Hessert Ready For Busy 2007 Racing Midgets, Sprints And Hooters Cup

Hessert Ready For Busy 2007 Racing Midgets, Sprints And Hooters Cup

Cherry Hill, NJ
Mar 02, 2007

Talk about a busy season, Tom Hessert has one planned for 2007. The 20-year-old plans to race in a full slate of USAR Hooters Pro Cup stock car events entering the Southern Series and aiming for the Hooter’s Championship Series.

Hessert will be in a car entered by veteran NASCAR crew chief David Ifft who had great success in NASCAR Winston Cup racing with Darrell Waltrip, Ron Bouchard and others. Ifft will also be acting as the team’s crew chief. Hessert’s mount will be a Hess Racing built chassis. Billy Hess and Ifft have had great success together in the past.

A Chevrolet engine, built by Dennis Fisher (Fisher Engineering), will provide the power for the Ifft entry. Fisher and Ifft have been able to win many races in the past and both feel that young Tom can bring them winning results. The team will kick off their Hooters Pro Cup schedule of races on Saturday, March 10th at the classy USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Florida.

The Cherry Hill, NJ resident will also run a full schedule of United States Auto Club National Midget Series races on both dirt and pavement tracks. And there will be a number of USAC Sprint pavement track races on his schedule. All the race cars will carry sponsorship from MAACO AMERICA‘S BODYSHOP, headquartered in King of Prussia, PA. Simpson Race Products will provide safety equipment for the talented driver.

Hessert’s midgets will be Beast chassis powered by Esslinger Ford engines with Jeff Pogo serving as crew chief. The sprint car will also be a Beast chassis with a Stanton Mopar power plant. Pogo will also be the crew chief on the sprint car. Both teams will be managed by Bob East, considered the man in midget and sprint car racing today, out of his new shop in Brownsburg, Indiana.

“I am really excited about the 2007 season. With David Ifft providing the Hooters Cup car I feel confident that we will have a good shot at doing well in that series and being able to walk off with Rookie of the Year honors, ” said Hessert. “And I think with the midget and sprint equipment we have along with Jeff Pogo’s expertise I can win a few features in 2007. ”

In 2006 the MAACO AMERICA’S BODYSHOP sponsored teams traveled from coast to coast running the USAC National Midget Series along with events on the ARDC, NEMA, BMARA, and POWRI circuits. Along the way he was able to tally up double digit top five finishes and even more top tens in feature races.

Hessert entered less than 10 sprint car events in 2006, all of which were on the pavement. The sprint season was highlighted by a sixth at Concord, NC and an eighth at Richmond International Raceway while a fifth topped off the season in the 2006 finale in Orlando, Florida during the MOPAR Performance Racing Industry promoted events.

“I have always tried to learn something each time I put my helmet on, ” said the good looking college student. “I have refined my driving skills and furthered my knowledge of racecar set-up. I really think that 2007 is shaping up to be the best season of my career. ”

Hessert’s goal is to make it to the top level of NASCAR competition.