AN ELDORA LEGEND: JACK HEWITT
|
BLAST FROM
THE PAST |
:: HEWITT SWEEPS THE 4-CROWN! :: |
|  Rossburg,
OH (September 28, 1998) - Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio became
the first driver in the 18-year history of the "4-Crown
Nationals" to sweep all four feature events Saturday
night at the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
Hewitt's feat is totally unprecedented
in major motorsports. Winning more than one feature event
in a single day is a remarkable achievement, but to win
four back-to-back in four different race cars is absolutely
incredible!
Jack capped one of the sport's most amazing accomplishments
by winning the 50-lap USAC Silver Crown Championship Series
feature. He earlier had won the 25-lap USAC National Midget
race, the 30-lap Stoops Freightliner/USAC Sprint Car feature
and the 20-lap UMP Modified main event.
"This has been a fairy tale
night," said Hewitt after his four wins. "Snow
White and Cinderella have nothing on me! I never thought
anybody could win all four of these in one night. Maybe
three, but not all four."
Jack felt the bumps in turn three
helped him in the 50-lap finale. "It helped save
the tires," he said. "Usually the tires go away
late in that long a race, but not tonight.
Following Jack to the checkered flag in
the Silver Crown race were Dave Darland, "Rookie
of the Race" Todd Kane, Kevin Huntley and Jimmy Sills.
John Heydenreich of Bloomsburg, Pa. was transported to
Mercy Hospital in Coldwater, Ohio for treatment of an
undisclosed head injury after flipping into the catch
fencing on the front straightaway during the Sprint car
feature.
Indy Racing League veteran
Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. snatched the Silver Crown
point lead from Jason Leffler by finishing seventh. Leffler
was 16th.
Tony Elliott of Kokomo, Ind., by virtue of his third-place
finish in the Sprint car feature, snatched the USAC National
Sprint Car point lead away from Kevin Thomas with just
two races remaining in the series. Jason
Leffler continues to lead the USAC National Midget Series
after finishing eighth in the 25-lap Midget race.
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words... and they're right...
Relive the moment of that unbelievable September night through
the lens of photographer Mike
Campbell, as he captured the following images shortly
after the Hewitt sweep...
L to R: Cody Hewitt, Jody Hewitt, Jack Hewitt,
Berneice Baltes, Earl Baltes
Earl busted out the broom in victory lane for
Jack Hewitt
Jack Hewitt waves to the crowd in victory lane
Never before did all FOUR victory lane checks
get made out to the same person!
Fans flocked to the track to catch a glimpse of
Hewitt, as the celebration went on for hours following the amazing
accomplishment!
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IN THIS OWN WORDS......
"I pulled to a stop on the
front straightaway, and you couldn't have knocked the grin off
my face with a two by four. There was a mob of people just going
crazy, and when I came up out of the car, the crowd just roared
so hard it shook the trees all over Darke County. It was an
incredible scene, forever etched in my memory. If I live to
be a hundred years old, I'll never forget that moment."
"That night after the photos
and ceremonies were all finished, I pulled a chair out by where
all four cars were parked on the front straightaway, and signed
autographs for probably two hours. It was a magical ending to
a fairy tale night. Snow White and Cinderella got nothin' on
me. "
- Jack Hewitt (excerpt from Hewitt's
Law)
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Hewitt's success at the 4-Crown Nationals doesn't start with
his 1998 sweep. The Troy native has gone to victory lane 19
times at the annual September event, including six consecutive
years leading up to his big sweep in '98....
| Year |
Victories |
| 1983 |
Sprint |
| 1986 |
Silver
Crown |
| 1987 |
Midget |
| 1988 |
Silver
Crown |
| 1989 |
Silver
Crown |
| 1990 |
Sprint |
| 1991 |
Sprint,
Silver Crown |
| 1993 |
Midget |
| 1994 |
Silver
Crown |
| 1995 |
Silver
Crown |
| 1996 |
Silver
Crown, Modified |
| 1997 |
Sprint,
Modified |
| 1998 |
Midget,
Sprint, Silver Crown, Modified |
| Total: |
19
4-Crown victories |
