By Kasey Kreider
(Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
The stakes were high on another beautiful Saturday night at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, as with just two races remaining in the season, the championship points puzzles were set to become much clearer in each of the five divisions of competition. In the midst of those battles, there were still races to be run, and a first-time Lanco winner joined some familiar faces in victory lane when the evening of action was all said and done.
The EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 feature went to Christian Bruno, as the Deptford, NJ driver scored his first win in the Winged car in 2025. In the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s, Steven Snyder, Jr. made a moonlight appearance at the speedway and held off Gunnar Pio to take the checkers. A 10th-to-first charge saw Jason Swavely score another Border Magic 270 triumph, while Brandon Heist went from getting checked out in the hospital last Saturday to standing in victory lane seven days later with a Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman win. And Trevor Waegel finally broke through for his first-career win at the Clyde in the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Strokes.
Meanwhile, three of the remaining four track championships yet to be spoken for at the speedway were mathematically sewn up on Saturday night. Joining John Maurer in the 125/4 Strokes, Dominic Schmidt scored another podium result to clinch his first championship in the Wingless 600s. Nick Skias used a fourth-place result to lock up back-to-back – and his fourth total – 270 championship. And even with a rough night, Corey Schmuck, Jr. kept the advantage he needed in the standings to wrap up his long-awaited first championship at the Clyde in the Sportsman class, leaving only the Winged 600s to still be decided on Championship Night next Saturday.
EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600
Although Christian Bruno had won the Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek Finale and the Labor Day Shootout while competing in Wingless 600 action at the Clyde in 2025, success in the Winged car had been a little tougher to come by for the Deptford, NJ native. But on Saturday night, Bruno got the monkey off of his back and scored his maiden EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 win of the year.
Bruno started from the third position, while Bradley Brown looked to make inroads on a 19-point deficit that he entered Saturday night facing in the point standings from the pole position of the A-Main. Following a brief side-by-side battle with Chris Panczner, Brown broke free and sped off to a sizable lead while the race ran past halfway without a caution.
However, once Bruno cleared Panczner’s No. 15P, he put the fishing reel out to chase down the defending track champion from nearly two seconds back. While Brown was fast running in the lower to middle groove, Bruno tracked him down on the top side before the climactic moment of the race came with nine laps to go.
As Brown dove for the bottom of turn 1 while Bruno had a head of steam and was running the upper groove, contact was made entering the corner, sending Brown’s car for a spin. Bruno inherited the top spot for the restart, while Brown was forced to restart in 14th and try to limit the damage in the championship battle with Jason Swavely, who ran fourth.
Bruno scampered away from the pack over the final nine laps and picked up the win, his first in Winged 600 action since the KKM Challenge in June of 2024. Panczner came home with second, while Swavely moved up to third on the final run to the checkers. Brian Kramer and Holden Eckman rounded out the top five.
Brown was able to claw back to a 10th-place finish, giving Swavely a 49-point lead entering next Saturday’s finale. With an A-Main result of 13th or better, Swavely would clinch at least a share of the title, while a finish of 12th or better would lock up his third Winged 600 championship outright.
Results:
1. 5-Christian Bruno[3]; 2. 15P-Christopher Panczner[2]; 3. 14-Jason Swavely[7]; 4. 71-Brian Kramer[6]; 5. 11H-Holden Eckman[4]; 6. 51-Chris Gerhart[5]; 7. 17-Brent Ely[9]; 8. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[8]; 9. 11Z-Zachary Light[14]; 10. 23-Bradley Brown[1]; 11. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[15]; 12. 01M-Aden Myers[10]; 13. 51B-Amanda Onimus[12]; 14. L13-Bob Potter[11]; 15. 73-Andrew Rothermel[13]; 16. 72-Jesse Maurer[16]
Points (Top 5) (After 12 of 13 Races):
1. 14-Jason Swavely[1054]; 2. 23-Bradley Brown[-49]; 3. 15P-Christopher Panczner[-182]; 4. 51-Chris Gerhart[-215]; 5. 17-Brent Ely[-232]
Christian Bruno claimed his first EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 win of 2025 on Saturday night at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
Rising Sun, MD’s Steven Snyder, Jr. went back to the drawing board with his family-owned No. 44K Hyper machine entering Saturday night’s action at the Clyde, and the setup they found paid off in droves, as the full-timer with the USAC Midgets put on a vintage performance in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main, leading all 25 laps despite the best efforts of challenger Gunnar Pio.
Snyder, Jr. grabbed the lead right away from the outside pole, and after some great battling in the early laps, Pio eventually broke free of the hornet’s nest to establish himself in the runner-up spot. As the race settled into a long green-flag run, Snyder, Jr. held a lead of roughly one second over Pio prior to catching the back of the pack.
Once getting to lapped traffic, Snyder, Jr.’s life got much more difficult, and Pio quickly began to close in. Just as Pio was attempting to make a move on the No. 44K for the lead, he made contact with one of the lapped cars and sent them for a spin.
