Wikipedia

Richie Hearn

Richard Edward Hearn[1] (born January 4, 1971) is an American former racing driver.

Richie Hearn
Hearn practicing for the 2007 Indianapolis 500
NationalityAmerican
Born (1971-01-04) January 4, 1971 (age 53)
Glendale, California, U.S.
Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Years active1996, 2000–2005, 2007
TeamsDella Penna Motorsports
Pagan Racing
A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Team Menard
Hemelgarn Racing
Hemelgarn/Racing Professionals
Starts25
Wins1
Poles2
Best finish4th in 1996
CART Championship Car
Years active1996–1999
TeamsDella Penna Motorsports
Starts59
Wins0
Poles0
Best finish16th in 1998
Previous series
1994–1995Toyota Atlantic
Championship titles
1995Toyota Atlantic Series

Hearn was born in Glendale, California. He ran in the Toyota Atlantic championship for two seasons, winning the title in 1995. In 1996, he began driving for John Della Penna in both the IRL and Champ Car ranks. He won an IRL race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to cap off the year and was the highest finishing rookie at the Indianapolis 500, finishing 3rd.

Hearn moved full-time into Champ Car in 1997 for Della Penna with high-profile sponsor Budweiser but failed to post significant results and by 2000 was surplus for sponsored driver Norberto Fontana. He contested a few more Indy 500s, with a best result of 6th in 2002. In 2005 following the Indy 500 he retired as a driver and started Hearn Motorsports LLC that ran in the Star Mazda series. He planned to move the team into Toyota Atlantic competition in 2006. Hearn returned from retirement to qualify on Bump Day of the 2007 Indianapolis 500 in a car jointly entered by Racing Professionals and Hemelgarn Racing.

Hearn is currently a driving instructor at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch's Ron Fellows driving school.

Early life

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Hearn's parents were also racecar drivers, racing in amateur Sports Car Club of America events on the West Coast. They belonged to the Corvette club, and owned two Corvettes.[2] His father owned a go-kart shop.[3] When he was nine years old, he began racing go-karts. By the time he was 20, he owned seven International Karting Federation titles.[4]

Hearn then attended the Winfield Racing School at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France, whose alumni included Alain Prost. His go-kart competitors helped pay for his tuition. He became the only American to qualify for Winfield's school competition.[4] He managed to win, and was able to earn a year of sponsored racing on the Formula Renault circuit, which is several tiers below the Formula One class.[5]

Professional career

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Toyota Atlantic

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In 1995, Hearn won the Toyota Atlantic championship.[2]

Indy Racing League IndyCar Series

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In 1996, Hearn won a pole at New Hampshire, won a race at Las Vegas, finished third in his Indianapolis 500 debut (the best rookie finish for that race) and was fourth in series points.[2][6]

CART Championship Car

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In 1997, Hearn and team owner John Della Penna moved full-time to the CART FedEx Championship Series. That season, he had 17 starts, but his best finish was ninth.[2]

The following season, his team made upgrades and he was able to improve in his finishes. In a race in Rio de Janeiro, he finished in a career-best seventh place.[2]

In 1999, Hearn crashed coming off turn two on lap four of the Marlboro 500, bringing out the first caution flag of the race. He was not injured, but several laps later, Greg Moore crashed in the exact same spot and was killed.[7]

Hearn did not return for the 2000 season, as he didn't have a sponsor, and Norberto Fontana replaced him.[8]

Return to Indy Racing

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In 2002, he finished sixth in the Indianapolis 500, his best finish since his rookie season.[6] In 2003, he was hired by Menard Racing, winning the pole for that year's Indy 200.[9]

In 2007, Hearn got a last-minute ride with Jon Herb's backup car with Hemelgarn/Racing Professionals, even though he hadn't raced since the 2005 Indy 500. With it, he qualified 32nd for the Indianapolis 500.[10] That would be the final Indianapolis 500 he competed in.[6] In seven seasons, he drove in 84 races.[11]

