By Kasey Kreider
(Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
The 2025 racing season at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway drew to a close on Saturday night, but not before just a few more thrills to take drivers and fans alike into the offseason. With the track’s five championships just about sewn up entering Saturday night’s feature events, the final races of the season provided the opportunity for a coronation of those who had risen above the rest to be crowned as champions of the Clyde.
Jason Swavely won the final race of the season to officially score his third EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 championship at the speedway, while Nick Skias put the finishing touches on a fourth championship in the Border Magic 270s. Dominic Schmidt, Corey Schmuck, Jr., and John Maurer were all awarded their first Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway championships, with Schmidt triumphing in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s, Schmuck, Jr. taking the top step in the Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsmans, and Maurer prevailing in the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Strokes. And the last A-Mains of the year had plenty of excitement as well, as along with Swavely, Mason Beinhower, Brandon Heist, Seth Gregory, and Gage Pio all capped off the season in the winner’s circle.
EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600
The EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 division was the only class that entered Saturday night’s Championship Finale with still a little bit of doubt on who the champion would be. While Fleetwood’s Jason Swavely technically only needed a finish of 12th or better to secure his third title in the last four years, he made sure to leave no doubt whatsoever, as he put the cherry on top with a fifth-to-first effort to win the final A-Main of the season.
Sportsman champion Corey Schmuck, Jr. led the opening few laps of the race while searching for what would have been his first-career 600 victory. But it only took the opening lap for Swavely to scoot into the runner-up spot. And after following Schmuck, Jr. around the bullring for a few circuits, the No. 14 made the decisive pass on a lap 7 restart to take the top spot away.
From there “The Rocketman” pulled away over the remainder of the race to put an official seal on his championship with his class-leading fifth win of the season – counting the non-points Labor Day Shootout. Despite breaking in a new car over the final few weeks of the season, Swavely’s efforts were good enough for him to claim his seventh total championship at the speedway, with one of those coming in the 270s and three in the Sportsman class.
Bradley Brown came from seventh to score a second-place result in both the race and the final point standings, as he fell just 54 points shy of defending his title from a year ago. Schmuck, Jr. continued his strong second-half of the year with a third, and put himself into the top five in points. Chris Gerhart finished fourth in both the race and the championship, and Chris Panczner rounded out the top five – but brought home third in the final standings.
Results:
1. 14-Jason Swavely[5]; 2. 23-Bradley Brown[7]; 3. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[1]; 4. 51-Chris Gerhart[6]; 5. 15P-Christopher Panczner[11]; 6. 17-Brent Ely[13]; 7. 48-Chase Robinson[2]; 8. 71-Brian Kramer[8]; 9. 41B-Brody Snyder; 10. 53S-Shannon Slaughter[9]; 11. 51B-Amanda Onimus[10]; 12. L13-Bob Potter[12]; 13. 11H-Holden Eckman[3]; 14. 5T-Tanner Pressley[4]
Points (Top 5) (FINAL):
1. 14-Jason Swavely[1154]; 2. 23-Bradley Brown[-54]; 3. 15P-Christopher Panczner[-202]; 4. 51-Chris Gerhart[-230]; 5. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[-243]
Jason Swavely claimed his third championship in the last four seasons in the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600s at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
While Dominic Schmidt entered Saturday night with his first-career track championship all locked up, there was still plenty of excitement to be had – all the way down to the last corner – of the evening’s Hyper Racing Wingless 600 season finale. By just 0.028 seconds, Mason Beinhower bested Gunnar Pio in a photo finish to score his second win of the weekend – but his first at the Clyde in two years.
The Dillsburg native – who was coming off of a Friday night victory at the McGrewBid Motoplex – started on the pole for the 25-lapper, but quickly found himself in the thick of an exciting battle for the top spot that began following a lap 4 restart. Both Matt Warner and Schmidt threw big haymakers on opposite ends of the speedway to try and rip the top spot away, but Beinhower was able to pull a crossover both times to keep his advantage at the head of the pack.
Beinhower’s next challenge came after a restart on lap 11, where Schmidt assaulted the No. 21B machine with a slider in both corners on the first lap after the race’s resumption. Third time wouldn’t be the charm for the track champion, as hooked bumpers with Beinhower while trying to clear him into turn 3 and popped the wall, causing him to fall back to fourth.
The driver there to take advantage was Gunnar Pio, as he continued his climb from ninth at the start and found himself as the runner-up inside of 10 laps to go. Beinhower kept the gap at a stable two-to-three car lengths, but over the final few circuits, Pio began to mount one last challenge.
