Matt Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., continued his onslaught on modified racing Saturday winning the $10,000-to-win 15th Annual John Blewett III North South Shootout, in Memory of Charles Kepley. It was his sixth victory in the fall classic.
Hirschman used the precise amount of patience and tire management in getting the win. For the bulk of the event he rode inside the top 10, with a late race charge into the top four spots. With 12 laps remaining he made the move inside of Ryan Preece for the lead and ultimately the victory.
For Preece, a two-time North Shootout Champion, it was also a game of tire management and he quickly sliced through the field in the final 30 laps from 14th to the lead on fresher tires. But in the end, he had to settle for runner-up honors.
The story of the weekend was hometown driver Bobby Measmer Jr. who crashed his primary car on Friday night and found himself starting last on the field driving a different car – one owned by Phil Stefanelli Racing. With only 20 minutes of practice in the car, Measmer drove from last on the field to the lead and was in the hunt for the win over the waning laps. In the end he finished third.
Burt Myers, a two-time North Shootout Champion, finished fourth with Jeff Fultz fifth.
It was a clean sweep for Hirschman as he won Friday nights Ted Christopher Dash For Cash Race bring his weekend tally to $13,000. Brandon Ward was the winner of the Precision Spindle Pole Award for his fast qualifying run Friday night.
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