By Kasey Kreider

After a week off to relax and recharge, the stars and cars of Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway returned to the Newmanstown eighth-mile for another fast and frantic night of racing. After all active and former military members in attendance were honored and recognized at intermission, the on-track action prepared to ratchet up. And once again, five different drivers took victories in the five weekly divisions, with one driver scoring their first Lanco win and two others picking up their first checkered flag of 2022.

Former Winged 600 track champion Chris Gerhart got past Holden Eckman in lapped traffic to deny Eckman his first 600 win and snap a winless streak dating back to the end of the 2020 season in the Hyper Racing Winged 600 A-Main. Chris Dolan got past Dylan Yeingst in the closing laps and then held off Chase Layser on the final restart to finally break through for his first Lanco victory in the 125/4 Stroke class. Steven Snyder, Jr. put on another clinic in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s, leading all 25 laps en route to his fourth total victory of the season. Anthony Yerger picked up his first win of 2022 in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsmans, charging his way from the eighth starting spot. And Bradley Brown took the Gold Rush No. 82 back to the winner’s circle, holding off Andrew Dietrich for the 270 victory.

Holden Eckman had finished second on the opening points night and had shown race-winning speed all season as he continued his search for his first Hyper Racing Winged 600 victory. It looked as if this weekend was shaping up to be his night, as he would start on pole for the 25-lap feature. To his outside was Chris Gerhart, the 2010 track champ who had last won in the final race of the 2020 season, but had been plagued with copious amounts of bad luck in the year and a half of racing since.

As fate would have it, those two drivers would be the main challengers for the win on this evening, and Eckman would break away off the start and begin to build up a sizable lead. Gerhart was left to battle for second with Brian Kramer, and the two drivers dueled for the runner-up spot for several laps, allowing Eckman to grow his advantage to up around two seconds before Gerhart finally got clear.

It was smooth sailing for Eckman for the race’s first half, but in a green-running race with 17 cars in the field, lapped traffic soon became Eckman’s biggest obstacle. The Landisville, PA driver’s once large advantage got erased in the matter of a few laps, as Eckman got caught behind lapped cars racing side-by-side, while the battles had sorted themselves out by the time Gerhart got there.

By the time Gerhart closed up to Eckman, he seemed a little quicker than the driver of the No. 11H, running the middle of the speedway, about a lane lower than where Eckman was running up against the guardrail. Eckman’s costly error came with four laps to go, as he got sucked into the guardrail in turns 1 and 2 and scrubbed against it through the corner, allowing Gerhart and Nick Skias to get past uncontested. Eckman tried to battle back to at least get second, but the damage had been done. For Gerhart, the top spot was his, and this would be the night where the monkey finally fell off of his back.

After four minutes and 44 seconds of green flag racing, the Bechtelsville, PA driver made it two straight wins for West Fab Chassis, and joined his good buddy Brent Ely in snapping a lengthy winless drought. After a tumultuous start to the season, Skias finally got things back on track in his own right, coming home second, while Eckman was forced to settle for a competitive but disappointing third. Bradley Brown extended his early season points lead with a fourth-place result, and Kramer completed the top five.

Heat races were won by Skias and Brown.

Chris Gerhart got past Holden Eckman with four laps to go to take home the victory of the Hyper Racing Winged 600 A-Main. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

Dylan Yeingst won his heat race earlier in the evening and found himself starting on the pole for the 125/4 Stroke feature. With the top spot in hand, Yeingst had an opportunity to visit Lanco’s victory lane for the first time, but it would be Chris Dolan, another driver in search of his first win at the speedway, challenging Yeingst in a classic battle.

After a few quick cautions, Dolan had moved up to third, and on the restart dispatched of Alyssa Holmes, who won the other heat race and was having the best night of her young career to date. What followed was a fascinating, nose-to-tail dog fight that lasted the better part of the next 15 laps. Dolan pulled to the back bumper of Yeingst on several occasions but struggled to find a way past as Yeingst kept an extremely tidy line through the corners. Dolan began backing up the corners in an effort to get a straight and fast run off the exit, but the move nearly put Dolan into the clutches of Mike Coen, who hounded the front two through the entire run.

