Blumenshine Takes Sportsman Checkered; Coen Gets 1st Win of Career; & Harrington Wins 4th in 125cc as Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway Beats the Rain
Newmanstown, PA - With threatening weather surrounding the facility, officials and race teams at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway pushed the five-division race meet along as quickly as possible, and it paid off as the entire show was completed at 9:38 p.m. Jarid Kunkle was one of five happy winners who were glad the program was rushed along and completed.
Kunkle picked up his second victory of the season in the 600cc Micro-Sprint feature, leading the 25-lap contest from start to finish. Joining him on Saturday's winner's list were Mike Rutherford (270cc), Toby Blumenshine (Sportsman), Mike Coen (Sports n' Turf 250cc Four-Strokes), and Justin Harrington (125cc).
The Clyde is back in action this Saturday, July 16, on Hickory Run Campground Night at the speedway. The five main events will also be recorded for later broadcast by Blue Ridge Cable Channel 11 of Ephrata. Gates open at 4:30 on Saturday, with warm-ups getting underway at 6 p.m. and the first heat race goes green at 7:00. The 600cc, 270cc, Sportsman, 125cc, and the Sports n' Turf 250cc Four-Stroke Micros will compete in qualifying heats, consolations, and 25-lap feature races.
Last Saturday's 600cc main had Kunkle, from Kutztown, starting on the pole and bolting to the early lead. Several drivers were dicing for position throughout the top ten as Kunkle cruised to a big lead. Point leader Heath Hehnly bounded from sixth to fourth on a lap seven restart, then engaged in an entertaining tussle for third with Shaun Brandel. Hehnly finally got by Brandel with five to go and immediately went to work on runner-up Zach Light.
Kunkle approached lapped traffic cautiously as the laps clicked off, allowing Light and Hehnly to close the gap on the race leader. Hehnly threw slide job after slide job on Light as the duo battled just a few car lengths behind the leader. Light continuously watched Hehnly slide up in front of him before crossing over to the inside lane and zipping back past the No. 83.
The final caution period occurred with one to go, but Kunkle shot away on the restart and went on to win his second 600cc feature of the season over Light, who held off Hehnly to record the runner-up finish. Brandel and Mike Rutherford completed the top five.
Kyle Spence, Rutherford, and Jack Conover won heat races for the 23-car field of 600's.
Some terrific racing highlighted the 25-lap, 270cc main event. In the beginning, Dan Lane Jr. emerged with the lead after battling with Mike Skias for a few trips around the clay. Lane executed a slider in turns one and two to grab the top spot with six circuits complete.
Mike Rutherford was on the move, slipping past Tyler Ulrich for third place on a restart with seven laps scored, then rumbling around the outside of Mike Skias to snatch second position on the tenth trip by the flagstand. Rutherford chased down Lane and began his assault on the leader while Mike Skias and Ulrich waged a fantastic, position-swapping duel for third.
Rutherford, from Lititz, grabbed the top spot with ten to go, dropping Lane to second. Nick Skias and Bradley Brown made it a four car dance for third with Ulrich and M. Skias before Ulrich finally secured the spot.
As the checkered flag waved, Rutherford registered his third triumph of the year in the 270cc Class. Lane finished a strong runner-up with Ulrich earning third place money. Nick Skias was fourth and his brother Mike wound up fifth.
With 21 of the 270's signed in for competition, Brown and Richie Hartman were victorious in heat race action. j
Lane also led many laps of the Sportsman feature, but it was Toby Blumenshine, Reinholds, who notched the win when the time limit expired and the race was declared complete with 23 laps in the books.
Weaving his way from eighth to third in just three tours, Lane appeared to have the car to beat for most of the Sportsman 25-lapper. The division's current point leader and two-time winner this year, Lane zoomed around the high side of Sheena Schaefer for second place before he and Austin Graby traded the lead in an exciting two-lap duel. Lane eventually claimed the top spot on the eighth circuit, leaving Graby, Schaefer, and Blumenshine to fight for second.
With numerous cautions slowing the progress of the race, Blumenshine finally wrestled the runner-up spot from Graby on the 15th revolution. He threw a slider on Lane in turns three and four to snare the lead with five laps remaining. A yellow on the same lap forced track officials to show the "Final Restart" sign to the competitors as the 30-minute time limit neared its end. Another caution with two to go ended the race, giving Blumenshine, the defending Sportsman point champ, his first victory of the season.
Dave Ravel finished second with Dylan Hoch, making just his second-ever start in a Micro-Sprint, ending up third. Lane slowed on what became the final lap and limped to the checkered in fourth and Michael Kreiser finished fifth.
Sportsman heat race victories went to Schaefer, Patrick Kirn, and Blumenshine. There were 24 Sportsman Micros in action on Saturday.
