The Race To 100: Beers & DeFebo Nearing Milestone Wins

Story By: DINO OBERTO / MAHONING VALLEY SPEEDWAY – HAZLETON, PA – Race fans of northeast Pennsylvania are very lucky in the sense that such a variety of tracks, no matter the surface, are dotted throughout the region and over the years generations have enjoyed watching some of the best drivers compete.

A good number of them have become legendary with multitudes of wins and championships. In terms of dirt racers it is not uncommon to see a handful of class-A stars have wins that have exceeded 100. Hazleton’s Ross Perchak leads the way locally with 180.

But, when it comes to asphalt drivers in our immediate locale who have accomplished the feat, only Tony and Matt Hirschman have reached that elusive plateau. Tony was the first with wins early on coming at Dorney Park, Mahoning Valley and Evergreen before amassing the brunt of his victories on the NASCAR Modified Tour. Matt has 26 wins to date at Evergreen and many more on the road including 35 on the Race of Champions Tour.

Now the Hirschman’s may be getting some company and soon as not one but two very popular contenders are zeroing in on the century mark.

Northampton’s Eric Beers and Brian DeFebo of Berwick have been at the top of their respective games in short track asphalt racing during the past three decades. Go to either Evergreen Raceway or Mahoning Valley Speedway and their names are immediate picks for a win. Matter of fact the past two weeks they were in the spotlight of prevailing.

When DeFebo won at Mahoning Valley a week ago it elevated his all-time career win total to 92. The previous week when Beers took the checkers it pushed his number of asphalt victories to 98.

“It’s not something you really think about when you’re racing. When you’re young and coming up and all you want is to get that first win and then a couple more,” said Beers.

“It’s hard to put into perspective and it’s a lofty goal. This is something that makes you know that you really have an accomplished career.”

Looking back their paths have crossed many times, especially between Evergreen and Mahoning Valley where many of those wins came against each other.

“This is really amazing to know how close you are to such an unthinkable number. For me it’s been an awesome ride so far and we’re not ready to stop anytime soon,” said DeFebo.

DeFebo rules many of the top categories at Evergreen where he is the all-time wins leader including the most in a Modified with 56. He also has 10 Late Model triumphs and 18 Thriller victories, the class he first won in during 1993. With wins comes championships and DeFebo has a track-leading six title trophies. The King of the Green year ending extra distance race has seen his name in first place on four occasions.

At 84 wins at the 1/3-mile oval no one comes close. Joe Hoffman is a distant second with 49. And, at Mahoning Valley where he is racing a full season for the first time in 11 years and won twice thus far, his total is six. Of those Victory Lane visits he owns a 100-lap main which only the elite have been lucky to savor. DeFebo was Mahoning’s first Poker Series champion. A lone win has come at the former Tioga Speedway in New York.

“I have been really blessed and lucky to have raced for the same car owner my whole career, that being my mom (Sophie Welsh). We have won a lot together as a team and when you surround yourself with the right people then good things will come your way.”

Beers had a bit of jump on DeFebo as he got his career rolling in 1986 at Dorney Park Speedway where his first win came that rookie year in a Late Model. Two years later he was racing a Modified at Mahoning Valley and although it took him until 1991 to garner his first win there, he has stacked up impressive numbers nonetheless.

Like his counterpart, Beers is the leading Modified winner at 54 and counting. And when it comes to the big shows, they don’t get much better then him as 11 times he has won 100-lappers that pay a minimum of $3000. It is a mark he shares with Matt Hirschman. In 1992, 2013 and 2016 Beers earned Modified titles at Mahoning.

He, of course, is no stranger to Evergreen where 22 times he crossed the finish line in first place and has a pair of championships, 1994 and 2001.

While both drivers have done a fair share of racing away from their home tracks, Beers can claim a tad more success as he has won on the NASCAR Modified Tour and scored the crown jewel of asphalt Modified racing with a victory at the prestigious Sunoco Race of Champions held at New York’s Oswego Speedway in 2004. Beers also enjoyed winning trips to Florida during February Speed Weeks at New Smyrna Speedway’s World Series of Asphalt Racing.

“Nothing comes easy. When I started at Mahoning and then went to Evergreen we won a lot of races but my goal was to move on and race against the best. I did that locally and then on the touring series and I think by going out on the road it helped to make me the driver I am today,” said Beers.

In a way they are the Richard Petty and David Pearson of their time. Winning is the reason they race and but they have the utmost regard for one another, a trait that has been a key factor to their staller careers.

“I have so much respect for Brian (DeFebo). He has always been a class act to run with no matter where it was at and it’s always been good to run with him over the years,” Beers said.

DeFebo echoes the same lines.

“Eric (Beers) is the guy to beat whenever he’s at the track. But rest assured he will always race you clean and respectful. He didn’t get to all those wins by not racing smart. It’s an honor to know that he and I are close to the 100 win mark.”

Winning 100 features is a dream for any driver and to see these two perennial champions in an era that has so much parity, it will indeed be a proud moment for the loyalists of asphalt short track racing.

Of note, Beers is actually on the cusp of 100 with 99 total wins. His second career win was on dirt, in 1987 at the defunct Nazareth Speedway in a Late Model.