By Kasey Kreider

You’ll be hard-pressed to find too many better ways to celebrate a 4th of July holiday weekend than at the racetrack with friends and family. That was proven by the turnout of fans for Sunday night’s Sunday Funday/4th of July Spectacular at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, as a packed house watched on intently through four thrilling divisions of racing action.

But ask most any driver, and they’ll probably tell you that there’s no better way to celebrate the 4th of July weekend than in victory lane. Four drivers got to do just that when the dust cleared and the smoke settled. Billy Logeman made an early pass for the lead and then held on the rest of the way to take home the win in the 270 feature. For the second straight year, Christian Bruno snatched victory from the hands of Steven Snyder, Jr., this time after Snyder, Jr. crashed with a lapped car in the late stages, to take victory in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s. The first-ever Wingless Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman race was a wild one, and Toby Blumenshine held off all comers to take his first win of the season. In the first appearance of the season for the Stage 1 Modifieds, C. J. Fritz took home the victory after methodically driving his way up from the fifth starting position.

North Carolina’s Matt Thompson started on the pole for the 30-lap A-Main in the 270s to kick off the evening. Thompson had some of Lanco’s finest in pursuit during the opening laps, but was able to hold them off through the first portion of the race. But it was after the race’s first caution that Billy Logeman began poking his nose into the fray. The fourth-place starter moved past Jonah Meck, then Andrew Dietrich, and then began trading the top spot with Thompson prior to the next caution on lap 10.

Thompson held the lead for the restart, but then Logeman made the move, as a big run out of turn 2 allowed him to dive to the bottom and squeeze by the No. 46T to take away the lead. From that point on, cautions became a steady theme for the race, allowing the leaders to not have to deal with any lapped traffic.

The only driver that seemed to have anything to challenge Logeman was defending 4th of July winner Mike Rutherford. That would have been a surprising statement to make prior to the A-Main, as Rutherford had motor issues all the way up until the B-Main, and had to start 20th for the feature. But Rutherford showed why he earned the nickname “The Master of the Micros,” as in just 13 laps, he had driven from that 20th starting spot to second, and he had Logeman in his sights for the rest of the race.

But Rutherford’s drive to the front could go no further. Logeman’s car simply was too strong out in front of the field, as he would build a gap of at least a few car lengths on each restart while keeping things nice and tidy on the bottom and getting a great drive off to pull away. A caution with three to go was the last gasp for any driver to challenge, but Logeman got another smooth restart to seal the deal.

An excited Logeman celebrated his first 270 win in a while at the Clyde in style, even attempting to do a celebratory donut on the frontstretch after the race. It was a meaningful win for the now 125/4 Stroke regular, as he took it over Rutherford in second and Tyler Reinhardt, who completed the podium in third. Lee Reinhardt and Matt Fernsler rounded out the top five.

The heat races were won by Lee Reinhardt, Corey Schmuck, Jr., and Jason Swavely, while Anthony Yerger won the B-Main.

After taking the lead on lap 10, Billy Logeman never looked back en route to picking up the win in the 270 A-Main. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

It was tune up night for the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s in preparation for the two-day Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek finale coming to the Clyde in three weeks. But there was still a $1,000 payday to be handed out to the winner of the evening’s feature. The night started with two flights of time trials to award passing points and set the lineup for the heats. Steven Snyder, Jr. was quickest in Flight A, while Cody West was quickest in Flight B and laid down the fastest overall lap among the 36 competitors.

Both Snyder, Jr. and West then started their heats from sixth, with the opportunity to score max points and start on the front row if they could win. Snyder, Jr. was able to do just that in his heat race, but West had a few struggles and could only come home with a fourth-place result as he watched Alex Ruppert win his heat race instead. That meant that Snyder, Jr. would start on pole for the feature, with other heat race winners Bobby Butler and Nick Skias joining him and Ruppert inside the top five starting spots. Fred Heinly and Kyler Heiney then won the two B-Mains, and the 26-car feature lineup was set.

The pole position start was a stark contrast from the year prior for Snyder, Jr., when he had to work his way to the front from 22nd. Snyder, Jr.’s dominance seemed poised to continue, as he pulled away on each early restart while fierce battling ensued behind him. Ruppert took the second spot away from Butler on the start, leaving Butler to battle Skias, Jason Swavely, and defending 4th of July winner Christian Bruno from third on back. Similar to last year, Bruno fell back a few spots at the start, dropping as far back as sixth after starting fourth.

A long green-flag run saw the front runners hit lapped traffic, and as Snyder, Jr. carved through, Butler was able to retake second from Ruppert before the caution flew again on lap 19. Snyder, Jr.’s two-plus second advantage was erased, and a battle that had been seen many times at the Clyde in 2022 looked poised to write another chapter over the final 12 laps.

