By ohnson 
“Can I do a brief interview with you,” I asked the legendary Jack Hewitt.
He said with a smile, “No there is no such thing as a short interview with me. I like to talk. I don’t always think about what I am saying, but certainly we can talk.”
Hewitt hails from the era before political correctness took hold and is one of the vibrant personalities that shaped racing as it was.
He has ventured to Indy to compete in the 500, emerged victorious in all four races at the Eldora Four Crown Nationals, and remains actively involved in the sport as the competition director for the Ohio Sprint Car Series.
This past Saturday night, he was visiting DeSoto Speedway as the track held the Smith Memorial event in tribute to the late Willard, Daryl, and Robert Smith, who were legends in the Sunshine State.
Hewitt was working on the Sprint Car of Darrin Miller, who had emerged from a five-year retirement to honor the Smith family. He was at the wheel of a Johnny Gilbertson backup car. Darrin was the Rookie of the Year in 1998 at the Little 500 in Anderson during a time when Robert Smith, Larry Brazil, David Steele, and other Floridian Wayne Reutimann were forces to be reckoned with.
Ironically, ’98 was the first year that Hewitt qualified for the Indy 500.
Reflecting on that experience, Hewitt stated, “For years, I had been striving to secure a ride for the 500. It was an arduous journey, and I had no marketing value. I was merely a racer with long hair. The IRL needed drivers, and I seized the opportunity as the year before Steve Kinser was in the field.”
Continuing, he said, “Bob Parker and PDM Racing gave me the chance, and although we weren’t the fastest, we surely had the most fun.”
He had an experience he will cherish forever and, in fact, was invited back for the massive autograph session a few years ago during the Indy Centennial.
He noted the changes at Indy that didn’t favor drivers like him. Hewitt said, “Roger Penske sought corporate images as drivers. He wasn’t hiring race drivers as he claimed he could train the image guys to drive cars. I was 42 years old when I was a rookie at Indianapolis, and I worked incredibly hard to get there. I will never forget that.”
The majority of race fans think of dirt tracks when they hear the name of Jack Hewitt.
He pulled off one of the most astonishing feats at Eldora Speedway in 1998.
Jack said, “Eldora was my home track. I grew up 35 miles from there. And in 1998 at the Four Crown Nationals, it was simply my night. Everyone has a night, and that was mine.”
Hewitt astounded the racing world by winning, not one, not two, not three, but all four feature events at the legendary speedway.
He said, “Everything was going my way. I bounced it off the walls, ran where I desired, and zigged and zagged flawlessly.”
Jack remembers the night as if it were yesterday. “The midgets were first, and I had a stellar race car owned by Bob Parker. I started 12th and ended up winning. There were several other top midgets there, and it was a magical race.”
It was then on to the sprints, and Jack explained, “I drove Bill Biddles’ car and started 10th. I gained the lead quickly and simply went to different places than everyone else. Tony Elliot passed me down low, but I was able to move back to the front and secure the win.”
The mods were next, and he started fourth and took the lead by the third lap. His experience on the track was truly paying off.
Silver Crown was the fourth and final, and Jack said with a smile, “I started in the front row and led every lap. It was just my night.”
Jack has been one of the cornerstones of Sprint Car racing. He said, “Back when the Outlaws started, I would compete with them. I remember Ted Johnson initiated the Racers one year and followed with the World of Outlaws along with Lanny Edwards, and we ran the first race.”
He loaded his car onto the open trailer and hit the road to race against the best the Sprint Car nation had to offer.
Reflecting, he said, “The three most challenging drivers I have raced against were Steve Kinser, Sammy (Swindell), and Rick Ferkel. There were others who were tough, including many of our local racers in Ohio, but those were the top three.”
He noted, “Racing has transformed over the years. We were always like a family on the road, and if one of us encountered trouble, there was always someone in the pits who would assist you to keep you racing. Today, it is more like a business, and that family-type relationship simply doesn’t exist at the level it used to.”
Hewitt carried the devil-may-care appearance well, but he feels he might have been misunderstood.
Jack said, “I had long hair and spoke my mind. Many people thought I did drugs, but I never touched the stuff. I was judged by my looks, and that is unfortunate. In fact, Lynn Paxton (a Pennsylvania Sprint Car great) and I really didn’t get along. He was a clean-cut, quiet type of guy, and I was far from that. However, I went to the Eastern Motorsports Museum in Pennsylvania, and he gave me a tour. We became good friends, and I truly missed many good years of friendship because of how apparently different we both were.”
He does admit to one major addiction…racing.
Jack said, “There is a cure for drug addiction, but our addiction is costly and highly habit-forming. There is no way to eliminate racing from your system once you’re hooked.”
Hewitt comes from an era where Sprint Car drivers raced on dirt and asphalt.
When asked about his favorite surface, he said, “Smooth and patient are two key words when running on asphalt, and no one has ever used those words to describe me. So, I guess you could say dirt is my favorite.”
Racing today is a vast departure from what it was, and for Jack, that isn’t necessarily a positive thing.
He said, “We have lost characters. Today, there are no characters. Years ago, Jud Larson, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, and others would sit on their tires beside their race cars after a show. They would meet fans, sign autographs, and that would bring fans back. We had open trailers, and while traveling down the road, someone might spot the car and follow it to the track.”
Today, it is significantly different as drivers are difficult to access except on special occasions, and the fans are deprived of that opportunity to associate a face with the car.
In 2002, Jack Hewitt witnessed his career come to an abrupt halt.
Explaining, he said, “It was at North Vernon, Ind., and I collided with another car. I had broken my neck in 1993, and I broke it again that night. No one should endure wearing two halos in their lifetime.”
He did briefly return behind the wheel of a Silver Crown car at Eldora a few years ago but dropped out.
Jack said, “People thought that I couldn’t do it or that I was too tired, but the car had a front-end problem, and I pulled into the pits.”
One tip Jack Hewitt has for a young driver is “get on the PA system whenever you can. Get your name out there. There are always people in the grandstand who might want to put their name on your car. You have to be visible. Get on the PA, meet people, and you will be recognized. You can’t believe how much that can assist you.”
Jack Hewitt is one of the pioneers of Sprint Car racing and, at the age of 65, continues to devote his time to racing.
During the winter, he and his wife Jody reside in Crescent City, Fla., which is essentially halfway between Volusia County Speedway and Putnam County Speedway. The rest of the year, the Troy, Ohio resident is involved in the sport up north.
Hewitt delights in meeting fans and noted it is a privilege to be asked for an autograph.
About asking him for a short interview?
You wouldn’t want a short interview with Jack Hewitt.