By Kasey Kreider
As the final night of the 2021 racing season took place at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, the annual end of season awards were presented to the top 15 points finishers in each division. In addition, several special awards were handed out as well. The awards were sponsored by TJ’s Guns and Ammo, and were given to the Rookie of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, Most Improved Driver, and Best Appearing Car in all four divisions. With the decision made to not have a banquet to end the 2021 season, the awards were instead presented by Lanco President Jim Harrington prior to each of the features on the season’s final race night, with all drivers and their cars being lined up on the frontstretch so that they and their crew members could collect the awards.
The Hyper Racing 600s were one of two championship point battles that went all the way down to the season’s final points-paying 25-lap feature on September 18th. In fact, the two title contenders, Heath Hehnly and Jason Swavely, were in a dead tie in the point standings entering that final event, meaning that whichever driver who finished higher in that race would be the champion. In the end, that would wind up being Hehnly, as he would collect a second-place result in the final race with Swavely coming home in seventh. It would be Hehnly’s ninth championship in the division and his fifth consecutively, with all five of those coming while driving for car owner Chris Snyder. After hinting at it for a while, and despite the best attempts of some to talk him out of it, Hehnly confirmed that 2021 would indeed be his final season of racing, and he would go out on top as the champion once again. The season would start slow for the Manheim, PA driver, as he wouldn’t find the winner’s circle until late June. However, the performance would begin to pick up, and despite only finding victory lane one other time, Hehnly was able to consistently rattle off top five and top ten finishes to put himself in position to claim title number nine.
In addition to the championship, Hehnly was named as the Sportsman of the Year in the division, an honor that speaks to the character of a driver more so even than the talent that they possess. Swavely would have to settle for second in points, but his vibrant pink ride was awarded as the Best Appearing Car in the division. Aaron Espenshade was awarded as the Most Improved Driver in the division, with his late-season podium paving the way for consistent top five and top ten runs throughout the rest of the year. Part-time Lanco competitor Keith Blumenstein, Jr. was awarded as the Rookie of the Year in the division.
Manheim, PA’s Justin Harrington was one of two first-time Lanco champions crowned during the 2021 season, as he took home the top honors in the first ever points-paying season of the combined 125/4 Stroke division. Three victories early in the season exemplified the dominance shown by Harrington, which allowed him to open up a hefty points advantage. Although Harrington wouldn’t find the winner’s circle again after July, his consistent performances, as he almost never finished outside the top ten, allowed him to clinch the title on the season’s second-to-last points night. Justin would join his father Jim as track champions at the speedway, with father presenting son with the award on the frontstretch before the season finale.
Harrington’s gold, blue, and black No. 76 would be awarded as the Best Appearing Car in the division. In addition to picking up his first Lanco win in late August, Alex Lukacs would be recognized as Sportsman of the Year in the division, marking as one of the youngest drivers in track history to receive the award. Chris Dolan was named Rookie of the Year in the class following a sixth-place points finish, highlighted by a third-place effort in the Clyde Martin Memorial and a second-place result in the season’s second-to-last points event. Fellow rookie John Maurer received the Most Improved Driver award after contending for wins late in the season, with a best result of second.
On the strength of three victories and an ultra-consistent season, Justin Harrington picked up his first 125/4 Stroke championship at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Prior to 2021, the last driver to win a 270 championship at the Clyde not named Mike Rutherford was Nick Skias, with that title coming in 2011. Unfortunately, an injury-shortened season would prevent Rutherford from contending for an astonishing ninth-straight title, and that would open the door for both Skias and Jason Swavely to battle instead. Early on, Swavely seemed to have the inside track to the title, showing unbelievable consistency despite not scoring his first win until mid-June. Around that same time, Skias found himself more than 100 points out of the lead, as consistency had been lacking despite a few early-season wins. But Skias would begin to close the gap entering the season’s stretch run. By August, the battle was on in full-force, and it seemed as if it would come down to the very end. However, a DNF for Swavely in the season’s second-to-last points race coupled with another win for Skias allowed the Wernersville, PA driver to balloon the gap to the point where he only had to show up for the season’s final points race in order to clinch the title. Skias’ second 270 title had been elusive for both himself and car owner Randy Schaefer, but 2021 would finally be their year. Skias picked up four points-paying wins en route to the title in addition to a win in the non-points Memorial Day show and a win on the Winged Night of the Labor Day Shootout, the latter of which he came from 22nd starting spot to win.
Jack Redcay would be awarded Rookie of the Year honors in the 270 division, just missing out on the top 15 in points with a 17th-place finish. Meanwhile, Mike Skias and Chase Walker would split the Most Improved Driver award after Skias collected a third-place finish in the points, while Walker showed steady improvement throughout the season with a best finish of fifth coming late in the year. Dave Williams would receive Sportsman of the Year honors in the division, and Jonah Meck’s black and yellow-accented No. 48 would garner the honors of Best Appearing Car in the class. In addition, another award was presented before the 270 feature to Kim Adams, who received a trophy in honor of her dedication to the speedway and her 37 years of running the pit shack at the track, as she had stated that the 2021 season would be her last year serving in that role.
