SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — When it comes to racing tour-type modifieds nobody has a hotter hand than Matt Hirschman.
Hirschman recorded 28 wins in 49 starts last season. Among his 28 wins were wins in three of the first four races on the SMART Modified Tour, one of which was a victory last April at South Boston Speedway.
This season, the Northampton, Pennsylvania resident won four straight tour-type modified races at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway during Florida Speedweeks in February. After that, he went on to win the 2023 SMART Modified Tour opener at Florence, South Carolina.
“It was good to get off to a good start in Florida, get some wins early in the season and try to build some positive momentum and continue it,” Hirschman said. “We were able to do that last year, and hopefully we can do the same again this year.”
Hirschman will be returning to South Boston Speedway for The Flying VA Classic, a 99-lap race for the SMART Modified Tour that will be the feature event of the URW Credit Union Fools Rush 262 racing program on April 1.
Matt Hirschman (60) surges ahead of Jonathon Brown (22) as they take the green flag for the final restart in last year’s 99-lap SMART Modified Tour race at South Boston Speedway. (Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway Photo)
“I really enjoyed what we did last spring by going to the first four SMART races because two of them were at tracks I had never raced on, and at South Boston, I had had only one prior start and it dated back to 2006,” Hirschman said. “I feel it (knowledge of South Boston Speedway) came back to me pretty quick. I had to make some adjustments to the car, but they were very common things. We unloaded pretty close for not having had any recent experience at the track. We were really happy with the adjustments we made in practice. We were fast in qualifying and qualified on the pole. We had a good race and were able to make passes.
“I came away from the entire day very impressed with the facility, the racing surface and the type of racing we could put on there,” he added. “I was very happy we attended, and we are definitely looking forward to coming back again.”
Hirschman feels good about the possibility of he and the Pee Dee Motorsports team having another good day in Saturday’s Flying VA Classic at South Boston Speedway.
“You never know how the race is going to go,” Hirschman pointed out. “I don’t know how much the track changes year-to-year, and we don’t know what the weather is going to be in comparison to last year, but I feel we should be good right off of the truck and be in the hunt right from the start.”
Fans attending Saturday afternoon’s URW Credit Union Fools Rush 262 racing program at South Boston Speedway can expect to see great action and great competition in the 99-lap SMART Modified Tour race.
“I expect a quality field of cars,” Hirschman remarked. “I think a lot of people want to race at South Boston Speedway, so I believe you’re going to see a real good event. You might see some non-regulars join in with the SMART Tour regulars. We’ll do the best job we can regardless of who we are competing against to put ourselves in a position to win.”
Hirschman said he enjoyed last year’s SMART Modified Tour event at South Boston Speedway.
“It seemed like there was a nice turnout of fans,” he noted. “I crossed over to the grandstand side and watched the late model stock car race. I was really impressed with the facility, and I think it is one of the premier short tracks that I have ever been to. I was glad to get to come back because it gives you a refresh and reminds you of what a nice place and speedway it is.”
Keyword: Hirschman Gunning For A South Boston Repeat