By Kasey Kreider
(Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
A balmy August summer evening at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway saw plenty of excitement, wheel-to-wheel racing, and a little bit of history woven in among the five divisions and seven features that were contested on Saturday night.
In Hyper Racing Wingless 600 competition, 14-year-old Hayden Wise became the first female Wingless 600 winner in the history of the speedway – and just the third female driver to win a 600 Micro Sprint race in either winged or wingless fashion at the Clyde. The EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 class saw the same car go to victory lane twice, but with two different drivers. Brent Shearer wheeled Ron and Brian Kramer’s No. 71 to the winner’s circle in the makeup Clyde Martin Memorial Race A-Main, while the younger Kramer then hopped behind the wheel for the regular show and parked it once again in the 25-lap nightcap. Shearer also picked up a win in the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Strokes, but prior to that, it was John Maurer rising to the top in the 35-lap Clyde Martin Memorial for his fifth consecutive win. Nick Skias held off Jason Swavely to score a Border Magic 270 triumph, and Mike Kreiser broke a five-year winless streak by taking the checkers first in the Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman A-Main.
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
After finishing third in last Saturday’s Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series event at the Clyde, Huntersville, NC’s Hayden Wise decided to stick around for a little longer in Pennsylvania and compete with her micro sprint. The decision turned out to not just be a winning one, but a history-making one, as Wise dominated a nonstop 25-lap feature to become the first female driver to score a Wingless 600 victory at the Newmanstown bullring.
Wise was originally slated to start the feature from the second spot, but was called for a jump on the initial green flag, moving her back to the fourth position. Last year’s Rookie of the Year Nolen Layser brought the field to green for the second start, and the action was frantic right from the jump, as a track that was juiced up from heavy rains the night before led to some wild slicing and dicing, particularly in the Wingless 600 class.
Layser led the opening lap, but traded sliders with Lukas Kostic each and every corner for the first two circuits. Kostic edged ahead at the completion of the second lap, and was able to dispatch of the No. 3L. But as that happened, Wise shot from the bottom groove up into second, and then pulled the pin on a slider for the lead down into turn 3. It only took one try for Wise to stick the move, and she put the No. 94 in clean air as the third lap came to an end.
While Wise danced off with the advantage, the frenetic racing continued from second on back. Layser, Kostic, and Dominic Schmidt all took turns hot-potatoing the runner-up spot before defending track champion Ryan Groff eventually ripped it away, making his charge all the way from the eighth position.
But Wise had opened the gap up to more than a straightaway, and it was clear there’d be no catching the young rising star of the dirt-track scene. Utilizing her experience from a handful of prior micro starts at the Clyde, many laps around the Millbridge Speedway in North Carolina, and her rookie campaign in a Midget, Wise ran the top of the racetrack like a seasoned veteran and stormed to the win over four seconds ahead of the defending track champion.
With the victory, Wise became just the third female competitor to win a 600 Micro Sprint race at the Clyde, joining Brittany Brown (now Brittany Haldeman), who first accomplished the feat in June of 2013, and Becca LaMothe, who tallied a win in September of 2014. Both of those triumphs, however, came in Winged 600 action. Wise was also the first female driver to win a race in any division at the Clyde since Courtney Kupp’s win in the Sportsman class in June of 2023.
Behind Groff, Schmidt beat out Kostic over the final few laps to score the last spot on the podium. Marty Brian finished in fifth, keeping his points lead intact at 28 heading into next Saturday’s doubleheader.
