By Kasey Kreider
With seven features on the docket for Boyer’s Tavern of Rexmont Luau Night at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, there was bound to be a little bit of just about everything throughout the course of the evening. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, there was a mixture of new winners, familiar faces, and a former champion making a triumphant return to the Clyde. Jamie Flickinger and Alex Lukacs finally broke through for their first Lanco wins in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman and 125/4 Stroke divisions, respectively. Nick Skias picked up two wins on the evening, one in the 270 makeup feature and the other in the Hyper Racing 600 main event. Toby Blumenshine picked up win number six on the season in the regularly scheduled Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman feature. Former champion William Manotti shook off the rust after a few years away and found his way back into the winner’s circle in the second 125/4 Stroke feature. And Brent Shearer closed the night with an impressive charge from 16th to win the final feature of the evening in the 270s.
The three makeup features from July 17th would kick off the night’s racing action, beginning with the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division. Max Fasnacht and last week’s runner up Jamie Flickinger would make up the front row for the first 25-lap main event of the night. The two championship combatants, Bret Cronrath and Toby Blumenshine, would find themselves in the back half of the starting lineup, with Cronrath rolling off ninth and Blumenshine going from 14th.
But on the start, a bizarre moment would unfold, with massive championship implications attached to it. As the field came to life through turns 3 and 4, Cronrath’s car would get up onto two wheels and go top side first into the outside wall. The wild incident would see Cronrath’s car come back to rest on all fours, but with a heavily damaged wing. Cronrath would attempt to rejoin the field, but would pull into the infield only a few laps into the next green flag run, opening the door for Blumenshine to try and take the points lead.
Take two at the start would see Fasnacht break away to the lead with Flickinger right on his tail. Fasnacht would lead the race’s opening circuit, but it would be in turn 1 where Flickinger would make his dive to the inside. The No. 9g would move into the lead by the time the pack moved off of turn 2, and Flickinger would begin driving away, trying to build his gap. Flickinger’s lead would be well over two seconds at certain points during the race, but it would come down to how well Flickinger could manage lapped traffic as he would try to hold on to that gap. Josh Stoyer would try to chase him down from second, while Blumenshine methodically picked his way through to third. But they would never get close enough to challenge as the race ran green for its 25-lap duration. After coming close on a few occasions this season, including last week, Flickinger would finally be able to take home his first career Lanco checkered flag. The celebration would have to wait till later in the evening, but the monkey was finally off of the Womelsdorf, PA driver’s back.
Flickinger’s final margin of victory would be 1.569 seconds over Stoyer, as Blumenshine, Corey Schmuck, Jr., and Mike Kreiser completed the top five. Blumenshine had the race’s fastest lap of 11.458 seconds and would also take over the points lead entering the second feature, being just one point in front of Cronrath, who was credited with a 16th-place result.
Jamie Flickinger had a large group of people to help him celebrate and soak in his first Lanco win, as he took the checkers in the makeup feature for the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The makeup feature for the 125/4 Strokes would see Alex Lukacs and Brandon Shearer go off from the front row, while points leader Justin Harrington would start from 11th. The race would start similarly to the Sportsman feature, as a bizarre incident on lap 1 would slow the field. John Maurer’s car would lose a left front wheel as the field barreled off into turn 1, causing Dylan Yeingst and Noah Martin to slide into the wall in the ensuing stack up.
Once the field got going again, though, it would become the Alex Lukacs show at the front. Lukacs would drive away from Shearer over the race’s first few laps, building up a multiple-second advantage before hitting lapped traffic on lap 10. At that point, the youngster maneuvered through the traffic like a veteran, and seemed destined to join Jamie Flickinger as first-time winners at the Clyde. In the closing stages, Lukacs’ lead over second-place runner Matt Fernsler would be up over five seconds, while Lukacs would be on the same straightaway as the drivers from third on back. It was an emphatic performance, and a caution, perhaps the only thing that could have squandered it, never came.
Lukacs would break through for Lanco win number one with a mammoth 4.885-second margin of victory over Fernsler. The Strasburg, PA driver would also turn the race’s fastest lap at 11.828 seconds. Behind Fernsler would come Bradley Brown, Shearer, and Chase Layser, while Harrington would finish sixth and see his points lead dwindled slightly, with 154 points separating him and Fernsler entering the second feature.
