2021): Grant Reigns Victorious in USAC’s Annual Stop at the Clyde, While Snyder, Jr. Breaks Through for First Lanco Win

August 8, 2021

As USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Tour veteran Justin Grant and rising 600 Micro Sprint star Steven Snyder, Jr. descended upon Newmanstown’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway on Saturday night, both drivers entered looking to get a proverbial monkey off of their backs. For Grant, a consistent season of racing amongst the best midget drivers in the country had seen him garner four second-place finishes, but no victories as the calendar flipped to August. For Snyder, Jr., a breakout 2021 campaign had seen him take victories at multiple different racetracks. But despite always being one of the strongest cars in the field, Snyder, Jr. was still waiting to park his No. 21s in the Clyde’s victory lane. So perhaps it was only fitting that on this night, the wait would come to an end for both drivers, as Grant would outduel Emerson Axsom and Buddy Kofoid to pick up the checkered flag in the 40-lap USAC feature, while Snyder, Jr. would lead wire-to-wire to pick up his first Lanco win in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 main event.

RACE RECAP (7/31/2021): Layser, Skias, Blumenshine, and Maurer Take Home the Hardware at the Clyde Martin Memorial

August 1, 2021

Every year, the Clyde Martin Memorial serves as one of the most prestigious and biggest races of the season, while also serving as one of the most crucial in the championship battle. The 2021 edition of the Clyde Martin Memorial Presented by Gold Rush Trailer Sales would be no different. Four 35-lap features for each of the weekly racing divisions would see a combination of thrills, spills, and championship implications in races which paid double points. But when the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Chase Layser, Pete Skias, Toby Blumenshine, and Jesse Maurer were the ones standing in victory lane with trophies in hand, earning the right to be referred to as winners of the Clyde Martin Memorial.

RACE RECAP (7/24/2021): Pursley Dominates Again to Score $10,000 Payday as Bruno Takes Home Speedweek Championship

July 25, 2021

If you had watched Daison Pursley compete on Friday and Saturday at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway without knowing any of his background, you would think that he was a seasoned veteran, with thousands upon thousands of laps around the progressively banked bullring. You never would have imagined that Pursley’s only experience at the Clyde was driving a USAC midget, and that that was the extent of his driving experience at any of the racetracks on the 2021 Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek calendar, if he had any experience at all. But after a week where the Locust Grove, OK native went to school competing at some of the best micro sprint tracks in the northeast, he took the field to school on Friday and Saturday at the Clyde, taking home victories in the $2,000-to-win Keizer Wheels Preliminary Night A-Main on Friday and in the $10,000-to-win Rodota Trucking and Excavating Finale on Saturday, giving him a grand total of $12,000 over both days.

RACE RECAP (7/23/2021): Pursley Takes Keizer Wheels Preliminary Night as Bruno Closes in on White for Speedweek Championship

July 24, 2021

At a fast, tight bullring such as the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, it oftentimes takes a driver who is willing to straddle the edge between control and chaos in order to pick up a victory. On a racetrack that featured a big cushion and produced even bigger excitement, no driver was able to walk the proverbial tightrope better than young hot shoe Daison Pursley. The Oklahoma “invader,” who entered the evening with prior experience driving a USAC midget at the speedway, was able to rip the top like no other en route to a dominating, wire-to-wire victory on Keizer Wheels Preliminary Night, bagging $2,000 for himself in the process and establishing himself as a clear favorite for Saturday night’s $10,000 prize. The win also put Pursley within striking distance for the overall Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek championship, as Colin White’s tumultuous night allowed closest challenger Christian Bruno to close the gap to six points entering the finale, with Pursley just 22 markers back in third.

RACE RECAP (7/17/2021): Swavely Beats the Rain and the Field to Take the Hyper Racing 600 Victory

July 18, 2021

It was a night of racing at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway which saw drivers be forced to race more than just their competitors, as inclement weather threatened the area for most of the early evening. But not even Mother Nature could move as fast as Jason Swavely, as he led the Hyper Racing 600 drivers across the finish line in a riveting 25-lapper that would conclude just before the skies opened up, ending the evening prematurely. The feature races for the 125/4 Strokes, 270s, and Skeet Craft Collision Sportsmans would be washed out, with those races slated to be made up at a to-be-determined date in the future.

