By Kasey Kreider
(Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
It was a night to “let the good times roll” at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway on Saturday evening, particularly for drivers that had already started off their 2026 racing seasons with plenty of momentum at the Newmanstown bullring.
Four of Saturday night’s five A-Main winners were drivers that had already picked up checkered flags at the Clyde throughout the opening weeks of a still youthful racing campaign. Nick Skias continued his unbeatable stretch in the Border Magic 270s, claiming his fourth consecutive win in the division in the final tune-up before next weekend’s Pistol Pete Duels. Jason Swavely and Brandon Heist also made it back-to-back victories in the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600s and Yeti Fence Sportsmans, respectively. And Christian Bruno grabbed his third win in as many attempts in 2026, rocketing up from 11th to score the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 win. The only new victor of the night was Matt Fernsler, who turned a strong start to the season into a winning one in the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke A-Main.
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
Through some early-race chaos, Deptford, NJ’s Christian Bruno kept his perfect record alive at the Clyde in 2026, as he wheeled the Ames Construction No. 75 Hyper Chassis into the winner’s circle for his third win of the season in as many starts – doing so in style from 11th on the grid.
The early laps of the race appeared as if they could present the opportunity for a new winner, as Cole Perez, Jace Marshall, and Nate Freed all ran at the front of the pack searching for win number one at the track, while Trevor Gach threw his hat into the ring as well in pursuit of a second victory at the speedway.
But two big incidents shuffled the running order and presented the opportunity for Bruno – among others – to move their way toward the front. The first came on a lap 5 restart when Marshall and Freed made contact while batting inside the top five – tipping Freed’s No. 91 sideways in turn 2 and collecting eight cars in a stack up.
On the restart that followed, Gach attempted what appeared to be a test slider down into turn 3 on the race leader Perez. Gach misjudged the move and slid up into Perez’s No. 17 at the exit of the turn, sending the Perez car for a spin and setting off a melee that involved five cars in total. Perez’s car sustained too much damage to continue, while Gach was sent to the tail of the field for the contact.
All the bedlam gave the lead to Marshall, with Bruno restarting in the second position. Last month’s Clyde Martin Memorial Race winner wasted no time grabbing control of the race, as he used the bottom groove to motor past Marshall’s No. 2J through turns 3 and 4 and sped off from the rest of the pack in a race that ran without a caution flag from that point forward.
Bruno’s final margin of victory was a whopping 4.522 seconds over an entertaining battle for second. That joust was won by Dominic Schmidt, who scored his second runner-up finish in a row in Kenny Groff’s No. 3. But putting on a show was Cooper Fegely, who was forced to drop to the rear before the start of the race, but then missed the chaos and powered up from 23rd at the drop of the initial green flag to score an impressive podium finish in only his fifth Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway start. Marshall and Cole Gerber made up the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 75-Christian Bruno[11]; 2. 3-Dominic Schmidt[5]; 3. 24-Cooper Fegely[19]; 4. 2J-Jace Marshall[3]; 5. 14-Cole Gerber[8]; 6. 98-Matthew Warner[21]; 7. 16T-Trevor Gach[2]; 8. 32-TJ Greve[14]; 9. 9G-Grady McGrew[15]; 10. 11H-Holden Eckman[9]; 11. 30F-Peyton Faust[16]; 12. 99G-Gordon Greenlaw[20]; 13. 89S-Brett Greenlee[23]; 14. 12-Tucker Gordner[22]; 15. 2L-Luke Hess[10]; 16. 17-Cole Perez[1]; 17. 21B-Mason Beinhower[6]; 18. 12K-Dylan Kontra[7]; 19. 01M-Aden Myers[13]; 20. 91-Nate Freed[4]; 21. 03-Ryan Groff[12]; 22. 10L-Lukas Kostic[17]; 23. 17X-Aubree Bane[18]; 24. 3L-Nolen Layser[24]
Points (Top 5) (After 4 of 14 Races):
1. 3-Dominic Schmidt[380]; 2. 21B-Mason Beinhower[-32]; 3. 10L-Lukas Kostic[-50]; 4. 17-Cole Perez[-58]; 5. 14-Cole Gerber[-68]
Christian Bruno pocketed his third Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway win of the season in Saturday night’s Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600
What can only be described as a bizarre sequence of events over the closing moments of Saturday night’s EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 A-Main helped give Jason Swavely his second-straight win in the division, as he capitalized on heartbreak for Bradley Brown to put the Reading Bakery Systems No. 14 RTS Chassis back in the winner’s circle.
