Mad Max Stambaugh takes SOD win at I-96 Speedway
Jim DenHamer photo
Erie, MI (September 22, 2018) – The temperature may have been in the low forties with a brisk north wind, but the action on the track was hot for the Dual on Dirt Take 2 backed by Noizee 1 Motorsports at I-96 Speedway for Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt last night as “Mad Max” Stambaugh earned a hard-fought win in the 27-lap feature in memory of Greg Hodnett who passed away in a sprint car crash in Pennsylvania Thursday night; Hodnett’s car number was 27.
Ryan Ruhl (Coldwater, Michigan) took the lead at the start of the feature from his outside front rows starting position, but the caution flew as pole starter Mark Aldrich (Addison, Michigan) broke a front hub coming out of turn 2 on lap 1, spinning in front of the pack; everyone avoided Aldrich’s disabled car, but his night was done early.
Jay Steinebach (Hudsonville, Michigan) looked like he was shot out of a cannon as he charged around the top of Ruhl and Stambaugh who spent most of the race battling for 2nd to take the lead on lap 9. Steinebach negotiated traffic and was strong on several restarts with Stambaugh pulling alongside once only to have Steinebach drive away once again. The red flew on lap 10 when Josh Shantz (St. Agatha, Ontario) caught the outside wall going into turn one, flipping off the end of the track; he was okay, but the same couldn’t be said for his badly damaged car.
On lap 23, with just four laps to go, Steinebach suddenly slowed going into turn 3 and coasted to a stop on the front stretch due to a rear end failure. Stambaugh (Elida, Ohio) then powered his Home Pro Roofing #51 to a 20-car length win over Ryan Ruhl and 2018 SOD Champion Chad Blonde (Litchfield, Michigan) on the masterfully prepped, fast track.
Qualifying – Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition Fast Masters (fast qualifiers) $50 each
| Group | Time | # | Driver |
| Engler Machine & Tool Heat | 14.242 | 11R | Chase Ridenour |
| COMP Cams Heat | 14.175 | 7J | Joe Swanson |
| RockAuto.com Heat | 14.307 | 27B | Boston Mead |
Heat Races
| Engler Machine & Tool Heat #1 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 71H | Ryan Ruhl | |
| 2 | 51 | Max Stambaugh | |
| 3 | 11R | Chase Ridenour | Benic Enterprises |
| 4 | 0F | Ricky Ferkel | Racing Optics |
| 5 | 27 | Keith Sheffer Jr. | |
| 6 | 29 | Daryl Shaffer | |
| 7 | 8 | Justin Ward | |
| COMP Cams Heat #2 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 1a | Mark Aldrich | |
| 2 | 7J | Joe Swanson | |
| 3 | 18 | Josh Shantz | Benic Enterprises |
| 4 | 18s | Michael Summers | Racing Optics |
| 5 | 8W | Josh Ward | |
| 6 | 35 | Mark Strpko | |
| 7 | 39 | Tylar Rankin | |
| RockAuto.com Heat #3 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 7 | Zane DeVault | |
| 2 | 10S | Jay Steinebach | |
| 3 | 27B | Boston Mead | Benic Enterprises |
| 4 | 5B | Chad Blonde | |
| 5 | 70 | Eli Lakin | |
| 6 | 24+ | Mike Schumacher | |
| 7 | 33 | Jeremy Ferguson | |
Feature
| # | Driver | Awards | Contingencies | |
| 1 | 51 | Max Stambaugh | ||
| 2 | 71H | Ryan Ruhl | Jim Coffey & Son | Rod End Supply |
| 3 | 5B | Chad Blonde | Rod End Supply | |
| 4 | 7 | Zane DeVault | Schoenfeld Headers | |
| 5 | 27B | Boston Mead | ATL Racing Fuel Cells | |
| 6 | 11R | Chase Ridenour | Allstar Performance | |
| 7 | 7J | Joe Swanson | ||
| 8 | 0 | Ricky Ferkel | ||
| 9 | 70 | Eli Lakin | King Racing Products | |
| 10 | 18s | Michael Summers | ||
| 11 | 27 | Keith Sheffer Jr. | Keizer Aluminum Wheels | |
| 12 | 8 | Justin Ward | ||
| 13 | 33 | Jeremy Ferguson | ||
| 14 | 10S | Jay Steinebach | ||
| 15 | 24+ | Michael Schumacher | ||
| 16 | 29 | Daryl Shaffer | ||
| 17 | 18 | Josh Shantz | ||
| 18 | 35 | Mark Strpko | ||
| 19 | 39 | Tylar Rankin | ||
| 20 | 1a | Mark Aldrich | ||
| DNS | 8W | Josh Ward |
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Chad Blonde (+9)
BR Motorsports Contingency (feature top 10 draw) – Joe Swanson
DMI (Diversified Machine) Contingency (feature 12-16 draw) – Michael Schumacher
Perfit Corporation Lucky Dog – Boston Mead
Allstar Performance Better Luck Next Time – Josh Ward, Jay Steinebach
Check out I-96 Speedway at www.i96speedway.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/I96Speedway/.
To learn more about Engine Pro, go to www.enginepro.com. For more information about ARP, go to www.arp-bolts.com. Follow SOD at www.sprintsondirt.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sprintsondirt.
