By Kasey Kreider
The wingless portion of the Labor Day Shootout at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway never fails to produce thrills, spills, and plenty of drama. The 2021 edition of the race would check all of those boxes, and as the clock struck midnight, signifying the end of the greatest racing weekend of the year, four drivers would be celebrating on the frontstretch as well-deserved winners of the Labor Day Shootout. Scott Neary would dominate the night in the All Star Slingshots’ final appearance of 2021 at the Clyde. Steven Snyder, Jr. made it back-to-back Hyper Racing Wingless 600 victories at the Clyde, winning the 30-lapper in a runaway. Dakota Barlet kept a recent hot streak going by surviving the chaos and a last-corner challenge by Dan Lane, Jr. to win the wingless 270 A-Main. And Chase Layser concluded the night by holding off a frantic charge from T. J. Greve, including another last-corner pass, to win the wingless 125/4 Stroke feature.
The All Star Slingshots’ fourth and final appearance of 2021 would feature an 11-car field for a 15-lap feature. Josh Roth and Cooper Schoenly would start from the front row, but the favorite for the night seemed to be 4th-of-July winner Scott Neary, who was fastest in warmups and won the heat race, but would start fifth.
Roth would take the lead over the first few circuits, but it would only be a matter of time before the All Star Slingshot world champion would make his way toward the front. In turns 1 and 2 on lap 4, Neary would pull to the inside of Roth, and take over the advantage as the field raced back down the backstretch. Neary would have to endure two restarts during the race, the latter of which saw Nolen Layser as his new challenger on the outside. But Layser wouldn’t be able to hang with the leader, and by the time defending Labor Day Shootout winner Taylor Mills worked his way to second from tenth on the grid, it was too late for him to close.
Neary would take the win by 2.197 seconds over Mills, while also turning the race’s quick lap of 13.059 seconds. Pink Out Night and Speedweek race winner Kyle Herve would finish in third, with John Schantz and Brent Schantz rounding out the top five.
Scott Neary drove from fifth to first in less than four laps to take the victory in the final All Star Slingshot race of the season at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The Hyper Racing Wingless 600s would be next up, and the quick timer of time trials, Nick Skias, would find himself starting in the pole position. Tommy Kunsman would be on his outside, with heat race winners Kyle Lick and Steven Snyder, Jr. being split by Alex Ruppert to complete the top five starting spots. The other heat race winners were Bobby Butler, Bradley Brown, and Billy Koch. However, while Butler and Brown were able to start together on row 4, Koch would see his car have an issue and come to a stop during the four-wide salute, causing him to fall out of the race from his original tenth starting position. That would allow the rest of the field from there on back to move up a spot, including the fastest driver in warmups, Marty Brian, who would now start 17th.
Skias would bust away to the lead on a fast racetrack, but the battling would be hot and heavy behind him, with Kunsman and Snyder, Jr. trading sliders on each other for the runner-up spot. That battling allowed Skias to open up a nearly three-second lead on the field prior to the race’s first caution on lap 6. The battle for second would continue on the restart, and that was when disaster struck, as Kunsman and Snyder, Jr. got together on the frontstretch, sending Kunsman spinning and facing backwards in front of the rest of the field in turn 1. There would be nowhere for Lick, Saturday night’s winner T. J. Greve, defending Labor Day Shootout winner Alex Bright, or Mitchell Bard to go, as they piled up in turn 1 with Bard being tipped upside down. All drivers would be okay, but all five would have to retire from the event, with Cody West joining them after suffering a flat tire from contact in the melee.