With eight laps to go, Dolan finally got the run he needed to poke to the inside and perhaps complete the pass entering turn 3. However as he did, the caution waved for Dylan Holmes’ stopped vehicle in turn 1. Dolan would have a chance on a double-file restart, but would have to set up Yeingst all over again.

On the restart, Dolan again got the run he needed entering turn 3, and the two drivers raced side-by-side off the corner and back to the start-finish line, with Dolan eeking out Yeingst by .007 seconds. That slight advantage proved to be crucial, as the caution came out on the following lap, reverting the scoring back to the last completed lap where Dolan had just barely led.

But Dolan needed to face one more challenge before heading to victory lane, coming in the form of Chase Layser, who was looking to make it a three-peat in the 125/4 Stroke division. Layser got to second on the restart, and needed a caution to have any chance of taking the win away from Dolan. He got his wish with two laps to go, when Justin Harrington went for a flip in turn 3. A single-file restart came next, and Layser stayed glued to the tail tank of the No. 7D through the opening lap, giving Dolan a little nudge through turns 1 and 2.

But after coming close earlier in the year, the one that got away came back to Dolan on this evening, as last year’s rookie of the year would fend off the challenge and hold on to score Lanco win number one. Layser’s run for three-in-a-row came one spot short, with Matt Fernsler putting in another solid result in third. Billy Logeman extended his points lead with a fourth-place result, and Yeingst capped off his outstanding drive with a fifth-place finish.

Yeingst and Alyssa Holmes were the two heat race winners for the evening.

Chris Dolan outdueled Dylan Yeingst and Chase Layser to take his first win at the Clyde in the 125/4 Stroke feature. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

Tyler Ulrich started on pole for the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 feature and looked to turn weeks of solid runs into his first podium of the year. But Steven Snyder, Jr. started to his outside, and looked poised to return to victory lane after returning from racing in Indiana.

Snyder, Jr. took the top spot on the opening lap and put just about the distance between Rising Sun, MD and Newmanstown, PA on the field prior to a caution on lap 13. North Carolina hot shoe Eli Adams had slotted in second and saw his five-second deficit get erased by the yellow, giving him an opportunity to restart on the front row. Meanwhile, Bobby Butler had moved from sixth to third and looked poised to pounce on the front two. Butler got past Adams on the restart and put the No. 21s in his crosshairs for the remainder of the race.

The battle for the win came down to restarts, as Butler tried his hardest to get a run off the top side of the speedway through turns 3 and 4 so that he could make a move in 1 and 2. Snyder, Jr. ran the middle lane on the starts, guarding against a quick slider but still giving him enough momentum to fend off a challenge in the next corner.

Butler’s closest attempt at taking the lead came on the second-to-last restart, as he dive-bombed to the inside of turns 1 and 2 and stopped just short of wiping Snyder, Jr. out off of the corner. The two drivers who had combined for all the Wingless 600 wins in 2022 would have one final restart to settle it with four laps to go, but Snyder, Jr. fired off much cleaner this time, not allowing Butler to get close enough to challenge.

Snyder, Jr.’s victory would be his fourth of the season and third in Wingless 600 competition, while Butler’s second-place result allowed him to take over the points lead by six markers over Bradley Brown. Ryan Groff followed up his Friday night win at Linda’s with a third-place result, while Ulrich and Brown rounded out the top five.

Butler and Brown picked up the heat race victories.

Steven Snyder, Jr. grabbed the lead from the outside pole and never looked back en route to grabbing his third Hyper Racing Wingless 600 win of the season. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

Michael Spadafora and Robert Shanaman made up the front row for the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman feature. After a few opening lap cautions and an eventual red flag for track work, the race finally got into rhythm, with Spadafora leading Shanaman and Dustin Geib over the first handful of laps. Spadafora led the race’s first 10 circuits, but on lap 11, Shanaman made his move to the outside, bypassing Spadafora on the frontstretch and taking over the top spot. Geib and Anthony Yerger, the eighth-place starter who was making the most progress through the field, followed suit and began to have a battle of their own for second.

