Stambaugh Returns to Great Lakes Super Sprints to Defend Threepeat; Eyes First Ever Divisional Sweep

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Merrill, MI - Anyone who is hoping to win a Great Lakes Super Sprints Presented by PERFIT & ARP Championship knows they need to get through Max Stambaugh and his Smith Motorsports No.71H to do so. 

Since 2021, Smith Motorsports has locked down the Championships with GLSS; a stat that only changed slightly when the North and South Divisions were introduced in 2023. Jared Horstman won the final NRA title in 2023 to take the south while Stambaugh and Smith Motorsports took the Tour and the Michigan Region. Then, in 2024, Dustin Daggett stopped Stambaugh from getting the clean sweep by winning the Ohio CAT (South) Division. Stambaugh says that the overall goals don’t change, but he doesn’t ignore the possibility.

“My goal is just to win the Tour again,” Stambaugh said. “I mean, it stung a little bit last year not getting all three, but we want to win the overall Tour.”

Stambaugh comes into 2025 in his fourth season behind the wheel of the Smith Motorsports No.71H. Last year, the combination led to six wins with GLSS and seven total wins throughout the season. Stambaugh was wildly consistent in his bid for his third straight title, earning 28 top 10s and 19 top fives in 31 starts on his way to the Tour and Michigan CAT Division Championships. Stambaugh says the success he’s had with Smith Motorsports the last three seasons is due, in part, to team chemistry.

“Not having to rebuild every year is a big deal,” Stambaugh explained. “I’ve done my fair share of jumping around - being able to stay with Steve and Michelle (Smith) and keep the same guys on the team helps us come out of the gate ready to win.”

Stambaugh realizes that reaching four consecutive titles is a large task to overcome. Being at the top of the GLSS food chain four straight seasons is an impressive run for Smith Motorsports, but Stambaugh knows that could come to an end at any minute.

“A lot of the teams have gotten a lot better,” Stambaugh says of teams hoping to knock them out of the Championship. “Our job now is to stay on top. Being known as a 360 ace in a sense, keeping that reputation up to have a name like Kyle Sauder and Darren Long.”

Earning the title in 2025, however, will require a little bit more out of Stambaugh than in seasons prior. This year, to complete the full Tour schedule, the Elida, OH native says he’ll be preparing his family car for select starts, including Limaland Motorsports Park. 

“There’s a couple of races that I’m going to run the family car to fill the schedule out,” Stambaugh explained. “This year is special to get my car out because of me and my dad buying some new cars, and he’s the one that originally got the whole deal going for me.”

The bid for a fourth consecutive championship with the Great Lakes Super Sprints Presented by PERFIT & ARP begins on Friday and Saturday, April 11th & 12th at I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, TN. Stambaugh returns to I-75 Raceway after sweeping the event last season. 

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