By Kasey Kreider
(Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
After two weeks of battling Mother Nature, the third time was the charm to officially kick off the 68th season of Lanco Micro Midget Club racing at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. Checkered Flag Fan Club Night served as the season-opener of the 16-race “Chase for the Championship,” and the action kicked off in earnest across all five divisions on Saturday night.
Jason Swavely began his quest for both an EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 and Border Magic 270 track championship by sweeping the season openers in those divisions. Christian Bruno bested Trevor Gach and the rest of the field to score a $750 payday in Hyper Racing Wingless 600 action. Josh Stoyer took advantage of late-race misfortune to Corey Schmuck, Jr. and snapped a 20-month winless drought in the Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman division. And John Maurer kicked off his 2025 campaign with a dominating win in the 125/4 Stroke class.
EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600
After leading the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 class with four points-paying wins last season and winning the track championship the two years prior, perhaps it wasn’t too big of a surprise to see Jason Swavely standing back in the winner’s circle at the end of Saturday night’s 25-lap A-Main event.
But when considering that the 22-car field for Saturday’s action was the most for a season-opener in the Winged 600 class in four years, that may have made Swavely’s victory all the more impressive, as he rose to the top of a field full of Lanco’s best to kick off his run for a third title in victory lane.
“The Rocketman from Fleetwood” started from the outside pole in the feature event, and after a brief but spirited battle with Brent Shearer, the No. 14 found itself in clean air and began to set sail.
Quickly moving into the second spot was defending track champion Bradley Brown, and “The Highsider” ripped the lip around the Clyde in an effort to track Swavely down. Brown’s efforts seemed to be successful at least for a moment, as he began to reel in Swavely’s RTS Chassis approaching the final 10 laps. But a caution gave Swavely a chance to regroup and kept him out of lapped traffic, and from that point on, Swavely was never seriously threatened for the win.
Christian Bruno charged up to a second-place result over the closing laps, while Brown came out on top of a fiery battle with Shearer to claim third. Brent Ely rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 14-Jason Swavely[2]; 2. 5-Christian Bruno[5]; 3. 23-Bradley Brown[4]; 4. 29-Brent Shearer[1]; 5. 17-Brent Ely[6]; 6. 51-Chris Gerhart[8]; 7. 97-Billy Logeman[9]; 8. 5A-Anthony Yerger[7]; 9. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[19]; 10. 39M-Austin Mieczkowski[16]; 11. 9G-Grady McGrew[17]; 12. 51B-Amanda Onimus[15]; 13. 55-Bob Rankin[18]; 14. 11H-Holden Eckman[14]; 15. 117-Cody West[11]; 16. 53S-Shannon Slaughter[22]; 17. 71-Brian Kramer[3]; 18. 15P-Christopher Panczner[10]; 19. L13-Bob Potter[21]; 20. 16T-Trevor Gach[12]; 21. 22R-Michael Rankin[20]; 22. 5X-Chase Rodgers[13]
Points (Top 5) (After 1 of 15 Races):
1. 14-Jason Swavely[100]; 2. 5-Christian Bruno[-5]; 3. 23-Bradley Brown[-10]; 4. 29-Brent Shearer[-15]; 5. 17-Brent Ely[-20]
Jason Swavely kicked off the EVO Fuel Injection Winged 600 season by parking his No. 14 in victory lane at the Clyde. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
Hyper Racing Wingless 600
35 entries meant a $750 payday was awaiting the winner of the first Hyper Racing Wingless 600 feature event in 2025. And with plenty of fresh blood at the front, it seemed very possible that a first-time Lanco winner could walk away with the nice chunk of change.
But instead, Deptford, NJ’s Christian Bruno reminded the fans and competitors alike why he’s one of the most potent 600 Micro Sprint competitors in the northeast, as he put the No. 5 Hyper EVO+ machine back in the winner’s circle for Kenny Groff and Chris Snyder.
Like Swavely in the Winged 600 event, Bruno started from the outside pole for the Wingless 600 A-Main. But the driver standing in his way was Chambersburg’s Trevor Gach, who had picked up a Winged 600 win at the McGrewBid Motoplex on Friday night and was hunting his first win at the Clyde in just his second Wingless 600 start at the facility.
Gach paced the field through the first few circuits of the event, but quickly had Bruno back on his tail following a lap 7 restart. After throwing a slider in turns 3 and 4, Bruno was able to edge ahead of Gach at the start-finish line completing lap 9, and that proved to be crucial as a caution flag flew just seconds later, negating Gach’s response in turns 1 and 2 and putting Bruno out in front.
The battle wasn’t quite finished from there, as Gach took a couple more shots at Bruno on the ensuing restarts and then cut the lead down to as little as two car lengths over a long run to the finish. But Bruno would be the one to prevail on this occasion, leading Gach across the finish line by 0.534 seconds at the end of lap 25.
