By Kasey Kreider
(Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
To win the Clyde Martin Memorial race one time is an honor that most drivers who race at the track on a weekly basis spend a career chasing. To win the race three times in one division – an accomplishment that is rewarded by getting to keep the race winner’s trophy permanently – is an achievement that immortalizes a driver in history among the best to ever wheel a race car around the high-banked Newmanstown bullring.
On Saturday night, three drivers put themselves in rarified air, as Chris Dolan, Jason Swavely, and Toby Blumenshine all claimed victory in their respective divisions for the third time in the Clyde Martin Memorial. Meanwhile, Mike Boyer and Dominic Schmidt also added their names onto the trophies as well, scoring their first Lanco wins in the biggest race of them all.
Border Magic 270
Mike Boyer’s journey to a long-awaited Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway win started from the third position as the Border Magic 270s began their 35-lap feature event. Josh Stoyer took the lead from the outside pole, and Boyer slipped into the second spot through the early laps.
Stoyer undoubtedly had the dominant car through the first long green-flag run of the race. Despite working through lapped traffic, Stoyer’s lead was up well over two seconds before the caution flag waved on lap 13. Even after the restart, Stoyer seemed untouchable, and it appeared that perhaps his long dry spell in 270 competition would finally come to an end in the biggest race of the year.
But when Stoyer caught the back of the field and got into lapped traffic for a second time, he found much more of a challenge working through the slower vehicles. Stoyer’s lead, which was about a second and a half with nine laps to go, quickly vanished as he was stuck behind lapped cars.
While Stoyer was trapped on the bottom, Boyer was able to find speed in the middle lane of the racetrack, and used some momentum to get inside of the No. 3 car with four laps left. After battling side-by-side for a lap, Boyer pulled ahead, and held on through the final laps for the victory while Stoyer and Mike Skias raced for second.
Mike Boyer (No. 41) ran down Josh Stoyer (No. 3) in lapped traffic and made the winning pass with four laps to go in the Border Magic 270 Clyde Martin Memorial. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
“We sucked here so bad in the last couple weeks, it’s been pathetic,” Boyer said. “I couldn’t believe I was able to run the middle as good as I was… I thought I was seeing things when I was coming up to pass Josh because man, the way we’ve been running, I just never thought this was possible… what a way to get it, though.”
“The Rocket” – who prior to Saturday night hadn’t finished better than 11th all season long – finally broke through for his first win at the Clyde. Stoyer was forced to settle for second for the second race in a row, while a hard-charging Mike Skias completed the podium. Nick Skias finished fourth and took the points lead back after Brandon Heist was involved in a first-lap crash and finished 10th. Brent Shearer rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 41-Mike Boyer[3]; 2. 3-Josh Stoyer[2]; 3. 8S-Mike Skias[6]; 4. 3S-Nick Skias[4]; 5. 1A-Brent Shearer[11]; 6. 747-Richie Hartman[14]; 7. 7D-Chris Dolan[12]; 8. 6-Danial Boyer[15]; 9. 82-John Maurer[10]; 10. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[8]; 11. 1L-Dave Labe[18]; 12. 94-Dallas Sanders[9]; 13. 28S-Brian Sholley[22]; 14. 34-Christi Sweigart[20]; 15. 2T-Doug Pearson[23]; 16. 11R-Tommy Rinck[1]; 17. 96D-Dakota Deemer[24]; 18. 21D-Dave Williams[13]; 19. 91-Jack Redcay[19]; 20. 4-Dylan Pence[21]; 21. 19-Matt Fernsler[17]; 22. 15-Alex Swift[5]; 23. 54-William Mohring[7]; 24. 47X-Ernest Newmaster III[16]
DNQ: 5A-Anthony Yerger
Points (Top 5) (After 9 of 14 Races):
1. 3S-Nick Skias[805]; 2. 8S-Mike Skias[-41]; 3. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[-48]; 4. 7D-Chris Dolan[-60]; 5. 82-John Maurer[-157]
Mike Boyer stands with the trophy in Brubacher Victory Lane after winning the Border Magic 270 Clyde Martin Memorial. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Offroad Motorsports 125/4 Stroke
After winning the Offroad Motorsports 125/4 Stroke Clyde Martin Memorial each of the last two years, Chris Dolan had an opportunity to win it for the third straight season and take the trophy home for good. Despite struggling over the past few races, Dolan would not be denied on Saturday night in his pursuit for the three-peat.
Dolan trailed pole sitter Don Hess for the first 14 laps of the A-Main event. However, Dolan finally took an opportunity to pounce just after the first restart, and took away the top spot with an inside move down into turn 1.
From that point on, it was smooth sailing for the York driver, as he pulled away from Seth Greogry and Mike Coen over a final three-lap sprint to the finish to claim his fourth total win of the season, his third win in a points race, and allow him to etch his name onto the relatively young 125/4 Stroke Clyde Martin Memorial trophy once again.