Mike Coen has been involved in Micro-Sprint racing for 26 years, competing in several different divisions. Until Saturday night, however, the driver who lives in Shamokin had never held the checkered flag in victory lane. That streak ended as Coen captured the Sports n' Turf 250cc Four-Stroke main event in a wildly popular victory.
Coen took the lead from Dick Huzzard on lap six. He had to fend off a serious challenge from Eddie Nocera, who attempted to duck under the leader on a restart at the halfway point of the 25-lap feature. Coen accelerated off turn two ahead of Nocera to hang on the lead, then ran away from his pursuers to score the win.
Nocera wound up second over Zak Vickers and current Four-Stroke point leader Kassidy Michael. Jarrett Imler finished fifth.
Lewis Kepple and Vickers won heat races as 17 of the Four-Strokes entered Saturday's event.
Seventh-starting Justin Harrington threaded the needle to zip between Zack Hollinger and Corey Schmuck Jr. in the 125cc main event, going from fourth to second with ten circuits remaining. Harrington, from York, then stalked race leader Jas Hehnly for the next seven trips around the oval before making his move and taking the lead with three to go.
Harrington went on to notch his fourth triumph of the year in the 125cc Class, winning handily over Hehnly, Schmuck, Austin Bishop, and Mark Yoder.
Noah Merkey and William Manotti won the two heat races run for the 18-car field of 125cc racers.
For additional information and all the news regarding Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, check out the new website at www.clydemartinspeedway.com. The Clyde is also on Twitter: @LancoCMMS and at Facebook.com/Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway.
This Saturday, July 16, is Hickory Run Campground Night so come on out and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!
RESULTS:
600cc Micro-Sprint Feature, 25 laps: 1.Jarid Kunkle, 2.Zach Light, 3.Heath Hehnly, 4.Shaun Brandel, 5.Mike Rutherford, 6.Chris Gerhart, 7.Kyle Spence, 8.Austin Bishop, 9.Bradley Brown, 10.Brent Ely, 11.Ryan Groff, 12.Kassidy Michael, 13.Nick Sweigart, 14.Kelby Stauffer, 15.Chris Oraschin, 16.Will Urkuski, 17.Rebecca LaMothe, 18.Dan Souder, 19.Cameron Bellinger, 20.Jack Conover, 21.Chris Panczner, 22.Amber Oraschin, 23.Dallas Sanders.
270cc Micro-Sprint Feature, 25 laps: 1.Mike Rutherford, 2.Dan Lane Jr., 3.Tyler Ulrich, 4.Nick Skias, 5.Mike Skias, 6.Bradley Brown, 7.Richie Hartman, 8.Billy Logeman, 9.Toby Blumenshine, 10.Nick Sweigart, 11.Pete Skias, 12.Mike Uhrich, 13.Dustin Fox, 14.Jonathan Swift, 15.Christi Sweigart, 16.Kyle Spence, 17.Daryl Davis, 18.Andrew Dietrich, 19.Heath Hehnly, 20.Brian Sholley, 21.Morgan Rochelle.
Sportsman Micro-Sprint Feature, 23 laps: 1.Toby Blumenshine, 2.Dave Ravel, 3.Dylan Hoch, 4.Dan Lane Jr., 5.Michael Kreiser, 6.Robert Shanaman, 7.Kerry Lengle, 8.Sheena Schaefer, 9.Ricky Sechrist, 10.Alex Funari, 11.Austin Graby, 12.Patrick Kirn, 13.Dennis Fenstermacher, 14.Ava Bellinger, 15.Kane Rogers, 16.Alan Durham, 17.Zak Vickers, 18.Brian Kramer, 19.Katelin Vragovich, 20.Tyler Ulrich, 21.Anthony Yerger, 22.Nate Gibble, 23.Cody Sechrist, 24.Curtis R. Miller.
Sports n' Turf 250cc Four-Stroke Micro-Sprint Feature, 25 laps: 1.Mike Coen, 2.Eddie Nocera, 3.Zak Vickers, 4.Kassidy Michael, 5.Jarrett Imler, 6.Aidan Jones, 7.Dave Williams, 8.Dick Huzzard, 9.Cliff Brian Jr., 10.Zachary Young, 11.Ron Wechter, 12.Ron Zimmerman, 13.Lewis Kepple Jr., 14.Brandon Yoder, 15.Donna Geib, 16.Dave Ravel, 17.Andrew Potts.
125cc Micro-Sprint Feature, 25 laps: 1.Justin Harrington, 2.Jas Hehnly, 3.Corey Schmuck Jr., 4.Austin Bishop, 5.Mark Yoder, 6.Matthew Donley, 7.Noah Merkey, 8.Jason Hehnly, 9.Tyler Hershey, 10.Shane Davis, 11.Walt Wampole, 12.Brandon Stuck, 13.Zack Hollinger, 14.Brandon Gibble, 15.Austin Graby, 16.Cody Hibshman, 17.William Manotti, 18.Jimmy Wampole.