Matt Hirschman Wins Race of Champions 250 for Ninth Time in His Career

For the ninth time in his illustrious career, Matt Hirschman took the checkered flag in the VP Racing Fuels Race of Champions 250 at Lake Erie Speedway on Sunday.

Following a lap 201 caution for Paulie Hartwig, III, Hirschman won the race off pit road to take the lead in the historic Modified event. From there, Hirschman fended off Andy Jankowiak on the restart and kept a charging Luke Baldwin at bay to secure the win.

Hirschman admitted that his ninth Race of Champions victory was mostly a testament to his crew as he hoisted the Al Gerber Trophy.

"I think this one, the crew was better than the driver and the car, to be honest," said Hirschman in victory lane. "The car was right when it needed to be. There was just times it wasn't, and there were certainly cars better than us. It was good when it needed to be, but the crew was better than the driver and the car."

The first eight of Hirschman's Race of Champions 250 wins came during a nine-year run between 2012 and 2020, with only Chuck Hossfeld in 2014 interrupting the run of dominance.

However, Hirschman had not won the event since that 2020 victory. Jankowiak was victorious in 2021, while Patrick Emerling won the race last year. At last, Hirschman has the ninth win, and he's already setting his sights on a 10th to further extend his record in the event.

"It feels like it's been a while," said Hirschman. "We didn't have a Race of Champions due to weather one year. It seems like it's been a while. Now that we've got nine, 10 would be a nice round number to get to. You just don't know. I had a great run in this race, but it ended and I wasn't so sure today was going to be our day either.

"Happy to get one today and add to our collection with the family and the silver bowls. I appreciate Race of Champions for continuing this tradition. Like I said, we'll try for 10."

Like Hirschman, runner-up Luke Baldwin comes from a family with a storied history in Modified racing. However, Baldwin was seeking the first win for his family in the storied event.

Still, Baldwin was pleased with a runner-up finish in his debut in the race, thanks in part to a rapid pit stop from the Tommy Baldwin Racing team at the lap 201 caution.

"We struggled with the balance all day," said Baldwin. "My guys worked super hard. To be honest with you, I thought we were screwed on that second-to-last run. I was just way too free all throughout the race. I just could never find that lateral or forward grip.

"My dad had an outstanding stop on that last stop. I think we went from 11th to third or something. It's got nothing to do with me. I was just behind the wheel trying to take care of it. My guys are the reason it's sitting there right now. I could have driven to a ninth or an eighth-place finish. They put me in the best position I could have been in, and I was able to capitalize.

"I hear so many stories," added Baldwin. "We're still chasing a Race of Champions win. My grandpa was leading one at Pocono and blew up on the last lap. We're still chasing that infamous Al Gerber Trophy."

Austin Beers completed the podium, matching his career best finish in the event.

"Kinda surprising with how practice and qualifying went. I was kind of upset with myself there, but my dad did an awesome job with the changes. My crew did an amazing job on the pit stops getting us spots out there. We just had a really good car at the end and we were able to hang with Matt. I almost caught Luke at the end. I was trying to get him. He's a good buddy of mine. He's got some talk he can have for me."

Jake Lutz led the race at the time of the lap 201 caution after taking the lead from Zane Zeiner 10 laps prior. However, he fell back to the fourth row for the following restart following pit stops. Lutz recovered for a fourth-place, with Zeiner rounding out the top five.

-Photo credit: MoJo Photos/Race of Champions

74th VP Racing Fuels Race of Champions 250 Unofficial Results