HIRSCHMAN ROCKETS TO J&R PRECAST NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR WIN AT SEEKONK

SEEKONK, Mass. -- Matt Hirschman was visibly disappointed when he made his selection during the redraw for the J&R Precast 150 at Seekonk Speedway on Saturday night. After setting the fastest time of the day in qualifying, Hirschman would forgo the pole position by drawing the lowest starting position possible, eighth. This left Hirschman with 150 laps to work his way up from the middle of the pack at a 0.333-mile facility where track position is paramount.



Hirschman predominantly relied on skill instead of luck to surge towards the front of the field. After methodically climbing to second, Hirschman emerged victorious in an intense restart duel with his Northampton, Pennsylvania, neighbor Austin Beers to obtain his second consecutive NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at Seekonk.


“We had to work for that one for sure,” Hirschman said. “[Seekonk] is always a challenging track. The characteristics change throughout the race, but the characteristics of my car changed throughout the race. It came in good on the restart and I was able to go side-by-side with Austin and get past him.”


Hirschman joined an exclusive list of drivers who have multiple Seekonk wins in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The only other member of that group is Doug Coby, whose triumphs came in 2017 and 2019, respectively.


Even with his odds of a victory hindered by a poor draw, Hirschman never doubted his ability to find his way towards the front. Hirschman needed a caution to mount a challenge for the lead. Unlike earlier at the redraw, luck was on Hirschman’s side when a spin by Tyler Catalano brought out the first and only caution of the night with 30 laps remaining. Hirschman held his own on the top side against Beers, who lost the lead after slight contact with the No. 60 caused him to briefly lose control of his No. 64. 


Beers held on to finish second, but he felt dejected knowing he was only a few laps away from claiming a win at the same track where his father Eric picked up his maiden NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in 2005.
Hirschman considered himself lucky his first victory of 2024 came during Seekonk’s tribute weekend to Modified legend Bugsy Stevens, who passed away on May 20. He has long respected Stevens’ ability as a competitor and hopes to keep honoring his legacy with more Seekonk victories.


“To finally get out on the road and have a big win, that’s overdue at least in my opinion,” Hirschman said. “Everybody kept working and we got it done tonight on a special night where we remembered Bugsy Stevens. It was an honor to be here.”


NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points leader Ron Silk placed third after starting 11th. He was followed by Stephen Kopcik and Justin Bonsignore. The rest of the top 10 finishers were Jacob Lutz, Kyle Bonsignore, Patrick Emerling, Jake Johnson and Matt Swanson.