Brown took control of the race a few laps in after a good battle with Easton Loomis, and it appeared as if Brown’s No. 23 was destined to grab its fourth win in the first five races of the season at the speedway.
But things started to get a little hairy around five laps left when Brown caught the back of the field. With most of the cars occupying the top lane that Brown was using to make speed, Swavely quickly ate away at the two-second gap that separated the leaders. Swavely was on Brown’s bumper by the time the frontrunners saw the twin sticks, but when he got blocked by a lapped car, it appeared that Brown was home free. As Brown sprinted down the backstretch for what appeared to be the final time, Corey Schmuck, Jr.’s car suffered an issue and was well off of the pace, drawing a caution before the leaders took the checkers.
All heck broke loose on the first attempt at a one-lap dash, as Swavely first tried a slider into turn 1 that he couldn’t clear and was forced to bail out of. As Brown rocketed off of turn 2 with the lead still in hand, a water line came loose on his No. 23, spraying a shower of steam and water down the backstretch. Brown attempted to make it back to the finish with the lead still in hand, but spun out in his own fluid between turns 3 and 4. While Mason Beinhower nearly swooped in to steal the win, the caution was once again called before the leaders crossed the finish line, giving the lead to Swavely instead.
Bradley Brown appeared destined for victory on Saturday night at the Clyde, but a blown water line on the final lap foiled his efforts for a fourth win in 2026. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Yet another caution prolonged the race after Chris Panczner spun in turns 1 and 2, but the third restart was finally the charm, as Swavely pulled away from Beinhower by three car lengths to tally a dramatic win.
Behind those two, Loomis brought home his Carber Racing No. 9E in the third spot – scoring his first podium finish in just his second start at the speedway. Brent Ely came away with fourth, and Panczner rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 14-Jason Swavely[6]; 2. 21B-Mason Beinhower[7]; 3. 9E-Easton Loomis[1]; 4. 17-Brent Ely[10]; 5. 15P-Christopher Panczner[8]; 6. 71-Brian Kramer[9]; 7. 51-Chris Gerhart[16]; 8. 62-Cayden Blair[13]; 9. 23-Bradley Brown[3]; 10. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[5]; 11. 73-Andrew Rothermel[11]; 12. 72-Jesse Maurer[12]; 13. 11R-Tommy Rinck[4]; 14. 90-Trent Warner[2]; 15. 25-Pat Kelly[15]; 16. 75R-Brevan Rothermel[14]
Points (Top 5) (After 4 of 16 Races):
1. 17-Brent Ely[465]; 2. 23-Bradley Brown[-11]; 3. 51-Chris Gerhart[-57]; 4. 71-Brian Kramer[-76]; 5. 14-Jason Swavely[-85]
Jason Swavely scored his second consecutive win in the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 division on Saturday night at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Border Magic 270
For the fourth consecutive race, Wernersville’s Nick Skias rose above the rest on Saturday night at the Clyde to capture yet another checkered flag in the Border Magic 270 division, allowing him to enter next weekend’s Pistol Pete Duels in honor of his father with the utmost amount of momentum.
Skias settled into the third spot after the opening laps and was tasked with battling race leader Logan Hess and second-place running Jarid Kunkle for the victory of Saturday night’s 25-lapper. Skias’ Weinhold’s Poultry No. 3 Viper Chassis gradually worked the bottom groove and eventually began to trade sliders with Kunkle’s No. 25s in an exciting battle for the runner-up spot.
