By Barry Angstadt
(Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Back to School Night at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway was more like "School's Out", as the Clyde's pupils (drivers) created a wild night of non-stop excitement on Saturday.
Bradley Brown, from New Providence, PA, captured his second EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 feature of the current campaign, but could not visit Brubacher Victory Lane due to a bizarre situation that occurred as he took the checkered flag. A coolant line popped off the radiator of his No. 23, spraying its hot liquid all over Brown's feet. He pulled to the infield as quickly as he could and evacuated his racecar. Fortunately, the incident resulted in just a minor burn to one of his toes, and he was able to compete in the wingless feature a short time later.
The Hyper Racing Wingless 600 main was a thrill-a-minute 25 lapper, with Marty Brian named as the winner after apparent victor Dallas Damask was disqualified for Unsportsmanlike Conduct after the race.
Alex Swift gave his car owner, John Blanda, an early birthday present with a dominating win in the Border Magic 270 feature, while Corey Schmuck Jr. was victorious in the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman race. York's Chris Dolan notched his fifth triumph of the season in the Off Road Motorsports & Cycle Sales 125/ 4-Stroke main event.
A very special, emotional, and poignant portion of the evening's program came at intermission. To honor the memory of Pete Skias, who recently passed away after a valiant battle with bone cancer, five of the Skias family cars, including at least one that was raced by Pete, circled the speedway in ceremonious parade laps. Chuck Skias drove the car that was campaigned by his late brother, and he stayed out in front of a four-wide salute to Pete. The four cars that circled side-by-side were driven by Pete's three children: Tiffany Skias-Henry, Nick Skias, and Mike Skias, along with Chuck's grandson, Josh Stoyer. Jolene Skias, Pete's wife, waved the checkered flag while standing on the homestretch as the fans stood and cheered the touching tribute.
At intermission, members of the Skias family came out onto the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway to participate in a four-wide salute in memory of Pete Skias, who passed away in early August. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600
The EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600's were the first feature of the night. Bradley Brown zipped from his outside front row starting spot to grab the lead over pole sitter Brent Shearer. On the second go-round, Jason Swavely passed Shearer for the runner-up position and it quickly became apparent that this race was going to be won by either Brown or Swavely. Brown enjoyed a sizable lead until he caught the back of the pack. Swavely closed in as the duo navigated thick lapped traffic. Just as Jason was about to pounce with only a few circuits remaining, Brown swept to the outside of two slower cars, while Swavely had to check up, then thread the needle between the two cars who were battling one another for position. By the time Swavely got by them, Brown was gone. Bradley's only issue was the coolant line that gave him two hot feet as he blasted across the finish line.
Shearer, Holden Eckman, and Chris Panczner completed the top five. Heat wins went to Swavely and Billy Logeman. Logeman led Brown by 11 points coming into the event, but Billy suffered mechanical ills and fell out of the feature after just four laps, finishing 13th.
Results:
1. 23-Bradley Brown[2]; 2. 14-Jason Swavely[6]; 3. 29-Brent Shearer[1]; 4. 11H-Holden Eckman[9]; 5. 15P-Christopher Panczner[4]; 6. 5A-Anthony Yerger[13]; 7. 17-Brent Ely[8]; 8. 46-BJ Antonio[11]; 9. 2K-Nathan Miller[3]; 10. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[7]; 11. 0K-Pat Kelly[10]; 12. 75-Brevan Rothermel[12]; 13. 97-Billy Logeman[5]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 13 Races):
1. 23-Bradley Brown[964]; 2. 97-Billy Logeman[-38]; 3. 14-Jason Swavely[-56]; 4. 29-Brent Shearer[-58]; 5. 5A-Anthony Yerger[-286]
Bradley Brown grabbed his second points win — as well as the points lead — in the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 feature. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
The Hyper Racing Wingless 600's produced their typically outstanding form of ground-pounding action and excitement, with Jace Marshall and Dallas Damask throwing haymaker-style sliders at one another as they scuffled for the lead during the early stages of the 25 lapper. Damask eventually secured the point, but it wouldn't be long before Ryan Groff executed some monstrous slide jobs to snare the runner up slot. A caution with ten laps in the books had Damask leading Groff, with Marshall, Marty Brian, and Jesse Maurer making up the rest of the top five.
The race settled into two distinct groups, each fighting fiercely for position. Damask and Groff waged a nip-tuck battle for the top spot, while several car lengths behind them, Marshall, Brian, and Maurer were dicing for third. A yellow with ten to go proved costly for Damask, as he got into the outside guardrail in turn one on the restart. Groff blew by him to claim the lead, but Damask recovered and kept the leader honest as the laps clicked off. A red flag with three tours remaining, for a flipping Holden Eckman, set up a hair-raising finish.