On the restart, Butler went straight to the high side, with Snyder, Jr. staying down low. Butler got an excellent run off the corner and pulled alongside the No. 21s, beating him down into turn 1 for the lead. But when Ruppert and a charging Bradley Brown got together in turn 1, with Brown’s car going upside down, the caution flag flew, and a complete, single-file restart would follow with Snyder, Jr. back in the lead. Snyder, Jr. was ready for the move the next time, as they both went to the high side of turns 3 and 4, and Snyder, Jr. set sail, seemingly on his way to yet another victory.

But with seven laps to go, James Roselli’s car had an issue and came just about to a stop off the exit of turn 2 on the high side. Snyder, Jr. was committed to the high side of the track, and as Roselli tried to get out of the way, there was nowhere for the Rising Sun, MD native to go, as he clobbered into the back of the red No. 98 machine, busting up the front end of the No. 21s and forcing him out of the race in dramatic fashion.

The lead then turned over to Butler with Bruno, who had once again survived chaos and methodically driven back through the field, right on his tail for the restart. It would be single file with seven laps to go, and as Butler went back to the top, Bruno got essentially a perfect restart, shooting to the inside of turns 3 and 4 and giving him the opportunity to slide up and take the preferred line away from Butler through turns 1 and 2. Once he got to the lead, the Deptford, NJ driver set sail, and held on through the final laps to claim back-to-back 4th of July wins with another improbable late surge to the front.

Christian Bruno (No. 5) had a flawless final restart to snatch the lead away from Bobby Butler (No. 4B) and take home the win of the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

A car that had graced victory lane so many times with Heath Hehnly behind the wheel now got Lanco win number one with Bruno at the helm, while Butler was forced to settle for second once again, and Swavely completed the top three. Connor Gross and Ruppert rounded out the top five finishers.

After falling as far back as sixth, Christian Bruno rallied to make it back-to-back wins on 4th of July weekend at the Clyde in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

The first ever Wingless Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman race at the Clyde would be led to green by Ryan Heckman and Anthony Yerger. Over the first nine laps of the race, the action fluctuated somewhere between controlled chaos and sheer insanity. Two, three, and nearly four-wide racing at times was the norm at the front of the field, with Toby Blumenshine and Brandon Heist being the two drivers who charged their way toward the front prior to the race’s first yellow.

Soon though, the fastest driver on the speedway became Yerger, who was running up on the high side of the track while the leader, Blumenshine, ran the bottom. Yerger moved his way to second and began tracking down Blumenshine for the top spot. That battle would continue for the next several laps and through a few restarts, with Blumenshine occasionally moving up high but mostly staying to the bottom, and Yerger basically never coming off of the wall.

A restart with eight laps to go saw a crucial moment in the race, as Yerger got a great restart and was able to try a slide job into turns 1 and 2 for the lead. However, Yerger lost all of his momentum at the exit of the corner and got eaten up by the cars behind down the backstretch, causing him to fall all the way back to sixth.

From there, the battle renewed between the previous front two in Blumenshine and Heist. The two drivers who fought for the 270 No Wing Spring Fling win in 2021 would duke it out for the final seven laps after the restart. Blumenshine pulled away on the bottom, but Heist began to track him down on the top and was within striking distance on the final lap. But the Jonestown, PA driver needed maybe just one more lap to make something happen, as Blumenshine held on through the bottom of turns 3 and 4 to take the victory on the eve of his birthday.

After a season full of misfortune and bad luck, Blumenshine became the first-ever winner of a Wingless Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman race, with Heist and Shannon Slaughter completing the podium. Yerger was able to rally back up to fourth, and Randy West completed the top five.

The heat races were won by Blumenshine and Heist.

Toby Blumenshine held off Anthony Yerger and then Brandon Heist to win the first ever Wingless Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman feature at the Clyde. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

The final race of the night and the first of three for the Stage 1 Modifieds in 2022 saw Lawson Szerencits start from pole position with Jacob Bierman to his outside. Szerencits was strong in last year’s inaugural appearance and looked fast again on this night, as he held off Bierman and Johnny Fugelo in the opening laps. Last September’s winner Mike Glass was marching his way up from an eighth starting spot, but went for a spin on lap 5, effectively taking him out of the hunt for the win.

C. J. Fritz was among the drivers picking their way through the pack, as the fifth-place starter methodically got up to second and was pressuring Szerencits for the lead with under 10 laps to go. A. J. Gerhart and Colin Cox were also on the move, as those two drivers got into the top five after starting ninth and 12th, respectively.

With six laps to go, Fritz was able to get inside of Szerencits through turns 1 and 2, shuffling him up the racetrack and out of line and allowing him to take the lead. Cox followed to second, with Joel Smith working his way to the third position. After getting the lead, Fritz needed to endure a few restarts, the last of which came with two laps to go. But the car had looked strong in the heat race and proved that it had the muscle to hang on over the last few circuits.

