ARDC Midgets & Wingless 600’s On April 2nd Card
Story By: BARRY ANGSTADT / ARDC MEDIA Photos By: TYRONE KARL / ARDC PHOTO
NEWMANSTOWN, PA- April 1, 2016- Unseasonably nice weather arrived with perfect timing, just as members of Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway needed to fulfill work party obligations AND the facility was due for its annual sprucing up in preparation for the No Wing Spring Fling on Saturday, April 2nd.
The Clyde’s earliest season opener in many years will be highlighted by the second-ever appearance of the ARDC Midgets. After a super-successful debut on the Fourth of July in 2015, the mighty Midgets of the American Racing Drivers Club will begin their 77th season of competition by once again tackling the banked bull ring that is Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway.
Ryan Greth, who captured the history-making inaugural ARDC race on Independence Day of last year, will lead the talented field of Midget competitors to the Newmanstown, PA oval on April 2nd. He’ll be joined by Trevor Kobylarz, Brett Arndt, PJ Gargiulo, Brett Wanner, Jim Radney, Nick Wean, Danny Stratton, and a host of other ARDC aces in the first of two, 2016 events scheduled for the Midgets at Clyde Martin. They’ll actually return for a third engagement on Tuesday, August 16, when the Lanco Club makes history again by hosting its first USAC National Midget Series event.
One ARDC newcomer is anxious and very pleased that the 2016 slate has three Midget races slotted for the Clyde. The Maytown Missile, Ryan Wilson, cut his racing teeth in the 270cc and 600cc divisions at Clyde Martin. While he will be a rookie to the Midgets, Wilson is certainly no stranger to the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. He’s visited Lanco’s victory lane on several occasions before he turned his attention to 358 and 410 Sprint Cars for a few years.
With his Sprint Car career on hold for the moment, Wilson is set for an all out assault on the ARDC tour and he’d like nothing better than to start off strong at a track with which he is extremely familiar.
MJF Trucking of Denver, PA will sponsor the April 2nd No Wing Spring Fling, as the Wingless 600cc Sprints join the ARDC Midgets. This is a non-point, everyone-is-welcome event for the Wingless 600’s, and at least one driver is planning to pull double-duty that night.
Bear, Delaware’s Kyle Spence and his family-owned team purchased one of the Kunsman Racing Team’s Midgets over the winter. Spence, who won the Wingless 600 race last July when ARDC was at the Clyde, is looking for a repeat performance to kick off the new campaign and he’ll use April 2nd to launch his Midget racing career, too.
The American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) recently announced that Autobahn Indoor Speedway of Lemoyne, PA, has signed on as a primary sponsor of the wingless Midget series for 2016. Autobahn Indoor Speedway features high speed electric Italian pro-karts that reach speeds of up to 50 mph. The Grand Prix style course provides realistic F1 racing experiences in a state-of-the-art facility.
On Saturday, April 2nd, Lanco’s weekly Micro-Sprint divisions will have the opportunity to practice prior to the evening’s No Wing Spring Fling.
Gates will open at 10 a.m. and any re-inspections or Waiver Inspections for Lanco club members will be performed from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Rookie Orientation will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with track time for rookies beginning at approximately 12 noon.
From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. there will be open practice for all five of the weekly divisions – the 270cc, Sportsman, 125cc, Winged 600cc, and the Sports ‘n Turf 250cc Four-Stroke Micro-Sprints.
Everyone will be asked to leave the pits and grandstands at 3:30, then gates will open for the evening program at 4:15. A driver’s meeting for both ARDC and Wingless 600cc competitors will begin at 5:30 and at 6 p.m. the ARDC Midgets will put heat in their motors, followed by warm-ups for both divisions. The first heat race is scheduled for the green flag at 6:30.
General Admission tickets for the No Wing Spring Fling are $12, with children aged 12 and under admitted free. Pit passes are $30 and Wingless 600 car entry is $50 per car.
For additional information, log on to www.lancomicrosprint.com. Wingless Midgets and 600cc Sprints to start the season? That can mean just one thing…you’ve gotta come out and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco on April 2nd!
