RPW Exclusive: Tuesday At Albany-Saratoga Was Great For Brett Hearn, But More The Promoter Than The Racer
Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – MALTA, NY – Tuesday night’s Big Show 11 at Albany-Saratoga Speedway was a great night for Brett Hearn…the promoter.
It wasn’t, however, the best result for Brett Hearn, the racer.
Hearn, who’s promoted this event since its inception 11 years ago, had a standing room-only crowd, $3,000+ 50/50 raffle drawing and a finish to a main event that everyone will be talking about for years to come.
Unfortunately, on track, he was on the losing end of the equation.
Through most of the 111-lap event, fans were treated to an amazing battle between two of the greatest drivers to ever strap into a Modified…namely Billy Decker and Hearn. The two, with a combined 209 career Super DIRTcar Series wins, battled tooth and nail for several laps until a caution near the two-thirds mark of the race changed that.
“I just tried to be as patient as I could with Billy,” Hearn said. “If he got out on me I could reel him back in so I knew I was a little bit faster than he was.”
When Hearn made his move past the Gypsum #91, he felt like he could cruise and save his equipment.
“I felt like he was fading a little bit,” he said. “Once I got the lead, I felt like I could just go. I said to myself just concentrate, get in your rhythm, and I kept it, until that final caution.”
That was when, with 11 to go, the 44 of Stewart Friesen pulled up alongside Hearn.
“I got a good restart, and then I started hearing myself saying, get in a rhythm,” he said. “Then, I began to slip, just a tiny little bit in the corners, and I couldn’t pick the throttle up as quick as I was earlier. That was the difference.”
All in all, it was almost a perfect night for Brett Hearn the racer too. He was able to set fast time, win his heat race, and came within two laps of taking the $11,111 top prize home to New Jersey with him.
“Somehow, Stew (Friesen) finds a way to pick up that little bit at the end,” he said. “He had quite a bit left on his right rear than I did. I don’t know how because I thought I drover my car pretty straight the whole race and didn’t abuse it. But it was a great night for us.”
It was a good night for Hearn as a whole. The stands were packed, and so were the pits. There were 44 Big Block Modifieds and 45 Sportsman cars (split into two features, won by Jeremy Pitts and Tim Hartman Jr.) at the Malta, NY oval, so the promoter can’t be too upset that the driver finished second in the main.
“The show went off perfectly tonight,” he said. “I was in contention to win the thing up until the last couple of laps. Set fast time. Won our heat. Just not I wish I hadn’t added the extra 11 laps,. but this place was packed. It was a great night before we even turned a lap.”
Another Big Show is in the books, and another success for Brett Hearn and his promotion team. From start to finish, it was about the show, and the battle between some of the heavyweights in the sport helped the event live up to it’s name.
