By Kasey Kreider
The Clyde Martin Memorial once again provided the annual opportunity to remember all former members of the Lanco Micro Midget Club who are no longer with us. With 35-lap, double points-paying features and the big trophies to the winners, it once again served as the most prestigious race of the season. And as drivers competed with all of those factors in the back of their minds, the race known as “the granddaddy of them all” once again put on some spectacular on-track action.
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As an on-and-off competitor throughout the years at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, Alex Swift has always been a factor and a contender in the races that he competes in at the track, even if they are sometimes few and far between. This year, Swift set a goal of being eligible and being able to win this event, and the Bridgeport, NJ native did just that, holding off Jason Swavely for his first Clyde Martin Memorial triumph.
Several early cautions peppered the opening laps of the event. Swavely had been in front of Swift in their march through the field, but the No. 92 was called for jumping one of those restarts, which moved him back a row and put the Swift machine in front of him.
Swift eventually took the lead away from polesitter Alex Lukacs and Swavely followed suit behind him. As the race ran green through its middle stages, Swavely continued to stalk the Johnny Blanda Racing No. 15, and had a few peeks to the bottom on a couple of different occasions before the race’s final caution flew with nine laps to go.
But Swavely had to fend off a challenge from Josh Stoyer on the restart, and could never get within striking distance to make a move as Swift pulled the gap to four car lengths and set sail toward the victory.
“Just to know [Swavely] was behind me, it was just like, breathe, don’t screw up too much… you gotta stop leaving the door open because he’ll take it,” Swift said. “This is our third win here in this car, but it’s awesome.”
Swavely settled for second but opened up his points lead to 122 over Tommy Rinck with just five points races remaining. Stoyer capped off his run in Chuck Skias’ No. 3 with a third-place result, while Billy Logeman came from last to fourth and Kyle Lindsey rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 15-Alex Swift[9]; 2. 92-Jason Swavely[6]; 3. 3-Josh Stoyer[11]; 4. 270-Billy Logeman[23]; 5. 17-Kyle Lindsey[12]; 6. 32-Alex Lukacs[1]; 7. 34-Christi Sweigart[2]; 8. 4-Dylan Pence[7]; 9. 8S-Mike Skias[8]; 10. 11R-Tommy Rinck[13]; 11. 54-William Mohring[4]; 12. 28S-Brian Sholley[19]; 13. 1L-Dave Labe[10]; 14. 22-Clinton Hauser[21]; 15. 14C-Carter Weiant[15]; 16. 47X-Ernie Newmaster III[18]; 17. 21J-Josh Weiant[20]; 18. 3S-Nick Skias[16]; 19. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[17]; 20. 21D-Dave Williams[14]; 21. 5A-Anthony Yerger[5]; 22. 45O-Mike Rutherford[3]; 23. 91-Jack Redcay[22]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 15 Races):
1. 92-Jason Swavely[942]; 2. 11R-Tommy Rinck[-122]; 3. 17-Kyle Lindsey[-134]; 4. 8S-Mike Skias[-245]; 5. 34-Christi Sweigart[-262]
Alex Swift held off Jason Swavely to score his first Clyde Martin Memorial win in the 270s. (Photo Courtesy of Amy Williams/Amy’s Photos)
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman
As a two-time champion and past winner of the Labor Day Shootout, the big missing jewel on the crown for Bret Cronrath was this race, the Clyde Martin Memorial. But the driver who’s been king of the Sportsmans for the past couple of years finally checked it off the bucket list on Saturday night, as he took advantage of misfortune for Michael Spadafora before running away with the win.
Spadafora led from pole position and kept the defending track champion at bay for more than half of the race. The racing to watch was further back in the field, as Corey Schmuck, Jr. tried to rebound from an early incident by ripping the top side of the speedway, and the No. 26 quickly moved himself back into the top five and back into contention for the win.
But perhaps the defining moment of the event occurred with just ten laps to go, when Spadafora – who seemed to have control of the race – made contact with a lapped car entering turn 3 and spun sideways. It was heartbreak for the driver looking for his first career win in the biggest race of the year. But it opened the door for Cronrath to take the lead.
Once Cronrath got into the clean air, it was game over for the rest of the field. Schmuck, Jr. tried to close once he got to the runner-up spot, but even a one-lap shootout to settle the race wouldn’t change the outcome in the battle for the win.
“I feel bad for Spadafora… out in clean air, I couldn’t touch him,” Cronrath said. “This was pretty cool. I know this one has a lot of tradition to it and I watched it growing up as a kid. So it’s pretty cool to get one now.”
Cronrath opened up his points lead to 79 over Josh Stoyer, who finished in fourth. Schmuck, Jr. and Dan Lane came home second and third, while Justin Harrington completed the top five.