Christian Bruno (No. 5) and Trevor Gach (No. 16T) battled for the win during the middle portion of Saturday’s Hyper Racing Wingless 600 A-Main, with Bruno eventually coming out on top. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Maine’s Chase Rodgers picked up his first Lanco podium with a third-place finish, while potential championship contenders Jace Marshall and Dominic Schmidt brought home the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 5-Christian Bruno[2]; 2. 16T-Trevor Gach[1]; 3. 5X-Chase Rodgers[5]; 4. 2J-Jace Marshall[4]; 5. 08-Dominic Schmidt[7]; 6. 98-Matt Warner[10]; 7. 16-Marty Brian[11]; 8. 1F-James Fries[19]; 9. 88Y-Justin Yohn[9]; 10. 10L-Lukas Kostic[22]; 11. 22H-Fred Heinly[15]; 12. 39-Richie Hartman[13]; 13. 00K-Peyton Knecht[24]; 14. 11R-Steven Drevicki[17]; 15. 3B-Dallas Damask[8]; 16. 2L-Luke Hess[21]; 17. 28P-Gunnar Pio[3]; 18. 21-Mason Beinhower[12]; 19. 34-Abel Engler[20]; 20. 25-Kenneth Beinhower III[23]; 21. 90-Trent Warner[16]; 22. 14X-Cole Gerber[6]; 23. 32-Justin Burr[14]; 24. 17-Cole Perez[18]
DNQ: 83-Gabe Gerber; 3L-Nolen Layser; 55S-Hank Stellar; 8X-Kyle Gisleson; 3Y-Zachary Young; 72-Jacob Green; 15H-Don Hess; 68-Ryan Green; 90X-PJ Reid; 11H-Holden Eckman; 96X-Zach Jurcik
Points (Top 5) (After 1 of 16 Races):
1. 5-Christian Bruno[100]; 2. 2J-Jace Marshall[-15]; 3. 08-Dominic Schmidt[-20]; 4. 98-Matt Warner[-24]; 5. 16-Marty Brian[-28]
Christian Bruno led the final 17 laps on the way to picking up the victory in the Hyper Racing Wingless 600 season-opener. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Border Magic 270
After winning the Winged 600 feature from second, Jason Swavely had his work cut out for him a little bit more in the Border Magic 270 division, as he rolled off from the ninth spot in that feature event.
But few things have slowed down Swavely and car owner Bill Schenck whenever the Fleetwood native hops behind the wheel of the No. 92, and nothing would keep them from scoring a $750 victory on this Saturday night at the Clyde.
Polesitter Matt Fernsler paced the pack through the first three laps of the feature event before last year’s 125/4 Stroke champion Chris Dolan grabbed the top spot away on lap 4. Despite fighting a flat left-front tire, Dolan kept his No. 7D out in front for a large chunk of the feature while the pack of cars behind sorted themselves out.
Swavely’s climb up the running order came in large part thanks to a climb up the banking of the Newmanstown bullring, as the No. 92 was one of the few cars running the top side of the racetrack. It proved to be effective, though, as the 2023 track champion got to the lead with nine laps remaining. Despite a strong charge by Richie Hartman to climb from 12th up to second, even the No. 747 was unable to keep Swavely within striking distance as they came to the finish.
Dolan held on for third, while three-time defending champion Nick Skias started off his season with a 15th-to-fourth run. Billy Logeman rounded out the top five.
Results:
1. 92-Jason Swavely[9]; 2. 747-Richie Hartman[12]; 3. 7D-Chris Dolan[2]; 4. 3-Nick Skias[15]; 5. 27O-Billy Logeman[6]; 6. 19-Matt Fernsler[1]; 7. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[18]; 8. 95-Jack Skelton[5]; 9. 4-Dylan Pence[17]; 10. 04-Jarrett Imler[20]; 11. 8S-Mike Skias[11]; 12. 34-Christi Sweigart[13]; 13. 21D-Dave Williams[19]; 14. 94-Dallas Sanders[21]; 15. 15-Alex Swift[7]; 16. 48-Jonah Meck[4]; 17. 16X-Dan Lane Jr[22]; 18. 77G-Isaac Graby[3]; 19. 82-John Maurer[10]; 20. 1L-Logan Hess[8]; 21. 11R-Tommy Rinck[16]; 22. 3X-Josh Stoyer[14]; 23. 81-Dylan Holmes[23]; 24. 46R-James Miller[24]
DNQ: 39M-Austin Mieczkowski; 08G-Brandon Gibble; 21H-Matt Hoffman; 11H-Chason Hauck; 47X-Ernie Newmaster III; 32-Michael Hoffmaster; 11-Mike Uhrich; 35-Brian Jennings; 6-Danial Boyer; 1A-Toby Blumenshine; 41-Mike Boyer
Points (Top 5) (After 1 of 16 Races):
1. 92-Jason Swavely[100]; 2. 747-Richie Hartman[-5]; 3. 7D-Chris Dolan[-10]; 4. 3-Nick Skias[-15]; 5. 27O-Billy Logeman[-20]
Jason Swavely racked up another victory in the Schenck Racing No. 92 in the Border Magic 270 class, giving him two wins on the opening night of the 2025 season. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman
Josh Stoyer had come tantalizingly close to wins in both Sportsman and 270 competition during the 2024 season at the Clyde. Despite the “what-ifs,” the Reading native had been winless at the Clyde since August of 2023. But that changed in a heartbeat on Saturday night, as late-race issues for Corey Schmuck, Jr. opened the door for Stoyer to steal the Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman opener.
