The biggest race on the Super DIRTcar Series schedule is undoubtedly NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week at Oswego Speedway in October. But for one driver, the next event on the calendar is the most important. Brett Hearn will wear two hats on Tuesday night as the popular veteran Big-Block Modified driver will host the series’ best for the $10,000-to-win Big Show 10 at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY.

Hearn, of Sussex, NJ, is preparing for the 10th edition of his Big Show to be the biggest yet. Last year, the Big Show 9, which marked the sixth year the event has been held at Albany-Saratoga, reached a new level. On the track, Tim McCreadie made a spectacular move following a lap-74 restart while running the cushion to go from fourth to the lead and steal an edge-of-your-seat win over Stewart Friesen, Matt Sheppard, Larry Wight, and Hearn. 

However, it wasn’t just the action on the track that propelled the event to a new height. Hearn introduced a new fan challenge for qualifying and what he calls a “Stadium Sound System,” among other attractions, and it was a hit. 

“It’s kind of unique,” Hearn said. “Sometimes you plan a big event, you run it the first year and it’s a big deal, then it fizzles out. This has gone the opposite way.”

This year, Hearn has brought back DJ Eric Santana to play the sound system as well as popular announcers Ozzie Altman, Shane Andrews, and Dan Martin. The “Pick the Quick” contest also returns, giving fans the chance to win $1,000 cash if they can correctly pick the fastest five qualifiers. 

"Typically, you hear fans say, ‘We don’t really care too much for time trials.’ Time trials are really the only fair way to run a race at this level that’s $10,000 to win,” Hearn said. “This way you pick your five drivers and you pay attention to time trials. It’s a way to get people engaged in time trials.” 

If that’s not enough to make Big Show 10 an exceptional event, NASCAR on Fox personality and dirt racer Kenny Wallace is also jumping behind the wheel of a Big-Block Modified and Gary Balough’s original Batmobile from the 1982 Syracuse Fairgrounds is making an appearance.

Getting @Kenny_Wallace’s ride ready for the Big Show X! #KennyWallace #BrettHearn #TheBigShowX pic.twitter.com/KKdqCGMrHf

— BHTheBigShowX (@BHTheBigShowX) June 25, 2018

“I think when you add Kenny Wallace to the mix and the personality that he is driving a car and behind the mic, I think that’s going to be kind of fun for the fans,” Hearn added.

At some point though, Hearn has to switch from promoter to race car driver, a task that is particularly challenging with all of his hard work on the line—even after nine previous events. 

“It’s very difficult,” Hearn admitted. “I’m on the promoter’s side until 5 PM when we do the drivers autograph session with the crowd and mingle for about 45 minutes before the drivers meeting, and at that point, I have to get in the car and do my thing.”

When the cars hit the track, there’s no issue with the quality of competition. Billy Decker and Jimmy Phelps have each won the Big Show twice, while McCreadie, Friesen, Danny Johnson, and Bobby Varin have all won the event once. Hearn won his own race once in 2013. McCreadie, who now races Late Models full-time, has announced he will return to defend his Big Show title.

“We have a great speedway for racing,” Heard said. “Albany-Saratoga is probably second to none and there’s a lot of drivers that just love the place. A lot of drivers have been there for the first time in the last two years and really like racing there. We’re getting guys that mark this as a race on their calendar that they go to.”

This Tuesday fans attending The Big Show X at @Albany_Saratoga will see @TimMccreadie in the pit area looking to win a @SuperDIRTWeek guaranteed start...and a $10,000 pay day. pic.twitter.com/bJbPmh0ltl

— Super DIRTcar Series (@SuperDIRTcar) June 24, 2018

For now, the Big Show will be the only race Hearn takes to promoting annually. It’s something he certainly enjoys, but he’s not entirely sure if he plans to jump in any further when he eventually hangs up the helmet. 

“I really don’t know. We’ll have to see,” Hearn said. “I enjoy all of it. It’s really exciting. I’ve taken some of the approach that I’ve used in racing to try to make myself a better promoter and try to utilize some of the ways that I’ve done business in the past to try and be the best promoter and event planner I can be.”

The Big Show 10 is presented by Recovery Sports Grill, Halmar International, VP Racing Fuels, and Fox Shocks. Fans can purchase top row reserved seats at www.TheBigShow10.com.