Alex Lukacs turned in a thoroughly dominating performance to break through and pick up Lanco win number one in the 125/4 Stroke makeup feature. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The final makeup feature would be for the 270s and would see points leader Jason Swavely start on pole with Brent Shearer alongside. Swavely’s championship foe, Nick Skias, would start from the fifth spot. Swavely and Shearer would engage in the battle for the lead over the race’s opening laps, with Swavely able to fend off the challenge. On lap 4, Heath Hehnly and Mike Skias would get together on the frontstretch, sending Skias’ car into a wild flip into turn 1. Skias was uninjured, but the car was heavily damaged, and both drivers would be out of the race following the contact. As the race resumed, Swavely and Shearer would continue their battle, this time with Shearer coming out on top. Shearer would begin to drive away, while Swavely would later lose the second spot to Nick Skias.
With Shearer’s lead up over a second and a half, it seemed as if Shearer would be on his way to his first 270 win of 2021 at Lanco. But as he came under the flag stand with ten laps to go, Shearer’s car began slowing, and would lose power completely on the backstretch as the driver slammed the steering wheel in frustration. Shearer’s race would be over, and Skias and Swavely would inherit the front two spots for the final ten-lap dash.
The battle would be a short-lived one, though, as Skias would pull away from Swavely on the restart and not look back all the way to the checkered flag. The driver from Wernersville, PA would take his fourth 270 win of the season by 1.005 seconds and retake the points lead in the process, as Andrew Dietrich would beat Swavely across the line for second. Pete Skias and Chase Walker would round out the top five, while Shearer would be credited with a 12th-place finish after his issues. Shearer’s lap of 11.007 seconds would be the fastest of the race.
Nick Skias retook the points lead after triumphing in the 270 makeup feature. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
After heat races, plus bike races at intermission, the regularly scheduled feature racing on the night would begin with the Hyper Racing 600s. Nick Skias won his heat and would start on pole after the inversion, looking to make it back-to-back wins on the night. Will Urkuski would be on his outside, while championship contenders Jason Swavely and Heath Hehnly would start fourth and 12th, respectively, with Hehnly coming off a heat race win earlier in the night. Bradley Brown was fastest in warmups and still an outside contender for the title, and would start the race from seventh.
It wouldn’t take long for Skias to build a sizeable lead in the race’s early stages, ripping the high side as the top was the place to be. Urkuski would fall in line in second, but bad luck would strike once again as his car would break and slow to a stop on the frontstretch on lap 7. That would allow Swavely to inherit the outside of the front row for the restart, while Hehnly had already worked his way up to fifth. But as was the case in the 270 feature, Swavely just wouldn’t have quite enough to hang with Skias, who had the clean air. Lapped traffic would open the door briefly for Swavely to try and make a move, but once Skias cleared the lappers, that would be all she wrote, as Swavely would have to hold off Hehnly for the runner-up position.
Skias would take his second win of the night and third Hyper Racing 600 victory of the season by 1.127 seconds over Swavely, who would hold off Hehnly for the silver spot. Skias would also turn the race’s fastest lap of 10.375 seconds. Austin Quick and Cody West would complete the top five. With Swavely beating Hehnly by one spot, he would cut Hehnly’s points lead down to 19 with three points races remaining.
Nick Skias made it two straight feature wins on the evening as he picked up the win in the Hyper Racing 600 main event. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Race number two for the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsmans would feature an all-female front row, as Brianne Cronrath-Wittmer and Courtney Kupp would lead the field to green. Toby Blumenshine and Bret Cronrath would roll off from third and 12th, respectively, as Cronrath had gotten his car patched back together following the earlier incident. Heat race winners Corey Schmuck, Jr. and Josh Stoyer would start together on row 3, while the night’s prior winner Jamie Flickinger would start 11th. Blake Esham was fastest in warmups, but would start 17th.
Cronrath-Wittmer would get the early jump to the lead, while Blumenshine would try to find a way around from second. The leaders would run two distinctly different lines, as Cronrath-Wittmer would stay loyal to the bottom, and Blumenshine, as usual, would be up top. A restart on lap 7 would finally give Blumenshine a chance to build up momentum from the top of turn 2 and dive to the bottom of turn 3 with the lead in hand. Cronrath-Wittmer wouldn’t go away though, and the two would battle side-by-side for a few laps before Blumenshine finally cleared. The Reinholds, PA driver would begin to drive away over the final green flag run, but Bret Cronrath would charge his way toward the front, moving up to third before passing his sister in the closing laps. Cronrath needed a caution to have a shot at the win though, and fate wouldn’t have that happen on this night.