“We’ve been struggling here lately,” Dolan said. “My dad gave [Justin Harrington] the motor that we had on last year, and she still runs like a beaut. The car was set up perfectly, a little brake drag through the corner and I barely even had to turn the wheel.”
Gregory led Coen across the line for second, putting the margin between those two drivers at the top of point standings at just one marker with five races remaining. Hess held on for a fourth place finish, while Matt Fernsler brought his car home in fifth.
Results:
1. 75-Chris Dolan[2]; 2. 14-Seth Gregory[3]; 3. 26C-Michael Coen[9]; 4. 15H-Don Hess[1]; 5. 19-Matt Fernsler[15]; 6. 16-Daniel Lane Jr[4]; 7. 32-Michael Hoffmaster[6]; 8. X-Dave Schroeder[5]; 9. 15-Alyssa Holmes[10]; 10. 4W-Brandon Worthington[14]; 11. 112-Dylan Yeingst[12]; 12. 78C-Sara Borror[7]; 13. 04-Sam Borger[13]; 14. 81-Dylan Holmes[8]; 15. 44S-Trevor Waegel[11]; 16. 8-Michael Spadafora[16]; 17. 21S-Samuel Davenport[17]; 18. 82-John Maurer[18]
Points (Top 5) (After 9 of 14 Races):
1. 26C-Michael Coen[824]; 2. 14-Seth Gregory[-1]; 3. 75-Chris Dolan[-49]; 4. 16-Daniel Lane Jr[-66]; 5. 15H-Don Hess[-115]
Chris Dolan picked up his third consecutive Offroad Motorsports 125/4 Stroke Clyde Martin Memorial win on Saturday night. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600
Although 2024 has been an up-and-down year for Jason Swavely, “The Rocketman” still entered the 2024 Clyde Martin Memorial race as one of the clear favorites for victory. On Saturday night, he left no doubt, turning in an immaculate performance to claim his third straight Clyde Martin Memorial win in the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600s.
Swavely started fourth in the A-Main, but it didn’t take long for him to maneuver up to the head of the pack. After running down Brent Shearer for a couple of laps, Swavely got a big run down the backstretch and popped to the inside of the No. 29 machine. By the time the leaders completed lap 9, Swavely was clearly out in front, and began to set sail from the rest of the field.
One caution slowed the action on lap 12, but after that the remaining 24 laps of the race ran green-to-checkered. Over the course of that run, Swavely steamed away from the competition, and as he completed lap 35, his final margin of victory was a whopping 5.382 seconds.
“The last couple weeks I feel like we’ve been struggling a little bit with speed,” Swavely said. “Really didn’t change too much besides some gearing to try to get it to the end of the straightaway… but man this thing was good tonight.”
For Swavely, it was his eighth total Clyde Martin Memorial race win across all divisions. Coming home second was Shearer, followed by Bradley Brown in third. Chris Panczner finished fourth, and Billy Logeman rebounded from a heat race flip to finish fifth and keep a narrow points lead.
Results:
1. 14-Jason Swavely[4]; 2. 29-Brent Shearer[1]; 3. 23-Bradley Brown[6]; 4. 15P-Christopher Panczner[2]; 5. 97-Billy Logeman[11]; 6. 5A-Anthony Yerger[3]; 7. 66A-Marvin Albright[7]; 8. L13-Robert Potter[9]; 9. 0K-Pat Kelly[8]; 10. 11Z-Zachary Light[5]; 11. 46-BJ Antonio[10]
Points (Top 5) (After 9 of 14 Races):
1. 97-Billy Logeman[875]; 2. 23-Bradley Brown[-11]; 3. 29-Brent Shearer[-59]; 4. 14-Jason Swavely[-62]; 5. 5A-Anthony Yerger[-273]
Jason Swavely parked his No. 14 back in Brubacher Victory Lane, winning his third straight Clyde Martin Memorial in the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600s. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman
Five times in 2024 had Toby Blumenshine been a runner-up in Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman competition. But the Reinholds native once again came up big in the year’s biggest race, as Blumenshine led wire-to-wire for his third Sportsman Clyde Martin Memorial race triumph, with those victories all coming in his last three attempts in the race.
Drawing the pole for the feature gave Blumenshine an early advantage, as he ran in clean air while the field sorted themselves out behind him. But Blumenshine had led races earlier this season as well, only for something to happen to rip defeat out of the jaws of victory. When four-time feature winner Brandon Heist moved into the runner-up spot, it appeared that it could be deja vu all over again.
But Heist could get no closer than about three car lengths, as it became apparent that Blumenshine’s car was too strong out in clean air to contend with. A restart with three laps to go looked as if it could provide some drama, but Blumenshine bursted away from the field, and crossed the line over a second in front of the runner-up Heist.
“It has been a wild night,” Blumenshine said. “Warmups I blew a head gasket and I replaced that. And the heat I felt like it was overheating, and I just threw something on it just to loosen this thing up because it was god awful tight… I threw the book at it… but I’m super happy.”
