By Kasey Kreider
(Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
With just three races remaining in the 2024 season entering Saturday night, drivers across all five weekly divisions at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway were hungry to earn at least one more trip to Brubacher Victory Lane, with several of those drivers also in the hunt for at least one of the season-long championships. Dominic Schmidt, Michael Hoffmaster, Brandon Heist, Masen Stapleton, and Holden Eckman all grabbed victories on the first Saturday of September, while some of those aforementioned points battles got turned upside down.
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
Although Dominic Schmidt had won the Clyde Martin Memorial Race earlier in the season, the Zionsville native didn’t quite get to celebrate that victory the way he would’ve liked, as he was awarded it following a post-race disqualification. On Saturday night, Schmidt crossed the finish line first, besting championship contenders Ryan Groff and Marty Brian in a wildly entertaining 25-lap affair.
Schmidt started from pole position, but quickly felt some heat from the points leader in Groff, who had also picked up a win the night prior at the Linda’s Speedway. Groff made his first bid for the lead on lap 6, but Schmidt was able to counter it as the yellow flag flew. That caution allowed for Schmidt to make a line change, and Schmidt held on for a few more laps before Groff tried another move.
Groff’s machine slid Schmidt on a few occasions, but was unable to make the pass stick. When Schmidt blocked one of Groff’s sliders on lap 12, that opened the door for Brian to rip away the runner-up spot around the high side. Brian then quickly pulled the trigger on a slider into the next turn, but Schmidt crossed back over to keep the lead.
As the laps wound down, time was running out for Groff or Brian to try and rip the win away from the pilot of the No. 08. Groff got back to second on a restart with 10 laps to go, and then put the fishing reel out to try and catch Schmidt. He got close enough to throw one more bomb with three laps to go, which Schmidt once again had a response for. Groff slipped up ever so slightly coming off of turn 2 on the penultimate lap, and that proved to give Schmidt all the breathing room he needed, as he drove off to victory.
“It was a tough race. They were throwing sliders left and right,” Schmidt said. “We went to the bottom and I could just hear Ryan humming behind me. I was like, ‘I’m just gonna try and hold on and hopefully just park it down here.’”
Groff came home second, opening up his points lead to six over Brian, who rounded out the podium. Matt Warner and James Fries made up the rest of the top five, while a sixth-place finish for Bradley Brown kept him right in the thick of the points hunt as well with two races left.
Results:
1. 08-Dominic Schmidt[1]; 2. 03-Ryan Groff[3]; 3. 16-Marty Brian[6]; 4. 98-Matthew Warner[9]; 5. 1F-James Fries[8]; 6. 23-Bradley Brown[5]; 7. 3-Jesse Maurer[7]; 8. 90-Trent Warner[4]; 9. 2-Jakob Stitzel[2]; 10. 10L-Lukas Kostic[13]; 11. 18-Jared Lilly[15]; 12. 22H-Fred Heinly[12]; 13. 3L-Nolen Layser[11]; 14. 9-Josh Stoyer[10]; 15. 2J-Jace Marshall[17]; 16. 11-Connor Fetrow[14]; 17. 24J-Christopher Broadaway[18]; 18. 66A-Marvin Albright[16]
Points (Top 5) (After 11 of 13 Races):
1. 03-Ryan Groff[877]; 2. 16-Marty Brian[-6]; 3. 23-Bradley Brown[-20]; 4. 3-Jesse Maurer[-180]; 5. 1F-James Fries[-209]
Dominic Schmidt (center) held off Ryan Groff (left) and Marty Brian (right) to grab his second Hyper Racing Wingless 600 win of the season. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Offroad Motorsports 125/4 Stroke
Despite being a two-time Labor Day Shootout winner and a winner of the Memorial Day Open Show earlier in the year, a points-paying win had eluded Michael Hoffmaster throughout his nearly four-year tenure racing at the Clyde. Hoffmaster finally checked that off the bucket list on Saturday night, as he held off a charging Chris Dolan to claim the win.
Hoffmaster started on pole and kept Dylan Yeingst at bay during the opening laps of the feature. Soon though, it was Dolan who moved into the runner-up spot after starting in sixth. A caution right before halfway closed the gap between the front two, and set up a fun battle that went all the way to the finish.
Dolan looked high and low for a chance to set up Hoffmaster for a potential race-winning move. The closest he got was with four laps to go, when he almost got alongside the No. 32 into turn 1. Hoffmaster cleared him off of the corner though, and when the leaders navigated around a lapped car coming to the white flag, Hoffmaster was able to squeak out enough of a gap to safely complete his journey to the checkers.