Results:
1. 94-Hayden Wise[2]; 2. 03-Ryan Groff[8]; 3. 08-Dominic Schmidt[5]; 4. 10L-Lukas Kostic[3]; 5. 16-Marty Brian[4]; 6. 15D-Matthew Donley[7]; 7. 3L-Nolen Layser[1]; 8. 11H-Holden Eckman[9]; 9. 3Y-Zachary Young[13]; 10. 15H-Don Hess[12]; 11. 1F-James Fries[6]; 12. 73-Andrew Rothermel[11]; 13. 34-Abel Engler[10]; 14. 9-Bradley Brown[14]; 15. 11R-Steven Drevicki[15]
Points (Top 5) (After 7 of 13 Races):
1. 16-Marty Brian[579]; 2. 08-Dominic Schmidt[-28]; 3. 1F-James Fries[-114]; 4. 03-Ryan Groff[-137]; 5. 2J-Jace Marshall[-143]
Hayden Wise joined Brittany Brown and Becca LaMothe as the only female drivers to win a 600 Micro Sprint feature in Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway history on Saturday night. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600
Brent Shearer had a conundrum entering this weekend’s events at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. He had a starting spot in Saturday’s makeup feature – the Clyde Martin Memorial Race – for the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600s. The problem was that he no longer had a car to compete in the event. But that changed when he struck a deal with Ron and Brian Kramer to pilot the No. 71 for the 35-lapper. And despite never sitting in the car prior to the beginning of the race, Shearer drove from the back to the front and added his name to an exclusive list of Winged 600 Clyde Martin Memorial Race winners.
After coming to a stop and bringing out the caution flag on the opening lap, Shearer found himself in the 11th position, adding to the already difficult task that faced him as he looked to contend for the win. But calamity changed the game on the opening lap, as Chris Panczner and Corey Schmuck, Jr. tangled racing for the lead down the backstretch, sending Schmuck, Jr.’s car for a spin into turn 3. As that occurred, Austin Mieczkowski and Jason Swavely collided as well, leading to a separate stackup that knocked the three-time defending race winner out of the event.
So while Panczner and Anthony Yerger made up the front row for the third attempt at the start, Shearer already found himself restarting in the sixth position. And after picking off three more drivers on the opening lap, the No. 71 only had Panczner and Yerger ahead of him with 34 laps still to run. Yerger grabbed the lead on the second lap, and it wasn’t long before Shearer followed him through into spot number two. A few circuits later, Shearer caught the No. 5A, and after trading sliders with Yerger for a lap, the Manheim native zipped into the top spot for good at the completion of lap 7.
As the race wore on, Shearer’s biggest challenge looked as if it could come in the form of defending track champion Bradley Brown, who was searching for his first Clyde Martin Memorial Race win in the Winged 600 class. Brown got to second, and then got a caution with 13 laps left to close Shearer’s three-second lead. However, Brown had a deflating right front tire and then eventually a mechanical issue that forced him to retire from the race.
Shearer was able to set sail over the remaining laps and claim his first Clyde Martin Memorial Race win in any division. Corey Schmuck, Jr. bounced back from his first-lap spin to finish second – his best result in a Winged 600 – while Holden Eckman came home in third. Austin Mieczkowski and Panczner rounded out the top five.
Brent Shearer piloted Ron and Brian Kramer’s No. 71 from as far back as 11th to score the victory in the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 Clyde Martin Memorial Race. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Brian Kramer then hopped back aboard his familiar No. 71 for Saturday night’s regularly-scheduled 25-lap event. The Ephrata driver started on pole, but kept control of the race throughout and pulled away from Jason Swavely and Brent Ely down the stretch to score his second-career Lanco win.
Kramer led Corey Schmuck, Jr. in the opening laps of the event, while Ely and Swavely filed into third and fourth. Those two veterans began catching the top two runners as the race moved past halfway and into lapped traffic. But a caution flag flew with 10 laps remaining, putting Kramer back in clean track.
Swavely elevated up into the runner-up position in the closing laps, but couldn’t chase down Kramer as the No. 71 made its second trip of the night to the winner’s circle. Ely brought home a third-place finish, while Corey Schmuck, Jr. capped off a great night with a fourth. Ryan Groff completed the top five.
Despite a trying night that saw him shift into Joe Kepple’s No. 9 for the second Winged 600 race, Bradley Brown kept the points lead, now holding just a mere three-point advantage over Swavely with four races to go.