RACE RECAP (7/10/2021): Hauser Edges Cronrath By 0.001, While Greve Doubles Down and Harrington Goes Back to Victory Lane in 125/4 Strokes

July 11, 2021

Any fan knows that racing, particularly at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, is a game of inches. However, it may have come down to even less than that to decide the victor of Saturday night’s Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman feature. As Bret Cronrath pulled alongside of Clinton Hauser exiting turn 4, both drivers rushed toward head starter Mike Fry, who waved the twin checkers over what seemed to be a dead heat at the finish line. When the numbers popped up on the electronic scoring system, the margin of victory showed 0.001 seconds, the closest finish possible short of an exact tie. It was Hauser who had withstood the challenge by just that much to pick up his first victory of the season, while Cronrath would have to settle for the agonizingly close runner-up result.

RACE RECAP (7/4/2021): Rutherford, Bruno, Greve, and Neary Win on Wild 4th of July Spectacular Night

July 5, 2021

On 4th-of-July-weekend races, it’s always easy to say that the fireworks going off above the racetrack will correlate to fireworks on the racetrack. Sometimes that proves to be true, while other times the racing doesn’t always live up to the excitement of the atmosphere. But ask just about any race fan who spent their 4th of July Sunday at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, and they’ll tell you that the excitement on the racetrack was simply unrivaled. The evening started with Mike Rutherford picking up his third 270 win of the season in a wild and chaotic 30-lap main event. Next, the wingless Hyper Racing 600s put in a convincing submission for race of the year, as Christian Bruno outdueled Steven Synder, Jr. in an epic battle for the victory. Then, T. J. Greve spoiled the party for Chase Layser, who had rallied from the back to the front and seemed destined for victory before losing power in turns 3 and 4 on the final lap, allowing Greve to rocket past for the 125/4 Stroke victory. Finally, Scott Neary turned in a dominant performance to pick up the win in the All Star Slingshots’ second appearance of the season.

RACE RECAP (6/26/2021): Miller, Yerger, and Hehnly All Break Through to Victory Lane as Fernsler Picks Up Second 125/4 Stroke Win

June 27, 2021

Sometimes all it takes is one night to serve as a reminder that the old guard is still capable of getting the job done. For multiple-time track champions Mike Miller and Heath Hehnly in particular, it would be this night that they would find themselves back to a place they were more than familiar with. Miller followed up his third-place effort in the 125/4 Strokes two weekends prior with a riveting drive from fourth to the win in the 270 feature. Hehnly, meanwhile, would bypass Holden Eckman on a restart to take home his first win of the season in the Hyper Racing 600s. The Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman feature also saw a new winner in 2021, as Anthony Yerger finally turned weeks of consistent runs into a victory, taking advantage of a late issue for then-race-leader Charles Hellinger. In the 125/4 Stroke division, it would be Matt Fernsler getting his second victory of the season in dominating fashion.

RACE RECAP (6/12/2021): Swavely Takes Two as Logeman Wins Second Straight Points Race and Schmuck, Jr. Gets First Win of 2021

June 13, 2021

It’s a simple rule in racing. If you keep putting yourself in position to win races, then sooner or later, wins will start coming your way. Jason Swavely entered Saturday night as one of the most consistent drivers of the 2021 season so far, holding down the early season points lead in both the Hyper Racing 600 and 270 divisions. However, Swavely’s run to the top of the championships had come with a notable absence of a points-paying victory in either division. So perhaps it was only fitting on this night that weeks of consistent finishes finally paid off in the form of not one, but two victories. Swavely started on pole in both the 270 and Hyper Racing 600 features and led wire-to-wire on both occasions to make his first stops back to the winner’s circle since the season-opening No Wing Spring Fling. Perhaps a similar mantra also rang true for Corey Schmuck, Jr., who was able to turn around his fortunes after a season of bad luck to take home the victory in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division. While the other three features were all won from the pole, it was Billy Logeman who opened up the night by putting on a riveting drive from 12th to first to take home back-to-back points-paying victories in the 125/4 Stroke division.

