Lanco’s Labor Day Shootout - the Past 22 Years...
The Labor Day Shootout at Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway has existed in some form for many, many years. The last 22 editions of the Labor Day tradition have seen a bit of dominance at times, a host of “big name” winners, and several changes in the divisions that compete at the Shootout, the format, and the expansion to a two-day event.
Since his first Shootout victory in 2000 (in the 125cc class), Mike Rutherford is the LDS’ biggest winner. Rutherford has logged a total of 20 triumphs spread over six different classes. All of his wins have been in winged cars, except for a lone wingless 270 score in last year’s event. He’s got a total of six wins in the 270 portion of the Shootout (five winged and one non-wing), along with seven winged 600cc victories. There have been a pair of 250cc Four-Stroke wins, three Sportsman triumphs, and two victories in the 125cc class. His most successful Shootout was in 2007, when the “Master of the Micros” copped four wins out of the five classes that competed that weekend. The only feature he did not win that year was the 125cc headliner.
Mike Miller has won Shootout features ten times since 1997; he’s most likely got more than that if records could be searched from ‘96 on back. In ‘97, Miller won four of five possible Shootout mains (only the 600cc victory eluded him that year).
Jesse Maurer had quite a streak going in the 125cc Shootout mains...the “Mount Joy Outlaw” won seven of nine A-Mains from 2007 through 2015 in the 125cc division. Maurer also has a 270cc LDS victory; that came in 2014.
Names like Kevin Nouse (current 358 Sprint Car standout), Ryan Smith (a World of Outlaws feature winner), Randy West, Tyler Walton, Tim Buckwalter, and many, many more have graced victory lane in the Labor Day Shootout.
Who will it be this year? In 2018, Rutherford swept both the winged and non-wing 270 mains, while Kyle Spence (wing) and “Big Money” Brian Carber (non-wing) captured glory in the 600cc features. Cliff Brian Jr. (Four-Stroke), Jason Swavely (Sportsman), Kyler Heiney (125cc), Jared Silfee (All Star Slingshots), and Cliff Brian Jr. again (in the non-wing 125/4-Stroke Challenge) were the other victors in last season’s Labor Day Shootout.
Rising stars like Aaron Bollinger, Ryan Groff, Bradley Brown, Andrew Dietrich, Tommy Phipps Jr., Marty Brian, and Alex Lukacs, among others, will have something to say regarding who takes home the winner’s checks at this weekend’s Labor Day Shootout presented by Hyper Racing.
Gates open at 1:30 p.m. on both days, August 31 and September 1, with warm-ups getting underway at 3:45. Racing begins at 4:30.
For all the specifics and information, check out www.clydemartinspeedway.com and stay tuned to the speedway’s Facebook page (Clyde Caplan Martin Memorial Speedway).
Come on out and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco and the Labor Day Shootout!