Story By: JOHN SNYDER / BH RACING ENT. – SUSSEX, NJ – In baseball, New York Yankee Reggie Jackson became known as “Mr. October” after he hit three homeruns, each on the first pitch, off three different Los Angeles Dodger pitchers in the sixth game of the 1977 World Series.
Over his long career, Jackson played in 27 World Series games and hit ten homers.
In Northeast dirt track Modified racing, many of the biggest races take place in the weeks after Labor Day and over his long racing career, Brett Hearn, 65 of Sussex, New Jersey, won 51 major fall classic races, all of them extra-distance, extra-purse championship events.
Hearn, who career record totals 920 race wins at 49 different speedways, won these mostly annual season-ending races at 13 different Northeast speedways.
“We put a great deal of effort into these big events,” reflected Hearn. “We concentrated on the car, on tire management, on fuel economy, on race strategy, on team organization—everything that has to come together to win 150- or 200-lap races. I think our overall record in these almost all fall races speaks for itself.”
Although not racing full time since 2019, Hearn plans on competing in this year’s traditional marathon races during October’s Super DIRT Week at Oswego (NY) Speedway and Orange County (NY) Fair Speedway.
“The difference between then and now is how we approach these races,” Hearn explained. “We’re still serious whenever we go to the track, still want to be organized and prepared, still want to be competitive, but without the pressure to succeed we faced when we were racing often 100 or more times a year.”
BRETT HEARN – CAREER RACING RECORD
MAJOR RACE VICTORIES
2018 Vermont 200, Devil’s Bowl Speedway
2017 Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
2014 Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
2014 Salute to the Troops 150 for 358 Modifieds, New York State Fairgrounds
2013 Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
2013 Salute to the Troops 150 for 358 Modifieds, New York State Fairgrounds
2012 Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
2012 VP SEF 200, New York State Fairgrounds
2010 Outlaw 200, Fulton Speedway
2010 Hamel Propane Race Mania 160 for 358 Mods, Autodrome Drummond
2007 Eastern States 150 for 358 Modifieds, Orange County Fair Speedway
2007 ITT/Goulds Pump 150 for 358 Modifieds, New York State Fairgrounds
2007 Coors National 200, Lebanon Valley Speedway
2006 Advance Auto Parts Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
2006 Rolling Wheels 200, Rolling Wheels Raceway
2005 Dynomax Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
2005 Coors National 200, Lebanon Valley Speedway
2004 Dynomax Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
2004 Dynomax Eastern States 150 for 358 Modifieds, Orange County Fair Speedway
2004 Rolling Wheels 200, Rolling Wheels Raceway
2002 Dynomax Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
2002 Dynomax Eastern States 150 for 358 Modifieds, Orange County Fair Speedway
2002 McDonald’s 200, Fonda Speedway
2002 CARQUEST 200, Lebanon Valley Speedway
2001 Dynomax Eastern States 150 for 358 Modifieds, Orange County Fair Speedway
2001 Rolling Wheels 200, Rolling Wheels Raceway
2001 Rolling Wheels 150 (358 Modified), Rolling Wheels Raceway
2000 USNA 200, Bridgeport Speedway
1998 McDonald’s 200, New Fonda Speedway
1997 McDonald’s 200, New Fonda Speedway
1997 Snap-On 200, Autodrome Granby
1996 CARQUEST Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
1996 Binghamton Pepsi-Cola Southern Tier 200, Five Mile Point Speedway
1996 Snap-On 200, Autodrome Granby
1995 McDonald’s 200, Fonda Speedway
1995 Wheels 300, New York State Fairgrounds
1993 Wheels 300, New York State Fairgrounds
1991 Miller Genuine Draft 300, New York State Fairgrounds
1991 Finger Lakes 200, Canandaigua Speedway
1990 Miller High Life 300, New York State Fairgrounds
1989 Shammy Shine 200, Flemington Fair Speedway
1986 Schaefer Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
1986 Rolling Wheels 200, Rolling Wheels Raceway
1985 Schaefer 200, New York State Fairgrounds
1985 Flemington 200, Flemington Fair Speedway
1984 Nazareth 200, Nazareth Raceway
1984 Lebanon Valley 200, Lebanon Valley Speedway
1983 Lebanon Valley 200, Lebanon Valley Speedway
1981 Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway
1981 Lebanon Valley 200, Lebanon Valley Speedway
1979 Eastern States 200, Orange County Fair Speedway