The penultimate night of racing at the 2022 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway featured a pair of prestigious, 100-lap events. It also crowned a couple champions.
Matt Hirschman, who won last Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season-opener on Night 2 of the World Series before reeling off a pair of Tour-Type Modified wins Wednesday and Thursday, won Friday night’s Richie Evans Memorial 100, the Tour-Type Modified divisions finale for the World Series.
“I couldn’t ask for more, really,” Hirschman said of his team’s efforts over the week at New Smyrna. “Exactly what I wanted to have in the car. The only flaw we had was a tire going flat on Monday night. There’s nobody here who could control that.
“One of our best weeks we’ve ever had, I mean what a week. We actually have done this before; I think we won Wednesday-Thursday-Friday one year. But having the (Whelen Modified Tour) win last weekend, just amazing.”
Yep. He did it again.
Matt Hirschman wins the Richie Evans Memorial 100 at @newsmyrnaspdwy! pic.twitter.com/hlMkifOM5V
– NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) February 19, 2022
Jimmy Blewett, Patrick Emerling, Teddy Hodgdon and Craig Lutz rounded out the top five in Friday night’s Richie Evans Memorial 100.
For his efforts in all four Tour-Type Modified races throughout the week at the World Series, Blewett clinched the division championship with his second-place run Friday night.
His finishing positions for the week were second, third, second and second.
MORE: Sights and sounds from Richie Evans Memorial
“Obviously we wanted to win,” Blewett allowed. “But the championship was the big picture. We were looking at the big picture the whole week. Even though we didn’t win a race, we won a championship. And it means something to me to do it against a guy like Matt Hirschman, because he barely ever misses.”
Also on Friday night, Kaden Honeycutt won the Hart to Heart 100, the finale for the Pro Late Model class at the World Series, after a late pass of second-place finisher William Sawalich. Cory Hall, Michael Hinde and Mike Hopkins rounded out the top five.
That fourth-place finish for Hinde in the Hart to Heart 100 was enough for him to clinch the Pro Late Model championship at the 2022 World Series of Asphalt.
In the third and final race of the evening Friday, Derek Pugh won the first Pro Trucks race of the week. Jeffrey White, Dylan LeBeau, Richard Lavance and Paul Grynewicz completed the top five. The Pro Trucks will race again Saturday evening.
Saturday brings the final night of the 2022 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, and the main event of the final night is the Orange Blossom 100, the finale for the Super Late Model division.
Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be viewed live on FloRacing.