RACE RECAP (5/31/2021): Skias, Layser, Rutherford, and Cronrath Take Victories on Memorial Day Monday Mayhem

June 1, 2021

When life gives you lemons, sometimes the best thing you can do is make lemonade. You might even be surprised with how good the lemonade turns out to be. This metaphor may be the perfect way to summarize the sequence of events that unfolded at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway throughout the weekend. The decision came early Saturday morning to cancel the previously planned night of racing slated to take place that evening due to inclement weather. However, with a long Memorial Day weekend, an off weekend next Saturday, and almost all other local tracks also cancelling their events, officials made the decision to hold a special, non-points event on Memorial Day, dubbed as Memorial Day Monday Mayhem.

RACE RECAP (5/22/2021): Light and Logeman Get First Wins of 2021 as Rutherford and Blumenshine Return to Victory Lane

May 23, 2021

On a warm and somewhat humid Scout Night at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, four drivers were able to withstand both the heat and the competition to take victories on Saturday night. Zach Light picked up his first Lanco win of 2021 in the Hyper Racing 600s, just one night after accomplishing the same feat at Linda’s Speedway. Billy Logeman hopped in the Harrington’s No. 76b machine and took it straight to victory lane in the 125/4 Stroke class. Mike Rutherford picked up his second victory in as many weekends in the 270s. Last on the evening, Toby Blumenshine would continue his early season dominance of the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division with his fourth win in the first six races.

RACE RECAP (5/15/2021): Harrington and Skias Head Back to Victory Lane While Rutherford, Cronrath, Fernsler, and Dietrich Get First Wins of 2021

May 16, 2021

Some things were old, some things were new, and some things simply stayed the same on a full night of racing from the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. But when the dust settled over Newmanstown on Saturday night, a half-dozen deserving winners had taken their well-earned places in victory lane. Justin Harrington and Nick Skias picked up their second wins on the season in the 125/4 Stroke and Hyper Racing 600 classes, respectively. Mike Rutherford and Andrew Dietrich took their first wins of 2021 in the 270 division, while Bret Cronrath added a victory in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman class. Meanwhile, it was Matt Fernsler who finally broke through to get his first Lanco win in the second 125/4 Stroke feature of the evening.

RACE RECAP (5/8/2021): Mother Nature Washes Away the Slate of Racing on Mother’s Day Eve

May 9, 2021

The stage was set for another excellent night of racing at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. Unfortunately, it was Mother Nature who had her way on Mother’s Day Eve. Track crews had done an excellent job in getting the track prepared to start on time after early afternoon showers had struck the speedway, but it only took until the third group of warmups for the 125/4 Stroke division before the rain came once again. Although persistent efforts were made to get the track dried and ready for action, another heavy pop-up shower just after 7:00 made it impossible to get the full slate of racing for the evening in.

RACE RECAP (5/1/2021): Skias, Blumenshine, and Greve All Win Again as Williams, Lattomus, and Layser Join Them in Victory Lane

May 2, 2021

Good things come to those who wait. That’s how the saying goes, anyway. But that mantra rang eerily true within the confines of the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway on Saturday night. After the rains came and washed out all feature racing one weekend ago, the six-pack of features that commenced throughout the evening wound up going down as unarguably some of the best so far in this young 2021 season. First-time winners were the theme in the two makeup features, as Dave Williams and Preston Lattomus took home their first victories in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsmans and Hyper Racing 600s, respectively. The main card of racing saw a return to relative normalcy, as Nick Skias and T. J. Greve picked up their second wins of the season in the 270s and Hyper Racing 600s, respectively, while Toby Blumenshine went back to victory lane for the third time in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsmans. In the 125/4 Strokes, it was Chase Layser who held off Alex Lukacs and Justin Harrington to take home his first victory of 2021.

RACE RECAP (4/24/2021): Mother Nature Wins as Rain Hits Prior to Night’s Feature Races

April 25, 2021

It had been three straight weeks of beautiful and, most importantly, dry weather at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. However, the luck unfortunately ran out on Saturday night, as persistent rain began to fall just before the start of the opening feature. Since all heat races were completed, makeup features have been scheduled for all four classes. The Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division and the Hyper Racing 600s will make up their features next Saturday night, while the 125/4 Stroke class and the 270s will make up their main events in two weeks.

