Big Win for Big Money Matt Hirschman at North Wilkesboro

Only Richie Evans (38) has won at more tracks than (34) Matt Hirschman in Modified competition.

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hero image for Big Win for Big Money Matt Hirschman at North Wilkesboro

"It's like we crashed an episode of Dale Jr.'s Lost Speedways and had a race."

That’s how Matt Hirschman described the first two nights of Racetrack Revival after winning the Tour Type Modified finale at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Wednesday night. The victory was the 34th different track ‘Big Money Matt’ has driven a car to Victory Lane on but this one was especially rewarding due to how unlikely it seemed over the past decade.

"It's a cool moment for sure," Hirschman said. "The Revival and being a part of it is a really neat thing, but to add to that number -- and I don't even know what it is -- that's a track you'd never think you could add to a list.

"There are a few others I wish I could have added but they're gone for good so hopefully after it's come back this week, that the future is bright."

Hirschman contended in the debut event on Tuesday but ultimately came up short to both Ryan Newman and Spencer Davis -- citing how little data everyone had on the extremely abrasive short track. Thus, Hirschman and the No. 60 PeeDee Motorsports team went to work overnight.

"I think about it a lot," Hirschman said. "It’s something everyone had the opportunity to do. I’m sure got better and others overadjusted and got worse, but it was something I went to sleep on, woke up and had an idea and it worked."

Hirschman led the most laps from the pole, briefly losing the top spot to Spencer Davis on Lap 6 before regaining it on Lap 10. The pace was up front Tuesday night and that allowed Hirschman to create separation whenever he needed it.

"We were stuck in a pack last night," Hirschman said. "We were boxed in. Spencer got us for a couple of laps, but I had enough space to race and was never boxed in like we were then."

Bobby Labonte ran second to Hirschman for much of the race before getting passed by a hard charging Brian Loftin. After a frustrating debut event finish, Labonte was proud to have a competitive showing at a track where he’s enjoyed NASCAR success.

"It’s really cool to be here at North Wilkesboro and to be the first race last night, we had some things to learn and figure out," Labonte said. "We came back tonight and had a much better run, already thinking of some things we could have done to have less falloff, but a really good job for our guys."

Ryan Preece posted fourth place finishes on both nights and believes he was much better on Wednesday than Tuesday if not for a flat right rear dropping him from the mix in the closing laps.

"I’m really happy with what we did and the promise it showed," Preece said.

Preece debriefed with Hirschman after the race on Tuesday, citing him as the master at this kind of racing but says ‘Big Money’ doesn’t offer up advice or tips to help the competition.

"If you listen to enough of his interviews, you can kind of figure out what he’s thinking," Preece said. "But Matt has always been very methodical, good and I would say I’ve matured as a driver the past few months learning how to go fast with a little less effort."

Racetrack Revival continues August 12-13 with a Super Late Model twinbill promoted by the Southern Super Series and CRA Super Series.

Racetrack Revival Tour Type Modifieds
North Wilkesboro Speedway
August 3 2022