T. J. Greve (No. 24t), Kyle Lick (No. 11z), Mitchell Bard (No. 7b), and Alex Bright (No. R7) were among the drivers collected in a lap 7 plieup during the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
With several contenders being taken out, the attention would shift to those still left in the race, as Skias and Snyder, Jr. would restart on the front row with Ruppert and Butler directly behind. Snyder, Jr. would take his first swing at the lead in turn 4, but Skias would be able to get back under before another caution flew. On the next restart though, Snyder, Jr. would get the lead for good, as Skias jumped the berm and scrubbed the guardrail in turns 1 and 2. That would allow Snyder, Jr., Butler, Brown, and 24th-place starter Tyler Ulrich to all get past with relative ease before Nick Groff’s wild flip in turn 4 would slow the action one more time.
As the race wore on, it became clear that Snyder, Jr. had the dominant car, as he would scamper away on that restart and the few that followed as the race began to get into a rhythm. After flattening two right rear tires due to wall contact yesterday, the drama would primarily be focused on whether Snyder, Jr. could continue to run inches from the wall without making a race-losing mistake. Lapped traffic would prove to be a factor as well, but Snyder, Jr.’s multiple-second advantage would keep him safe from any legitimate challenge. As the white flag flew and Snyder, Jr. began the final lap, it appeared that the win might have been in the bag. But the white flag would soon be drowned out by white smoke, as Jacob Fisher suffered a massive engine expiration coming down the frontstretch, forcing a caution to come out. The newly-minted Action Track USA champion would have to endure a one-lap shootout with Butler directly behind. As Snyder, Jr. led the field to the green and white flags into turn 3, Butler would jump to the high side, trying to build up as much momentum as he could on the restart. But the No. 21s was just too strong, as he’d move to the top of turns 1 and 2 with a three-car length lead still in hand, in position to cruise home to the checkers.
The Rising Sun, MD driver followed up his USAC night Hyper Racing Wingless 600 win with a Labor Day Shootout triumph, coming home 0.718 seconds in front of Butler and turning the race’s fastest lap of 10.309 seconds. Butler would have to settle for second for a second time in 2021, with Brown, Ulrich, and Skias rounding out the top five finishers.
Steven Snyder, Jr. held off Bobby Butler on a one-lap dash to the finish to take the win in the Labor Day Shootout for the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The wingless 270 feature would have quick-timer and heat race winner T. J. Greve starting from the front row with Billy Logeman on his outside. Jason Swavely, who was fastest in warmups, and Saturday night’s winner Nick Skias, also a heat race victor earlier in the night, would complete the front two rows. Anthony Yerger, Nick Walton, and Toby Blumenshine won the other heat races and would all roll off inside the top ten.
An aborted start would see troubles strike the third-place starter, as Swavely would break and come to a stop after only a few seconds of green flag racing. The issues for Swavely would move Brent Shearer to the outside of the second row for take two at the start, and the race would get underway for good with Greve taking the early lead. However, Skias would move into second and work to keep putting pressure on Greve through the early laps of the race. An early green flag run saw the leaders hit lapped traffic, and Skias would try to capitalize as Greve got hung up on a few occasions. However, Greve would stave off the challenges and lead most of the first half of the race until disaster struck on lap 15. Greve’s car would slow and come to a stop in turn 1, and with the car unable to refire, the driver with two wins already on the weekend wouldn’t get to add a third in the 270s. That would give Skias the lead, and move Logeman back to second for the restart, setting the stage for what would turn out to be a frenzied second half.
Skias would lead early on after the restart, but it was clear that Logeman would not go away quietly. The pilot of the No. 75 would stay within about a second of Skias over the course of the run, giving him an opportunity to close back in when the leaders hit traffic in the closing laps. When Skias got bottled up in lapped traffic with seven laps to go, Logeman pounced, taking over the lead of the race. But the battle was still far from over, and as the drivers fought for the top spot, they would race nearly dead even under the flag stand with two laps remaining. As the leaders raced off of turn 2, Skias would pull back to the inside with a head of momentum, and as they battled side-by-side down the backstretch, they would run out of racetrack. Logeman would hit the outside wall and be sent into a pirouette, with third-place runner Walton collecting him as Logeman’s car came back down to earth. Thankfully, Logeman would be okay, but he would express his displeasure with Skias as the field circulated under caution.