Right before a caution, Geib and Yerger made contact off of turn 2, cutting down the left rear tire on Geib’s machine and forcing him to drop out of the race. His misfortune moved Yerger to second, with only Shanaman standing in his way.

Despite a rough start to the season, Shanaman showed strength out in front, and kept a clean and tidy line, making it difficult for Yerger to get around. Yerger would come close with a few laps to go, as he dove inside and ran wheel-to-wheel with Shanaman, trying to find the edge. Shanaman held off the challenge though and cleared back to the lead, and as he came out of turn 4 for the final time, it would be Shanaman seeing the checkers first for what appeared to be his first Lanco win.

However, the win for Shanaman was short-lived, as his car was unable to pass post-race tech and would be disqualified, allowing Yerger to inherit the victory for his first win of the season. Kyle Lindsey picked up a career-best finish of second, while Max Fasnacht continued his stellar season with another third-place finish and took command of the points lead. Courtney Kupp and Dave Williams rounded out the top five.

Heat races were won by Shanaman, Ryan Heckman, and Toby Blumenshine.

Anthony Yerger drove his way up from the eighth starting spot to grab his first Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman win of the 2022 season. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

The 270 feature was the last one for the evening, and would have Bradley Brown on pole with Pete Skias, a winner at Linda’s on Friday night, starting to the outside. The first few laps saw the top three cars all run distinct lines through the corner, with Brown on the high side, Pete Skias in the middle, and Nick Skias on the bottom. Pistol Pete hounded The Highsider and was able to make the pass for the lead, but a caution came out on the same lap, negating the move.

Brown would have a better go of it on the restart, as he built up a bit of a cushion over the Skias family over the course of a long green flag run. Lapped traffic proved to be a factor once again, and Brown’s calculated moves through the lappers were crucial to keeping his lead. Nick Skias continued battling Pete Skias for second and eventually made the pass. But with six laps remaining, Nick made contact with one of the lapped cars in turn 3, sending him spinning and resetting the field for a final run to the checkers.

But issues would spread to the elder Skias as well, as Pete broke from second on the restart. Another caution flew, and this time it was Andrew Dietrich who lined up in second, looking to challenge and perhaps steal the win. Over the final six laps, Brown stayed committed to running the razor’s edge that was the top side, while Dietrich found clean air and speed running around the bottom. Ultimately, Dietrich’s efforts wouldn’t be enough to get past, and this time, there would be no cruel twist of fate to take away the win from Brown and the Gold Rush Racing Team.

Brown took the No. 82 back to victory lane, scoring a win that held even more significance after the passing of car owner Gary Miller several weeks before. In victory lane, Brown called it one of the biggest wins of his career, and it had been a long time coming. Dietrich’s nice drive through the field ended in second, with Mike Rutherford, Mike Skias, and Dave Labe rounding off the top five. Nick Skias rebounded for a sixth-place finish, allowing him to take over the points lead.

Heat races were won by Mike Skias and Jason Swavely.

Bradley Brown held off Andrew Dietrich to seal the deal and grab the victory for the Gold Rush Racing Team in the 270 feature. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

Next Saturday, June 18th will be the Father’s Day Eve Special at the Clyde. In honor of Father’s Day, general admission for all dads in attendance will be only $5. It will be another regular points night with all five weekly classes. Gates will open at 4:30, with warmups and racing beginning at 6:00. There’s no better way to spend your special day with dad than at the racetrack, so be sure to come out to the Clyde next Saturday night to LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!