Blumenshine’s win allowed him to open up his lead to 22 points over Heist in the standings. Richie Hartman also finished on the podium in third, while Corey Schmuck, Jr. and Courtney Kupp rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 21-Toby Blumenshine[1]; 2. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[6]; 3. 88M-Richie Hartman[5]; 4. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[2]; 5. 23K-Courtney Kupp[9]; 6. 77-Michael Kreiser[19]; 7. 30-Ryan Heckman[8]; 8. 28-Kyle Lindsey[14]; 9. 21V-David Ravel[10]; 10. 77J-Jade Smith[17]; 11. 22J-Jonathan Hellinger[7]; 12. 19-Wes Fasnacht[18]; 13. 21D-Dave Williams[20]; 14. 15-Josh Stoyer[3]; 15. 2T-Doug Pearson[16]; 16. 8-Michael Spadafora[15]; 17. 20-Max Fasnacht[11]; 18. 31-Tyler Martin[12]; 19. 1J-Justin Harrington[4]; 20. 17-Masen Stapleton[13]
Points (Top 5) (After 9 of 14 Races):
1. 21-Toby Blumenshine[930]; 2. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[-22]; 3. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[-93]; 4. 77-Michael Kreiser[-287]; 5. 15-Josh Stoyer[-304]
Toby Blumenshine won his third Clyde Martin Memorial race in his last three attempts in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman division. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
After coming close on a handful of occasions – including a second-place finish in last year’s Clyde Martin Memorial race – Zionsville’s Dominic Schmidt put on a show with an outstanding drive and battle for the win, took advantage of some misfortune for Christian Bruno, and picked up his first Lanco win in the granddaddy of them all.
Schmidt was the pole sitter for the 35-lap A-Main, and it looked as if he may have had the speed throughout the night to put himself down in Brubacher Victory Lane for the first time.
After holding off Bradley Brown through the first couple of circuits, Schmidt was able to build up a lead of a couple car lengths. Newly-minted Speedweek champion Christian Bruno quickly arrived on the scene, however, and had his eyes on his first Clyde Martin Memorial race win.
Bruno caught Schmidt just past the halfway mark, and for the better part of the next 10 laps, the two drivers traded the lead back and forth in a wildly entertaining battle. Every slider that Bruno threw, Schmidt had an answer for. But with eight laps to go, Bruno finally motored to the top side of turns 1 and 2 and got his nose outside of the No. 08, allowing him to complete the pass for good and drive away to what looked to be the victory.
Although Bruno crossed the finish line first, the car was not equipped to complete the mandatory rev check following the checkered flag. As a result, Bruno was disqualified, and Schmidt inherited a huge first victory.
“It feels good to finally get a win,” Schmidt said. “Definitely not the way I wanted to. But I mean, we had a good battle, and I guess a win’s a win at that point.”
Jesse Maurer rolled the bottom to a second-place finish, while Marty Brian completed the podium. Cole Perez and Mason Beinhower made up the rest of the top five. Ryan Groff and Bradley Brown finished sixth and seventh, respectively, allowing Brown to keep a four-point advantage over Groff in the standings.
Results:
1. 08-Dominic Schmidt[1]; 2. 3-Jesse Maurer[10]; 3. 16-Marty Brian[3]; 4. 17-Cole Perez[7]; 5. 21-Mason Beinhower[11]; 6. 03-Ryan Groff[12]; 7. 23-Bradley Brown[2]; 8. 1F-James Fries[13]; 9. 44-Jared Lilly[16]; 10. 98-Matthew Warner[6]; 11. 10L-Lukas Kostic[8]; 12. 11H-Holden Eckman[5]; 13. 2SZ-Zachery Bealer[15]; 14. 22H-Fred Heinly[4]; 15. 3L-Nolen Layser[14]; 16. 3Y-Zachary Young[17]; 17. (DQ) 5-Christian Bruno[9]
Points (Top 5) (After 9 of 14 Races):
1. 23-Bradley Brown[696]; 2. 03-Ryan Groff[-4]; 3. 16-Marty Brian[-15]; 4. 2SZ-Zachery Bealer[-97]; 5. 08-Dominic Schmidt[-132]
Dominic Schmidt made his first Lanco win a big one, as he claimed the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 Clyde Martin Memorial. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway is off next Saturday, Aug. 3, but returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 10 with one of the biggest events of the year. For the second consecutive year, the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota makes its return to the Clyde. This year, the race will serve as the finale of the four-race Appalachian Midget Week. Joining the Midgets on the racing card will be the Hyper Racing Wingless 600s and the Border Magic Wingless 270s, coming together to create a night of “Xtreme Wingless Mania” at the Clyde. On-track action will begin with heat in the motors and warmups at 6 p.m. As last year’s winner Chase McDermand looks to defend his win against a crop of national stars, don’t miss out on your chance to LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!