With the second and third place cars out of the picture, Shearer, Logeman’s teammate, would inherit the runner-up position for the single-file restart that was to come. As the field raced off of turn 4 on the restart, Shearer would put the front bumper to the back of the No. 3s, sending Skias spinning at the exit of the corner. As a result, Shearer would be black-flagged and disqualified, and when all the dust settled, Dakota Barlet would find himself as the new race leader, with Dan Lane, Jr. and Josh Stoyer the first two cars directly behind. Barlet, who had already picked up a wingless 600 win at Linda’s on Friday night, found himself a green-white-checkered finish away from perhaps the biggest win of his career so far. He would lead Lane, Jr. through the first lap after the restart, and hold the advantage as he worked through turns 1 and 2 for the final time. But Lane, Jr. would get a run off of turn 2 and send it in on the bottom of turn 3 from two car lengths back, trying to make a slider stick for the win. The move would clear Barlet’s car, but Barlet would have all the momentum to drive down the hill, drive under Lane, Jr., and drive back to see the checkered flag first.
Barlet’s final margin of victory over Lane, Jr. would be 0.238 seconds, as Barlet would pick up his first Lanco win in style. Stoyer would complete the top three and turned the race’s fastest lap of 11.149 seconds while moonlighting in Mike Skias’ No. 8s. Pat Bealer and Richie Hartman would round out the top five finishers.
Dakota Barlet survived a slide job attempt from Dan Lane, Jr. in the final corner to pick up his first Lanco victory in the Labor Day Shootout for the wingless 270s. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The wingless 125/4 Stroke feature would be last on the weekend, and would see the fastest driver in both warmups and time trials in Chase Layser starting from the pole position. On his outside would be Saturday night’s winner and the winner of a heat from earlier in the night, T. J. Greve, with Andrew Rothermel and the other heat race winner John Maurer completing the first two rows.
Layser, who had been fast but fought through some issues with the car in Saturday night’s feature, showed similar speed in the race’s early stages. His dominance early on also looked similar to the most recent wingless 125/4 Stroke feature back on the 4th-of-July, when Layser drove from the back to the front and pulled away, only to lose a chain and be passed by Greve coming to the finish line. By a lap 10 caution, Layser had built up a nearly three-second advantage while ripping the high side. But when the race got back underway, Layser wasn’t able to pull away quite as much as before. Greve was able to stay within about a second for most of the run, with Maurer right in tow. As was a theme for the evening, the race for the win appeared destined to come down to lapped traffic.
Layser’s car would be strong on the top, but would struggle when forced to go to the inside lane. That would allow Greve to close the gap in lapped traffic, and the battle for the lead would begin. Greve would take over the top spot with four laps remaining, but the battle would rage on as Layser would counter with a move back. Layser would lead at the stripe with two laps remaining, and would see the white flag out in front as well with more lapped traffic dead ahead. As the leaders sprinted off into turn 3, Greve and Layser would split the two lapped cars while Greve tried to pull a slide job on Layser for the win. Greve would make slight contact with the lapper, but would complete the pass. However, just as Dakota Barlet had done to Dan Lane, Jr. in the wingless 270 feature, Layser would turn down the hill, get the drive off, and beat Greve back to take the checkered flag and conclude another wild finish.
Layser’s final margin of victory over Greve would be 0.185 seconds, as Layser would pick up his fourth win of the season. Maurer would finish third after trying to close in late, and he set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 11.563 seconds. Chris Dolan would finish fourth, with Sam Borger completing the top five.
Chase Layser came out on top after battling T. J. Greve in lapped traffic to pick up a Labor Day Shootout win in the wingless 125/4 Strokes. (Photo Courtesy of Brandon Worthington/Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Next Saturday, September 11th, will be First Responders Night at the Clyde Presented by Glick Fire Equipment. As we race on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, all first responders with proper identification will receive free general admission to the night’s racing action. All four weekly divisions of racing will be back in action for the second-to-last points race of the season. Gates will open at 4:30, with warmups and racing set to begin at 6:00. With only a few more chances to catch racing at the Clyde in 2021, come out on Saturday night to honor our first responders and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!
