Lake Odessa, MI (Friday, July 30, 2021) - Another exciting night of racing for the Great Lakes Super Sprints Presented by Engine Pro and ARP unfolded Friday night at I-96 Speedway in front of a packed house of eager sprint car fans. A total of 26 360 sprint cars graced the west Michigan property hoping for a chance to become a GLSS winner. Heading into the night, three drivers had already accomplished winning at I-96 this season while others hoped to add their name to the list.
The program Friday night featured a Sprint Car doubleheader, with not only the Great Lakes Super Sprints in action, but also accompaniment from the FAST on Dirt and Sprints on Dirt 410 series. A handful of drivers elected to pull double duty including Ryan Ruhl, Max Stambaugh, Mike Astraskus, Chase Ridenour and Dustin Daggett. Running second all evening, when the GLSS regulars got their cars they had already witnessed or participated in a sprint car race prior to taking the green flag.
Through heat races and the B-Main, the field was set for 25 laps around I-96 Speedway. Daggett and Stambaugh led the field to the green flag with Stambaugh picking up right where he left off during the 410 feature - in the lead. Stambaugh took the inside line away from Daggett going into one, and never looked back, sailing off into the lead. By lap six, Stambaugh had already caught the back of the field to begin lapping cars.
The race was only slowed one time when a cluster of cars somehow managed to snag a start cone in turns three and four. The cone was kicked out into the racing surface and officials were forced to throw the caution on lap 19, erasing Stambaugh’s nearly eight second advantage.
On the restart, Stambaugh jumped back out to a massive lead, helped by a mistake made by Daggett going into turn one. Daggett jumped the cushion on the entry of the corner and slid off the banking. He managed to regather the car before falling outside of the top 10. Stambaugh held on for the win, making him the third driver with three wins in the series this season. Ruhl finished second, Dann Sams third, Ryan Coniam fourth and Chase Ridenour rounded out the top five. Coniam, who started 12th, earned the Hoosier Racing Tire Hard Charger Award gaining eight positions.
The Great Lakes Super Sprints Presented by Engine Pro and ARP are back in action tonight at Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio. The trip is the first for the Series since 2017. For more information on the Great Lakes Super Sprints, log onto www.GreatLakesSprints.com.
Story - Zach Hiser
Photo - Jim DenHamer
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