After six and a half months without racing, the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway roared to life to kick off the 66th season of racing under the Lanco Micro Midget Club. An offseason filled with changes and track enhancements was paid off in the form of five exciting features and two fantastic photo finishes, with a mixture of first-time winners and veterans alike making trips to victory lane.

For one final time in 2022, the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway roared to life on Saturday evening with six different divisions competing on the Newmanstown oval. The night also featured a special moment at intermission, as cancer survivors were recognized on the frontstretch as part of the final Pink Out Night at the Clyde, organized by Kim Glass and TT’s Troops.

Five long months of racing action built up to one final points-paying night at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. And while four of the championships had already been decided entering the final night, one still remained to be claimed entering the final 25-lap points races of the year.

With just two points races left in the 2022 season at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, the pressure was on for several drivers in the points battle entering First Responders Night presented by T. J.’s Guns and Ammo. A fast-paced night of racing saw five exciting features and brought the points pictures into closer focus, with one driver locking up a championship and two more taking big steps in the right direction entering Championship Night next Saturday.

The biggest thrills and biggest spills of Labor Day weekend at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway commonly come from the wingless portion of the Labor Day Shootout, where three of the four divisions take off the wings to compete in a jaw-dropping and hair-raising card of racing action alongside an invading division. All of those usual elements were in place for the 2022 running of the event, which saw white-knuckled racing become the norm throughout the hundreds of laps run over the course of the evening.

The thrills, spills, excitement, and drama of the Labor Day Shootout traditionally makes it a must-see event for race fans, while it also serves as one of the most prestigious events of the racing season for teams and drivers. The 2022 edition of the Winged Night of the show, presented by Germania Band Club of Manheim, had all of those elements in place once again, which provided storylines aplenty from the long evening of racing action.

The final racing event of August at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway brought out a usual mixture of veterans and young drivers alike for the Back to School Night/Jerry Root Memorial Event. With school starting up for many kids, backpacks were given away to children in attendance at the speedway during intermission. And in tribute to Jerry Root, a former car owner and long-time supporter of the Clyde who passed away in January, the hard charger of each of the night’s five feature events would be given a $100 bonus. But additionally, five more checkered flags would be given to the evening’s feature event winners, with a healthy dosage of both first-time winners and former track champions finding the winner’s circle.

A muggy, late-August Saturday night at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway provided the setting for one of the biggest and most meaningful tribute races in recent memory at the speedway. The Mike Trout Memorial provided an opportunity for family, friends, fans, and competitors alike to all come together in honor and remembrance of the longtime competitor and former track champion who passed away over the past offseason. Several touching tributes to Mike punctuated the evening, and exciting racing proved to be the norm through all five divisions as drivers raced for added purse and bonus money.

Saturday night provided an opportunity to remember two former Lanco board members who had left a lasting imprint on the speedway. One was Gary Miller, a long-time car owner across multiple divisions of competition at the Clyde. The ever-recognizable Gold Rush Trailer Sales sponsored No. 82 had competed the past several years in 270 competition with some impressive drivers, and was in the midst of its first season with new pilot Bradley Brown when Gary passed away in May. The other was Donna Geib, one of Gary’s former drivers who had competed and won driving that very same car. Although she was a few years removed from the driver’s seat, Donna continued to have an impact at the track and to those she came in contact with until her passing in December. Much more than just assets to a speedway or a club, they were great people with great souls and big hearts, and their presences are still deeply missed.

With Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek and the Clyde Martin Memorial races in the rearview mirror, the “months of money” continued at the Newmanstown oval as the calendar flipped to August. And now, it was time for the 270 teams and competitors to have their moment in the spotlight, courtesy of the first-ever T. J.’s Guns and Ammo 270 Showcase. 33 of the division’s best came to the speedway with one common goal, but only one driver would be able to take home the inaugural victory of the event, plus the $1,270 payday that came with it.

For regulars of Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, there is simply no race more special or more prestigious to win than the annual Clyde Martin Memorial event. The list of names engraved on each of the division’s trophies serves as a who’s who of those that have contributed to the long and rich history of both the speedway and the event itself. Just once a year, the opportunity arises for five new names to be added onto those trophies, and it’s an opportunity that no driver wants to let pass them by.

If the Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek Finale at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway has taught us one thing over the past three years, it’s to expect the unexpected. One night after a wild and wacky feature event that saw only six cars running at the finish, the drama only reached a higher level for the Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek Finale sponsored by Groff Trucking. Perhaps the best racing surface of the year greeted the 71 drivers who returned to chase the $8,000 payday that would go to the winner, and the action that the racers provided on track lived up to the hype.

Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek provides an opportunity for some of the country’s greatest 600 micro sprint drivers to pit themselves against each other on a common stage, with the six-race series annually providing the platform for the best of the best to shine. For the second straight year, Speedweek’s two-day finale would be held at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, and Friday night’s Preliminary Night sponsored by Keizer Wheels did not disappoint in terms of excitement and drama. At the end of a wild A-Main that seemingly saw a new twist and jaw-dropping moment every lap, Kyle Spence found his way back to Lanco’s victory lane, picking up the victory and locking himself into Saturday night’s big dance.

A racey Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway greeted drivers, teams, and fans alike as all five weekly divisions returned to the facility for the first of two regular points shows before Hyper Racing 600 Speedweek, the Clyde Martin Memorial, and the 270 Showcase. A quarter midget exhibition at intermission allowed some of the future stars of the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway to take to the track. Then, the focus shifted to the stars and cars of today. The list of winners for the evening saw a healthy mix of contenders in the increasingly important points chase and drivers who were finally able to break through for a 2022 win after knocking on the door throughout the season.

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.

The dangling carrot hanging out in front of Hyper Racing 600 competitors had been growing larger and larger prior to Saturday night’s Race Chasing Night at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. The rollover bonus put up by race director Mike Knappenberger through his Race Chasing Award program had grown to $250 after not being won through the first six points races of the year. Thanks to further donations from Alan McDonald and Guy Smith, the prize stood at $400 for this special Race Chasing Night, and perhaps it was only fitting the prize would be won on this evening, as Steven Snyder, Jr. made it a clean sweep in the Hyper Racing Winged and Wingless 600 action, taking $500 from the Race Chasing Program alone, and allowing the program to award $1,050 on its special tribute night in its “Final Chapter” season.

For so many racers, it was their fathers who ingrained them into the sport of racing and helped them develop into the men and women that they are today. The Father’s Day Eve Special at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway gives us an opportunity to spend time with and thank our dads for everything they have done for us, and it gave each driver in the field a little extra motivation to bring home a checkered flag.

After a week off to relax and recharge, the stars and cars of Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway returned to the Newmanstown eighth-mile for another fast and frantic night of racing. After all active and former military members in attendance were honored and recognized at intermission, the on-track action prepared to ratchet up. And once again, five different drivers took victories in the five weekly divisions, with one driver scoring their first Lanco win and two others picking up their first checkered flag of 2022.

Memorial Day Weekend always provides our country with an opportunity to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the freedoms that we as a nation get to enjoy. It is important every day, but particularly on this weekend, to honor those brave men and women who gave up their lives so that we could continue living out the freedoms that our country was built upon.

A three-week hiatus from racing finally gave way to a night full of hot and heavy action at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, in both a literal and figurative sense. On an afternoon in Newmanstown which saw temperatures in excess of 90 degrees, drivers would have to keep their cool to find success as the steamy afternoon turned into a sizzling evening.