RACE RECAP (4/17/2021): Greve, Skias, and Blumenshine All Return to Victory Lane as Shearer and Carraghan Also Take Home Checkered Flags

April 18, 2021

Adaptability is key in dirt-track racing. The ability to adapt to changing track conditions, the ability to adapt to different lines on the track in order to find more speed or maneuver through traffic, and, in some cases, the ability to adapt to different types of cars are all crucial parts of the sport. That last point in particular is an area where specifically T. J. Greve and Nick Skias have been able to thrive so far in this young 2021 season. Greve picked up the victory Saturday night in the Hyper Racing 600s, marking his third victory in as many weekends and in as many different classes. Skias, meanwhile, followed up his victory in the 600s a weekend ago with a triumph in the 270s. Elsewhere, Brent Shearer held off a hard-charging Justin Harrington by half-a-car-length to take home victory in the 125/4 Stroke class. Dave Carraghan left no doubt after a dominating performance to win in the All Star Slingshots’ 2021 debut. In the final feature of Yuri’s/World Space Party Night, Toby Blumenshine continued his dominant start to 2021 with a riveting 11th-to-1st drive in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division.

RACE RECAP (4/10/2021): Blumenshine, Skias, Harrington, and Greve Take Home Victories on Opening Points Night of 2021

April 11, 2021

Perhaps the word of the night on what turned out to be a wild, action-packed opening points night of the 2021 season was patience. All four of Saturday night’s victors had to patiently battle their way through the field of leaders, through lapped traffic, and in some cases, both at the same time. But when all was said and done, Toby Blumenshine and T. J. Greve made trips to victory lane for the second time in as many weekends, winning the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman and 270 features, respectively. Nick Skias pulled off a grand slam of sorts in the Hyper Racing 600s, setting the quick time in hot laps, winning his heat race, and taking the checkers in the 25-lap main event while also turning the fastest lap of the race. Meanwhile, Justin Harrington bounced back after jumping the initial start to take home the win in the 125/4 Stroke division.

RACE RECAP (4/3/2021): Swavely, Greve, and Blumenshine Take Home First Checkered Flags of 2021

April 4, 2021

On a crisp, cool, yet perfect opening night for the 2021 season, in which the jackets were on and the wings were off, 103 different entries across three different divisions descended upon the 1/8th-mile Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. All had the goal of capturing the first victories of the new year, and the bragging rights associated with winning the season-opening No Wing Spring Fling.

2020 Season Concludes With Gerhart, Rutherford, Layser and Shearer in Victory Lane

September 27, 2020

Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway celebrated their Halloween Spectacular on a night fit for the spooky holiday. With lingering mist and rain showers, along with a light fog, the action was delayed twice due to weather. Exceptional work by the track crew got the track surface back in racing condition for the final four features of the season.

The Sportsman division would take to the speedway first, with David Ravel and Jamie Flickinger on the front row. After the handicap, four very fast cars in Corey Schmuck, Anthony Yerger, Bret Cronrath, and Toby Blumenshine would start in positions 10-13. Brent Shearer made a quick charge to the front, storming from sixth to first in the opening two circuits. Pole sitter Ravel spun out of second place on lap three bringing out the first caution. Jamie Flickinger and Jeremy Eisenhauer made contact just after the yellow, ending the night for Eisenhauer. Shearer and Robert Shannaman would restart up front, with Schmuck and Steve Smith Sr on row two. Smith had trouble coming up to speed on the restart, leading to a series of cars pinballing off each other and Shane Showers spinning in turn three. Chase Layser also made a good charge, restarting seventh. Blumenshine got around Layser quickly once action resumed. Racing with lapped traffic was intense, as most of the field struggled to keep a good handle on their machines on the slick surface. Shearer made it look easy, opening up a lead over three seconds over Bret Cronrath. Brianne Witmer got bottled up in traffic, and spun after contact with Blumenshine while battling for fifth. The single file restart with five to go saw Shearer get away easily from Cronrath, and claimed the win over Cronrath and Schmuck.

