must be jacked up to unload the collar. Track bar is done with the wrench and can be easily observed and counted. BTW, four turns of track bar is a ton. That car was far from the ideal setup.
If they put a pin in the bone. The forearm will stay nicely in place . Couple weeks and He could race with a cast … hell if your a hockey player, one week i cracked 3 ribs and fractured right ankle , Went to track on crutches one week later……. wrapped the ribs super tight with kidney belt used in motorcross… slowly got in and won the heat race , 3rd in feature… Hurt like hell in the middle of corners but caught my breath on long Thompson straights…removed boot on fractured right foot .. put on workboot and that was that .. forearm no problem .. you have two hands . LOL
Out of my slumber to help those here that should be slumming over Iliketospeculateoneverything.com
You Flo pros should invest in a ticket once in a while. Maybe get a head set on Matts freq so you can actually hear Matt make his pit calls.
First stop panhard / left REAR DOUG
Second stop more bar/;fresh rights and a great stop that had him restart 6th.
Defies logic how one could confuse the red/yellow 60 from the black on black Pee Dee one. Matts own Troyers DO NOT RACE ON THE TOUR…EVER.
Joe Friday was famous for ” Just the facts ma’am”. Maybe less Raceday for ya’ll and a little more Dragnet
Now I’m sure you racing / orthopedic specialist ( darealsmartsurgen) can’t direct Matt’s full and complete recovery.
Back to my sleep źzzźzźzzzzzz
Crazy, you’re the best, glad to see you up and taking nourishment 😂
A fans got to know his limitations. Shame of me for trusting a recollection, referring to jacking bolts and trying to take some very basic setup parameters and applying them to the modern day Tour modified.
Baker Racing
Their roots are at Riverhead and they’ve been successful. In 2021 John Baker winning several feature events in the 07 at the track so they have a pedigree of winning. Hirschman did in fact have a very good run in last years Islip 300. A wreck filled event coming down to the end and missing the win just barely. Since then the car hasn’t been what we’re used to seeing from Hirschman. At Richmond Hirschman started 28th and came in 18th. On to Riverhead started 12th and finished in 15th.
The Thompson Hirschman watch.
Qualified in 17th, back to 18th then up to 16th as the caution came out for Bello on lap 50. Fresh left rear, four rounds in the right rear, came out 15th.
Lap 71 great pit stop moving up to 7th. Back to 9th by lap 86 then the mishap on 91 and unfortunately the fractured bone.
It’s pretty safe to conclude that the Baker Racing 60 at best is a work in progress as far as Tour races go. That’s not to say they can’t rise to PeeDee and Red 60 standards but so far they aren’t there and it’s noticeable.
Spent a little time with Shane on The Setup Show to get a better appreciation of rear suspension dynamics and how they are adjusted. Learned that even if Moran was a relative and available to me on Thanksgiving and he tried to explain every element of what’s in play in setting up the rear to his winning standards it’s likely I never really would get it. When someone like Silk refers to being a bit off I interpret it in simplistic terms like a push or being too loose. He could very well mean the race setup being off in the rear geometry in one small segment of the corner as the loads change. That how close these cars are. The difference for Bonsignor and Silk potentially could boil down to one very slight weakness in one segment of one corner.
I’d have to say Mr Fearn’s comments were the most helpful. Not a modified guy but a maestro at setups obviously, knows what’s in play. Made the observation knowing that there was no simple conclusion that could be drawn from seeing a crew member make four clockwise rounds in the right rear so thanks for that.