Results:
1. 5-Bret Cronrath[3]; 2. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[8]; 3. 25X-Dan Lane Jr[5]; 4. 15-Josh Stoyer[12]; 5. 1J-Justin Harrington[9]; 6. 16P-Patrick Kirn[10]; 7. 77-Michael Kreiser[7]; 8. 28-Kyle Lindsey[14]; 9. 23K-Courtney Kupp[17]; 10. 20-Max Fasnacht[15]; 11. 2T-Doug Pearson[23]; 12. 31-Tyler Martin[2]; 13. 77J-Jade Smith[18]; 14. 19-Wes Fasnacht[20]; 15. 4W-Brandon Worthington[21]; 16. 8-Michael Spadafora[1]; 17. 30-Ryan Heckman[22]; 18. 54-Lisa Warren[19]; 19. 14M-Chelsey Moore[16]; 20. 53-Jared St John[11]; 21. 21D-Dave Williams[13]; 22. 21-Alex Lukacs[4]; 23. 21V-David Ravel[6]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 15 Races):
1. 5-Bret Cronrath[994]; 2. 15-Josh Stoyer[-79]; 3. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[-119]; 4. 25X-Dan Lane Jr[-229]; 5. 1J-Justin Harrington[-240]
Bret Cronrath led the final 10 circuits and triumphed in the Clyde Martin Memorial for the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsmans. (Photo Courtesy of Amy Williams/Amy’s Photos)
Hyper Racing Winged 600
Despite coming up just short in the 270 A-Main earlier in the evening, “The Rocketman” Jason Swavely would not be denied a Clyde Martin Memorial win, as he went back-to-back in the Hyper Racing Winged 600 division.
Swavely started on pole and pulled away to a sizeable margin in the early laps of the race. But the No. 14 rode around the guardrail through turns 1 and 2 and scrubbed off speed, allowing Bradley Brown to close in and take the lead after the two drivers traded slide jobs for a couple of laps.
Brown had the lead in hand coming back to a restart on lap 12, but as his No. 23 hammered down off of turn 4, the rear axle snapped in half on his machine. Brown found himself out of the race as a result, and Swavely was back in the lead.
Trouble then struck for second-place runner Nick Skias, as his car got up and into the wall in turn 3, and he was forced to pull into the infield with Jesse Maurer also being collected in the skirmish. That moved the Speedweek Finale winner Christian Bruno into the runner-up spot, and those two would go to war battling for the victory.
Bruno never let Swavely get out of his sights and pulled right to the tail tank of Swavely’s machine on a few separate occasions. It seemed as if lapped traffic could provide an opportunity, but it never developed, as the lapped cars stayed out of the way. Swavely was simply too strong on the top, and the defending track champion powered off the final turn to grab his fourth win of the year and second-straight Clyde Martin Memorial triumph.
“It’s a shame for Bradley, I think he would’ve had a very good shot of winning this race,” Swavely said. “But it’s part of racing, things happen… this is a very good points night for us, and to win this thing two years in a row, it feels great.”
Swavely led Bruno across the finish line by about four car lengths, and opened up his points lead to 169 over the Deptford, NJ native as a result. The battling from third on back was well behind the leaders, but was hot and heavy. Billy Logeman came out on top with the final podium spot, while Jarid Kunkle and Brent Ely rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 14-Jason Swavely[1]; 2. 5-Christian Bruno[4]; 3. 97-Billy Logeman[2]; 4. 75K-Jarid Kunkle[12]; 5. 17-Brent Ely[9]; 6. 5A-Anthony Yerger[6]; 7. 75-Mark Yoder[14]; 8. 15P-Christopher Panczner[18]; 9. 53S-Shannon Slaughter[15]; 10. 71-Brian Kramer[10]; 11. 11Z-Zachary Light[17]; 12. 0K-Pat Kelly[11]; 13. 66A-Marvin Albright[13]; 14. L13-Robert Potter[16]; 15. 3-Jesse Maurer[7]; 16. 88-Nick Skias[5]; 17. 23-Bradley Brown[3]; 18. 11H-Holden Eckman[8]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 15 Races):
1. 14-Jason Swavely[989]; 2. 5-Christian Bruno[-169]; 3. 23-Bradley Brown[-208]; 4. 97-Billy Logeman[-243]; 5. 88-Nick Skias[-289]
Jason Swavely kept Christian Bruno at bay to claim the win of the Hyper Racing Winged 600 Clyde Martin Memorial event. (Photo Courtesy of Amy Williams/Amy’s Photos)
125/4 Stroke
Chris Dolan has been no stranger to winning big races at the Clyde in recent years, and was looking to follow in Jason Swavely’s footsteps as a back-to-back winner of the Clyde Martin Memorial. But the way in which Dolan was able to repeat may have been what made it most impressive, as he methodically drove through the field in a race that only featured one caution flag in order to claim the win.
And that only caution flag flew on the race’s second circuit, setting up what would be a 34-lap green flag run to the checkers. Dolan was buried in the ninth position at the restart, and at one point found himself four seconds behind race leader Michael Hoffmaster.
But after getting through a few of the cars ahead, Dolan began running fast lap times and methodically went to work to pick off more cars. Dolan battled with third-place running Mike Coen for several laps before finally completing the pass. Then, with inside 10 laps to go, Dolan caught both Hoffmaster and Justin Harrington, as those three drivers all continued racing amongst lapped traffic.
