By Kasey Kreider
After a points season spanning over five months at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, you would have a hard time believing that two of the four championship battles would not only come down to the final race, but that the two championship contenders in each class would either be tied, or all but tied, entering that final 25-lap event. But perhaps that’s a testament to the competition that Lanco has to offer, as well as the talent and competitiveness of the drivers that span all four divisions of racing at the Clyde.
Mother Nature would cut the evening short, but not before the remaining three champions could be crowned, at least mathematically, entering next weekend’s final race of the year. Bret Cronrath would win his first Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman championship in style, driving from 16th to the win to claim the title. Heath Hehnly would follow race winner Ryan Groff across the checkered flag to clinch his ninth Hyper Racing 600 championship, in what he later confirmed to be his final season of racing at the Clyde. By showing up, signing in, and rolling the car out for warmups, Nick Skias was able to mathematically clinch his second 270 championship, even after Mother Nature postponed the final points race until next Saturday. Coming before that 270 feature, however, was the championship finale for the 125/4 Strokes. Justin Harrington had already locked up his first 125/4 Stroke title the weekend prior, but it would be Kenny Bushey dominating to claim his first career Lanco win.
The two classes with the closest championship battles would run the first two features of the night, and the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsmans would be up to bat first. Dave Williams and Josh Stoyer would start on the front row, with Corey Schmuck, Jr. starting inside of heat race winner Charles Hellinger to complete the first two rows. But the two championship contenders would be the ones to watch, with both starting in the back half of the field.
Toby Blumenshine was fastest in warmups and won his heat race, but would have to start 11th due to the handicap rule. With a fast car and a good run going in the heat, it seemed like a given that Bret Cronrath would start the feature from 12th, the best he could do while also being subject to the handicap. But while racing alongside Shannon Slaughter in the heat race, the two drivers would make contact on the backstretch, pinching Cronrath’s car into the wall and sending it into a flip. Cronrath would be okay, and although the damage to the car didn’t look to be too severe aside from a heavily damaged wing, Cronrath would now have to start the feature from 17th spot, an even three rows behind his championship combatant. Cronrath would pick up one spot before the start when defending Sportsman champion Mike Kreiser dropped out of the fray, but there would still be plenty of work to be done.
While the championship contenders would try to make ground in the race’s first few laps, the battle for the lead would be fought between Williams and Schnuck, Jr. A moment that could have been pivotal in the championship battle took place on lap 2, when Cronrath nearly got collected in a chain-reaction crash that brought out the race’s first caution. Able to miss the chaos, Cronrath would restart 12th, with Blumenshine restarting ninth. But in the few laps that followed after the restart, the championship battle would come to a premature end. Blumenshine had begun to creep up toward the top five, but while coming off of turn 2 on the race’s third lap, the two-time Sportsman champ would see his car lose power for one reason or another, and as he would pull to the inside of the track and bring out the caution, it became apparent that his hopes of a third title in 2021 would be dashed.
For Cronrath, a dramatic night would now be certain to end in a championship, as he entered with the four-point lead on Blumenshine. The question would now become whether he could cap it off in style with his sixth win of the season, or not. Schmuck, Jr. had taken the lead on the short green flag run before Blumenshine’s issues, but his time in front would also be short-lived, as Hellinger would pass for the lead on the restart. Hellinger, who had come close to a few wins in different divisions at the Clyde in 2021, was looking to try and hang on, but Cronrath was coming.
By a lap 7 caution, Cronrath had moved up to seventh, and he would waste no time carving his way through on the ensuing restart. As Hellinger and Schmuck, Jr. would race for the lead, Cronrath would enter the picture, and from there, it would only be a matter of time. On lap 12, Cronrath made his move inside of both drivers, taking over the lead and checking out despite Hellinger’s best efforts to fight back. David Ravel would move into second late in the going, and a restart with four laps to go would give one more opportunity to the rest of the field. But Cronrath would drive away, with a win and a championship celebration in victory lane awaiting him.
The Blandon, PA driver’s sixth win of the season would come by 1.300 seconds, and he unsurprisingly set the race’s fastest lap of 11.444 seconds. The duel between Cronrath and Blumenshine was one for the ages, and yet one that epitomized respect and, fittingly, sportsmanship, as Blumenshine walked over to Cronrath’s car in victory lane, the first to congratulate the newly-crowned champion. An emotional Cronrath in victory lane put into perspective just how much it takes, and just how much it means to win a track championship. While Cronrath celebrated in victory lane as the winner and champion, Ravel and Hellinger would join him by finishing second and third, respectively, with each scoring their best finish of the season. Schmuck, Jr. and Stoyer would round out the top five finishers.