The 125’s and Four Strokes would be next on the Speedway, with Chase Layser and Riley Simmons on the front row. Alex Lukacs and Kyle Lindsay would occupy the second row. The story was much the same in this feature, with several very quick cars lining up in the midfield, including Kenny Bushey, Marty Brian, and Justin Harrington. Simmons had a very solid run at the front of the field, keeping pace with early race leader Layser. The race ran clean and green until there were only 11 laps remaining, before Lindsay cam to a stop in turn two. Mechanical issues would end his night just past the halfway point. The lead was under one second between Layser and Simmons; with both drivers looking for their first career win at the Clyde. Alex Lukacs, who has had a very up and down 2020 season also was putting in a solid effort to hold third at the restart. Harrington had advanced to fifth. A wild restart saw Harrington look three wide inside of Lukacs and Simmons. Several cars piled in as the field slowed due to the contact, and it was several cars back in the field who eventually came to a stop bringing out the caution once again. Without a lap completed, the succeeding restart would be single file. Holden Eckman would get around Lukacs on the restart, and Harrington followed one set of corners later. With seven to go, Harrington cleared Eckman and got around Simmons three laps later. As Layser encountered lapped traffic, Harrington began to quickly close on the leader. With the white flag in the air, the lead was nearly one second. At the twin checkered flags, Layser claimed the win by just under two car lengths over Harrington. Two of the top three finishers got their career best finishes, with Layser claiming his first career win; and Simmons taking her first podium finish.

The 270’s would be the third division on the race track, with Chase Walker and Heath Hehnly leading the field to the green. A bit of history was made in this one, as Ken and Tony Kaylor’s team would be making their final start at the Speedway. Piloted by eight-time defending track champion Mike Rutherford, the 5k would start in the ninth position. Brent Shearer would claim second from Hehnly in turn one. The first caution flag of the race came on lap two as the side panel of Jimmy Wampole’s top wing detached itself from the car in turn four. Walker would have to attempt to hold off Shearer on the restart, with Hehnly and Tajae Adams lining up just behind. Mike Skias would retire under the caution, with exhaust trouble for the second week in a row. Entering turn three on the first green flag lap, Shearer cleared Walker for the race lead on the high side. Toby Blumeshine and Bradley Brown made contact in turn three, with Brown spinning to a stop. Blumenshine would be sent to the rear for the contact; in a development which would have major ramifications later in the event. The restart would see Shearer and Walker on the front row again, followed by Hehnly, Alex Swift, Nick Skias and Rutherford. Rutherford went two for one off turn four moving up to the third position as Skias would take second from Walker. Skias began to chase down Shearer as Jared Hellinger and Jason Swavely crashed off of turn four. Swavely was running in sixth, and trying to lap Hellinger who was getting bounced around by the cars further toward the top end of the leaderboard. Just shy of halfway, the heavy iron was all at the front of the field, with Shearer and Skias up front. Rutherford would get inside of Skias and complete the pass at the halfway point. The top three would break away, with Shearer looking to claim his second win of the night. Rutherford would close in to within a half car-length, than back off to a full car length. With two laps to go, Blumenshine was battling Kristi Sweigart for the 12th position when contact was made. Blumenshine checked up, and got turned by the race leader off of turn two. Shearer would be penalized for the contact and sent to the rear of the field. The single file restart with two laps remaining saw Rutherford easily clearing Nick Skias and claiming the win by nearly one second. Skias and Hehnly would claim the other two podium spots.

The final feature of the 2020 season saw the Hyper Racing 600’s take to the Newmanstown high banks. Mike Rutherford and Chris Panczner would lead the field to green, followed by Chris Gerhart and Bradley Brown. Rutherford got out to a very quick start, opening up a sizable gap over Panczner. Three laps in, the motor would expire on the race leading vehicle, handing the top spot to Panczner. After an eight lap green flag run, Kassidy Michael spun in turn two. Gerhart made a big drive off of turn four and claimed the lead by the start-finish line. The top five would hold station approaching half way point, with the middle groove starting to develop just a bit. All night the inside line had been the place to be, and Gerhart used it to perfection, leading by more than a second at the halfway point. With nine to, Will Urkuski spun in turn three bringing out the caution. The spin allowed the leaders to avoid a run through lapped traffic. Gerhart and Panczner would lead the field to the green once again. Jarid Kunkle went up high to claim second from fourth on the restart and got to the bumper of race leader Gerhart. With seven to go was about the closest anyone would come to the leader in the final feature of the season. Gerhart claimed his second win of the season over Kunkle and Panczner.

