By Kasey Kreider
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.
The 270s would be first on the docket for feature racing, and after the top 12 drivers all redrew for starting positions, Charles Hellinger would start on pole position, with heat race winner Mike Rutherford on his outside. Anthony Yerger, the quick timer in warmups, would start from third with Bradley Brown alongside, while heat race winners Mike Skias and Alex Swift would start fifth and tenth, respectively.
Hellinger would take the lead off of the race’s initial start, but would only lead the first lap before the caution flag flew. On the restart, Rutherford would swoop from the high side to the inside of Hellinger coming out of turn 4, and would take over the lead as the pack worked through turns 1 and 2. Another caution would follow after the leaders completed the second lap, and the restart would see one of the scarier moments of the night take place, as Nick Skias got turned sideways and several cars piled up trying to miss his spinning car. Corey Schmuck, Jr. would go for the wildest ride, as his car flipped up and into the catchfence in the middle of turns 3 and 4, before coming to rest back on the track. Andrew Dietrich and Matt Thompson also went upside down in the accident, which involved ten cars in total. Thankfully, all drivers were okay, but the race would be red-flagged in order to remove the cars and make quick repairs to the fence.
Ten cars were involved in a lap 3 pileup in turns 3 and 4, necessitating a red flag for cleanup and fence repairs. All drivers involved were okay. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Once the race went back to green, Rutherford would fire off to the lead as Yerger moved to second and Brown moved to third. Another quick caution and restart would give Brown an opportunity to make the pass on Yerger for second and see him begin to apply pressure right behind Rutherford on a short green flag run. A few more restarts would give Brown more opportunities, but he was unable to find a way around the No. 27o machine. After seven cautions in the first 11 laps, the race would run green for the final 19 circuits. The driver to watch on that run would be T. J. Greve, who started the race in 14th and was sixth on the final restart. He had begun to make really good time on the high side, and was able to bypass Swavely, Yerger, and Toby Blumenshine on the final run. In the last corner, Greve would throw a slide job on Brown and hang on by half-a-car-length to take second, but he would come across 1.792 seconds behind Rutherford, who was able to pull away and dominate over the final run, taking win number three in the 270s on the season.
Brown would take home a third-place finish behind Rutherford and Greve, but would be credited with running the fastest lap of the race at 11.213 seconds. Behind him would come Swavely and Nick Skias, who rallied from being caught up in that early melee to round out the top five.
Mike Rutherford (No. 27o) led all but the first lap in a dominant performance to win his third 270 feature of the season. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The wingless Hyper Racing 600s would have their feature come next, with this being their final tune up at the Clyde before Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek. Tim Buckwalter would be quickest of any driver in warmups, but in time trials it would be Bradley Brown and Tyler Ulrich who were quickest in the first and second flights, respectively. Time trials would set the stage for the heat races, which were won by Jacob Severn, Zach Bealer, Tommy Kunsman, and Zach Weisenfluh. Time trials and heat races would each see drivers garner points based off of where they finished and how many cars they passed in their heat. The top 18 drivers in points would automatically transfer to the A-Main, while the remainder of the 47-car field would head to one of three consis to determine the final nine spots. After Jarid Kunkle, Neal Allison, and Jayden Wolf took victories in the B-Mains, the stage was set for the 30-lap, 27-car main event.
Buckwalter, aided by a drive from seventh to second in his heat race, gathered the most points of any driver, meaning that he would start on pole for the feature. Nick Skias would start on his outside, with Christian Bruno and Memorial Day winner Mike Rutherford completing the first two rows. Heat race winners Kunsman, Severn, Bealer, and Weisenfluh would find themselves starting fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively. However, it was a struggle for those that were quickest in time trials. Brown and Ulrich both struggled and had issues in their heat races, meaning they would both have to come through the consis. Brown was able to transfer and would start 26th, but Ulrich, who turned the fastest lap overall in the time trial sessions, would not transfer to the main event.