“It’s always good to race with Chris,” Hoffmaster said. “He’s really quick, so I saw him on the outside of me… I honestly didn’t think I’d win.”
But Hoffmaster did just that, leading Dolan across the line in a wire-to-wire win. Meanwhile, points leader Mike Coen was involved in an early-race crash that saw him get credited with a 12th-place finish. With Dolan finishing second, he reclaimed the points lead by 16 over Coen. Dave Schroeder finished third, while fellow championship contender Seth Gregory and Trevor Waegel rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 32-Michael Hoffmaster[1]; 2. 75-Chris Dolan[6]; 3. X-Dave Schroeder[10]; 4. 14-Seth Gregory[8]; 5. 44S-Trevor Waegel[12]; 6. 112-Dylan Yeingst[2]; 7. 15H-Don Hess[3]; 8. 3H-Corey Harting[4]; 9. 4W-Brandon Worthington[16]; 10. 78C-Sara Borror[15]; 11. 16-Daniel Lane Jr[9]; 12. 26C-Michael Coen[7]; 13. 15-Alyssa Holmes[11]; 14. 76-Brandon Heist Sr[13]; 15. 81-Dylan Holmes[5]; 16. 21S-Samuel Davenport[14]; 17. 8-Michael Spadafora[17]
Points (Top 5) (After 11 of 13 Races):
1. 75-Chris Dolan[970]; 2. 26C-Michael Coen[-16]; 3. 14-Seth Gregory[-20]; 4. 16-Daniel Lane Jr[-75]; 5. X-Dave Schroeder[-103]
Michael Hoffmaster grabbed his first points-paying win in the Offroad Motorsports 125/4 Strokes. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Border Magic 270
Brandon Heist and Nick Skias had been the model of consistency all year long in Border Magic 270 competition, but a race win had eluded both drivers in points-paying competition. The two top contenders for the championship went head-to-head on Saturday night, with Heist coming out on top for his first Winged 270 triumph at the Clyde.
Skias – who entered the night with a 65-point lead on Heist – suffered a flip in his heat race but was able to salvage a spot in the redraw. That valiant effort paid off in a big way, as Skias picked the pole and paced the field through the first half of the race.
However, the decisive moment of the race came on a lap 14 restart, when Heist started on the outside of Skias. Heist motored around his championship rival in the middle groove of the speedway, and then set sail aboard the No. 5R. A green-white-checkered restart added a twinge of drama, but it didn’t change the outcome, as Heist held on for the win.
Brandon Heist (No. 5R) made the race-winning pass on a lap 14 restart to claim the win of Saturday night’s Border Magic 270 feature. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
“I knew once I got beside [Nick] on the restart, I was like, ‘my best bet’s gonna be doing this or I’m gonna be doing the same thing I’ve been doing every other time,’” Heist said. “At first I didn’t think I had a good start, but I pulled up alongside of him on the straightaway and I’m like, ‘I gotta just send it in here and hopefully it works.’”
Nick Skias came home with a runner-up finish, keeping his points lead at 60 over Heist. Tommy Rinck completed a great weekend with a podium finish, while Billy Logeman and Mike Skias rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[3]; 2. 3S-Nick Skias[1]; 3. 11R-Tommy Rinck[6]; 4. 27O-Billy Logeman[8]; 5. 8S-Mike Skias[5]; 6. 34-Christi Sweigart[7]; 7. 3-Max Fasnacht[14]; 8. 08-Issac Graby[9]; 9. 94-Dallas Sanders[16]; 10. 47X-Ernest Newmaster III[13]; 11. 39A-Austin Mieczkowski[15]; 12. 96D-Dakota Deemer[11]; 13. 21-Toby Blumenshine[2]; 14. 7D-Chris Dolan[10]; 15. 21J-Josh Weiant[4]; 16. 35-John Paulsen[17]; 17. 4-Dylan Pence[12]
Points (Top 5) (After 11 of 13 Races):
1. 3S-Nick Skias[985]; 2. 5R-Brandon Heist Sr[-60]; 3. 8S-Mike Skias[-87]; 4. 7D-Chris Dolan[-120]; 5. 11R-Tommy Rinck[-308]
Brandon Heist chipped away at Nick Skias’ points lead and picked up his first Winged 270 win at the Clyde. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman
After picking up his first Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman win back in June, Reamstown’s Masen Stapleton added another one on Saturday night at the Clyde. Stapleton started on the pole, but had to hold off a fast-approaching Brandon Heist to secure the win.