Skias finally completed the pass for second on the 10th lap, and then made his bid for the lead two laps later, dropping low on Hess’ No. 1L and clearing him in one move through turns 3 and 4.
While good racing continued to take place behind him, Skias scampered away unchallenged through the rest of the race’s distance and sealed up his fourth win in a row by finishing nearly two seconds ahead of the rest of the pack.
Jason Swavely rebounded after missing the redraw in his heat race with an inspired drive from 14th to second in the Bill Schenck No. 92, while Kunkle put the Greg Stevens-owned entry on the podium in its first venture of the season to the Clyde. Bret Cronrath and Dan Lane, Jr. rounded out the top five, while Toby Blumenshine grabbed the Border Magic Hard Charger Bonus advancing from 19th to sixth.
Results:
1. 3-Nick Skias[6]; 2. 92-Jason Swavely[14]; 3. 25S-Jarid Kunkle[2]; 4. 5-Bret Cronrath[7]; 5. 16-Dan Lane Jr[9]; 6. 1J-Toby Blumenshine[19]; 7. 41-Mike Boyer[10]; 8. 28-Kyle Lindsey[18]; 9. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[11]; 10. 96W-Chase Walker[17]; 11. 8S-Mike Skias[15]; 12. 11-Mike Uhrich[5]; 13. 29J-Jacob Neff[21]; 14. 32-Michael Hoffmaster[20]; 15. 29-Steve Simmons[23]; 16. 4-Dylan Pence[3]; 17. 34-Christi Sweigart[24]; 18. 28S-Brian Sholley[22]; 19. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[13]; 20. 1L-Logan Hess[1]; 21. 27T-Michael Rutherford[16]; 22. 82-John Maurer[4]; 23. 2-Michael Miller[8]; 24. 5A-Anthony Yerger[12]
DNQ: 81-Dylan Holmes; 53-Dylan Kuronya; 01-Daron Repperts; 6-Danial Boyer; 21D-Dave Williams; 77G-Isaac Graby; 11R-Tommy Rinck; 45O-Billy Logeman
Points (Top 5) (After 4 of 15 Races):
1. 3-Nick Skias[500]; 2. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[-86]; 3. 92-Jason Swavely[-130]; 4. 11R-Tommy Rinck[-199]; 5. 27T-Michael Rutherford[-201]
Nick Skias’ outstanding start to the 2026 season continued on Saturday night with his fourth-straight win in the Border Magic 270 division. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Yeti Fence Sportsman
Brandon Heist continued his remarkable run to start the season in the Yeti Fence Sportsman division, scoring back-to-back wins when the dust settled at the end of their 25-lap main event.
Heist maneuvered through the pack from the sixth starting spot at the drop of the green, while Chason Hauck had his machine out in the wind for the first eight laps of the A-Main. On lap 9, Bret Cronrath dove to the bottom of turn 1 to put his No. 5 machine to the front, and eventually cleared Hauck for good a few laps later, with Heist following through and into the runner-up spot.
For the rest of the race, Heist chased Cronrath around the speedway, but was unable to make a move for the win on the three-time track champion. Cronrath led Heist across the twin checkers by a car length, and it appeared that Heist would have to settle for his third runner-up finish of the season in the first four races.