Pio got to the tail tank of Beinhower’s machine at the white flag, but chose to stay in line through turns 1 and 2, giving him one shot into the final set of turns. Although the slider from Pio was almost perfect, Beinhower got his car turned down the hill just in time to make it a drag race to the finish line. By a bumper – or 0.028 seconds to be exact – Beinhower surged back ahead at the stripe to score his first Lanco win since the Clyde Martin Memorial Race in July 2023.
In a photo finish, Mason Beinhower (No. 21B) scored the win over Gunnar Pio (No. 28P) by just 0.028 seconds in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 season finale. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Behind Beinhower and Pio, Marty Brian rounded out the podium, while Chase Rodgers bounced back from a nasty heat race tumble to charge from 17th-to-fourth – all in a backup car. James Fries finished off the top five.
Although Schmidt was eventually caught up in an accident and finished the season finale credited with 16th, his efforts throughout the season gave him plenty of wiggle room to claim the title, ending with a 62-point margin over Brian. Most of that came on the strength of eight consecutive podiums – including non-points events – in Wingless 600 races, a streak that was only snapped on Saturday night. Schmidt picked up two wins on the season, but both of those came on the same night, and that effort in early September put the title out of reach for the rest of the competition.
Results:
1. 21-Mason Beinhower[1]; 2. 28P-Gunnar Pio[9]; 3. 16-Marty Brian[8]; 4. 5X-Chase Rodgers[17]; 5. 1F-James Fries[3]; 6. 09-Vincent Gueci[12]; 7. 34-Abel Engler[7]; 8. 98-Matt Warner[2]; 9. 11H-Holden Eckman[10]; 10. 48-Chase Robinson[14]; 11. 90X-PJ Reid[15]; 12. 44-Alex Heckendorn[16]; 13. 15H-Don Hess[13]; 14. 41-Brody Snyder[6]; 15. 01M-Aden Myers[11]; 16. 08-Dominic Schmidt[4]; 17. 10L-Lukas Kostic[5]
Points (Top 5) (FINAL):
1. 08-Dominic Schmidt[1168]; 2. 16-Marty Brian[-62]; 3. 98-Matt Warner[-207]; 4. 1F-James Fries[-315]; 5. 34-Abel Engler[-412]
Mason Beinhower grabbed his first Lanco win since the 2023 Clyde Martin Memorial Race after triumphing in Saturday night’s thriller for the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
On the strength of two wins and remarkable late-season consistency, Dominic Schmidt scored the 2025 Hyper Racing Wingless 600 championship at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Border Magic 270
It was a drive so nice that Jason Swavely decided to make it twice. For the second week in a row, Swavely charged from the 10th starting position to score the victory of Saturday night’s Border Magic 270 division, ending the season in style with his fourth-straight win and the $270 Border Magic Hard Charger Championship Bonus.
While Swavely began the 25-lapper on the outside of the fifth row, it was Anthony Yerger who paced the field for the first seven laps of the race. But on the eighth circuit, the lead turned over to Mike Uhrich, who had shown strong speed all night long and put his familiar No. 11 out into clean air, pulling away from the pack while Yerger battled for position with Nick Skias, Brandon Heist, and the surging Swavely.
Although Swavely had nearly crashed on an early-race restart, he had otherwise methodically picked his way through traffic into the fourth spot when the caution flag flew with 10 laps left, erasing Uhrich’s nearly two-second advantage.
On the restart, Yerger motored back into the lead momentarily from the upper groove, but Swavely followed him through and then dropped to the bottom through turns 3 and 4, propelling himself from fourth to first in just a lap and putting him in position to drive off with the win.
For Swavely, the victory was his sixth of the year in the 270 class, his third in a row driving the Schenck Racing No. 92, and his fourth in a row when counting the Wingless 270 Labor Day Shootout. By gaining nine positions from the start of the race, Swavely not only picked up the $27 Border Magic Hard Charger nightly bonus, but also claimed the Border Magic Hard Charger Championship for passing the most cars throughout the course of the entire season. That effort earned him $270 in bonus cash.
Heist won the battle for second over the closing laps, while Yerger held on for a much-needed third-place finish to cap off the year. Skias – the champion – finished in fourth, while Billy Logeman completed the top five.
For Skias, he officially claimed his fourth 270 championship at the Clyde, matching his total at fellow Lebanon county racetrack Linda’s Speedway. It was the first time, however, that the Wernersville native scored the title in back-to-back seasons, and it was a championship that held even more significance considering the fact that he was driving the car prepared by his uncle Chuck Skias for his late father Pete.