A bold, inside move into turn 1 got Dolan into the runner-up spot, and the pilot of the No. 7D zeroed in on last year’s Winged Labor Day Shootout winner, as the two third-year drivers were left to fight for the win. Dolan got his chance to pull alongside the No. 32, and after a lap racing side-by-side, Dolan completed the pass with five laps to go and shot away to a remarkable win.
“I was sitting in the car [before the race] and I was like, ‘35 laps is a long time to get to the front,’” Dolan said. “Heavy lapped traffic is the only reason why I won that race. Hoffmaster got caught up in it, and that’s when I pounced.”
Hoffmaster held on for a fine second-place result and moved to second in the point standings as well. Harrington finished third and opened up his lead to 62 points after a flat tire derailed Matt Fernsler’s night. Mike Coen and John Maurer rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 7D-Chris Dolan[9]; 2. 32-Michael Hoffmaster[2]; 3. 75-Justin Harrington[7]; 4. 26C-Michael Coen[6]; 5. 82-John Maurer[12]; 6. 81-Dylan Holmes[3]; 7. 16-Steve Simmons[13]; 8. 78C-Sara Borror[8]; 9. 20J-Jarrid Hellinger[5]; 10. 15H-Don Hess[15]; 11. 04-Sam Borger[1]; 12. 112-Dylan Yeingst[16]; 13. 21S-Samuel Davenport[14]; 14. 14-Seth Gregory[11]; 15. 15-Alyssa Holmes[17]; 16. 19-Matt Fernsler[4]; 17. 8-Michael Spadafora[10]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 15 Races):
1. 75-Justin Harrington[935]; 2. 32-Michael Hoffmaster[-62]; 3. 82-John Maurer[-90]; 4. 19-Matt Fernsler[-101]; 5. 16-Steve Simmons[-103]
Chris Dolan put on a passing clinic to pick up back-to-back Clyde Martin Memorial wins in the 125/4 Stroke class. (Photo Courtesy of Amy Williams/Amy’s Photos)
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
The second-ever Hyper Racing Wingless 600 Clyde Martin Memorial race provided plenty of thrills as the evening’s nightcap for racing. After wins both at Lanco and also at Linda’s near the beginning of the month, Mason Beinhower capped off his great July with an impressive performance to score the victory.
As great battling took place from second on back, Beinhower pulled out to a mammoth advantage on the start. Over the first 15 laps, he amassed a lead of over six seconds – about half the track – over that race for second led by Chase Layser. Ironically, the yellows waved when Mason’s brother, Kenny, went for a spin off the exit of turn 2.
The restart gave Christian Bruno a chance to establish himself into the picture, as the driver searching for his third-straight Wingless 600 win moved to second on the restart and began to stalk the back of the No. 21 car for several laps.
But Beinhower fended off the fight and began driving away from the No. 5. It looked as if Bruno would be forced to settle for second, but his car then suffered a mechanical failure in the rear end with just four laps to go, setting up one last restart.
Again, the battle was from second on back, as Dominic Schmidt and Ryan Groff got together on the restart and Dallas Damask along with Holden Eckman each tried to fight for podium spots. That racing allowed Beinhower to cruise away comfortably with the biggest win of his still very young career.
“To be honest, there was a couple of times I was just praying for a caution because I was getting worn out,” Beinhower said. “From barely winning or barely being able to compete last year, it’s really nice to be able to do this again.”
Schmidt ended up winning the race for second and became the division’s newest points leader, with his advantage sitting at 12 points over Marty Brian. Damask captured his first podium finish of the year in third. Eckman and Brian finished off the top five.
Results:
1. 21-Mason Beinhower[1]; 2. 08-Dominic Schmidt[5]; 3. 3B-Dallas Damask[10]; 4. 11H-Holden Eckman[8]; 5. 16-Marty Brian[4]; 6. 03-Ryan Groff[2]; 7. 25-Kenneth Beinhower III[7]; 8. 10L-Lukas Kostic[9]; 9. 5-Christian Bruno[6]; 10. 7L-Chase Layser[3]; 11. 23-Bradley Brown[11]; 12. 2S-Garyt Smith[13]; 13. 3Y-Zachary Young[12]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 15 Races):
1. 08-Dominic Schmidt[808]; 2. 16-Marty Brian[-12]; 3. 03-Ryan Groff[-39]; 4. 23-Bradley Brown[-91]; 5. 3B-Dallas Damask[-163]
Mason Beinhower dominated to claim victory of the Clyde Martin Memorial in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s. (Photo Courtesy of Amy Williams/Amy’s Photos)
There will be no racing next Saturday, August 5th at the Clyde. However, on Tuesday, August 8th, the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota makes its Pennsylvania debut at the Newmanstown bullring to kick off the inaugural Appalachian Midget Week. The stars and cars of the midgets will compete for $4,000-to-win in a can’t miss spectacle. Joining them on the card will be the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s, who will be racing for $1,500-to-win if there are 40 or more entries. General admission sales will begin at 5:00, with warmups and racing starting at 6:30. Don’t miss your one and only chance in 2023 to watch the midgets and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!