Clyde Martin Memorial Results:
1. 29-Brent Shearer[8]; 2. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[1]; 3. 11H-Holden Eckman[9]; 4. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[4]; 5. 15P-Christopher Panczner[2]; 6. 51B-Amanda Onimus[7]; 7. 11R-Tommy Rinck[10]; 8. 23-Bradley Brown[11]; 9. 5A-Anthony Yerger[3]; 10. 14-Jason Swavely[5]; 11. 97-Billy Logeman[6]
Race No. 2 Results:
1. 71-Brian Kramer[1]; 2. 14-Jason Swavely[8]; 3. 17-Brent Ely[4]; 4. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[2]; 5. 3-Ryan Groff[5]; 6. 29X-Liam Kane[13]; 7. 51-Chris Gerhart[6]; 8. 23-Bradley Brown[7]; 9. 97-Billy Logeman[11]; 10. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[16]; 11. 11H-Holden Eckman[9]; 12. 44-Alex Heckendorn[10]; 13. 9C-Sean Case[14]; 14. 51B-Amanda Onimus[12]; 15. 15P-Christopher Panczner[3]; 16. 5A-Anthony Yerger[15]
Points (Top 5) (After 9 of 13 Races):
1. 23-Bradley Brown[777]; 2. 14-Jason Swavely[-3]; 3. 97-Billy Logeman[-67]; 4. 29-Brent Shearer[-97]; 5. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[-125]
Brian Kramer picked up his second-career EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 win at the Clyde on Saturday night. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Border Magic 270
After going for a spin in his heat race, it looked for a brief moment like it could be a long night ahead for three-time defending Border Magic 270 champion Nick Skias. With a determined but smooth drive, Skias charged his way back into a redraw spot, and picked the pole for the 25-lap feature. Holding off Jason Swavely down the stretch, Skias made it to the checkers first for his second win of the season, extending his points lead in the process.
The first half of the race went clean and green, as Skias stretched the gap before Bret Cronrath closed back in in lapped traffic. After the caution flew with 11 laps left, there were plenty of “comers-and-goers” behind the No. 3 Viper Chassis, as Toby Blumenshine and Jason Swavely each took turns in second place before Swavely took it for good. John Maurer and Alex Swift also climbed up into the top five.
A caution with three laps to go put Swavely on the tail tank of Skias for a final dash to the finish. “The Rocketman” tried to angle off each corner and mount the necessary momentum in order to make the pass, but just ran out of time. By three-quarters of a car length, Skias beat Swavely to stripe to score the victory.
Swift came home in third from 10th, while Maurer and Blumenshine capped off the top five. Billy Logeman went from 20th to eighth to pick up the Border Magic Hard Chargers Bonus, but lost ground in the title fight thanks to Skias’ win. The Wernersville native holds a 93-point lead over Logeman with five races – including the Clyde Martin Memorial – to go.
Results:
1. 3-Nick Skias[1]; 2. 92-Jason Swavely[8]; 3. 15-Alex Swift[10]; 4. 82-John Maurer[6]; 5. 1J-Toby Blumenshine[5]; 6. 4-Dylan Pence[11]; 7. 8S-Mike Skias[9]; 8. 27O-Billy Logeman[20]; 9. 5-Bret Cronrath[2]; 10. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[15]; 11. 77G-Isaac Graby[3]; 12. 10A-Anthony Yerger[18]; 13. 16X-Dan Lane Jr[14]; 14. 11H-Chason Hauck[12]; 15. 24-Dustin Roberts[21]; 16. 6-Danial Boyer[22]; 17. 81-Dylan Holmes[23]; 18. 41-Mike Boyer[4]; 19. 21H-Matt Hoffman[13]; 20. 1-Jesse Snyder[19]; 21. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[7]; 22. 21D-Randy West[17]; 23. 1X-Brent Shearer[16]; 24. (DQ) 7D-Chris Dolan[24]
DNQ: 34-Christi Sweigart; 11X-Chase Roberts; 47X-Ernie Newmaster III; 35-John Paulsen; 28S-Brian Sholley; 94-Dallas Sanders
Points (Top 5) (After 8 of 13 Races):
1. 3-Nick Skias[721]; 2. 27O-Billy Logeman[-93]; 3. 92-Jason Swavely[-156]; 4. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[-192]; 5. 8S-Mike Skias[-232]
Nick Skias got one step closer to a fourth Border Magic 270 championship with his second win of the season on Saturday night at the Clyde. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman
It had been a long and difficult five years for Mike Kreiser since his last Sportsman win at the Clyde in 2020, and his track championship in the year prior. But finally – after a year’s worth of strong speed mixed with a little bit of good fortune – the Jonestown driver snapped the long dry spell on Saturday night.
