By Zach Hiser
Elida, OH – Just over one month after his last race of the 2024 season, Elida, OH native, Max Stambaugh is preparing to collect another award following a season that saw him go to victory lane seven different times. On Saturday, December 7th, Stambaugh will accept the “DARF Dirt Driver of the Year” award from the Dayton Auto Race Fan Club during the annual Banquet of Champions.
Stambaugh put together a season that saw him collect another pair of championships with the Great Lakes Sprints Series in the Smith Motorsports No.71H; starting with a pair of wins in April at I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, TN, and four more wins with GLSS at Hartford Speedway, Tri City Motor Speedway (2), and Silver Bullet Speedway. Stambaugh’s success resulted in another Michigan CAT GLSS Championship and his second consecutive GLSS Tour Championship.
A total of 46 times this season, Stambaugh checked in to race across the country, starting in February at East Bay Raceway Park. Of those 46 starts, 35 times Stambaugh finished inside the top 10, and 26 times those finishes were top 5s. The first trip to victory lane came on April 6th at North Alabama Speedway.
As for his time racing in Ohio, Stambaugh was wildly consistent in his home state. In 15 appearances in 2024, 10 times Stambaugh crossed the line in the top 10 and five times he was in contention to win inside the top five.
“I’m thankful to be recognized by the Dayton Auto Race Fan Club,” Stambaugh said. “The support our race team receives from the Ohio fanbase is amazing and we’re excited to be able to race as much as we do in this region.”
The Dayton Auto Race Fan Club will hand out 16 specialty awards on Saturday night including the DARF Dirt Driver of the Year. The Dayton Auto Race Fan Club is a non-profit organization consisting of owners, drivers, mechanics, promoters and race fans. It was founded by John “Shorty” Miller, Dale “Lucky” Lutz, Gene Moore, Jerry Wahl and Gene Bundy in the 1960s.
“The DARF Dirt Driver of the Year is discussed and voted on by the DARF Officers and Board of Directors,” said DARF President, Larry Boos. “The award is presented annually to a driver that competes on area tracks and shows exemplary talent on and off the race track; a driver that excels in dirt racing. Max certainly meets and exceeds those criteria with the outstanding statistics he has created while competing in multiple forms of dirt track racing.”
Stambaugh would like to thank his fans for their support in 2024 and all those who supported him behind the wheel of his Smith Motorsports Maxim Chassis/Gressman Engines No.71H including Lochinvar, Sunrise Archery, Jim Coffey & Son Plumbing & Heating, Bear Custom Gas Tanks, and Just Dogs Grooming Salon.