After starting 16th, Bret Cronrath drove to the lead in less than 12 laps and took the victory, clinching his first Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman championship in the process. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The Hyper Racing 600s would settle the final points battle of the season next, and with an inversion pill of 1 drawn, heat race winners Ryan Groff and Cody West would start on the front row. Starting third would be championship contender Heath Hehnly, as he was not subject to the handicap rule following a fourth-place result the weekend before. The same couldn’t be said for Jason Swavely, though. Swavely would have to start 12th after winning the most recent race, and after having the fastest time in warmups, he would need every bit of that speed to charge through the field and make it a fight for the title. With the two contenders entering the race tied in points, the one that finished the highest would be the champion.
Groff, West, and Hehnly would all get in line and run 1-2-3 in the early laps, while Swavely had a good start and was able to climb to seventh in the opening laps. As Groff and West began mixing it up for the lead, Hehnly ran just a few car lengths back, knowing in the back of his mind that he had the championship under wraps unless he saw the pink No. 14 move past him. West would take a few swings at Groff for the top spot, but each time Groff would cross back over, keeping the lead at the line. In the meantime, Swavely had not been able to make any more ground from seventh, and as the field began to string out, it became clear that a caution would be necessary to give Swavely another chance.
But as the laps wound down, time began running out. West would take one more shot at Groff for the win in the closing laps, but couldn’t make the slider stick and would lose second to Hehnly in the process. With a three-car-length lead at the white flag, Groff was in position to take the win, with Hehnly staring championship number nine in the 600s straight in the face. As fans held their breath for the final ten seconds of the points-paying season, the caution that Swavely needed to keep hope alive would never come. Instead, the checkered flag would fall over Groff first, and then Hehnly, who would be champion for the fifth straight season.
Groff’s win would come 0.580 seconds in front of Hehnly, with West having to settle for third after battling for the lead and setting the race’s fastest lap of 10.777 seconds. Nick Skias and Aaron Espenshade would complete the top five, while Swavely could get no higher than the seventh position that he had reached in the race’s early stages. It was an unprecedented ninth championship in the 600s for Hehnly, all coming in the span of 12 seasons. But the greater significance was that the championship would be his last. After years of dominance, Hehnly confirmed in his post-race interview that this would indeed be his final season of full-time racing at the Clyde. A Lanco legend would go out on top the way every driver dreams of doing, but few ever actually accomplish. Hehnly would take his final ride into the sunset while celebrating on cloud nine.
Ryan Groff held off a few furious charges from Cody West to take home the victory in the Hyper Racing 600 feature. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Heath Hehnly finished second in the Hyper Racing 600 feature to clinch his ninth Hyper Racing 600 championship at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, doing so in his final full-time season of racing at the track. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The 125/4 Strokes would contest the third feature of the night, and an inversion pill of 12 put Don Hess and Kenny Bushey on the front row. Michael Hoffmaster would start directly behind in third after setting the fastest time in warmups, with Sam Borger on his outside. Meanwhile, champion Justin Harrington won his heat but would start tenth due to the handicap, and the same could be said for the other heat race winner, Matt Fernsler, who would roll off 12th in pursuit of back-to-back feature wins.
The race would begin with a few first-lap cautions, but once things got going, it would be Bushey breaking away to the lead from the outside of the front row. Bushey was first in line of several drivers who were at the front and looking for their first career Lanco wins, and Bushey would open up a lead of nearly four seconds as the race ran green until lap 15. A caution allowed the field to reset entering the race’s stretch run, as Bushey, Hess, and Hoffmaster remained in the top three. Harrington, however, had moved his way to fourth, and was bringing Chris Dolan with him. But on the restart, Hess’s car would break coming down the frontstretch, leading to a pileup that would also eliminate Dolan and Noah Martin from the race.
The battle for the win would be left to be fought between Bushey and Hoffmaster, and Hoffmaster would work to keep the No. 3x within striking distance as the laps wound down. The race’s last restart would come with five laps remaining, and Bushey was able to scamper away. Both of the young drivers would have the best runs of their careers to date, but it would be the driver from New Cumberland, PA leading all 25 laps en route to his first career Lanco win. Bushey would take the win by 1.146 seconds over Hoffmaster, while running the fastest lap of the race at 12.128 seconds. Corey Schmuck, Jr. would have an excellent drive from 19th to third, getting past Harrington late in the going as Fernsler rallied to complete the top five.
Kenny Bushey took the lead from the outside of the front row and led all 25 laps en route to winning his first career 125/4 Stroke feature at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Justin Harrington posed with the checkered flag in celebration of his first Lanco track championship in the 125/4 Stroke division. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The 270s would run the final feature of the night, as T. J. Greve and Dave Williams would start on the front row. Randy West won a heat and would start fourth, while the fastest driver in warmups, Billy Logeman, would start 11th. But the driver who would start 12th and had won the other heat race on the evening would also be the driver who would clinch his second 270 championship at the Clyde. With a 19-car field on tap for the feature, there would be no way for Jason Swavely to gain the points necessary in the feature to close the gap on Nick Skias, even if Skias would be unable to start. Therefore, Skias, a multiple-time track champion across several different tracks, would lock up his second 270 championship at the Clyde, becoming the first driver other than Mike Rutherford to win a 270 championship since Skias picked up his first title in 2011. The race, however, would not be completed, as rains came right as the race was attempting to start. With no laps completed, the race will be made up next Saturday as part of the final event of the season.