Schmuck, Jr.’s No. 26 was the class of the field for almost the entirety of the 25-lap feature, as he started from pole position and pulled away from Stoyer and the rest of the field at seemingly every opportunity. Despite searching around the racetrack, Stoyer couldn’t find a line that was quick enough to allow him to close in.
But things for Schmuck, Jr. unraveled coming to two laps to go, as his car slowed and shot up the banking in turn 4. Stoyer was able to blow past and into the lead, and a similar issue for Schmuck, Jr. on the final lap prevented him from having any opportunity to reclaim the top spot. Instead, the door opened for Stoyer to put Ronnie Shanaman’s No. 15 Viper Chassis back into victory lane.
Max Fasnacht finished as the runner-up, with Schnuck, Jr. surviving for a third-place result. Kyle Lindsey and Mike Kreiser were the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 15-Josh Stoyer[2]; 2. 20-Max Fasnacht[5]; 3. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[1]; 4. 28-Kyle Lindsey[14]; 5. 77-Michael Kreiser[16]; 6. 1J-Justin Harrington[6]; 7. 30-Ryan Heckman[10]; 8. 8-Michael Spadafora[12]; 9. 31-Tyler Martin[3]; 10. 21V-David Ravel[13]; 11. 19-Wes Fasnacht[15]; 12. 27-Dylan Pennypacker[4]; 13. 9X-Mason Ruffner[17]; 14. 05-Evan Lawrence[18]; 15. 23K-Courtney Kupp[19]; 16. 99-Brandon Heist Sr[7]; 17. 17-Masen Stapleton[9]; 18. 21D-Dave Williams[11]; 19. 77J-Jade Smith[8]
Points (Top 5) (After 1 of 16 Races):
1. 15-Josh Stoyer[100]; 2. 20-Max Fasnacht[-5]; 3. 26-Corey Schmuck Jr[-10]; 4. 28-Kyle Lindsey[-15]; 5. 77-Michael Kreiser[-20]
Josh Stoyer picked up his first win at the Clyde since August of 2023 in Saturday night’s Step Brothers Concrete & Fence Sportsman feature. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Knappenberger Photos)
125/4 Stroke
Saturday night’s season-opener for the 125/4 Stroke division saw a thoroughly dominant performance completed by Fleetwood’s John Maurer, as he left no doubt with a wire-to-wire triumph.
Maurer won his heat race and drew the pole position for the 25-lapper. With a car that was clearly the class of the field on this evening, the No. 82 Mongoose Chassis built up multiple large leads after each caution flag, and Maurer was never legitimately threatened en route to his win – one that came with a 2.246-second margin of victory despite just a five-lap run to the checkered flag.
The racing behind Maurer was fun and frenzied, and when the dust settled, Mike Coen came home with second, and Matt Fernsler rounded out the podium. Rilynn Hannula matched her best Lanco finish with a fourth, and Seth Gregory brought home the rest of the top five.
Results:
1. 82-John Maurer[1]; 2. 26C-Michael Coen[6]; 3. 19-Matt Fernsler[4]; 4. 89-Rilynn Hannula[2]; 5. 14-Seth Gregory[9]; 6. 04-Steve Simmons[8]; 7. X-Dave Schroeder[17]; 8. 3H-Corey Harting[15]; 9. 4W-Brandon Worthington[7]; 10. 15-Alyssa Holmes[13]; 11. 78C-Sara Borror[11]; 12. 75-Cameron Bellinger[10]; 13. 76-Brent Shearer[12]; 14. 23-Asher Kempton[14]; 15. 44S-Trevor Waegel[3]; 16. 112-Dylan Yeingst[16]; 17. 8-Michael Spadafora[5]
Points (Top 5) (After 1 of 16 Races):
1. 82-John Maurer[100]; 2. 26C-Michael Coen[-5]; 3. 19-Matt Fernsler[-10]; 4. 89-Rilynn Hannula[-15]; 5. 14-Seth Gregory[-20]
John Maurer kicked off his 2025 season in style by leading all 25 laps of Saturday night’s 125/4 Stroke season-opener. (Photo Courtesy of Wayne Hohler Photography)
The Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway is back in action next Saturday, April 26 with the second points night of the 2025 season. All the stars and cars of the five weekly classes at the Clyde will return to competition, with gates opening at 4 p.m. and warmups kicking off the on-track action at 5:30 p.m. For those unable to attend, live streaming coverage will be provided by The Cushion. For kids in attendance, the K.I.D. Club will provide the supplies for kids to make “paper bag monsters” next Saturday night.