SEEKONK, Mass. — After an abysmal begin to the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season, Matt Hirschman wanted one thing constructive.
The pilot of the No. 60 PeeDee Motorsports Modified acquired the morale increase he was on the lookout for with a victory in Wednesday‘s Firecracker 150 offered by the Bethesda Management Group at Seekonk Speedway.
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“It‘s been a minute right here on this Whelen Modified Tour this yr,” mentioned Hirschman after his victory within the opening spherical of the three-race Whelen Midsummer Championship miniseries. “It‘s a scorching summer time Wednesday evening at Seekonk Speedway, and a part of the nickname ‘Huge Cash‘ Matt Hirschman got here from successful this race on this Wednesday evening right here at Seekonk.
“(There may be) no higher place to get again in Whelen Modified Tour Victory Lane than right here tonight.”
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All through his profession, Seekonk Speedway has all the time been a spot Hirschman may race and know he‘d be aggressive.
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Coming into the season, Hirschman had received the final three Modified Tour races on the monitor to associate with a number of victories in non-NASCAR occasions via the years.
Issues didn‘t go Hirschman‘s manner in the newest occasion at Seekonk in Could, when he struggled and completed a disappointing twentieth. Coming into Wednesday‘s occasion, Hirschman was decided to flip the script and return to kind.
That‘s precisely what he did.
in the course of the Firecracker 150 offered by the Bethesda Management Group for the Whelen Modified Tour at Seekonk Speedway on July 3, 2026 in Seekonk, Massachusetts. (Jaiden Tripi/NASCAR)
Beginning eighth after the redraw, Hirschman patiently labored his manner via the sphere and located himself in second when the primary warning flag of the night waved with fewer than 50 laps left.
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Restarting on the skin of chief Stephen Kopcik, Hirschman rocketed into Flip 1 and simply took the lead. He held the highest spot for the rest of the race to earn his fourth Modified Tour victory at Seekonk and the eleventh Tour victory of his profession general.
“We put it collectively tonight. I don‘t know the way; perhaps we acquired fortunate,” Hirschman mentioned. “Right here we’re in Victory Lane. We‘re going to take pleasure in this with the group. All these groups work onerous, however I‘m glad I may get a morale increase right here for these guys.”
Dowling, making simply his third Modified Tour begin of the season, raced his manner from the twelfth beginning place to complete second.
It was his finest NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour end since a runner-up outcome at South Boston Speedway in 2019.
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Patrick Emerling completed third forward of Kopcik, who led probably the most laps, in fourth and defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Austin Beers in fifth.
Eric Goodale, Teddy Hodgdon, Andrew Molleur, Jon McKennedy and Paulie Hartwig III have been sixth via tenth, respectively.
The Modified Tour season continues with Spherical 2 of JDV Productions‘ Whelen Midsummer Championship subsequent Friday evening, July 10 at Claremont Motorsports Park with the operating of the Conflict at Claremont.
FloRacing will present dwell flag-to-flag protection starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.