Later life

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After retiring from racing, he started a racing team. One of its drivers was Alexander Rossi, who would go on to win the 2016 Indy 500. However, the team became unsustainable during the Great Recession. Due to this, he became bankrupt and did odd jobs such as driving a forklift, and coached a successful flag football team. He then got a job at Bobby Flay’s restaurant at Caesars Palace. However, this wasn't satisfying for him, so he became a part-time instructor at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch's Ron Fellows driving school, and eventually lead instructor once he quit his job at the restaurant.[11]

Hearn still races. In 2014, he competed in the 18th SKUSA SuperNationals.[12] From 2016-17, he competed in the “Indy Legends” Charity Pro-Am.[13][14] In his free time, he does iRacing, a virtual reality racing video game[11]

Personal life

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Hearn was married, but they divorced when he got bankrupt. He has a daughter.[11]

Hearn attended college classes at Citrus College.[5] Years later, after seeing a commercial for the Cordon Blue Culinary School, he enrolled and earned an associate’s degree in the culinary arts in two years.[11]

Motorsports Career Results

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American Open-Wheel racing results

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(key)

CART

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Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Rank Points Ref
1996 Della Penna Motorsports Reynard 95i Ford XB V8t MIA
 RIO
 SRF
 LBH
10 		NZR
 500
 MIL
 DET
 POR
 CLE
 TOR
25 		MIS
 MDO
 ROA
 VAN
 LS
17 		29th 3 [15]
1997 Della Penna Motorsports Lola T97/00 Ford XD V8t MIA
11 		SRF
13 		LBH
27 		NZR
18 		RIO
14 		STL
9 		MIL
23 		DET
23 		POR
14 		CLE
28 		TOR
27 		MIS
22 		MDO
13 		ROA
9 		VAN
22 		LS
25 		FON
15 		21st 10 [16]
1998 Della Penna Motorsports Swift 009.c Ford XD V8t MIA
13 		MOT
27 		LBH
23 		NZR
10 		RIO
7 		STL
28 		MIL
6 		DET
23 		POR
10 		CLE
18 		TOR
7 		MIS
5 		MDO
24 		ROA
13 		VAN
16 		LS
11 		HOU
9 		SRF
18 		FON
8 		16th 47 [17]
1999 Della Penna Motorsports Swift 010.c Toyota RV8D V8t MIA
23 		MOT
10 		LBH
11 		NZR
20 		RIO
19 		22nd 26 [18]
Reynard 99i STL
13 		MIL
21 		POR
22 		CLE
10 		ROA
10 		TOR
16 		MIS
12 		DET
13 		MDO
12 		CHI
16 		VAN
6 		LS
16 		HOU
8 		SRF
23 		FON
27

IndyCar Series

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Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points Ref
1996 Della Penna Motorsports Reynard 95i 4 Ford XB V8t WDW
19 		PHX
4 		INDY
3 		4th 237 [19]
1996–1997 NHM
14 		LVS
1 		WDW PHX INDY TXS PPIR CLT NH2 LV2 33rd 59 [20]
2000 Pagan Racing Dallara IR-00 75 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW PHX LVS INDY
27 		TXS PPIR ATL KTY TX2 47th 3 [21]
2001 Tri-Star Motorsports Dallara IR-01 60 PHX HMS ATL INDY
DNQ 		TXS 27th 50 [22]
Sam Schmidt Motorsports 99 PPIR
9 		RIR KAN NSH KTY STL CHI
6 		TX2
2002 Dallara IR-02 Chevrolet Indy V8 HMS PHX FON
14 		TXS
9 		15th 204 [23]
20 INDY
6 		PPIR
12 		RIR
7 		KAN
10 		NSH
4 		MIS
10 		KTY
24 		STL CHI TX2
A. J. Foyt Enterprises 11 NZR
14
2003 Sam Schmidt Motorsports G-Force GF09 99 Toyota Indy V8 HMS PHX MOT INDY
28 		TXS PPIR RIR KAN NSH MIS STL KTY NZR 28th 39 [24]
Team Menard Dallara IR-03 2 Chevrolet Indy V8 CHI
14
Hemelgarn Racing 91 FON
21 		TX2
18
2004 Sam Schmidt Motorsports G-Force GF09B 33 Toyota Indy V8 HMS PHX MOT INDY
20 		TXS RIR KAN NSH MIL MIS KTY PPIR NZR CHI FON TX2 30th 12 [25]
2005 Panoz GF09C 70 Chevrolet Indy V8 HMS PHX STP MOT INDY
25 		TXS RIR KAN NSH MIL MIS KTY PPIR SNM CHI WGL FON 33rd 10 [26]
2007 Racing Professionals
Hemelgarn Racing 		Dallara IR-05 91 Honda HI7R V8 HMS
 STP
 MOT
 KAN
 INDY
23 		MIL
 TXS
 IOW
 RIR
 WGL
 NSH
 MDO
 MIS
 KTY
 SNM
 DET
 CHI
 31st 12 [27]
Years Teams Races Poles Wins Podiums
(Non-win) 		Top 10s
(Non-podium) 		Indianapolis 500
Wins 		Championships
9 6 25 2 1 1 9 0 0

