Hearn Quietly Proving He’s A Contender For Wins
By Joe Crowley, Indyracing.com

Richie Hearn has paid his dues.
After finishing third in the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and then capturing his only Indy Racing League victory at Las Vegas later that year, Hearn moved to CART and spent three seasons driving for Della Penna Motorsports, where he scored 13 top-10 finishes. However, the 2000 season found him without a ride in either series, and Hearn was relegated to competing as a substitute or in one-race efforts. Since the 86th Indianapolis 500 earlier this year, Hearn has driven the No. 99 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Racing Special Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone and has amassed six top-10 finishes in seven races.

“I hope it reminds people that I can still get the job done,” said Hearn. “I feel I’m a much better driver now than I was back then, you know, just being smarter and understanding what it takes to run up front.” After testing at Kentucky Speedway on July 31, the team is hoping to score that elusive first win in the Belterra Casino Indy 300 Aug. 11 at Kentucky. “We’ve gotten close, but we just haven’t been able to finish the deal off,” said Hearn.

Hearn drove for Schmidt in two events in 2001. He sat out the first two races of the 2002 season before again driving for Schmidt in March at California Speedway where he finished 14th. He then drove for A.J. Foyt Racing in April at Nazareth as a substitute for the injured Eliseo Salazar and again finished 14th. The month of May saw him pounding the pavement looking for a ride when Mark Dismore, who was driving for Schmidt, was injured in a practice crash late in the day on May 9, two days before the run for the MBNA Pole. Hearn was called on to sub, and with only one practice day in the car, he qualified 22nd and went on to finish sixth in the race. Since Indy, Hearn has competed for Schmidt in every race, finishing no less than 12th in the six starts.

“The last couple of years, I haven’t had much of a ride; I’ve kind of had to bounce around,” said Hearn. “It’s really hard to drive the best you can when you just show up and get the ride at the last minute. Being able to know each weekend that I’m going to race and being able to mentally prepare, it’s been helpful for sure.” Hearn’s relationship with the team also has been a big help this year, something Schmidt has noticed. “I’ve always known Richie could drive the car really well,” said Schmidt. “People underestimate chemistry with the team, the engineer, the driver, all of it. Although our guys haven’t been together 3 or 4 years like Panther (Racing), or Penske (Racing), they’ve hit it off well.”

Hearn has a knack for bringing the cars he drives home in one piece. In 17 Indy Racing League events throughout his career, he has been running at the finish in 14 events and has been involved in only one accident, and that was in the very first IRL race at Walt Disney World in 1996. “At the beginning of the races, I’m not going to take excessive chances to get by a guy. I’m going to take my time and set my moves up,” said Hearn. “I’ve always lived by what Rick Mears has always said, that you race the first half of the race to get to the last half of the race. There’s nothing worse than not finishing the race. I don’t care if you’re 20 laps down or you’re running up front, to have the car either crash or break or whatever and the race is still going on while you’re sitting in the pits, I hate that.”

It’s that attitude that has motivated his team. “He gets the most out of the car that he can get,” said Schmidt. “If he doesn’t have a great car, he still drives to get the best finish he can get. The team sees how hard he works, and that motivates them to work harder on pit stops and on anything they can do.”

Hearn and Schmidt, who have known each other since 1993, both know that the team doesn’t have the resources of some of the larger teams, but that doesn’t mean they are looking to stay that way. “I want to be one of those big teams,” said Schmidt, who is still seeking a primary sponsor for his team. As Schmidt aims toward that goal, Hearn wants to be a part of it. “I’ve know Sam a long time, and it’s been fun being able to race for him,” said Hearn. “I know he’s got a real passion for racing and especially the IRL. I’d really like to be able to put one (a win) together for him.”