Skias claimed two wins on the year, but it was remarkable consistency shown in a class that routinely had the largest car count of any division at the speedway that put him on the track toward a title. In 13 points races, Skias started outside of the top 10 five times, but never finished a feature worse than sixth.
Results:
1. 92-Jason Swavely[10]; 2. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[6]; 3. 5A-Anthony Yerger[1]; 4. 3-Nick Skias[4]; 5. 27O-Billy Logeman[7]; 6. 11-Mike Uhrich[2]; 7. 75-Chris Dolan[11]; 8. 11R-Tommy Rinck[14]; 9. 77G-Isaac Graby[5]; 10. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[15]; 11. 34-Christi Sweigart[9]; 12. 96W-Chase Walker[13]; 13. 48-Jonah Meck[18]; 14. 30-Ryan Heckman[23]; 15. 28S-Brian Sholley[3]; 16. 8S-Mike Skias[8]; 17. 21D-Dave Williams[17]; 18. 81-Dylan Holmes[16]; 19. 47X-Ernie Newmaster III[22]; 20. 2-Mike Miller[21]; 21. 21H-Matt Hoffman[20]; 22. 45O-Mike Rutherford[12]; 23. 82-John Maurer[19]
Points (Top 5) (FINAL):
1. 3-Nick Skias[1228]; 2. 92-Jason Swavely[-93]; 3. 27O-Billy Logeman[-186]; 4. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[-267]; 5. 8S-Mike Skias[-337]
Jason Swavely charged through the pack once again on Saturday night to cap off the season with his fourth-straight Border Magic 270 win. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Nick Skias claimed his fourth Border Magic 270 championship at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, this time driving the familiar No. 3 Viper Chassis for Chuck Skias. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman
The Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman division capped off their 2025 season with perhaps one of the best races of the year, as a virtually non-stop 25-lapper featured a three-car battle for the win and a dramatic last-corner pass, as Brandon Heist beat Chris Dolan and Dave Ravel to the stripe to cap off the season with his sixth Sportsman win of the year.
While Heist had to come from sixth after winning the week prior, Ravel started on the pole and set the early pace ahead of Dolan. Although there was a caution on the opening lap of the event, the race quickly settled into a rhythm following the second try at the start, and as fate would have it, there would be no more yellow flags for the rest of the feature.
Heist moved to third and tracked the top two drivers down, but was stuck behind them until roughly 10 laps to go, when the No. 99 started experimenting with the top groove as the leaders caught lapped traffic. Heist used the momentum to motor past Dolan and into second, but in the process, showed Dolan that the top line had plenty of speed. When Ravel and Heist then got boxed in behind the slower traffic, Dolan sped past both drivers and took hold of the top spot with five laps left.
Last year’s Labor Day Shootout winner looked to be on his way to victory, even after Heist had elevated into second. Coming to the white flag, Dolan had two car lengths and a lapped car between himself and Heist. But while the No. 75 continued to run the top groove, Heist cleared the lapper on the bottom of turns 1 and 2. When Dolan left the bottom open entering turn 3, Heist pounced on the opportunity. Despite clipping an infield tire in the final corner, that may have worked to Heist’s benefit, as his machine pulled a wheelie and then motored off the corner to win the drag race to the finish by just 0.147 seconds.
Brandon Heist (No. 99) made a last-corner pass on Chris Dolan (No. 75) to tally his sixth Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman win of the year at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Behind Heist and Dolan, Ravel held on for his best finish of the year with third, while Bradley Brown came home fourth. The fifth-place finisher was champion Corey Schmuck, Jr., as the Lititz native could finally celebrate a long-awaited first title at the Clyde.
Although Schmuck, Jr. only won once in 2025, consistency that he had lacked in previous championship runs helped him finally seal the deal when the final points were tallied. Schmuck, Jr. scored podium finishes in each of the first six races of the year, and finished with eight total podiums and 10 top 5s in 13 points races.