The yellow flag set up a single-file restart with four laps left, and although Pio ran side-by-side with Snyder, Jr. on the first corner after the restart, he ultimately wasn’t able to mount any more of a challenge, as Snyder, Jr. stretched out the lead to four car lengths by the time both cars flashed under the checkered flag.
Behind Snyder, Jr. and Pio, Dominic Schmidt continued his string of podiums by finishing third. With the result, Schmidt was able to open up his points lead past the 100-point mark, mathematically clinching his first track championship in the Wingless 600 class. Christian Bruno and Marty Brian rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 44K-Steven Snyder Jr[2]; 2. 28P-Gunnar Pio[5]; 3. 08-Dominic Schmidt[6]; 4. 5-Christian Bruno[10]; 5. 16-Marty Brian[4]; 6. 10L-Lukas Kostic[3]; 7. 15D-Matthew Donley[7]; 8. 34-Abel Engler[12]; 9. 98-Matt Warner[16]; 10. 1F-James Fries[14]; 11. 2L-Luke Hess[11]; 12. 75K-Jarid Kunkle[13]; 13. 25X-Dan Lane Jr[15]; 14. 24-Cooper Fegley[8]; 15. 15H-Don Hess[18]; 16. 21-Mason Beinhower[9]; 17. 14-Cole Gerber[20]; 18. 3L-Nolen Layser[1]; 19. 11H-Holden Eckman[17]; 20. 3Y-Zachary Young[19]
Points (Top 5) (After 12 of 13 Races):
1. 08-Dominic Schmidt[1126]; 2. 16-Marty Brian[-110]; 3. 98-Matt Warner[-233]; 4. 1F-James Fries[-353]; 5. 10L-Lukas Kostic[-422]
Steven Snyder, Jr. led all 25 laps of Saturday night’s Hyper Racing Wingless 600 feature at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Border Magic 270
In the ultra-competitive Border Magic 270 class, it’s out of the ordinary to see a driver come from outside of the first few rows, with usually many competitive cars near the front of the field. That being said, “The Rocketman” Jason Swavely isn’t your ordinary driver, and he proved it Saturday night. The Fleetwood native climbed up the order from 10th to put himself in position to challenge for the win at a mid-race restart, and then flashed to the lead in, seemingly, the blink of an eye to score back-to-back wins aboard the Schenck Racing No. 92.
In search of his first-career Clyde Martin win, Jonah Meck started from pole position and led the way ahead of Chase Walker for the first several circuits. Meanwhile, Swavely was one of a few cars methodically marching through the pack. By lap 12, Swavely was up into the fourth spot.
On a restart from the outside of the second row, Swavely quickly swooped around the top of both Walker and Toby Blumenshine. Then one lap later, Swavely circled through the middle of turns 3 and 4, breezing past Meck and into the lead. The 2023 track champion blasted off from there, pulling his lead to well over three seconds at the final flag and scoring his third-straight win in the class, including the Wingless 270 Labor Day Shootout.
Despite losing the lead to Swavely around mid-race, Meck still held on for a great second-place result, while Walker scored his second podium of the year with a third.
Meanwhile, a fourth-place finish was good enough to lock up a fourth 270 championship at the Clyde for Nick Skias, as the Wernersville native mathematically clinched back-to-back titles – this time piloting the Chuck Skias-owned No. 3. Billy Logeman finished out the top five, while Brandon Heist claimed the Border Magic Hard Charger Bonus for a 21st-to-seventh run.
Results:
1. 92-Jason Swavely[10]; 2. 48-Jonah Meck[1]; 3. 96W-Chase Walker[3]; 4. 3-Nick Skias[8]; 5. 27O-Billy Logeman[12]; 6. 1J-Toby Blumenshine[5]; 7. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[21]; 8. 8S-Mike Skias[2]; 9. 11R-Tommy Rinck[17]; 10. 81-Dylan Holmes[11]; 11. 29J-Jacob Neff[24]; 12. 28S-Brian Sholley[23]; 13. 34-Christi Sweigart[19]; 14. 47X-Ernie Newmaster III[20]; 15. 5A-Anthony Yerger[18]; 16. 4-Dylan Pence[7]; 17. 82-John Maurer[4]; 18. 75-Brent Shearer[15]; 19. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[9]; 20. 1L-Logan Hess[6]; 21. 4S-Kiptyn Stratton[14]; 22. 77G-Isaac Graby[16]; 23. 2T-Doug Pearson[22]; 24. (DQ) 16X-Dan Lane Jr[13]
DNQ: 2-Mike Miller
Points (Top 5) (After 12 of 13 Races):
1. 3-Nick Skias[1143]; 2. 92-Jason Swavely[-108]; 3. 27O-Billy Logeman[-181]; 4. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[-277]; 5. 8S-Mike Skias[-294]
Jason Swavely put the Schenck Racing No. 92 in victory lane for the second consecutive week in the Border Magic 270s. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman
Last Saturday, Brandon Heist was unable to compete at the Clyde due to an ankle injury that he suffered in a crash at the Linda’s Speedway. After getting the ankle checked at the hospital and being diagnosed with a sprain, Heist hopped back in the saddle on this weekend and proved that he was still up to snuff, following up a championship-clinching 270 win at Linda’s on Friday night with his fifth win of the year in the Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman division.
