25 YEARS AFTER HISTORIC NIGHT, HEWITT NAMED GRAND MARSHAL OF ELDORA’S 4-CROWN

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Rossburg, Ohio (September 19, 2023)………Jack Hewitt, one of the most successful an most popular drivers ever to compete at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, has been named grand marshal of this weekend’s 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals Presented by NKTELCO on Friday-Saturday, September 22-23.

Hewitt’s record of 24 career USAC National feature victories at Eldora is 10 more than his closest competition.  Furthermore, his 19 overall 4-Crown Nationals triumphs are far-and-away the most ever, 12 more than any other driver.

But Hewitt’s greatest night of all came a quarter of a century ago in 1998 when he earned his final four 4-Crown wins, sweeping to victories in all four divisions competing that night.

A remarkable story.  A remarkable sight.  A remarkable memory.  That night, it was a fairytale evening, one in which Hewitt stated afterward, “Snow White and Cinderella, they don’t have anything on me tonight.”

The late, great USAC PR man, Dick Jordan, wrote this piece on Jack Hewitt’s magical night all those years ago.

It’s been several years now, and anyone who was there remembers it like it was yesterday.

Amazingly, many still continue to have trouble believing it happened!

Jack Hewitt stood alone on the podium. There were no other drivers. That’s because there were no other winners!

USAC Silver Crown Cars, USAC Sprint Cars, USAC Midgets and UMP Modifieds. Four different and diverse motorsports disciplines.  One driver against the rest.  And at the end of the night, he had mastered them all.  In one night!  At one track!

Never before or since in the history of our sport has one man earned the respect of so many for a single-night performance.  Those in attendance will never forget it.  Neither will millions worldwide who heard about it or read about it after the fact.

It may never happen again!  Not in the context that it happened in 1998.

Jack Hewitt’s achievement that September night in Ohio at the Eldora Speedway will forever be etched in the minds of those who were fortunate enough to see it.

It was the 18th running of the 4-Crown Nationals, showcasing the nation’s finest dirt-track stars on what arguably is one of America’s best dirt ovals.  Nobody had ever come close to winning four feature events on a single program before, anywhere, let alone against the type of competition assembled for the Eldora weekend.

Hewitt began the night with a victory in the 25-lap midget race, leading the final eight laps after passing Tracy Hines.  He started 12th and was fourth by lap three, third on lap nine and second on lap 13.

In the ensuing 30-lap sprint car feature, he caught Tony Elliott on lap 18 and led the last 13 laps.  In that race, he started 10th, was fourth by lap three, moved to second on the next lap, then led laps 6-17.  Elliott led a single lap on lap 18, but one lap later, Hewitt went back to the front and the race was virtually over.

Okay, midgets and sprints are somewhat similar, but modifieds are another breed!  The 20-lap modified race found Hewitt staring seventh.  He moved to third right at the start, then was second on lap three.  By lap four, he had the lead and it was elementary from there.

The USAC Silver Crown cars are a beast of their own, and although Hewitt had proven to be one of the best ever to drive these cars, adding a fourth consecutive win in the same program was a daunting task.  The pressure had to be unbelievable, even for Hewitt, who never seemed to let that bother him.

Not only did he win the Silver Crown race after starting second, he was flawless.  He led all 50 laps to complete what many believe to be the greatest accomplishment in the history of auto racing!

It was surreal to see him alone on the podium, accepting all four trophies and all four checks from race organizer Earl Baltes, a self-proclaimed Hewitt fan who seemed to have a tear streaming down his cheek, utterly amazed at what he had just witnessed at his track.

To win any of these races is a racer’s dream.  To win all four is unheard of.  To do it in the fashion Hewitt exhibited is absolutely unprecedented.

Here’s the kicker.  Each series involved a different car.  Each incorporated a different car owner and team.  That meant a different chief mechanic in each case.  But understand this.  Each time he jumped into a new car, he pulled on a new helmet!  Four cars, four teams, four chief mechanics and four helmets.

“I think it’s finally sunk in,” Hewitt admitted several years later.  “I still watch the video now and again, and although I lived that dream, it’s sometimes hard to believe it really happened.  The competition was no less then than it is today.  I had trouble sleeping that morning in 1998, I was so pumped up.  But when it was over, I think I could have gone four more, I was so pumped.”

“To win the modified race would have been great, giving me three wins,” Hewitt continued.  “But to win the Silver Crown race too, that was unreal.  It was the first time I’d ever made all four features without a promoter option, so that was neat.  The midget race was probably the hardest.  It was like David and Goliath, driving a car not expected to be competitive with the top dogs and starting so far back.  When I got to the Silver Crown race, it was pretty good until the next-to-last-lap when I was about to lap Jerry Coons Jr.  Darryl Guiducci (my mechanic) told me on the radio to follow Jerry and not pass him.  I had other plans, though.  No way was I going to follow anybody that night!”

Don’t expect to see this again in our lifetime.  It was a one-of-a-kind performance reserved for the man who deserves a spot in history as one of the greatest of all time.  A member of both the USAC Hall of Fame and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, he achieved another career milestone in 1998, becoming the oldest rookie ever to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 at age 46.

RACE DETAILS

On Friday, September 22, at Eldora, the BeFour the Crowns program will feature the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, USAC Silver Crown Qualifying & Qualifying Race and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.  Spectator gates open at 2pm Eastern with the drivers meeting taking place at 5:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $35 for adults and free for ages 12 and under.  Reserved tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.

On Saturday, September 23, at Eldora, the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals presented by NKTELCO features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, All Star Circuit of Champions and the USAC Silver Crown National Championship.  Spectator gates open at Noon Eastern with a driver autograph session taking place from 3-4pm in the Fan Zone.  The drivers meeting will take place at 4:30pm and cars on track at 6pm.  General admission tickets are $40 for adults and free for ages 12 and under.  Reserved tickets are $45 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.