The 2020 season came to a close with several popular race winners, and a bit of history. During the heat races, longtime board member Roger Martin acted as chief starter for one race, marking the eighth consecutive decade of flagging races at The Clyde. Very few people can claim such longevity, especially with one race track. The 2021 season will kick off in April, with a full schedule announcement to come. The Board of Directors and Officers of the Lanco Micro-Midget Club would like to thank all of the teams, drivers, crews and fans who helped make this 2020 season a success despite all of the challenges. We can’t wait for April and to getting the opportunity to Live the Excitement that is Lanco!

125/4 Stroke Results

1. 7L Chase Layser; 2. 76 Justin Harrington; 3. 44 Riley Simmons; 4. 11h Holden Eckman; 5. 25w Nate Weidman; 6. 76h Kyler Heiney; 7. 29 Brandon Shearer; 8. 44x Alex Lukacs; 9. 16 Marty Brian; 10. 3x Kenny Bushey; 11. 24 Ethan Rhoad; 12. 17 Tyler Armstrong; 13. 6 Mike Glass; 14. 22 Jared St. John; 15. LR62 Dray Layser; 16. 18 Ron Young; 17. 04 Sam Borger; 18. 26 Tyler Martin; 19. 62 Eddie Nocera; 20. 112 Dylan Yeingst; 21. 28 Kyle Lindsey; 22. 78 Sara Borror; DNS 647 Brent Shearer

Sportsman Results

1. 12 Brent Shearer; 2. 5 Bret Conrath; 3. 26 Corey Schmuck; 4. 21 Toby Blumenshine; 5. 15 Bobby Shannaman; 6. 30 Ryan Heckman; 7. 9g Jamie Flickenger; 8. 5a Anthony Yerger; 9. 44 Brianne Witmer; 10. 7L Chase Layser; 11. 36s Steve Smith Sr; 12. 53s Shannon Slaughter; 13. 13b Matt Yoh II; 14. 19m Max Fasnacht; 15. 4x Brock Emory; 16. 26b Shane Showers; 17. 23k Courtney Kupp; 18. 3s Jeremy Eisenhauer; 19. 21v Dave Ravel; 20. 8 Michael Spadafora; DNS 22s Brett Sculley

270 Results

1. 5k Mike Rutherford; 2. 3s Nick Skias; 3. 82 Heath Hehnly; 4. 15 Alex Swift; 5. 20 Corey Schmuck Jr; 6. 4k Trent Eberhart; 7. 96w Chase Walker; 8. 10z Brian Sholley; 9. 12 Brent Shearer; 10. 34 Christi Sweigart; 11. 19a Bradley Brown; 12. 14 Jason Swavely; 13. 21 Toby Blumenshine; 14. 63 Tajae Adams; 15. 13s Jarrid Hellinger; 16. 4L Ben Layser; 17. 5a Anthony Yerger; 18. 59j Jimmy Wampole; 19. 8s Mike Skias; 20. 38 Melvin Bainbridge; 21. 3 Pete Skias; DNS 59j Walt Wampole

Hyper Racing 600 Results

1. 51 Chris Gerhart; 2. 75k Jarid Kunkle; 3. 15p Chris Panczner; 4. 1e Aaron Espenshade; 5. 71 Brian Kramer; 6. 17 Brent Ely; 7. 11h Holden Eckman; 8. 42u Tyler Ulrich; 9. 5 Heath Hehnly; 10. 23 Bradley Brown; 11. 11z Zach Light; 12. 22k Kyler Heiney; 13. 46 BJ Antonio; 14. 98 Keith Blumenstein; 15. 3k Kassidy Michael; 16. 96 Jesse Snyder; 17. 8 Brian Hughes; 18. 98x Mason Peters; 19. 75 Mark Yoder; 20. 16s Brianne Witmer-Conrath; 21. 1 William Urkuski; 22. 2s Mike Rutherford; DNS 39 Olivia Thayer

Greve, Swavely, Cronrath and Harrington Win On Pink Out Night

September 20, 2020

One of the marquee events of the 2020 season saw Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway turn pink in support of the Hershey Medical Center Breast Cancer Center. The annual Pink Out Night presented by Kim’s Kreations saw the four regularly scheduled divisions take to the high banks, with the Sportsman leading off the festivities.

