Winner of North-South Shootout Heads to South Boston for His Next Race
Matt Hirschman is a young racer looking to make a name for himself and to carve out a future behind the wheel. Not content to rest on his laurels after a successful rookie season on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the Pennsylvania driver put together a schedule of a few late season events to gain some experience, steal headlines and hopefully collect a few trophies along the way.
After winning the North-South Shootout at Concord Motorsport Park (NC) last month, Hirschman has decided that the next event on his schedule is going to be the inaugural Mason-Dixon Meltdown at South Boston Speedway (VA) this coming weekend.
The second-generation racer is the latest driver to commit to running the $12,500-to-win race. Hirschman joins fellow competitors with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, Race of Champions Tour and True Value Modified Racing Series to make up a diverse list of entries.
“I like the concept of an All-Star type race, especially when it’s an end-of-season event like this,” said Hirschman. “There’s a lot of attention and a lot of publicity. The Shootout is a fun event where you’re racing against people you don’t usually race against all year and you’re surprised by how competitive some of these people are. The Mason-Dixon Meltdown will pretty much be the same thing. There will be a lot of the same people plus a few others mixed in.
“You’re pretty familiar with who everybody is, where they come from and what kind of reputation they have. I just like to race, so whether it’s sanctioned by NASCAR, Race of Champions or just an all-star event, I just want to race. I really like to race against different people and different tracks and all the challenges they present.”
The challenge of racing on a new track is very appealing to Hirschman.
As the son of five-time NASCAR Modified champion Tony Hirschman, people have always known Matt Hirschman’s family name. After winning a pair of championships as the co-crew chief on his father’s car, Matt Hirschman is now starting to carve out quite a name for himself as a driver.
“People know the name and maybe they knew who I was before, but even at Concord I came there with my own RoC car, and people there didn’t even know I was there or who was in that car until after I set fast time on Friday night. After that, I pretty much caught everyone’s attention. They know the car and they know what I’m capable of now, so I’m sure there’s going to be people right from the start looking at what I’m doing, how I’m running, my times and things like that.”
The opportunity to sneak in under the radar and win a major event like at the North-South Shootout is now gone for Hirschman. There aren’t too many people who aren’t aware of him anymore.
“At the Shootout, I just kind of snuck in there and maybe caught some guys by surprise. Nobody really paid attention to me until Friday when I sat on the pole and then Saturday when I pretty much led the whole time. I think we came in there and caught everybody by surprise, but at the Meltdown, I think we’re coming in as one of the favorites, or at least one of the guys everybody is going to be looking at. You’re going to have a lot of people paying attention to where you are.”
Another big victory at the Mason-Dixon Meltdown could make this rising star even more well-known. Several regulars in the pit area for NASCAR’s big three series are expected to attend the South Boston race, which is being co-promoted by PASS founder Tom Mayberry and SPEED TV NASCAR personality Bob Dillner. Entries for the Meltdown races are coming in from places like Maine to Texas to Michigan to Florida, and the big winners of the weekend will make headlines all over the map.
After winning at Concord, Matt Hirschman hopes to sweep both major post-season Modified races at the Meltdown. (Howie Hodge Photo).
“Part of the reason that I chose to come down to South Boston was because I wanted to do what’s best for my career,” said Hirschman. “That’s why I’m coming down to the Meltdown. This is probably one of the best races to be in as far as my career goes. I’m trying to make a name for myself and to get some recognition, so if we can come down south and sweep up the two big Southern races, that’s going to be huge. We’re just going to come down and do the best that we can, just like the Shootout. We’re coming to win.”
The Tour-Type Modified portion of the “Mason-Dixon Meltdown” features a 250-lap main event on Saturday, November 25th. The PASS South Super Late Models also have a 250-lap event that day, and both premier divisions will be racing for a $12,500 paycheck for the winner, plus lap money and other bonuses to be announced soon. Also competing during the “Mason-Dixon Meltdown” weekend are the Legends Cars (Friday only) and the Pro Challenge Series (Saturday only).
For more information on the Mason Dixon Meltdown, contact Matt Kentfield at (704) 455–2051 (ext: 5) and be sure to visit www.masondixonmeltdown.com.