Heist started from pole position and never received too much of a threat in the battle for the win. The Jonestown native put his No. 99 out ahead by multiple seconds and stormed to a dominant triumph, marking his sixth total win in that car this year – with one of those victories coming in the 270 class despite running with a Sportsman motor.
The best racing for most of the event was second on back, as Bradley Brown put together a nice second-place run aboard Ronnie Shanaman’s No. 15, while Ryan Heckman held on for the final podium place. Dylan Pennypacker and Justin Harrington each made up four spots from where they started to round out the top five.
Despite being forced to pull in early in the race with a flat tire, a 16th-place finish was still good enough to wrap up the first Sportsman title for Corey Schmuck, Jr., as he kept his lead at 106 points over Kyle Lindsey entering the final night of the season. After years of trying, the Lititz native will be awarded his first Lanco title next Saturday.
Results:
1. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[1]; 2. 15-Bradley Brown[2]; 3. 30-Ryan Heckman[3]; 4. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[8]; 5. 75-Justin Harrington[9]; 6. 28-Kyle Lindsey[11]; 7. 21D-Dave Williams[14]; 8. 17-Masen Stapleton[13]; 9. 10A-Anthony Yerger[12]; 10. 77J-Jade Smith[15]; 11. 19-Wes Fasnacht[16]; 12. 2-Mike Miller[10]; 13. 31M-Noah Merkey[17]; 14. 1J-Brent Shearer[6]; 15. 20-Max Fasnacht[7]; 16. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[4]; 17. 2T-Doug Pearson[5]; 18. 8-Michael Spadafora[18]
Points (Top 5) (After 12 of 13 Races):
1. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[1066]; 2. 28-Kyle Lindsey[-106]; 3. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[-112]; 4. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[-150]; 5. 30-Ryan Heckman[-176]
Brandon Heist claimed win number five on the season during Saturday night’s Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman feature. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke
After scoring top fives in five of the last six races, it seemed like Trevor Waegel was due for his first-career Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway victory. With two weeks left in the season, the Paulsboro, NJ native finally broke through on Saturday night, holding off champion-to-be John Maurer for his maiden win.
Waegel started from pole and set a fast pace early on in the event, amassing a lead of almost five seconds before the first caution of the race flew just prior to the halfway mark. The caution flag looked to be just what Maurer needed, as the No. 82 picked off Asher Kempton and Matt Fernsler in quick succession and then had just Waegel’s No. 44s in front of him.
But despite Maurer’s strength all year long, Waegel was simply the faster car on this night, as he continued to grow the lead even after Maurer elevated into second. A double-file restart with seven laps to go was Maurer’s last best chance, but he was unable to capitalize. By a full second at the finish, Waegel came under the checkered flag to seal the victory.
Maurer settled for second, while the rookie Kempton put together another strong showing with a third. Fernsler and Mike Coen were the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 44S-Trevor Waegel[1]; 2. 82-John Maurer[6]; 3. 23-Asher Kempton[8]; 4. 19-Matt Fernsler[3]; 5. 26C-Michael Coen[4]; 6. X-Dave Schroeder[9]; 7. 04-Steve Simmons[12]; 8. 14-Seth Gregory[13]; 9. 15-Alyssa Holmes[14]; 10. 8-Michael Spadafora[10]; 11. 4W-Brandon Worthington[11]; 12. 3H2-Matthew Groff[15]; 13. 3H-Corey Harting[2]; 14. 112-Dylan Yeingst[7]; 15. 76-Justin Harrington[5]
Points (Top 5) (After 12 of 13 Races):
1. 82-John Maurer[1260]; 2. 26C-Michael Coen[-216]; 3. X-Dave Schroeder[-300]; 4. 44S-Trevor Waegel[-309]; 5. 19-Matt Fernsler[-317]
Trevor Waegel scored his first Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway win in Saturday night’s Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke feature. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Next Saturday, Sept. 20 marks the final race of the season at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, as Championship Night will see the track’s five champions officially be crowned. In addition to the five weekly classes, the Junior Sprints will also be in action, making for a big six-class finale to cap off 2025. It will also be “Trick or Treat Night” for all kids in attendance, with race teams encouraged to bring Halloween candy to give out during intermission. Gates for this event will open at 3:30 p.m., with hot laps starting the on-track action at 5 p.m. General grandstand admission will be $10, and for those unable to attend in person, live streaming coverage will be provided courtesy of The Cushion.