Results:
All Star Slingshots A-Main (15 Laps):
1. 1s-Scott Neary
2. M10-Taylor Mills
3. 5s-Kyle Herve
4. 8-John Schantz
5. 14b-Brent Schantz
6. 12-Josh Roth
7. 3L-Nolen Layser
8. 55a-Amanda Angstadt
9. 73-Cooper Schoenly
10. 32-Brett Bieber (DNF)
11. 56-Andrew Turpin (DNF)
Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main (30 Laps):
1. 21s-Steven Snyder, Jr.
2. 4b-Bobby Butler
3. 23-Bradley Brown
4. 42u-Tyler Ulrich
5. 7-Nick Skias
6. 39x-Richie Hartman
7. 15-Marty Brian
8. 5x-Alex Ruppert
9. 11h-Holden Eckman
10. 17-Brent Ely
11. 54-Dakota Barlet
12. 9x-Nigel Standish
13. 2s-Zack Bealer (-1L)
14. 3d-Shjon Dove (-1L)
15. 22c-Josh Conover (DNF)
16. 65z-Jacob Fisher (DNF)
17. 71-Brian Kramer (DNF)
18. 14g-Connor Gross (DNF)
19. 53-Toby Blumenshine (DNF)
20. 16-Nick Groff (DNF)
21. 21c-Mason Peters (DNF)
22. 117-Cody West (DNF)
23. 21k-Tommy Kunsman (DNF)
24. 24t-T. J. Greve (DNF)
25. 11z-Kyle Lick (DNF)
26. R7-Alex Bright (DNF)
27. 7b-Mitchell Bard (DNF)
DNS: 66-Billy Koch
Wingless 270 A-Main (30 Laps):
1. 54-Dakota Barlet
2. 29j-Dan Lane, Jr.
3. 8s-Josh Stoyer
4. 27o-Pat Bealer
5. 39x-Richie Hartman
6. 12r-Brandon Heist
7. 21-Toby Blumenshine
8. 21h-Matt Hoffman
9. 76-Aiden Svanda
10. 22-Clinton Hauser
11. 69-Alex Funari
12. 16t-Nick Walton
13. 13s-Charles Hellinger (-1L)
14. 44x-Tommy Rinck (-1L)
15. 96w-Chase Walker (-1L)
16. 99k-Chad Kreiser (-2L)
DNF: 3s-Nick Skias
DNF: 75-Billy Logeman
DNF: 4L-Ben Layser
DNF: 23k-Courtney Kupp
DNF: 00-Patrick Kelly
DNF: 52T-T. J. Greve
DNF: 5a-Anthony Yerger
DNF: 26-Corey Schmuck, Jr.
DNF: 11x-Brian Heist
DNF: 14-Jason Swavely
DQ: 76b-Brent Shearer
Wingless 125/4 Stroke A-Main (30 Laps):
1. 7L-Chase Layser
2. 1st-T. J. Greve
3. 82-John Maurer
4. 7d-Chris Dolan
5. 04-Sam Borger
6. 44-Riley Simmons
7. 26-Tyler Martin
8. 78-Jarrid Hellinger (-1L)
9. 78c-Charles Hellinger (-1L)
10. 17-Masen Stapleton (-1L)
11. 34-Dominic Schlager (-2L)
12. 7a-Noah Martin (-2L)
13. 15q-Quinn Llewellyn (-3L)
14. 17e-Easton Miller (-4L)
15. 57k-Blaire Schoenly (DNF)
16. 73-Andrew Rothermel (DNF)
17. 3h-Corey Harting (DNF)
DNS: 11h-Holden Eckman
DQ: 76-Brent Shearer