Blumenshine would beat Cronrath to the line by 1.364 seconds for his sixth Sportsman win of the season, although Cronrath would have the race’s fastest lap with a time of 11.381 seconds. The win would allow Blumenshine to stretch his points lead to six with three races to go. Cronrath-Wittmer would hang on for third, while Stoyer and David Ravel completed the top five. The first winner, Jamie Flickinger, was caught up in an early incident and failed to finish, being credited with an 18th-place result. But Flickinger would still get his well-earned victory celebration along with the top three finishers from the regularly scheduled feature.
Toby Blumenshine got past Brianne Cronrath-Wittmer and never looked back en route to his sixth Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division win of the season. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The second 125/4 Stroke feature would have a familiar face leading the field to green, as former champion William Manotti would make his return to the field and start from the pole position. He would have the newly-minted Lanco winner Alex Lukacs on his outside for the start, as Lukacs also won a heat race earlier in the night. The other heat race winners, Matt Fernsler and John Maurer, would start on row 2 together, with fastest driver in warmups Chase Layser starting 11th. But the big story surrounded the points leader Justin Harrington, who suffered mechanical issues in his heat race and would be forced to hop in the sister car, Billy Logeman’s No. 75, for the feature. Harrington would look to keep as much of his 154-point lead as possible intact as he would start from 23rd.
Manotti would clearly have no issues remembering how to get around the Clyde, as he would pace the field through the early laps. Lukacs, however, would be breathing down his neck the whole time, not allowing Manotti to get any wiggle room. After a few quick cautions, the race would run green from lap 4 to lap 18, and it would be much of the same story over that run. Manotti would keep the lead, but Lukacs would keep him from getting away too far. Lapped traffic would prove to open up the gap slightly, but the lead would soon be closed again as the caution would fly for a pileup in turn 1 that started when third-place runner John Maurer made contact with the lapped car of Dylan Yeingst.
With eight laps to go, it would come down to a battle of youth versus experience, and on this occasion, it would be experience coming out on top. Manotti would stave off the challenge from Lukacs on the restart and keep the gap at a steady two to three car lengths all the way to the finish. After a few years away, Manotti would pick up right where he left off as if he had never left in the first place. Manotti would take the win by 0.443 seconds over Lukacs, with Fernsler, Mike Coen, and Holden Eckman completing the top five. Maurer would rebound to seventh after his tangle and turned the fastest lap of the race at 12.023 seconds. Meanwhile, Harrington would salvage an 11th-place finish out of a dismal night, allowing him to keep a 121-point lead over Fernsler with three races to go.
William Manotti made his return to the Clyde a memorable one as he picked up the victory in the second 125/4 Stroke feature of the night. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The seventh and final feature of the night would be the second for the 270s and would feature Andrew Dietrich and Dave Labe starting on the front row. Heat race winners Bradley Brown and Heath Hehnly would start in row 2, while the previous winner and the fastest driver in warmups, Nick Skias, would start 11th due to the handicap rule. Right on his outside would be Jason Swavely, who entered the race eight points behind Skias in the standings.
Dietrich and Brown would run one-two through the race’s first few laps, but the driver carving through the field the most was Brent Shearer, who had started 16th after having more issues in his heat race. With the problems that had plagued him during the night seemingly resolved, Shearer had moved his way up to seventh before the race’s first caution on lap 4. Yellows would be the theme early, as the race would run in little spurts of green flag action. But Shearer would make the most of those spurts, including on one restart where he would charge into turn 3 and make it all the way up to the third position. From there, it wouldn’t take long for Shearer to get past Brown and begin to chase down Dietrich for the lead. But a big moment in the championship battle would come on lap 13, when Swavely and Dave Labe would make contact off of turn 2. Labe’s car would be sent spinning, as everyone else miraculously missed him. But damage would be done to Swavely’s vehicle that would force him to pull off the track and be done for the night.
The restart would give Shearer an opportunity to battle Dietrich for the lead, and over the next few laps, the drivers would trade slide jobs in each set of corners before Shearer would finally make the pass stick in turn 4. Dietrich would try not to let Shearer get away, but even a late restart wouldn’t allow Dietrich to take another swing at the lead. The Manheim, PA driver would hang on for the win and put a Boyer’s Tavern of Rexmont sponsored car in victory lane on Boyer’s Tavern of Rexmont Luau Night. Shearer’s final margin of victory would be 0.425 seconds over Dietrich, although Dietrich would turn the race’s fastest lap of 11.159 seconds. Nick Skias, Pete Skias, and Brown would complete the top five. Meanwhile, Swavely would be credited with a 17th-place finish and as a result, fall to 58 points behind Nick Skias in the title fight with three races left to run.
