RPW EXCLUSIVE: 15-Year-Old Paulie Hartwig III living the dream with the NASCAR Whelen Modified and ROC Modified Tour

RPW EXCLUSIVE COLUMN BY: Stephen Durham / RACE PRO WEEKLY – BOSTON, MA  –It has been a very busy summer for the 15-year-old Paulie Hartwig III. For the young teenager, he is full-time on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the Race of Champions Modifieds, while doing additional races when time has allowed in 2026.

As the summer got hotter, so has the Galloway Township, New Jersey driver. Since the beginning of June, has won twice with the Race of Champions modifieds, along with six top 5’s and eight top 10’s. Meanwhile, Hartwig has strung together four consecutive top 10 finishes, as well back-to-back top 5 finishes with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

Despite missing New Smyrna earlier in the season due to age restrictions, it has been a dream come true for the young racer to be racing multiple series, especially the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

“It’s pretty cool running with all these guys and battling them in the points. It’s really cool to be running with the Whelen Tour this year and that was my dream since I started running modified at 10 years old,” Hartwig III says,  “so, it’s pretty cool to run with all these guys and it’s definitely one of the harder steps up with the new series and stuff, so I guess we’ll go through this year and then be better next year.” 

For the driver out of New Jersey, many of the tracks on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour have been new to him, with each track offering its own unique characteristics. 

“We really struggled at Thompson, that’s our only track I think we had issues with and just all these new tracks we’re going to, like this weekend we’re going to Monadnock on Saturday. It’s a little different from all these other tracks that we’ve gone to,” Hartwig III explains “all these tracks are new to us like New Hampshire, Stafford. I have never drafted yet, so that’s going to be a learning curve and going to make it a challenge to get the balance right in practice and about the weather all changing for the race and stuff”

For Paulie Hartwig III, he feels they are getting closer to notching that first-career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win. 

“I say we’ve been good, good enough right there through the end, just one set-up change to be there for a win, so we had a really good shot at it at Claremont and at White Mountain, just when that caution came out, when everybody pitted, just that ruined the strategy there,” a confident Paulie Hartwig III explains.

For any young race fan or a young racer like Paulie Hartwig III, there are stars or veteran racers they look up to through the years and make it a goal to be like them. For Hartwig, his role model continues to win and is still on the tour. 

“I actually have been looking up to Matt Hirschman. Just watching him always on how to set up people like going in high or like going one car higher to get to the right rear quarter panel and cutting down off of the corner to get a good drive up off the corner,” Hartwig explains “if I really weren’t watching him, I really wouldn’t know how to set up a pass. Just looking up to Hirschman and all these races and how respectful he races with everybody.”

At only 15-years-old, Paulie Hartwig has leaned on some veteran modified talent to get to where he is at now.

“Carson Lofton, Matt Hirschman, just a lot of different guys. I always ask people, ‘Have you been to this place before?’ And always watching Flo-Racing, like from the year before, like what happened? When did everybody pit? How is the line changing, and so on,” Hartwig says “I have really good guys around me giving me good advice on the team.”

Then speaking of Matt Hirschman, Paulie Hartwig trails Hirschman in the Race of Champions Modified standings by 55 points. Hartwig has a pair of victories on the season, coming at Evans Mills Raceway Park and at Lancaster Speedway.

“Been running ROC for about 3 to 4 years now, and it’s been tough lately after we won 2 in a row at Evans Mills, and then at Lancaster. Then we had trouble at Shangri-La II with the DNF. We were running about 4th and we had a right rear flat under yellow. And then that just kind of hurt us in the points,” Hartwig III explains “I think we have a really good shot at finishing 2nd or if something happens to Hirschman, I really think we have something for Hirschman, but just after that race, it kind of took us out of April.”

With still a lot of racing left in 2026 for both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and for the Race of Champions modifieds, the young hot-shoe is looking forward to returning to a few tracks and a few new tracks ahead as well.

“I think with ROC, I really look forward to coming back to Lancaster, since we had a really fast car there, and for the Whelen tour. I’m really excited to go to Stafford. That’s probably one of the good places that is on Iracing” Hartwig III explains, “I practice a lot at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. So, those are the two tracks”

With the different series, comes different rules, and both series run on different tire manufacturers. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour changed to American Racers in 2026, while the Race of Champions modifieds are on Hoosiers. For Hartwig, he’s been able to learn and adapt to the different tires.

“I really think the Hoosiers are really good with us. With the Hoosiers, you can’t really go as hard as we do with the American racers. With the Hoosiers, you have to actually save,” explains Hartwig, “with the stuff that’s happening on the Whelen Modified Tour, like the American racers they really last a while. The Hoosiers and the American racers are really different.  We have to really get the American racers hot because the American racers take about 6 to 8 laps to come in and the Hoosiers,  like it takes one lap to 2 laps to come in.”

Being so young, Paulie Hartwig III is especially thankful for his family and crew, and especially his parents.

“Really my parents. Without them, we wouldn’t be in this position. My crew chief, Bobby Geiger, has been with us for 4 to 5 years now and, you know, all my sponsors like Jersey Shore Contracting, Professional Therapy Associates. Just all these guys really stick by my side. Just have really great people with us and without them, we probably won’t be racing. Just a really big shout out to all of them, and it’s pretty cool having a lot of supporters that’s at my side, and without them, we wouldn’t be anywhere,” says an appreciative Paulie Hartwig III.

Paulie Hartwig III and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to southwest New Hampshire at Monadnock Speedway, located in Winchester, NH. They will get ready to do battle for the 5th Annual Duel at the Dog 200 Energized by USNE Power. Watch live on FloRacing on Saturday.