Fritz took home the win over Cox and Smith, while Dylan Kontra and Mark Mohr completed the top five.

The heat races were won by Fritz, Bierman, and Gavyn Krupp.

C. J. Fritz made the winning pass on Lawson Szerencits with six laps to go on his way to winning the first Stage 1 Modified feature of the season at the Clyde. (Photo Courtesy of Keegan Simmons Photos)

This Saturday, July 9th will be a regular Saturday night points race at the Clyde, with all five divisions returning to action. However, we will also be having a quarter midget exhibition during intermission, allowing some of the future stars of our sport to turn some laps on the eighth-mile. Gates will open at 4:30, with warmups and racing beginning at 6:00. As we crest into the second half of the season, it’s never too late to come out and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!

Results:

270 A-Main (30 Laps):

1. 76-Billy Logeman[4]; 2. 27O-Mike Rutherford[20]; 3. 14R-Tyler Reinhardt[5]; 4. 4R-Lee Reinhardt[9]; 5. 19-Matt Fernsler[14]; 6. 3-Pete Skias[10]; 7. 5A-Anthony Yerger[19]; 8. 96W-Chase Walker[22]; 9. 48-Jonah Meck[2]; 10. 21D-Dave Williams[11]; 11. 23K-Courtney Kupp[17]; 12. 95-Bennett Skelton[6]; 13. 1L-Katelyn Vragovich[18]; 14. 14D-Daniel Wright Jr[23]; 15. 3Y-Zachary Young[15]; 16. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[7]; 17. 46T-Matt Thompson[1]; 18. 88D-Andrew Dietrich[3]; 19. 72-Jonathan John[16]; 20. 14-Jason Swavely[8]; 21. 15-Alex Swift[12]; 22. 39X-Austin Mieczkowski[21]; 23. 4-Dylan Pence[13]; 24. 91-Jack Redcay[24]

Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main (30 Laps):

1. 5-Christian Bruno[4]; 2. 4B-Bobby Butler[2]; 3. 14S-Jason Swavely[7]; 4. 14-Connor Gross[12]; 5. 5A-Alex Ruppert[3]; 6. 99-Cliff Brian Jr[10]; 7. Z17-Michael Nolf[14]; 8. 10X-Reese Nowotarski[6]; 9. 22H-Fred Heinly[19]; 10. 08-Dominic Schmidt[18]; 11. 5X-Ryan Boyd[26]; 12. 50K-Jack Koponen[16]; 13. 15T-Maddie Boyd[24]; 14. 22-Kyler Heiney[20]; 15. 3D-Shjon Dove[17]; 16. 21S-Steven Snyder Jr[1]; 17. 50-Jacob Severn[22]; 18. 98-James Roselli[8]; 19. 23-Bradley Brown[9]; 20. 7-Nick Skias[5]; 21. 16-Marty Brian[13]; 22. M85-Hunter Metzger[25]; 23. 1F-James Fries[21]; 24. 19J-Jackson White[15]; 25. 117-Cody West[11]; 26. Z29-Evan Nolf[23]

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

1. 21-Toby Blumenshine[5]; 2. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[3]; 3. 53S-Shannon Slaughter[13]; 4. 5A-Anthony Yerger[2]; 5. 21D-Randy West[7]; 6. 28-Kyle Lindsey[4]; 7. 31-Tyler Martin[8]; 8. 21H-Matt Hoffman[11]; 9. 23K-Courtney Kupp[12]; 10. 8-Michael Spadafora[10]; 11. 53-Jared St John[14]; 12. 30-Ryan Heckman[1]; 13. 11-Dustin Geib[15]; 14. 11S-Drew Swinehart[9]; 15. 22-Clinton Hauser[6]; 16. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[16]

Stage 1 Modified A-Main (20 Laps):

1. 2-CJ Fritz[5]; 2. 59-Colin Cox[12]; 3. 9X-Joel Smith[10]; 4. 12K-Dylan Kontra[7]; 5. 20M-Mark Mohr[21]; 6. 9-Matt Mertz[4]; 7. 5K-Gavyn Krupp[6]; 8. 12-Lawson Szerencits[1]; 9. 78-Bierman JT[2]; 10. 18-Anthony Chrobak[19]; 11. 93-Chad Riddle[11]; 12. 88-Stephen Smith[15]; 13. 99-Fabian Cushman[22]; 14. S1-AJ Gerhart[9]; 15. 5TEEN-Johnny Fugelo[3]; 16. 6-Mike Glass[8]; 17. 18K-Jayda Cushman[14]; 18. 30-Robert Tete[18]; 19. 12X-Alexis Spatz[16]; 20. 57-Owen Cassel[13]; 21. 555-McKenzi Smith[20]; 22. 3-Alli Cushman[17]