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 2^nd 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

Heat Races

Feature

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.