But unfortunately for Cronrath, his car did not pass post-race tech. So the win was instead awarded to Heist, who would celebrate by parking his Mt. Gretna Roller Rink No. 99 RTS Chassis in the winner’s circle for the second-straight race. Finishing second in the revised rundown was Billy Logeman, while last year’s champion Corey Schmuck, Jr. charged from 12th up to third. Ryan Heckman and Dave Ravel were the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[6]; 2. 97-Billy Logeman[4]; 3. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[12]; 4. 30-Ryan Heckman[3]; 5. 21V-David Ravel[10]; 6. 75-Justin Harrington[21]; 7. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[9]; 8. 77-Michael Kreiser[5]; 9. 11H-Chason Hauck[1]; 10. 20-Max Fasnacht[17]; 11. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[11]; 12. 21D-Dave Williams[16]; 13. 3S-Charles Hellinger[13]; 14. 31-Tyler Martin[19]; 15. 23K-Matt Fernsler[14]; 16. 17-Masen Stapleton[15]; 17. 2-Michael Miller[8]; 18. 94-Dallas Sanders[7]; 19. 77J-Jade Smith[18]; 20. 19-Wes Fasnacht[20]; 21. 9R-Mason Ruffner[22]; 22. (DQ) 5-Bret Cronrath[2]
Points (Top 5) (After 4 of 16 Races):
1. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[485]; 2. 77-Michael Kreiser[-116]; 3. 2-Michael Miller[-120]; 4. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[-122]; 5. 75-Justin Harrington[-137]
Brandon Heist claimed his second win in a row in Saturday night’s Yeti Fence Sportsman A-Main at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke
After a second-place finish in the Clyde Martin Memorial Race and several other close calls over the past few years, Annville’s Matt Fernsler finally snapped a long winless drought at the Clyde on Saturday night, as he steered his Morgan Mechanical Insulation No. 19 RTS Chassis into victory lane for the first time since August of 2023.
The 25-lapper for the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Strokes featured a race-long chase between Fernsler and John Maurer, as Maurer kept his No. 82 close but could never seem to gain enough momentum to mount a move for the win.
However, things nearly changed when Fernsler caught a lapped car with six laps to go. After being stuck behind the slower vehicle for a lap, Fernsler and Maurer both drove to the inside of the lapped car entering turn 3. While making the bold, three-wide move under the lapper, Fernsler protected just enough of the bottom groove to keep Maurer behind in a close wheel-to-wheel tussle.
After getting past the lapped traffic, Fernsler was home free to secure the victory, as he led Maurer across the finish line with just a car length between them at the final flag.
Behind the top two, Justin Harrington followed up his win from two weeks prior with a third-place finish. Trevor Waegel and Mike Coen made up the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 19-Matt Fernsler[1]; 2. 82-John Maurer[5]; 3. 76-Justin Harrington[6]; 4. 44S-Trevor Waegel[4]; 5. 26C-Michael Coen[2]; 6. X-Dave Schroeder[8]; 7. 14-Seth Gregory[16]; 8. 3H-Corey Harting[10]; 9. 15-Alyssa Holmes[3]; 10. 112-Dylan Yeingst[7]; 11. 68-Kevin Jones[14]; 12. 3H2-Holly Harting[11]; 13. 5-Keegan Stratton[9]; 14. 4W-Brandon Worthington[12]; 15. 74-Paige Rothermel[13]; 16. 23-Asher Kempton[15]; 17. 8-Michael Spadafora[17]
Points (Top 5) (After 4 of 16 Races):
1. 76-Justin Harrington[445]; 2. 82-John Maurer[-22]; 3. 19-Matt Fernsler[-30]; 4. 44S-Trevor Waegel[-69]; 5. 3H-Corey Harting[-69]
Matt Fernsler finally ended his winless drought at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway by picking up the win of Saturday night’s Gretna Graphics 125/4 Stroke A-Main. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Next Saturday, May 23 is one of the biggest and most special events of the 2026 season at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. Thanks to the Pete Skias Foundation and the Skias family, the Pistol Pete Duels return to the Clyde for the second-straight season. The event will once again pay out $3,008 to the winner of the Border Magic 270 A-Main as a tribute to Skias, with the first of “the Duels” taking place at the Linda’s Speedway on Friday, May 22. Joining the 270s on the racing card next Saturday will be the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s and the Gretna Graphics 125/4 Strokes, who will also be racing for up to $1,000 to win dependent on car count. Gates for the event open at 3:30 p.m., with on-track action beginning at 5:30 p.m. Grandstand admission is still just $10, but for those unable to attend, live streaming coverage will be provided by The Cushion.