Bret Cronrath and Anthony Yerger would take the early lead, before Brett Scully would tip over in turn two with three laps completed. Dave Ravel and Corey Schmuck Jr both made exceptional runs from the mid-pack, where they started due to good finishes last weekend and being on the short end of the handicapping rule. By the second caution one completed lap later, Ravel would run fourth, and Schmuck sixth. Approaching halfway, Nick Skias also began to show some significant muscle, overtaking Chad Kreiser for third with 16 to go. Cronrath would be the dominant force when the third caution would fly for the stopped car of Jack Redcay on the back stretch. The restart would be aborted due to a crash off of turn four which saw Steve Smith Sr tipped over on his side. The single file restart was clean, getting a lap scored before Courtney Kupp and Jessica Moore made contact off turn four, ending the race for Kupp’s machine. The restart saw David Ravel having a tire problem, and Patrick Kirn made very heavy contact with the outside retaining well. Down to 11 laps remaining in the 25 lap feature, Cronrath continued his good form at the front of the field, while Chad Kreiser continued to have a strong run from his starting spot in row two. Skias would drop to sixth after clipping an infield tire on the restart. Cronrath would keep it out front from green to checkered flag, claiming the victory over Anthony Yerger and Corey Schmuck Jr.

TJ Greve and Zach Light would lead the field to the green flag for the Hyper Racing 600 feature. The first caution would fly as the field worked lap two, with Aaron Espenshade spinning in turn one. Logan Rumsey gained two positions on the first circuit, and quickly dispatched Kassidy Michael for third on the restart. The youngest driver in the field would go to work on veteran Zach Light for the runner-up spot. As Light and Rumsey battled, Michael would join the fight as well. Rumsey would complete the pass just before halfway and BJ Antonio had an issue bringing out the third caution flag. Michael would break on lap 14 getting cleanly into the infield, but the same could not be said for Cody West. West would suffer an issue right behind Michael and stop in turn four. Rumsey would get a crack at Greve on the restart, but was unable to capitalize. Jarid Kunkle had one of the best drives of the night, advancing to fourth position and battling with Rumsey and Light for a spot on the podium. Rumsey would see a line change allow him to clear Light and begin making up ground on Greve. Kyler Heiney would spin in turn two on the final circuit, giving Rumsey one last chance at the Hartley Hurricane running in the top spot. The final pass wouldn’t materialize, and Greve claimed another win in his final 2020 appearance at The Clyde. Rumsey finished second, and Light completed a solid run to the final podium position.

The second half of the features began with the 125/4 Stroke Division, seeing Kenny Bushey and Mike Coen starting up front. Marty Brian and Justin Harrington would both make strong starts, holding positions in the top five along with Bushey, Coen, and Alex Lukacs. Dave Labe came to a stop off of turn two on lap four bringing out the first caution of the race. A jumbled restart saw a multi-car pileup which Drayson Layser got the worst of, tumbling end over end down the front stretch. Two laps into green flag run, Harrington made a quick move around Marty Brian, and picked off Bushey one lap later to claim the top spot. With ten laps in, the caution would fly for debris on the back stretch. Matt Fernsler broke just before the restart, nearly launching Lukacs into a flip. Brian would clear Bushey on the restart, seeing the trend of inside lane starters getting better restarts. The second half of the race saw a long green flag run allow Harrington to open a lead over three seconds on Brian. The second Layser team car to flip in the race happened with one lap to go as Chase Layser went over attempting to pass Steve Simmons for fifth. No challenge would come on the final restart, and Justin Harrington would claim the win over Marty Brian and Kenny Bushey.

