Manipulens (Hiersch)

Manipulens (also known as Hiersch to the announcers), is a T-Mobile Truck Series driver from 2007 to 2023, and a play-by-play announcer in the superspeedways from 2024 onwards.

## Backstory

Sometime during his training with Master Kicko, Hiersch dreamt of become a driver someday. However, Master Kicko refused to accept the fact that he still has to learn Kung Fu, but Hiersh forced him to get him a stock car otherwise he will possess him. Master Kicko told him that he still has to know about driving a car, and promises him that if he does good, he will take him to a racing event.

In 2006, thanks to Hiersch improving in his training, Master Kicko managed to make him attend his first race ever; the Sam's Club 250 at the Milwaukee Mile. Master Kicko then confirmed Hiersch he was going to be signed up with a team that would be competitive for 2007 (despite the fact that he didn't race in any lower divisions).

## Career

Around Halloween of 2006, it was announced that Hiersch would be entered full-time for the 2007 ISPS Truck Series season, although the team which he would be entering was not confirmed. He participated in the last two races of the 2006 season; the Arizona 150 and the Ford 200 for Davis Racing (truck number 23), where he finished 15th and 18th.

He eventually raced full time in 2007 for Red Horse (truck number 77). During this season, he got his first two wins in Iowa and Gateway. No one thought he was a threat for the season's title where he finished 12th. However, this all changed. Despite his strong performance, he was released from Red Horse due to the lack of funding his team had in the end of the season.

He moved on to ThorSport Racing (he picked his number #13, because it was the easiest number he can carry around) for the 2008 season. This season, he got four wins, multiple to-fives and top tens, and finished 5th in the standings.

From 2009-2022, Hiersch had over 39 wins, but 2015 was his first good year. He won the NextEra 250 Resources at Daytona, followed that up with four straight top 5 finishes, and won five other races (New Hampshire, Bristol, Dover, Seattle, and Pocono). Despite all that dominance, he lost to Orangusnake, who won the title despite the fact that he only won four times (Martinsville, New Hampshire Road Course, Talladega, and Phoenix).

The obscene words that he said to Orangusnake and the Sky Pirates during post-race interviews at Homestead made Hiersch and the four Sky Pirates members a major rivalry.

Both he and Orangusnake scored a win three races apart in 2016, (Orangusnake has around 42 wins since 2002 at this point, and Manipulens has 38).

The biggest upset occurred in 2017, when Orangusnake only won three times that year and Hiersch outdoes him for the series title with four wins.

In 2018, he didn't do as good as he was previous year, but he did manage to take the usual; three wins, which would place him sixth. However, his rivalry with Orangusnake started to become extreme, and he was frustrated to the point that he would never become as great as the other drivers again. This has led to him becoming extremely aggressive and possessive, and that he wished he could posess anyone in order to stop his rivalry.

2022 was where the dark side of Hiersch arrived. He did fairly well in the first half of the season, but thanks to Orangusnake's villainous threats to him in the Richmond race, he then suddenly started to use the Kwei to stop his rival. All of this has led to massive hate on Hiersch. Surprisingly, he did well in the season, but it was only because of the Kwei manipulating several races. He finished 10th in the standings. It was then around this time someone discovered who he really knew what Hiersch really was; a person who wants power just to manipulate races. He was given a ***severe*** warning by the ISCRS officials.

This has led to the Sky Pirates racing team closing up for good after 2022, and Hiersch announced in December that he will instantly retire after the 2023 season ends. In which that season was never good; his final victory at Hawgabahn, and causing a big wreck in the fall Talladega race. Currently, he is 12th in the standings.

## Trivia

* He has over 80 Truck victories (11 more than his rival).
* He planned to race in the Cup Series for NY Racing, but the deal never materialized.
* His backstory is revealed in the 2023 HighPoint.com 400.