Kreiser was on pole for the Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman A-Main and set the pace for the first 13 laps at the front of the pack. The 14th lap was when Brandon Heist completed his climb from the seventh starting position, as the fellow Jonestown native took the lead from the middle groove on a restart. Heist was driving off into the sunset, and looked to be all but secured in grabbing his fourth win of the season.
But with just three laps left, Heist caught the back of the field, and hopped over the right-rear of a sideways lapped car coming through turns 3 and 4. The No. 99 ended up tumbling upside down and out of the race, giving Kreiser the advantage and a golden opportunity to get back to victory lane.
Kreiser nailed the final three revolutions to complete his journey back to the Clyde’s winner’s circle. Four car lengths behind was Corey Schmuck, Jr., who stretched his points lead to 119 over Kreiser with the result. Dylan Pennypacker made up 10 spots from the start to finish third, while Brent Shearer and Kyle Lindsey were the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 77-Michael Kreiser[1]; 2. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[2]; 3. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[13]; 4. 1J-Brent Shearer[10]; 5. 28-Kyle Lindsey[8]; 6. 30-Ryan Heckman[4]; 7. 17-Masen Stapleton[12]; 8. 8-Michael Spadafora[5]; 9. 31-Tyler Martin[16]; 10. 20-Max Fasnacht[9]; 11. 77J-Jade Smith[17]; 12. 19-Wes Fasnacht[6]; 13. 21D-Dave Williams[11]; 14. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[7]; 15. 15-Bradley Brown[14]; 16. 9R-Mason Ruffner[15]; 17. (DQ) 75-Chris Dolan[3]
Points (Top 5) (After 9 of 13 Races):
1. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[879]; 2. 77-Michael Kreiser[-119]; 3. 28-Kyle Lindsey[-128]; 4. 20-Max Fasnacht[-157]; 5. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[-163]
For the first time since 2020, Mike Kreiser parked his No. 77 in the winner’s circle after Saturday night’s Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman feature at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke
Continuing one of the most dominant seasons in a single division in recent memory at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, Fleetwood’s John Maurer picked up his biggest Lanco win to date during the early portion of Saturday night’s show, making the race-winning pass with 13 laps to go to score his first victory in the Clyde Martin Memorial Race.
While Maurer started from the “winner’s handicap” position of sixth, Corey Harting led the field to green for the 35-lap race and was out in front until the first caution flag on lap 11.
On the restart, Mike Coen popped out of line and put his No. 26c into the lead. Coen – a former 4 Stroke champion and Labor Day Shootout winner – was looking for his first win in the Clyde Martin Memorial Race, and led beyond the halfway mark as both Maurer and Brent Shearer fought for positioning behind him.
Maurer eventually broke free from Shearer, and chased down Coen as the leaders caught lapped traffic. With several cars stacked up ahead of the frontrunners, Maurer swung wide on the entrance to turn 1 and used his run off the corner to get inside of Coen down the backstretch. That move ended up winning Maurer the race, as he wouldn’t relinquish the top spot the rest of the way en route to his fifth win in a row, and seventh in total on the season.