Results:

Hyper Racing Winged 600 A-Main (25 Laps):

1. 51-Chris Gerhart[2]; 2. 7-Nick Skias[4]; 3. 11H-Holden Eckman[1]; 4. 23-Bradley Brown[9]; 5. 71-Brian Kramer[3]; 6. 12-Tyler Brehm[10]; 7. 52T-Thomas Greve Jr[5]; 8. 17-Brent Ely[7]; 9. 11Z-Zachary Light[8]; 10. 95-Eli Adams[12]; 11. 2S-Michael Rutherford[13]; 12. 2K-Nathan Miller[6]; 13. 16T-Joseph Timmins[15]; 14. 15J-Joshua Bortz[18]; 15. 75-Mark Yoder[17]; 16. 1-Will Urkuski[16]; 17. 5A-Anthony Yerger[14]; 18. 14-Jason Swavely[11]; 19. (DNS) 87C-Cecelia Perrotti

125/4 Stroke A-Main (25 Laps):

1. 7D-Chris Dolan[5]; 2. 7L-Chase Layser[7]; 3. 19-Matt Fernsler[9]; 4. 76B-Billy Logeman[11]; 5. 112-Dylan Yeingst[1]; 6. 16-Steve Simmons[8]; 7. 44-Riley Simmons[4]; 8. 26C-Michael Coen[6]; 9. 32-Michael Hoffmaster[21]; 10. 15H-Don Hess[16]; 11. 67-Cooper Schoenly[13]; 12. 76-Justin Harrington[10]; 13. 15-Alyssa Holmes[2]; 14. 78C-Sara Borror[18]; 15. 14-Seth Gregory[17]; 16. 6X-Chance Thomas[19]; 17. 73-Andrew Rothermel[14]; 18. 81-Dylan Holmes[20]; 19. 20J-Jarrid Hellinger[15]; 20. 17-Masen Stapleton[3]; 21. 9M-Noah Martin[22]; 22. (DQ) 82-John Maurer[12]

Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main (25 Laps):

1. 21S-Steven Snyder Jr[2]; 2. 5B-Bobby Butler[6]; 3. 03-Ryan Groff[8]; 4. 42U-Tyler Ulrich[1]; 5. 23-Bradley Brown[4]; 6. 14G-Connor Gross[15]; 7. 3D-Shjon Dove[10]; 8. 5BX-Ryan Boyd[12]; 9. 1F-James Fries[9]; 10. 95-Eli Adams[3]; 11. 75-Brevan Rothermel[14]; 12. 2K-Nathan Miller[11]; 13. 28-Gunnar Pio[5]; 14. 71-Brian Kramer[7]; 15. 2SX-Garyt Smith[13]

Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman A-Main (25 Laps):

1. 5A-Anthony Yerger[8]; 2. 28-Kyle Lindsey[4]; 3. 20-Max Fasnacht[9]; 4. 23K-Courtney Kupp[15]; 5. 21D-Dave Williams[13]; 6. 9G-Jamie Flickinger[17]; 7. 31-Tyler Martin[18]; 8. 16-Brianne Cronrath Wittmer[5]; 9. 8-Michael Spadafora[1]; 10. 53S-Shannon Slaughter[16]; 11. 21V-David Ravel[11]; 12. 53-Jared St John[20]; 13. 22-Clinton Hauser[14]; 14. 19-Wes Fasnacht[19]; 15. 30-Ryan Heckman[6]; 16. 11-Dustin Geib[3]; 17. 21-Toby Blumenshine[7]; 18. 5-Bret Cronrath[10]; 19. 13B-Matthew Yoh[22]; 20. 14-Jason Swavely[12]; 21. 11S-Drew Swinehart[21]; 22. (DQ) 15-Robert Shannaman[2]

270 A-Main (25 Laps):

1. 82-Bradley Brown[1]; 2. 88D-Andrew Dietrich[7]; 3. 27O-Mike Rutherford[9]; 4. 8S-Mike Skias[6]; 5. 1L-Dave Labe[11]; 6. 3S-Nick Skias[3]; 7. 21D-Dave Williams[4]; 8. 96W-Chase Walker[12]; 9. 4-Dylan Pence[14]; 10. 34-Christi Sweigart[17]; 11. 5A-Anthony Yerger[16]; 12. 23K-Courtney Kupp[15]; 13. 3-Pete Skias[2]; 14. 00-Daniel Jones[19]; 15. 21-Toby Blumenshine[18]; 16. 52T-TJ Greve[8]; 17. 95-Bennett Skelton[10]; 18. (DNS) 48-Jonah Meck; 19. (DNS) 92-Jason Swavely