Steven Snyder, Jr. would renew pleasantries with Tommy Kunsman in the heat race, as the two traded slide jobs and battled for the win just as they had done the night prior in the feature race at Linda’s. However, contact with another driver on the final lap of that heat would relegate Snyder, Jr. to a sixth-place finish, forcing him to come through the consi. Snyder, Jr. would start the feature in 22nd, but it became apparent that he wouldn’t stay back there for long. As Rutherford made a bold, three-wide move to get to second on the race’s initial start, Snyder, Jr. would be the one stealing the show further back, as he sliced and diced his way from 22nd to 11th in the race’s first five laps. The next restart would see him move up two more spots before a caution on the following lap, and it would be on the ensuing run that Snyder, Jr. made his charge toward the front. As Buckwalter and Rutherford continued to battle for the top spot, Snyder, Jr. would carve his way past all other challengers and, unbelievably, move into the top three prior to a lap 13 caution which saw both Wolf and Jim Radney go upside down on the backstretch.
Jason Swavely (No. 14), Christian Bruno (No. 99), and Steven Snyder, Jr. (No. 21s) all battled for position during the early stages of the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 feature. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
After the cleanup was completed, the restart would come with Buckwalter, who had led every lap up to that point, on the front row and Rutherford alongside. Snyder, Jr. would start third with Jason Swavely, who had started the race in tenth, completing the first two rows. Bruno, meanwhile, would restart fifth, with Kunsman on his outside. Snyder, Jr. would make the pass on Rutherford for second, and began working on Buckwalter for the lead of the race. On lap 17, the No. 21s machine slid it off into turn 3, appearing to make the pass for the lead stick before the caution came out, wiping away his move to the front. The restart would see Snyder, Jr. make the pass for the lead for good, completing a seemingly impossible drive to the front. The driver to watch, however, would be the pilot of the No. 99, as Bruno began charging his way back into contention. After restarting seventh, Bruno was able to get past Severn, Swavely, Kunsman, and Rutherford to move back into the third position.
With seven laps to go, Bruno would move inside of Buckwalter for the runner-up spot. As the two battled down the backstretch, they made contact, breaking something on the left-front of Buckwalter’s car and causing him to spin to the inside at the entrance to turn 3. Bruno, who was lucky to not be sent into a barrel roll after being right-reared, appeared to have no damage and was able to continue in second, with only Snyder, Jr. standing between himself and victory. The final double-file restart of the race would be short-lived, as a chain reaction crash took place in turn 3 after Rutherford made contact with Snyder, Jr.’s left rear wheel, forcing Eddie Strada, who had also made a huge rally from 23rd to fifth, into the back of Rutherford’s car and around, collecting a few other cars in the process.
Bruno would have one more shot from the back bumper of Snyder, Jr. on the restart, and what followed may have been one of the best restarts of his life, as he timed the jump perfectly and dove to the inside of Snyder, Jr. in turn 3. Although he couldn’t complete the pass on that attempt, he would send it off into turn 3 the next time around, and wouldn’t take no for an answer again. Bruno leaned on Snyder, Jr. off the corner and forced him up against the wall, giving Snyder, Jr. no choice but to crack the throttle and concede the spot. Bruno would get away by roughly four car lengths and hold that advantage as both drivers ripped the lip against the wall. Snyder, Jr. would take one more swing at Bruno on the final lap, driving it as hard as he could off into turn 1 and just getting alongside of Bruno before having to jam on the binders to avoid wiping both drivers out. That would be the final challenge, as Bruno would hold on through the final set of corners to take home the dramatic victory.
Bruno’s final margin of victory would be 0.947 seconds over Snyder, Jr., and Bruno would also turn the race’s fastest lap during that final seven-lap sprint to the checkers with a time of 11.202 seconds. Snyder, Jr. would be forced to settle for second despite his outstanding drive, as Rutherford, Kunsman, and Swavely completed the top five finishers.
Christian Bruno made the race-winning pass with seven laps remaining and held on to win the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 feature. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The 125/4 Stroke division would be wingless for the second time in 2021, and their feature would be led by the driver who won the first wingless race, as T. J. Greve, who also won a heat race, would start on pole. Holden Eckman would be on his outside with John Maurer, who was the fastest driver in warmups, and Jarrid Hellinger on the second row. Cliff Brian, Jr., who won the other heat race, would start fifth.