On the final lap, Damask went "full send" into turn three, flinging his car to the inside of Groff's No. 03. There was significant contact between the right front of Damask's No. 3B and the left front of Groff's car, with Groff slowing dramatically and Damask dashing to the checkered flag. The fans – as well as some crew members – voiced their displeasure as Damask climbed from his car in victory lane. The response to those comments was viewed by track officials and Lanco club officers as Unsportsmanlike Conduct, and Damask was disqualified.
That ruling handed the victory to Ephrata's Marty Brian, who crossed the line behind Damask. It is Brian's second wingless triumph of the year. Jesse Maurer finished second in the revised rundown, with Groff limping across the stripe in third. Point leader Bradley Brown wound up fourth and Lukas Kostic went home with fifth place pay. Maurer and Brian were heat race winners.
Results:
1. 16-Marty Brian[5]; 2. 3-Jesse Maurer[4]; 3. 03-Ryan Groff[14]; 4. 23-Bradley Brown[8]; 5. 10L-Lukas Kostic[7]; 6. 1F-James Fries[19]; 7. 2J-Jace Marshall[2]; 8. 29-Brent Shearer[22]; 9. 18-Jared Lilly[16]; 10. 65Z-Jake Fisher[10]; 11. 3Y-Zachary Young[17]; 12. 24L-Logan Rhoad[21]; 13. 9-Josh Stoyer[9]; 14. 4B-Richie Baker Jr[12]; 15. 42R-RJ Deighton[15]; 16. 11H-Holden Eckman[11]; 17. 3L-Nolen Layser[1]; 18. 22H-Fred Heinly[18]; 19. 17-Cole Perez[6]; 20. 2-Jakob Stitzel[13]; 21. 77G-Bob Rankin[20]; 22. (DQ) 3B-Dallas Damask[3]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 13 Races):
1. 03-Ryan Groff[782]; 2. 16-Marty Brian[-1]; 3. 23-Bradley Brown[-1]; 4. 3-Jesse Maurer[-157]; 5. 2SZ-Zachery Bealer[-183]
Marty Brian was credited with his second Hyper Racing Wingless 600 win of the season on Saturday night, keeping him in the ultra-tight points chase with Ryan Groff and Bradley Brown. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Border Magic 270
Bridgeport, NJ's Alex Swift grabbed the lead at the start of the Border Magic 270 feature, then simply danced away to a dominating win in a non-stop, green-to-checkered 25 lap romp. Toby Blumenshine drove into the runner-up slot on the second trip around the clay, but he was no match for the high flying Swift. The best battle in this one was for third position, as 270 point leader Nick Skias duked it out with Anthony Yerger over the last half of the race. Yerger nipped Skias at the line by a scant 0.067 seconds, while Swift crossed the stripe a daunting 4.022 seconds in front of Blumenshine. The top five consisted of Swift, Blumenshine, Yerger, N. Skias, and Jason Swavely.
Three heats were contested by the 26 entries in Saturday's 270 portion of the event, with victories going to Swift, Blumenshine, and Swavely. Jonah Meck won the consolation race.
Results:
1. 15-Alex Swift[2]; 2. 1A-Toby Blumenshine[4]; 3. 5A-Anthony Yerger[3]; 4. 3S-Nick Skias[6]; 5. 16P-Jason Swavely[5]; 6. 27O-Billy Logeman[11]; 7. 7D-Chris Dolan[8]; 8. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[7]; 9. 19-Matt Fernsler[1]; 10. 11R-Tommy Rinck[12]; 11. 3-Josh Stoyer[9]; 12. 8S-Mike Skias[17]; 13. 21H-Matt Hoffman[13]; 14. 91A-Alyson Godusky[10]; 15. 48-Jonah Meck[19]; 16. 91-Jack Redcay[21]; 17. 11-Mike Uhrich[20]; 18. 34-Christi Sweigart[14]; 19. 48B-Brandon Bomberger[15]; 20. 4-Dylan Pence[16]; 21. 21D-Dave Williams[24]; 22. 2T-Doug Pearson[23]; 23. 26-Austin Mieczkowski[18]; 24. 56-Zach Hollinger[22]
DNQ: 47X-Ernest Newmaster III; 35-John Paulsen
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 13 Races):
1. 3S-Nick Skias[890]; 2. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[-65]; 3. 8S-Mike Skias[-72]; 4. 7D-Chris Dolan[-73]; 5. 82-John Maurer[-242]
Alex Swift dominated a green-to-checkered Border Magic 270 A-Main for his second win of the season at the Clyde. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman
For the first half of the Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman feature, it appeared that Dan Lane Jr. was going to visit the winner's circle. Unfortunately for Lane, mechanical gremlins sidelined him after 13 revolutions and Corey Schmuck Jr., from Lititz, inherited the top spot. Schmuck maintained a couple of car lengths advantage during the final half of the 25 lapper, but Dylan Pennypacker kept his No. 27 within striking distance. Pennypacker had to play some defense near the end, however, as Brandon Heist pulled up to challenge him for second. Their scrum for runner-up honors allowed Schmuck to separate himself a bit, and Corey gassed his mount to the checkered by a half-second over Heist, who wrestled second from Pennypacker over the final frantic laps. Blumenshine and Josh Stoyer ended up fourth and fifth, respectively.
