Column By: MICHELINA FRISS / DIRTCAR – MIDDLETOWN, NY – After arguably the most successful Dirt Modified racing career in history that has spanned five decades, Brett Hearn still isn’t done giving to the sport.
The iconic driver will be hitting the track on Sunday, May 7, at Orange County Fair Speedway to compete against the Super DIRTcar Series Big Blocks.
But it won’t be just another typical race for the Sussex, NJ native, as he will debut a new prototype chassis that he assisted in creating.
“It’s a merger, so to speak, between Madsen Motorsports, which is my normal team, and Gary Miller who owns a Sportsman (Modified),” Hearn said. “It’s going to be somewhat of a prototype for Teo Pro Car and it’s called the Elite RXD. For me, it’s a little bit of a challenge to develop a new chassis and also have some fun racing.”
With over 300 Big Block Modified wins at Orange County Fair Speedway, and 15 of his record-breaking 141 career Series wins coming at the track, Hearn stands alone on top for the most visits to Victory Lane. Even with the unmatched metrics on his resume, he still has found a way to reignite his passion for the sport.
“I have the desire to press forward with new ideas,” Hearn said. “I just love the sport…this type of project appeals to me.”
As far as his racing plans beyond this Sunday, it remains largely undecided. He has committed to running Orange County’s Big Block Modified weekly racing for points and has hopes of being prepared to compete in the post-season events such as Super DIRT Week and the World of Outlaws World Finals. Beyond that, he plans on taking it one step at a time and seeing how things go.
Before he can think about the post-season, he will need to tackle this Sunday’s race. Hearn is aware his project is a work in progress, so he plans on working on the equipment as much as he can with his team up until race day. From there, he will see what results he gets once he drives onto the oval. But, even after doing it so many times before, he still wouldn’t mind a trip to the top of the podium.
“The first step would be getting in the redraw, Time Trialing fairly well, depending on how many cars are there, getting a top three finish in the Heat Race,” Hearn said. “Getting [myself] in the redraw and having a competitive Feature…that would be our goal.”
The Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds are back in action Sunday, May 7, at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, NY for a 75-lap, $7,500-to-win spectacular.