Although Greve would start on pole, he wouldn’t keep the lead for long, as Eckman was able to rocket by on the outside lane off the race’s initial start. Eckman would lead the race’s first circuit before the caution flew on lap 2. Greve would make amends on the ensuing restart, taking the lead back from the outside of the front row as Eckman slid outside of the top three. A few more early cautions would break up the race’s flow, including a lap 3 incident involving Hellinger and Chase Layser, sending both drivers to the rear. Once the race began to run green, Greve would hold a solid lead while Maurer, Brian, Jr., and Eckman would wage a spirited battle for the runner-up spot. Maurer would hold onto the position prior to a lap 9 caution, but Brian, Jr. would pounce and get past on the restart that followed.
The driver to watch, however, was Layser. Layser restarted outside of the top ten on lap 9, but had moved up to sixth by the next caution on lap 11, finding tons of speed right up next to the wall. Another two-lap run saw Layser bypass Maurer, Eckman, and Tyler Martin en route to the third position. From there, it seemed to be only a matter of time until Layser got through to the lead. The move came on lap 19, as he rocketed around Greve on the high side to move to the point. Greve eventually moved to the top, but could not stay with Layser over the final run. As Layser took the white flag with more than a one second lead in hand, it seemed all but a given that he was going to hang on to pick up his third win of the season. But the old adage “it ain’t over till it’s over” would ring eerily true, as Layser’s car lost power as he dove off into turn 3. Layser would do his best to keep momentum and coast across the finish line first, but the Hartly Hurricane blew by just yards before the finish line, allowing Greve to make it 2-for-2 in the wingless 125/4 Stroke races this season. Layser could do nothing but watch as the Hartly, DE native came across just 0.343 seconds in front of him at the finish line.
Layser’s come-from-behind effort saw him turn the race’s fastest lap at 12.165 seconds, but he would be forced to settle for a heartbreaking second-place result. Eckman would finish the race in third, ahead of Brian, Jr. and Kyle Lindsey. However, Lindsey was disqualified following the checkered flag, giving the fifth-place result to Maurer.
T. J. Greve passed Chase Layser’s coasting machine just a few yards before the start/finish line to pick up a dramatic victory in the wingless 125/4 Stroke feature. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The All Star Slingshots would make their return to the Clyde and cap off the evening of feature racing. Brian Smith took home the victory in his heat race and drew the pole for the feature. Andrew Turpin would start alongside, while the fastest driver in warmups and heat race winner Scott Neary would line up in the fifth position. The other two heat race winners, John Heberling and Thomas Nettleship, would roll off eighth and 12th, respectively. Dave Carraghan, who had won in the Slingshots’ only prior trip to the Clyde this season, would roll off ninth.
The theme of chaotic starts on the evening would continue for the Slingshot feature, as the first two laps saw three caution periods. Smith would be the early leader, with Danny Buccafusca moving to second and Neary running in third. Buccafusca got to the lead on one early restart, but an ensuing caution negated his pass. After the third caution, Neary would start to go to work on the front two, first making the move on Buccafusca, and then making the pass for the lead on Smith. However, a caution would come out just before Neary got back to the line to complete the lap, meaning that he too would have to fall back to second for the restart. That would prove to be no big deal for Neary, however, as he would take away the lead for good on the outside on the restart.
Kyle Herve would lead a group of drivers who would make big charges through the field over the course of the 30-lap feature, as he would work up from his seventh starting position into the runner-up spot over the first ten laps. Carraghan would methodically work his way through the field over the course of the race and attempt to challenge the front runners. So too would Dylan Hoch, who had to come through the consi following issues in his heat race, relegating him to a 21st-place start. However, it was clear that on this night, no one had anything to challenge Neary, as he built up several leads of more than a second following restarts. Neary would lead the race’s final 26 laps and cruise unchallenged to the checkered flag 1.383 seconds in front of Herve, while also running the race’s fastest lap at 12.967 seconds. Carraghan would come across with a third-place finish in front of Hoch, who rallied 17 positions from where he started. Shelby McLaughlin came from tenth starting position to round out the top five.
Scott Neary led the final 26 laps en route to winning the second All Star Slingshot feature of the season at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
This Saturday, July 10th will be Kids Night at the Clyde. As usual, kids ages 12 and under will be admitted for free. There will be plenty of activities scheduled throughout the night for the kids. In addition, there will be a quarter midget exhibition at intermission, which is open to all quarter midget drivers. Gates will open at 4:30, with warmups and racing beginning at 6:00. Be sure to bring your kids out this coming Saturday so that they can LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!