Stapleton led through the early portion of the race while Mike Kreiser tried to track him down from the runner-up position. Unfortunately, Kreiser’s race came undone when it appeared that the steering broke on his car on lap 11, which sent the No. 77 into the wall and out of the race.
Stapleton pulled away over the next green-flag run from the battle for second that developed behind him. Heist, Josh Stoyer, and Corey Schmuck, Jr. all went to war fighting for the position, with Heist being the quickest of the trio while ripping around the guardrail.
Eventually, Heist was able to take away the runner-up spot. But by then, he only had three laps to try and run down Stapleton. It was too little, too late for the championship contender to try and close in, and Stapleton remained flawless in his run to the checkered flag.
“I’ll be honest, I’m surprised,” Stapleton said. “Brandon Heist has been fast all year long.”
But Stapleton came out on top on this occasion, with Heist forced to settle for second. That finish was good enough to take over the points lead, though, as Toby Blumenshine had an issue with his own car in the 270 feature and was forced to hop into Nick Skias’ No. 88M for the Sportsman race. Blumenshine salvaged a ninth-place finish, but still fell 19 points behind Heist in the standings.
Josh Stoyer got his season back on track with a third-place finish, while Corey Schmuck, Jr. and Shannon Slaughter made up the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 17-Masen Stapleton[1]; 2. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[7]; 3. 15-Josh Stoyer[4]; 4. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[6]; 5. 53S-Shannon Slaughter[8]; 6. 30-Ryan Heckman[11]; 7. 31-Tyler Martin[12]; 8. 16P-Patrick Kirn[19]; 9. 21-Toby Blumenshine[10]; 10. 8-Michael Spadafora[20]; 11. 1J-Justin Harrington[17]; 12. 28-Kyle Lindsey[13]; 13. 77J-Jade Smith[15]; 14. 23K-Courtney Kupp[16]; 15. 19-Wes Fasnacht[18]; 16. 22J-Charles Hellinger[22]; 17. 54-Lisa Warren[14]; 18. 26X-Jeremy Eisenhour[3]; 19. 20-Max Fasnacht[21]; 20. 39A-Austin Mieczkowski[9]; 21. 77-Michael Kreiser[5]; 22. 88M-Nick Skias[2]
Points (Top 5) (After 11 of 13 Races):
1. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[1098]; 2. 21-Toby Blumenshine[-19]; 3. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[-76]; 4. 15-Josh Stoyer[-302]; 5. 77-Michael Kreiser[-378]
Masen Stapleton celebrated with a wing dance after scoring his second Skeet Craft Collision Sportsman victory. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600
In the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 nightcap, it was Landisville’s Holden Eckman picking up his second win of the year, as he parked his No. 11H Hyper Chassis in Brubacher Victory Lane after holding off points leader Bradley Brown.
Eckman and Brown were the two dominant cars all night long, and it didn’t take them long to carve their way up to the top two positions once feature time rolled around. While the gap ebbed and flowed between the two leaders over the course of the nonstop 25-lapper, Brown was never able to get close enough to mount a move. Eckman flashed across the finish line 4 minutes and 37 seconds after the initial green flag to pick up the win.
“It feels good to be back here, we’ve really struggled here with the wing on,” Eckman said. “It may not be the full field that we’d like, but we still had to hold off the fastest guy for the last half of the year.”
Brown finished in second, and with mechanical issues ending Billy Logeman’s night before the feature, Brown was able to extend his points lead to 66 with two races remaining. Dominic Schmidt put the wings on for the feature and came home third, while Marvin Albright and Robert Potter brought home the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 11H-Holden Eckman[4]; 2. 23-Bradley Brown[6]; 3. 08-Dominic Schmidt[8]; 4. 66A-Marvin Albright[5]; 5. L13-Robert Potter[2]; 6. 51-Amanda Onimus[3]; 7. 22RW-Michael Rankin[1]; 8. 97-Billy Logeman[7]
Points (Top 5) (After 11 of 13 Races):
1. 23-Bradley Brown[1059]; 2. 97-Billy Logeman[-66]; 3. 14-Jason Swavely[-151]; 4. 29-Brent Shearer[-153]; 5. 11H-Holden Eckman[-329]
Holden Eckman outran Bradley Brown to claim the win in the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 A-Main. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
The Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway returns to action with the second-to-last points race of the year on Saturday, Sept. 14. All five classes will get one step closer to crowning their 2024 champions as the racing action promises to be intense. Additionally, a quarter midget exhibition will once again be held during intermission for some of the future stars of the speedway. Gates open at 4 p.m., with warmups and racing starting at 5:30 p.m. With the season quickly sprinting toward the finish line, don’t miss out on one of your final opportunities to come LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!