Blumenshine and Dave Williams were the Sportsman heat race winners.
Results:
1. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[2]; 2. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[10]; 3. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[4]; 4. 21-Toby Blumenshine[6]; 5. 15-Josh Stoyer[7]; 6. 8-Michael Spadafora[9]; 7. 31-Tyler Martin[8]; 8. 28-Kyle Lindsey[13]; 9. 21D-Dave Williams[5]; 10. 20-Max Fasnacht[3]; 11. 30-Ryan Heckman[20]; 12. 77J-Jade Smith[12]; 13. 54-Lisa Warren[17]; 14. 19-Wes Fasnacht[16]; 15. 77-Michael Kreiser[11]; 16. 17-Masen Stapleton[19]; 17. 23K-Courtney Kupp[14]; 18. 25X-Daniel Lane Jr[1]; 19. 2T-Doug Pearson[15]; 20. 1J-Justin Harrington[18]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 13 Races):
1. 21-Toby Blumenshine[1015]; 2. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[-12]; 2. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[-78]; 4. 15-Josh Stoyer[-309]; 5. 77-Michael Kreiser[-327]
Corey Schmuck, Jr. kept his title hopes alive with his second Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman win of 2024. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Offroad Motorsports 125/4 Stroke
Dylan Yeingst set the pace of the Off Road Motorsports & Cycle Sales 125/ 4-stroke main for the initial 17 circuits before York's Chris Dolan maneuvered past him to snatch the lead on lap 18. From there, Dolan pretty much checked out, throttling his No. 75 to a 1.726 second win over Yeingst. Michael Hoffmaster placed third, with Dave Schroeder and Dan Lane Jr. rounding out the top five. The victory was Dolan's fifth of the season at the Clyde, and kept him very much in the hunt for the 125/ 4-stroke point title.
Yeingst and Brent Shearer won the two heat races.
Results:
1. 75-Chris Dolan[6]; 2. 112-Dylan Yeingst[1]; 3. 32-Michael Hoffmaster[2]; 4. X-Dave Schroeder[9]; 5. 16-Daniel Lane Jr[4]; 6. 26C-Michael Coen[10]; 7. 81-Dylan Holmes[8]; 8. 78C-Kerry Lengle[12]; 9. 15H-Don Hess[18]; 10. 19-Matt Fernsler[7]; 11. 89-Rilynn Hannula[11]; 12. 15-Alyssa Holmes[13]; 13. 3H-Corey Harting[14]; 14. 44S-Trevor Waegel[16]; 15. 21S-Samuel Davenport[17]; 16. 14-Seth Gregory[5]; 17. 76-Brent Shearer[3]; 18. 8-Michael Spadafora[20]; 19. 4W-Brandon Worthington[15]; 20. 73-Andrew Rothermel[19]
Points (Top 5) (After 10 of 13 Races):
1. 26C-Michael Coen[900]; 2. 75-Chris Dolan[-25]; 3. 14-Seth Gregory[-35]; 4. 16-Daniel Lane Jr[-62]; 5. X-Dave Schroeder[-123]
Chris Dolan won his fourth points race — and fifth race in total — in the Offroad Motorsports 125/4 Strokes, moving him back up to second in the point standings with three races remaining. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Next up is the Lanco Labor Day Shootout… always a fantastically fun, entertaining, and competitive mix of party and racing. A pre-race Cornhole Tournament is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, August 30. Saturday, August 31, is a wing-ding of a program, with winged competition for the 600's, 270's, Sportsman, and 125/ 4-strokes. On Sunday, September 1, it's "leave the wings at home" as wingless activity is slated for the 600's, 270's, and 125/ 4-strokes. Joining them will be the winged Junior Sprints. Gates open at 3 p.m. each day of the Shootout, with warm-ups scheduled for 5:00. The qualifying action set to begin just a few minutes after the hot lap sessions. The Labor Day Shootout is always a "can't miss" event; come out this weekend and see why you've got to LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!