Results:
1. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[6]; 2. 75-Chris Dolan[3]; 3. 21V-David Ravel[1]; 4. 15-Bradley Brown[8]; 5. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[7]; 6. 20-Max Fasnacht[2]; 7. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[10]; 8. 30-Ryan Heckman[9]; 9. 2-Mike Miller[5]; 10. 28-Kyle Lindsey[16]; 11. 19-Wes Fasnacht[4]; 12. 31-Tyler Martin[13]; 13. 21D-Dave Williams[12]; 14. 17-Masen Stapleton[11]; 15. 77J-Jade Smith[14]; 16. 8-Michael Spadafora[15]
Points (Top 5) (FINAL):
1. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[1146]; 2. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[-120]; 3. 28-Kyle Lindsey[-126]; 4. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[-130]; 5. 30-Ryan Heckman[-188]
Brandon Heist came out on top of a three-way battle with Chris Dolan and Dave Ravel to win Saturday night’s season finale for the Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman division. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
After years of trying, Corey Schmuck, Jr. captured his first Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway championship in the Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman class. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke
While champion John Maurer had been the man to beat at the Clyde for much of the 2025 season, Seth Gregory continued his scorching finish to the campaign in Saturday night’s finale with his second win in the last three races at the Clyde, holding off the No. 82 throughout the duration of the 25-lapper.
Gregory quickly jumped to the lead from the outside pole and set a fast pace around the speedway. While Maurer eventually got into second and briefly put some pressure on the back bumper of the No. 14, Gregory withstood the challenge and kept a four car length advantage before a late-race caution flag waved with three laps to go.
Although Maurer was right on Gregory’s tail tank, he was unable to find a way past, as Gregory nailed the final few laps to secure the win. The victory for Gregory was his sixth total win in the month of September, as the Ephrata native entered the weekend on a four-race win streak at the Shellhammer Dirt Track.
Maurer capped off his remarkable season with a runner-up finish, claiming the championship by a final margin of 235 points over Mike Coen. The title was never in much doubt for the Fleetwood driver, as Maurer racked up nine total wins in 2025 – including the Clyde Martin Memorial Race and both events of the Labor Day Shootout. In fact, Maurer only finished outside of the top two once all season, and scored 1,355 of a maximum 1,400 points on offer throughout the year.
Matt Fernsler finished third in the final race of the season, while Justin Harrington came home fourth and Trevor Waegel drove up from last to round out the top five.
Results:
1. 14-Seth Gregory[2]; 2. 82-John Maurer[6]; 3. 19-Matt Fernsler[5]; 4. 76-Justin Harrington[8]; 5. 44S-Trevor Waegel[17]; 6. 26C-Michael Coen[4]; 7. 04-Steve Simmons[7]; 8. 23-Asher Kempton[14]; 9. 8-Michael Spadafora[1]; 10. X-Dave Schroeder[3]; 11. 13S-Blaire Schoenly[16]; 12. 3H2-Holly Harting[15]; 13. 89-Rilynn Hannula[13]; 14. 3H-Corey Harting[10]; 15. 15-Alyssa Holmes[11]; 16. 112-Dylan Yeingst[12]; 17. 4W-Brandon Worthington[9]
Points (Top 5) (FINAL):
1. 82-John Maurer[1355]; 2. 26C-Michael Coen[-235]; 3. 19-Matt Fernsler[-322]; 4. 44S-Trevor Waegel[-324]; 5. X-Dave Schroeder[-335]
Seth Gregory continued his recent hot streak by winning Saturday night’s Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke feature. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
With one of the most dominant season-long performances in recent memory at the speedway, John Maurer earned the 2025 championship in the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke class. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
Junior Sprints
The Junior Sprints ran their fifth event of the year on Saturday night at the Clyde, but it was once again Gage Pio scoring the victory, as “The Puppy” made it three wins in a row at the speedway.
Pio led all 20 laps from the pole position of a non-stop feature, and safely navigated through lapped traffic – despite a few close calls – to take the win by over three seconds at the final flag.
Behind Pio, Andrew Ferriola walked away with second, while Barrett Bressler completed the podium. Lucas Ferriola and Caleb Witmer were the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 5-Gage Pio[1]; 2. 26-Andrew Ferriola[5]; 3. 64B-Barrett Bressler[2]; 4. 75-Lucas Ferriola[3]; 5. 7-Caleb Witmer[4]; 6. 9-Estela Stillwell[6]; 7. 5B-Reid Bailey[8]; 8. 1B-Landon Bailey[7]; 9. 53-Clayton Otteau[9]
Gage Pio scored his fourth-career — and third in a row — Junior Sprint win at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway on Saturday night. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photography)
The Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway would like to thank all drivers, teams, and fans for their continued support throughout a memorable 2025 season of racing. The Members End of Year Bash for all award presentations will be held at the speedway on Oct. 25 at noon, while the first race of next year will take place on April 4, 2026. Stay tuned to the track’s website and social channels for any and all offseason updates. On behalf of the speedway and the Lanco Micro Midget Club, we wish all members of our racing family a happy and safe offseason.