Results:
270 A-Main (30 Laps):
1. 27o-Mike Rutherford
2. 52T-T. J. Greve
3. 23-Bradley Brown
4. 92-Jason Swavely
5. 3s-Nick Skias
6. 5a-Anthony Yerger
7. 21-Toby Blumenshine
8. 3-Pete Skias
9. 3sx-Josh Stoyer
10. 77s-Ben Stolz
11. 96w-Chase Walker (-1L)
12. 37-Tyler Brown (DNF)
13. 8s-Mike Skias (DNF)
14. 15-Alex Swift (DNF)
15. 27-Darren Schott (DNF)
16. 22-Clinton Hauser (DNF)
17. 13s-Charles Hellinger (DNF)
18. 39-Richie Hartman (DNF)
19. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr. (DNF)
20. 44-Pat Bealer (DNF)
21. 88d-Andrew Dietrich (DNF)
22. 1L-Dave Labe (DNF)
23. 26b-Tyler Martin (DNF)
24. 46t-Matt Thompson (DNF)
Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main (30 Laps):
1. 99-Christian Bruno
2. 21s-Steven Snyder, Jr.
3. 2s-Mike Rutherford
4. 21k-Tommy Kunsman
5. 14-Jason Swavely
6. 75k-Jarid Kunkle
7. 10m-Preston Lattomus
8. 5a-Alex Ruppert
9. 39x-Richie Hartman
10. 51-Chris Gerhart
11. 14g-Connor Gross
12. 66-Billy Koch
13. 15n-Neal Allison
14. 49-Patrick Chilmonik
15. z71-Zach Bealer
16. 71t-Tim Buckwalter (DNF)
17. 1e-Eddie Strada (DNF)
18. 50-Jacob Severn (DNF)
19. 7-Nick Skias (DNF)
20. 56-Tyler Henry (DNF)
21. 46-Tyler Lindsey (DNF)
22. 20-Matt Smith (DNF)
23. 24-Zach Weisenfluh (DNF)
24. 23-Bradley Brown (DNF)
25. 5-Jim Radney (DNF)
26. 4b-Bobby Butler (DNF)
27. 7w-Jayden Wolf (DNF)
Wingless 125/4 Stroke A-Main (30 Laps):
1. 55c-T. J. Greve
2. 7L-Chase Layser
3. 11h-Holden Eckman
4. 99-Cliff Brian, Jr.
5. 82-John Maurer
6. 76b-Brent Shearer
7. 78c-Charles Hellinger
8. 76-Justin Harrington
9. 04-Sam Borger
10. 1st-Steve Simmons
11. 57k-Blaire Schoenly
12. 7LL-Dustin Layser
13. 26-Tyler Martin
14. 7a-Noah Martin
15. 78-Jarrid Hellinger (DNF)
16. 7d-Chris Dolan (DNF)
17. 3x-Kenny Bushey (DNF)
18. 112-Dylan Yeingst (DNF)
19. 6x-Chance Thomas (DNF)
DQ: 28-Kyle Lindsey
All Star Slingshots A-Main (30 Laps):
1. 1s-Scott Neary
2. 24h-Kyle Herve
3. 3-Dave Carraghan
4. 35-Dylan Hoch
5. 7-Shelby McLaughlin
6. 24y-Jax Yohn
7. 12-Brian Smith
8. 1x-Brett Bieber
9. 9x-Nate Freed
10. 5s-Danny Buccafusca
11. 8-John Schantz
12. 68-James Benz
13. 56-Andrew Turpin
14. 1-Tyler Ulsh
15. 18k-C. J. Kimm
16. 75x-James Hendricks (DNF)
17. 39-Nolan Palaima (DNF)
18. 112-Cody Kline (DNF)
19. 21j-Josh Weiant (DNF)
20. 29-John Heberling (DNF)
21. 67-Charlene Benz (DNF)
22. 10-Trevor Houghton (DNF)
23. 50-Tyler Hoch (DNF)
24. 16t-Thomas Nettleship (DNF)
25. 14g-George Manion (DNF)
26. 4r-Ryan Rochelle (DNF)