Nick Skias picked up six total victories in the 2021 season en route to winning his second 270 championship at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Kim Adams was honored prior to the 270 feature after running the pit shack at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway for the past 37 years. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
First-year title sponsor Skeet Craft Collision would be treated to an excellent year of racing in the Sportsman division, and a championship battle that would come down to the wire between Bret Cronrath and Toby Blumenshine. Blumenshine appeared as if he might score his third Sportsman division championship in a runaway early on, as he won four of the season’s first six races and opened up a triple-digit points lead. But mid-season struggles allowed for a consistent Cronrath to close in, as he would begin finding victory lane with a similar frequency as well. The two drivers would trade the points lead back and forth throughout July and August, and in the three points races leading up to the championship finale, the two contenders would finish one-two each time, with Blumenshine triumphing in the first and Cronrath winning the next two. Entering the points finale, Cronrath would lead Blumenshine by four points, but with the top five finishing positions awarding five points per spot, it would likely come down to whichever driver could finish in front of the other. A heat race crash meant that Cronrath would have to start from 16th, and be at a disadvantage starting the feature. But Blumenshine would be forced to drop out of the feature early, allowing Cronrath to clinch the title. He would finish the season in style by winning that race, and when all was said and done, he would pick up seven total wins in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division throughout the year, including the final three points races and four of the final five total races, all except the Labor Day Shootout. The first Sportsman championship under the Skeet Craft Collision banner would stay in the family, and it would mark the first at the track for the Blandon, PA driver.
Cronrath would also receive Sportsman of the Year honors following his season, while his sister Brianne Cronrath-Wittmer would see her black and yellow No. 16 voted as the division’s Best Appearing Car. Rookie of the Year honors would go to Chad Kreiser, who picked up a top five result early on before rattling off consistent, solid finishes throughout the rest of the season. The Most Improved Driver award would go to Jamie Flickinger, who followed two runner-up results throughout the season with his first career win in late August.
Bret Cronrath scored seven total victories, including the last three points races, en route to winning his first championship in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
With all of the hardware handed out and the final race being completed, the 2021 season of racing at the Clyde would officially come to an end. However, the countdown is already on to Saturday, April 2nd, 2022, when cars will hit the track once again for the season-opening No Wing Spring Fling. While there will be the yearly rotation of new drivers, new teams, and new rules at the speedway, the one thing that is sure not to change is the wheel-to-wheel, edge-of-your-seat racing that the Biggest Little Track in the USA always provides. We can’t wait to come back and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco, and we can’t wait for the best race fans in the world to come back and enjoy it with us!
Top 15 in Points/Special Awards:
Hyper Racing 600:
1. 5-Heath Hehnly
2. 14-Jason Swavely
3. 23-Bradley Brown
4. 7-Nick Skias
5. 15p-Chris Panczner
6. 75k-Jarid Kunkle
7. 17-Brent Ely
8. 3-Jesse Maurer
9. 11h-Holden Eckman
10. 11z-Zach Light
11. 24t-T. J. Greve
12. 1e-Aaron Espenshade
13. 71-Brian Kramer
14. 1-Will Urkuski
15. 2s-Mike Rutherford
Rookie of the Year: 98-Keith Blumenstein, Jr.
Sportsman of the Year: 5-Heath Hehnly
Most Improved Driver: 1e-Aaron Espenshade
Best Appearing Car: 14-Jason Swavely
125/4 Stroke:
1. 76-Justin Harrington
2. 19-Matt Fernsler
3. 7L-Chase Layser
4. 44x-Alex Lukacs
5. 26c-Mike Coen
6. 7d-Chris Dolan
7. 11h-Holden Eckman
8. 44-Riley Simmons
9. 82-John Maurer
10. 26-Tyler Martin
11. 16c-Don Hess
12. 17-Masen Stapleton
13. 32-Michael Hoffmaster
14. 81-Dylan Holmes
15. 78-Jarrid Hellinger
Rookie of the Year: 7d-Chris Dolan
Sportsman of the Year: 44x-Alex Lukacs
Most Improved Driver: 82-John Maurer
Best Appearing Car: 76-Justin Harrington
270:
1. 3s-Nick Skias
2. 92-Jason Swavely
3. 8s-Mike Skias
4. 82-Heath Hehnly
5. 82-Bradley Brown
6. 3-Pete Skias
7. 34-Christi Sweigart
8. 21d-Dave Williams
9. 5a-Anthony Yerger
10. 52T-T. J. Greve
11. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr.
12. 88d-Andrew Dietrich
13. 96w-Chase Walker
14. 1L-Dave Labe
15. 27o-Mike Rutherford
Rookie of the Year: 91-Jack Redcay
Sportsman of the Year: 21d-Dave Williams
Most Improved Driver: 8s-Mike Skias and 96w-Chase Walker
Best Appearing Car: 48-Jonah Meck
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman:
1. 5-Bret Cronrath
2. 21-Toby Blumenshine
3. 3s-Josh Stoyer
4. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr.
5. 22-Clinton Hauser
6. 9g-Jamie Flickinger
7. 77-Mike Kreiser
8. 21d-Dave Williams
9. 13s-Charles Hellinger
10. 15-Robert Shanaman
11. 99k-Chad Kreiser
12. 16-Brianne Cronrath-Wittmer
13. 5a-Anthony Yerger
14. 53s-Shannon Slaughter
15. 23k-Courtney Kupp
Rookie of the Year: 99k-Chad Kreiser
Sportsman of the Year: 5-Bret Cronrath
Most Improved Driver: 9g-Jamie Flickinger
Best Appearing Car: 16-Brianne Cronrath-Wittmer