His paint job isn’t all that shows polish. 

Third-year stock car driver Brent Hackl of Calgary has shone on provincial oval tracks this summer, equaling the glow given off by his pristine No. 3 Legends car in the showroom. 

Despite owning the oldest Legends car in Western Canada — the 1937 Ford sedan replica was originally bought by Calgary’s Wayne Miller in the fall of ’94 — Hackl’s No. 3 vehicle has been named the best-appearing race car on the Calgary-based UAP/NAPA Legends Touring Series at each of the last two annual World of Wheels shows. 

Hackl, in his third season as a Legends semi-pro driver, will be chasing top honours at Race City Motorsport Park tonight, as the Mac’s Firecracker 50 — featuring a winner’s cheque of $1,000 — takes top billing on the half-mile oval. 

“Some people tease me about having the pretty race car. Race cars aren’t supposed to be pretty. But this is my baby,” said Hackl, a native of Humboldt, Sask. “I’ve been a car nut all my life, and I enjoy detailing and polishing and making sure this car is presented professionally.” 

At the most recent World of Wheels in February, Hackl’s No. 3 car was even praised for possessing the oustanding competition engine of the entire show, and “that was compliments of the toothbrush I used to scrub the engine,” he grinned. 

There’s a lot more going on below the surface, however. 

After finishing second in points last summer to Calgary’s Jarrod Schaufert in both provincial tour and Race City track standings in the semi-pro category, Hackl has proven himself the most dominant semi-pro driver in Alberta during the 2000 campaign. 

That means INEX, the Charlotte, N.C.-based sanctioning body for Legends cars — which are 5/8-scale replicas of 1930s Fords, Chevys and Dodges, weighing 1,150 pounds and using 1,200 cubic-centimetre Yamaha motorcycle engines — will almost certainly place Hackl among the heavy hitters of the pro category next year. 

While this year’s starting grids are more daunting than ever for the challengers — all qualifying pro drivers begin main events ahead of the semi-pro pack — Hackl has placed as high as fourth at Race City on July 22. Hackl, who’s sponsored by Mac’s Convenience Stores, Pepsi and Universal Cycle, has shared nearly all of the series’ 11 semi-pro heat wins at Calgary, Wetaskiwin and Medicine Hat along with Calgary’s Scott Riddell, driver of the No. 00 car. 

Hackl, the Race City and tour points leader among semi-pros, even had a perfect day on July 22 — as the semi-pro category’s top qualifier, champion in both heat races, and highest finisher in the main — and set a semi-pro Race City lap record of 19.36 seconds on June 17. 

“It’s been a tremendous year,” said Hackl, who also maintains the Legends Cars of Alberta website at www.legendscars.ca. “Mechanically, we’ve been very clean. I haven’t really been in fix-it mode. 

“When I get to the track, I’m able to arrive ready, instead of showing up with a car I had to throw together last night that’s not quite right,” added Hackl, whose only previous motorsport experience was recreational snowmobiling as a teenager. 

With Mac’s sponsoring tonight’s event — the highlight of the local season for Legends drivers — Hackl wants to make sure his black, red and teal No. 3 car is looking sharper than ever.