Souza Media: Matt Hirschman has become the man everyone wants to be like when it comes to Modified racing.
Whether he’s winning races in Pennsylvania or New York, Massachusetts or New Hampshire, Florida, or anywhere in between, Hirschman is always at the front of the field. He’s earned his nickname “Big Money” for a reason. Known for winning the biggest money races on the Modified circuit, Hirschman is also known for winning titles.
In 2021, he was back in title form with the Tri Track Open Modified Series. Hirschman sealed a record sixth Tri Track title — as he extended his record as the only driver to win more than one series title since the inception in 2014.
The season included two wins in two staple, historic events — the 10th annual SBM Classic at Star Speedway, where he banked over $17,000 in awards, and the $10,000 to win Open Wheel Wednesday at Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts. The win at Seekonk allowed Hirschman to become the first driver in the history of Seekonk’s special event to win it four times. It was his fourth win at Star’s SBM event as well — and second straight.
In the end, it was another title added to the mantle for the Pennsylvania native, as he bested Chase Dowling by 19 points for the crown.
“We had a great year,” Hirschman said. “Won the two biggest races and the championship. That’s kind of the cherry on top. I’ve always said these races are more lucrative to win than the championship. But, if you get that in the end, it’s a nice accomplishment for the team and shows that we had a good year. We were good at all three tracks and that’s what you need to be.”
At Seekonk in the season-finale, Hirschman needed to finish 17th or better, no matter what anyone else did, in order to hold the trophy. He scored a fourth-place run, and likely had a faster car and could have contended for the win if he was a bit more aggressive after pitting for a fresh tire. But Hirschman was content finishing there to grab the title — the ultimate goal for his team.
“We had a good car, but I don’t know if we had anything for Chase Dowling,” Hirschman said on the track after the October 23 event at Seekonk. “At the end, we were certainly looking around a bit… there was a couple times I wanted to make something happen, but I also didn’t want to look stupid either. We will settle for fourth today.”
In his career, Hirschman leads all drivers with 35 starts, 14 wins and 28 top-fives. He’s been to Victory Lane in 40% of his starts, and has certainly earned his sixth title.
Tri Track Open Modified Series officials have already announced five race dates for the 2022 season, including two dates at Seekonk Speedway (June 29, October 22), one at Star Speedway (July 23), one at Monadnock Speedway (April 30) and one at Thunder Road Speedbowl (May 29). Any additional dates will be announced in the coming weeks.