Brent Shearer parked the Boyer’s Tavern of Rexmont sponsored No. 76b in victory lane on Boyer’s Tavern of Rexmont Luau Night by winning the second 270 feature. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Next Saturday, August 28th, will be Summer Sizzler Night at the Clyde. The night will feature a regular show with all four weekly classes in action, while all kids in attendance will receive a free cup of ice cream. Gates will return to their normal opening time of 4:30, while warmups and racing will begin at 6:00. The only thing hotter than the weather will be the action on the racetrack, so be sure to come out and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!
Results:
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman A-Main (Makeup From 7/17/2021) (25 Laps):
1. 9g-Jamie Flickinger
2. 3s-Josh Stoyer
3. 21-Toby Blumenshine
4. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr.
5. 77-Mike Kreiser
6. 21v-David Ravel
7. 22-Clinton Hauser
8. 8-Michael Spadafora
9. 21d-Dave Williams
10. 13b-Matt Yoh, II
11. 23k-Courtney Kupp (-1L)
12. 99k-Chad Kreiser (-1L)
13. 15-Robert Shanaman (-1L)
14. 53s-Shannon Slaughter (DNF)
15. 20-Max Fasnacht (DNF)
16. 5-Bret Cronrath (DNF)
DNS: 5a-Anthony Yerger
DNS: 14m-Chelsey Moore
125/4 Stroke A-Main (Makeup From 7/17/2021) (25 Laps):
1. 44x-Alex Lukacs
2. 19-Matt Fernsler
3. 04-Bradley Brown
4. 78-Brandon Shearer
5. 7L-Chase Layser
6. 76-Justin Harrington
7. 11h-Holden Eckman
8. 78c-Jarrid Hellinger
9. 26c-Mike Coen
10. 44-Riley Simmons (-1L)
11. 7d-Chris Dolan (-1L)
12. 81-Dylan Holmes (-1L)
13. 17-Masen Stapleton (-1L)
14. 15-Alyssa Holmes (-1L)
15. 112-Dylan Yeingst (-2L)
16. 28-Kyle Lindsey (DNF)
17. 1st-Mark Yoder (DNF)
18. 82-John Maurer (DNF)
19. 7a-Noah Martin (DNF)
20. 26-Tyler Martin (DNF)
DNS: 32-Michael Hoffmaster
DNS: 6x-Chance Thomas
270 A-Main (Makeup From 7/17/2021) (25 Laps):
1. 3s-Nick Skias
2. 88d-Andrew Dietrich
3. 92-Jason Swavely
4. 3-Pete Skias
5. 96w-Chase Walker
6. 23-Bradley Brown
7. 34-Christi Sweigart
8. 27-Darren Schott
9. 21d-Dave Williams
10. 29-Brandon Shearer
11. 48-Jonah Meck (DNF)
12. 76b-Brent Shearer (DNF)
13. 82-Heath Hehnly (DNF)
14. 8s-Mike Skias (DNF)
15. 21-Toby Blumenshine (DNF)
DNS: 5a-Anthony Yerger
DNS: 11m-Chelsey Moore
Hyper Racing 600 A-Main (25 Laps):
1. 7-Nick Skias
2. 14-Jason Swavely
3. 5-Heath Hehnly
4. 28q-Austin Quick
5. 117-Cody West
6. 1e-Aaron Espenshade
7. 75k-Jarid Kunkle
8. 23-Bradley Brown
9. 15p-Chris Panczner
10. 11z-Zach Light
11. 3-Jesse Maurer
12. 53-Toby Blumenshine
13. 11h-Holden Eckman (-1L)
14. 17-Brent Ely (-1L)
15. 75-Mark Yoder (DNF)
16. 98-Keith Blumenstein, Jr. (DNF)
17. 1-Will Urkuski (DNF)
18. 51b-Amanda Onimus (DNF)
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman A-Main (25 Laps):
1. 21-Toby Blumenshine
2. 5-Bret Cronrath
3. 16-Brianne Cronrath-Wittmer
4. 3s-Josh Stoyer
5. 21v-David Ravel
6. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr.
