Hirschman Wins North-South Shootout
Matt Hirschman claimed his sixth consecutive North-South Shootout victory at Southern National Motorsports Park.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Motorsports
Matt Hirschman led the final 10 laps to win the North-South Shootout at Southern National Motorsports Park on Saturday, Nov. 7. The victory is his 12th in the event's 24-year history and his sixth straight.
Why it matters
Hirschman's run of consecutive wins extends his dominance in one of the region's long-running modified races. The result also closes out a weekend that saw Paulie Hartwig take the 602 Crate Modified feature earlier in the evening.
Hirschman's 12 wins in the event's 24-year history include six consecutive victories, and he led the final 10 laps of the 125-lap North-South Shootout. The race result is based on official timing, and no post-race penalties or protests were reported in the source.
The players
Matt Hirschman
Hirschman is a modified racer who has now won the North-South Shootout 12 times, including six straight.
Paulie Hartwig
Hartwig was the fastest driver in practice and qualifying and won the 602 Crate Modified feature earlier in the evening.
Andy Seuss
Seuss finished second in the Tour Modified feature on the same night.
The details
Hirschman moved to the front quickly during the final sprint after a late-race caution, while Paulie Hartwig led the most laps before fading to sixth after a long caution with scoring. Andy Seuss finished second in the Tour Modified feature, with Jake Christman, Burt Myers and Ryan Newman rounding out the top five.
Timeline
Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026: Hirschman wins the North-South Shootout and Hartwig wins the 602 Crate Modified feature at Southern National Motorsports Park.
Season Trajectory
Hirschman's sixth straight North-South Shootout win extends a run that places him among the event's most dominant competitors across its 24-year history at Southern National Motorsports Park. The 2026 season winds down with the 26th Thanksgiving Classic later this month, a race that will shape how the season's final standings are remembered.
Hirschman's sixth straight win is the kind of result that keeps the North-South Shootout's championship picture tight heading into the Thanksgiving Classic. Fans tracking the modified standings should watch how Hartwig's sixth-place finish after the late caution affects his points position.
The takeaway
Consistency matters in modified racing: Hirschman's six straight wins show how a driver who stays patient through late cautions can close out a race. Follow the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park to see whether the streak holds.
What happens next
The 26th Thanksgiving Classic runs Friday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026, at Southern National Motorsports Park.
Further reading
For more on local dirt and asphalt modified racing, explore our Motorsports coverage across North Carolina.