Nick Skias (No. 3s) battled Jason Swavely (No. 92) for the 270 championship all season before mathematically clinching the title prior to the final feature of the points-paying season. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Next Saturday, September 25th will be the Halloween/Trick or Treat and Season Awards Night at the Clyde. All kids are invited to come in costume, as there will be trick-or-treating in the pit area during intermission with the race teams. The points finale for the 270s will begin the night, with the regular, non-points show following that race. In addition to the four weekly divisions of racing, the Stage 1 Modifieds will join in for their first ever appearance at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. The season-ending awards will also be presented in each of the four classes, with trophies and plaques going to the top 15 finishers in points in addition to other special awards. Gates will open an hour early, at 3:30, with warmups and racing for the night set to begin at 5:00. With this being the last racing event of the season, don’t miss out on your final opportunity of 2021 to come out and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!
Results:
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman A-Main (25 Laps):
1. 5-Bret Cronrath
2. 21v-David Ravel
3. 13s-Charles Hellinger
4. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr.
5. 3s-Josh Stoyer
6. 16-Brianne Cronrath-Wittmer
7. 9g-Jamie Flickinger
8. 20-Max Fasnacht
9. 28-Kyle Lindsey
10. 53s-Shannon Slaughter (-1L)
11. 21d-Dave Williams (-1L)
12. 30-Ryan Heckman (-1L)
13. 15-Robert Shanaman (-1L)
14. 53-Jared St. John (DNF)
15. 99k-Chad Kreiser (DNF)
16. 61-Paul May (DNF)
17. 8-Michael Spadafora (DNF)
18. 21-Toby Blumenshine (DNF)
19. 77-Mike Kreiser (DNF)
Hyper Racing 600 A-Main (25 Laps):
1. 03-Ryan Groff
2. 5-Heath Hehnly
3. 117-Cody West
4. 7-Nick Skias
5. 1e-Aaron Espenshade
6. 15p-Chris Panczner
7. 14-Jason Swavely
8. 46-B. J. Antonio
9. 17-Brent Ely
10. 11h-Holden Eckman
11. 75k-Jarid Kunkle
12. 23-Bradley Brown
13. 24t-T. J. Greve
14. 3d-Shjon Dove (-1L)
125/4 Stroke A-Main (25 Laps):
1. 3x-Kenny Bushey
2. 32-Michael Hoffmaster
3. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr.
4. 76-Justin Harrington
5. 19-Matt Fernsler
6. 04-Sam Borger
7. 112-Dylan Yeingst
8. 17-Masen Stapleton
9. 82-John Maurer (-1L)
10. 44-Riley Simmons (DNF)
11. 5-Terry Ellex (DNF)
12. 73-Andrew Rothermel (DNF)
13. 16c-Don Hess (DNF)
14. 7d-Chris Dolan (DNF)
15. 7a-Noah Martin (DNF)
16. 1st-Steve Simmons (DNF)
17. 15-Alyssa Holmes (DNF)
18. 26c-Mike Coen (DNF)
19. 57-Blaire Schoenly (DNF)
20. 44x-Alex Lukacs (DNF)
21. 7L-Chase Layser (DNF)
Point Standings (UNOFFICIAL):
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman Point Standings (Top 10):
1. 5-Bret Cronrath (1,501)
2. 21-Toby Blumenshine (-66)
3. 3s-Josh Stoyer (-238)
4. 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr. (-395)
5. 22-Clinton Hauser (-402)
6. 9g-Jamie Flickinger (-411)
7. 77-Mike Kreiser (-414)
8. 21d-Dave Williams (-451)
9. 13s-Charles Hellinger (-544)
10. 15-Robert Shanaman (-557)
Hyper Racing 600 Point Standings (Top 10):
1. 5-Heath Hehnly (1,386)
2. 14-Jason Swavely (-23)
3. 23-Bradley Brown (-123)
4. 7-Nick Skias (-167)
5. 15p-Chris Panczner (-242)
6. 75k-Jarid Kunkle (-306)
7. 17-Brent Ely (-307)
8. 3-Jesse Maurer (-371)
9. 11h-Holden Eckman (-412)
10. 11z-Zach Light (-433)
125/4 Stroke Point Standings (Top 10):
1. 76-Justin Harrington (1,539)
2. 19-Matt Fernsler (-149)
3. 7L-Chase Layser (-248)
4. 44x-Alex Lukacs (-306)
5. 26c-Mike Coen (-480)
6. 7d-Chris Dolan (-532)
7. 11h-Holden Eckman (-549)
8. 44-Riley Simmons (-589)
9. 82-John Maurer (-649)
10. 26-Tyler Martin (-664)