7. 13s-Charles Hellinger
8. 77-Mike Kreiser
9. 23k-Courtney Kupp
10. 99k-Chad Kreiser
11. 8-Michael Spadafora
12. 22-Clinton Hauser
13. 15-Robert Shanaman
14. 53-Jared St. John (-1L)
15. 20-Max Fasnacht (DNF)
16. 53s-Shannon Slaughter (DNF)
17. 21d-Dave Williams (DNF)
18. 9g-Jamie Flickinger (DNF)
19. 22e-Blake Esham (DNF)
20. 36s-Steve Smith, Sr. (DNF)
21. 22s-Brett Sculley (DNF)
DNS: 13b-Matt Yoh, II
125/4 Stroke A-Main (25 Laps):
1. 77-William Manotti
2. 44x-Alex Lukacs
3. 19-Matt Fernsler
4. 26c-Mike Coen
5. 11h-Holden Eckman
6. 7L-Chase Layser
7. 82-John Maurer
8. 04-Bradley Brown
9. 7a-Brandon Shearer
10. 78c-Charles Hellinger
11. 75-Justin Harrington
12. 1st-Mark Yoder
13. 78-Jarrid Hellinger
14. 15-Alyssa Holmes
15. 81-Dylan Holmes
16. 16c-Don Hess
17. 57k-Blaire Schoenly (-1L)
18. 17-Masen Stapleton (-1L)
19. 28-Kyle Lindsey (DNF)
20. 112-Dylan Yeingst (DNF)
21. 7d-Chris Dolan (DNF)
22. 26-Tyler Martin (DNF)
23. 44-Riley Simmons (DNF)
DNS: 75-Billy Logeman
270 A-Main (25 Laps):
1. 76b-Brent Shearer
2. 88d-Andrew Dietrich
3. 3s-Nick Skias
4. 3-Pete Skias
5. 23-Bradley Brown
6. 1L-Dave Labe
7. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr.
8. 27-Darren Schott
9. 21-Toby Blumenshine
10. 34-Christi Sweigart
11. 96w-Chase Walker
12. 48-Jonah Meck
13. 29-Brandon Shearer
14. 21d-Dave Williams
15. 91-Jack Redcay
16. 82-Heath Hehnly (DNF)
17. 92-Jason Swavely (DNF)
18. 8s-Mike Skias (DNF)
19. 53n-Ben Newmaster (DNF)
20. 55x-Jimmy Wampole (DNF)
DNS: 14-Bret Cronrath
Point Standings:
Hyper Racing 600 Point Standings (Top 10):
1. 5-Heath Hehnly (1,096)
2. 14-Jason Swavely (-19)
3. 23-Bradley Brown (-107)
4. 7-Nick Skias (-159)
5. 15p-Chris Panczner (-195)
6. 75k-Jarid Kunkle (-218)
7. 17-Brent Ely (-279)
8. 3-Jesse Maurer (-302)
9. 11z-Zach Light (-311)
10. 11h-Holden Eckman (-389)
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman Point Standings (Top 10):
1. 21-Toby Blumenshine (1,157)
2. 5-Bret Cronrath (-6)
3. 3s-Josh Stoyer (-176)
4. 22-Clinton Hauser (-244)
5. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr. (-275)
6. 77-Mike Kreiser (-286)
7. 9g-Jamie Flickinger (-291)
8. 21d-Dave Williams (-316)
9. 15-Robert Shanaman (-387)
10. 99k-Chad Kreiser (-440)
125/4 Stroke Point Standings (Top 10):
1. 75-Justin Harrington (1,224)
2. 19-Matt Fernsler (-121)
3. 7L-Chase Layser (-149)
4. 44x-Alex Lukacs (-227)
5. 26c-Mike Coen (-353)
6. 11h-Holden Eckman (-400)
7. 7d-Chris Dolan (-470)
8. 26-Tyler Martin (-495)
9. 44-Riley Simmons (-520)
10. 28-Kyle Lindsey (-549)
270 Point Standings (Top 10):
1. 3s-Nick Skias (1,161)
2. 92-Jason Swavely (-58)
3. 8s-Mike Skias (-220)
4. 82-Heath Hehnly (-254)
5. 3-Pete Skias (-275)
6. 23-Bradley Brown (-289)
7. 5a-Anthony Yerger (-378)
8. 34-Christi Sweigart (-398)
9. 88d-Andrew Dietrich (-403)
10. 21d-Dave Williams (-406)