Indianapolis 500

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Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
1996 Reynard Ford-Cosworth 15th 3rd Della Penna
2000 Dallara Oldsmobile 23rd 27th Pagan
2001 Dallara Oldsmobile Failed to Qualify Tri-Star
Stood by as relief driver for Tony Stewart
2002 Dallara Chevrolet 22nd 6th Schmidt
2003 G-Force Toyota 28th 28th Schmidt
2004 G-Force Toyota 30th 20th Schmidt
2005 Panoz Chevrolet 20th 25th Schmidt
2007 Dallara Honda 32nd 23rd Hemelgarn/Racing Professionals

References

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  1. ^ "Richard E Hearn from Pahrump, NV". Radaris.com. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Harris, Mike (21 May 1998). "Richie Hearn was destined to be a racer". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Richard Hearn Obituary (2008) - Las Vegas, NV - Las Vegas Review-Journal". Legacy.com. 6 July 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b Antoine, Arthur St (7 October 1991). "Putting the Kart Before the Course". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b Klein, Gary (14 January 1993). "Hoping to Be the Hottest Things on Wheels : Racing: Richie Hearn and Kimball Williams are attempting to steer their careers from karts to cars". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "SVRA Heroes & Friends: Indy Car | SVRA". Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  7. ^ "ESPN.com - Auto Racing - Moore, 24, killed in horrifying CART crash". www.espn.com. 3 November 1999. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Hearn out, Fontana in at Della Penna. | IndyCar | Crash". www.crash.net. 18 March 2000. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  9. ^ "PLUS: AUTO RACING; Hearn Surprises, Winning I.R.L. Pole". The New York Times. 7 September 2003. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  10. ^ Schwarb, John (21 May 2007). "Notebook: Hearn hangs around, makes Indy field". ESPN.com. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e Kantowski, Ron (22 August 2020). "Former Indy 500 driver finds new, quiet life in Pahrump". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  12. ^ Lewandowski, Dave (18 November 2014). "Notes: Power, Andretti headline karting event". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  13. ^ "SVRA: Hearn, Lloyd, Manning join Brickyard Invitational field". RACER. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Lloyd, Hearn, Treadway join SVRA Indy Legends field". RACER. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Richie Hearn – 1996 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Richie Hearn – 1997 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Richie Hearn – 1998 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Richie Hearn – 1999 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  19. ^ "Richie Hearn – 1996 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Richie Hearn – 1997 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Richie Hearn – 2000 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Richie Hearn – 2001 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  23. ^ "Richie Hearn – 2002 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Richie Hearn – 2003 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Richie Hearn – 2004 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  26. ^ "Richie Hearn – 2005 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  27. ^ "Richie Hearn – 2007 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Toyota Atlantic Champion
1995 		Succeeded by
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