Coen held off Shearer for second, while Matt Fernsler came home fourth and Trevor Waegel raced from 16th to fifth.
John Maurer scored his seventh win of the season — and fifth in a row — with his victory in the Clyde Martin Memorial Race for the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Strokes. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Despite having to come from the ninth position in order to do it, race number two of the night saw Brent Shearer finally snap John Maurer’s win streak in the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Strokes, as the Harrington Motorsports No. 75 made its third appearance of the season in victory lane with “Hotrod” behind the wheel.
Michael Spadafora led the opening lap from the pole position before Trevor Waegel snatched the top spot on lap 2. Looking for his first Lanco win, Waegel ripped around the Clyde for the next eight laps, while Shearer wasted no time getting to second before a lap 10 caution flag.
The restart is where Shearer made his money move, taking the lead from the outside groove and clearing Waegel for good off into turn 3. As the race progressed, Shearer’s machine only seemed to perform better. With Maurer struggling to move up the pack, there would be no threat on this occasion to the Manheim native, as he scored the win by over two seconds at the final flag.
“The Ephrata Express” was on the fast track in race number two, as Seth Gregory motored from 12th to finish second. Waegel completed a great night with a podium result, while Asher Kempton rebounded from a first-lap incident to take fourth. An uncharacteristically off race for Maurer saw him muster a fifth-place result, but it was a finish still good enough to keep his points lead at 151 over Shearer with four races left.
Clyde Martin Memorial Results:
1. 82-John Maurer[6]; 2. 26C-Michael Coen[4]; 3. 75-Brent Shearer[12]; 4. 19-Matt Fernsler[3]; 5. 44S-Trevor Waegel[16]; 6. 3H-Corey Harting[1]; 7. 04-Steve Simmons[9]; 8. X-Dave Schroeder[2]; 9. 23-Asher Kempton[13]; 10. 89-Rilynn Hannula[8]; 11. 4W-Brandon Worthington[10]; 12. 8-Michael Spadafora[14]; 13. 3H2-Holly Harting[11]; 14. 112-Dylan Yeingst[7]; 15. 15-Alyssa Holmes[5]; 16. 14-Seth Gregory[15]
Race No. 2 Results:
1. 75-Brent Shearer[9]; 2. 14-Seth Gregory[12]; 3. 44S-Trevor Waegel[3]; 4. 23-Asher Kempton[4]; 5. 82-John Maurer[6]; 6. 26C-Michael Coen[10]; 7. 19-Matt Fernsler[13]; 8. 04-Steve Simmons[5]; 9. 112-Dylan Yeingst[17]; 10. X-Dave Schroeder[2]; 11. 78C-Kerry Lengle[19]; 12. 89-Rilynn Hannula[8]; 13. 15-Alyssa Holmes[11]; 14. 17-Aspen Groff[16]; 15. 3H2-Holly Harting[14]; 16. 8-Michael Spadafora[1]; 17. 4W-Brandon Worthington[15]; 18. 74-Paige Rothermel[18]; 19. 3H-Corey Harting[7]
Points (Top 5) (After 9 of 13 Races):
1. 82-John Maurer[975]; 2. 75-Brent Shearer[-151]; 3. 26C-Michael Coen[-175]; 4. X-Dave Schroeder[-235]; 5. 19-Matt Fernsler[-247]
Brent Shearer scored his second win of the night, claiming the victory of the regularly-scheduled Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke A-Main. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
The Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway returns next Saturday, Aug. 23 with a five-division, seven-feature show. The Hyper Racing Wingless 600s and the Border Magic 270s will run their 35-lap Clyde Martin Memorial Races in addition to a complete, regular show for all five points-paying divisions. Gates will open at 4 p.m., with hot laps and racing set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. General grandstand admission remains at $10 for the action-packed night, and for those unable to attend in-person, live streaming coverage will be provided courtesy of The Cushion.