The 270’s would round out the night’s racing action, led to the green by Mike Skias and Clinton Hauser. Heath Hehnly would go two for one from the third starting position and claim the race lead. Alex Swift and Jason Swavely began a hard charge towards the front, starting mid-pack. Five laps in, Jimmy Wampole broke in turn two; and race leader Hehnly would stop with a mechanical issue off turn two. The original front row would restart at the front once again. Nick Skias and Corey Schmuck Jr would restart in the second row. As the leaders worked through lapped traffic, Mike Skias made contact with Olivia Haworth, sending Haworth on her side and Hauser would hit the stopped car. Hauser would be able to continue, but would restart at the back due to stopping on the track. Mike Skias and Schmuck would restart on the front row, followed by Nick Skias, Jason Swavely and Alex Swift. Swavely would make an aggressive move on Schmuck to the high side off turn two and claim second. Mike Kreiser stopped on the back stretch with an engine failure, but the drama would be at the front. Mike Skias had a tailpipe failure under yellow, handing the top spot to Swavely on the restart. The Rocketman from Fleetwood would battle with Schmuck for the win, but Swavely claimed the victory. Schmuck and Bradley Brown would complete the top three, after Brown passed Swift on the final restart.

Just one week remains in the 2020 season for The Clyde, with the Halloween Spectacular coming up next Saturday night. With trick-or-treating for the kids, and activities throughout the night, there is only one shot left to life the excitement that is Lanco!

Sportsman Results

1. 5 Bret Conrath; 2. 5a Anthony Yerger; 3. 26 Corey Schmuck; 4. 53s Billy Logeman; 5. 88 Nick Skias; 6. 99k Chad Kreiser; 7. 44 Brianne Wittmer; 8. 7L Chase Layser; 9. 11m Jessica Moore; 10. 13b Matt Yoh II; 11. 30 Ryan Heckman; 12. 8 Michael Spadafora; 13. 19m Max Fasnacht; 14. 21V Dave Ravel; 15. 16p Patrick Kirn; 16. 23k Courtney Kupp; 17. 15 Bobby Shannaman; 18. 36s Steve Smith Sr; 19. 14m Chelsey Moore; 20. 32 Jack Redcay; 21. 22s Brett Sculley; DNS 10z Brian Sholley

Hyper Racing 600 Results

1. 24t TJ Greve; 2. 41 Logan Rumsey; 3. 11z Zach Light; 4. 75k Jarid Kunkle; 5. 5 Heath Hehnly; 6. 71 Brian Kramer; 7. 15p Chris Panczner; 8. 2s Garyt Smith; 9. 23 Bradley Brown; 10. 1e Aaron Espenshade; 11. 16s Brianne Witmer-Conrath; 12. 25 Kenny Beimhower; 13. 22k Kyler Heiney; 14. 17 Brent Ely; 15. 75 Mark Yoder; 16. 117 Cody West; 17. 3k Kassidy Michael; 18. 46 BJ Antonio; DNS 8 Jacob Byron; DNS 11h Holden Eckman

125/4 Stroke Results

1. 76 Justin Harrington; 2. 16 Marty Brian; 3. 3x Kenny Bushey; 4. 26c Michael Coen; 5. 1z Steve Simmons; 6. 6 Mike Glass; 7. 26 Corey Schmuck; 8. 11h Holden Eckman; 9. 44x Alex Lukacs; 10. 76h Kyler Heiney; 11. 44 Riley Simmons; 12. 29 Brandon Shearer; 13. 7L Chase Layser; 14. 24 Logan Rhoad; 15. 28 Kyle Lindsey; 16. 3y Zachary Young; 17. 62 Eddie Nocera; 18. 22 Jared St. John; 19. 04 Sam Borger; 20. 78 Sara Borror; 21. 19 Matt Fernsler; 22. 25w Nate Weidman; 23. LR62 Dray Layser; 24. 1L Dave Labe

270 Division Results

1. 14 Jason Swavely; 2. 20 Corey Schmuck Jr; 3. 19a Bradley Brown; 4. 15 Alex Swift; 5. 52T TJ Greve; 6. 17j Jarrett Imler; 7. 9g Charles Hellinger; 8. 63 Tajae Adams; 9. 5a Anthony Yerger; 10. 11 Mike Uhrich; 11. 22 Clinton Hauser; 12. 16p Patrick Kirn; 13. 34 Christi Sweigart; 14. 4k Trent Eberhart; 15. 74f Randy West; 16. 8s Mike Skias; 17. 3s Nick Skias; 18. 77k Mike Kreiser; 19. 44g Olivia Haworth; 20. 59j Walt Wampole; 21. 82 Heath Hehnly; 22. 55x Jimmy Wampole; DNS 22j Josh Ohlinger

RACE RESULTS