By Zach Hiser
Merrill, MI – This weekend, the Great Lakes Super Sprints Presented by PERFIT & ARP (GLSS) are back in the Great Lakes State for a Friday and Saturday night doubleheader. Friday night, the GLSS return to I-96 Speedway to the tune of $5,000 to win before a return to Crystal Motor Speedway for the first time in over three months.
Friday at I-96, drivers will roll into Michigan’s fastest Speedway with an over $20,000 purse on the line in a $ 5,000-to-win, $ 500-to-start showdown. I-96 Speedway has historically been a thrilling visit for the GLSS, and that held true in the last show there on May 29th. Chase Dunham and Dustin Daggett led the field to the green flag, and hometown favorite, Daggett held off a charge from Scott Bogucki to snap a nearly two-year winless streak.
In the last visit to Crystal Motor Speedway, history was made when Zane DeVault broke the track record on the new American Racer tires. DeVault ripped off a time of 11.930 seconds before going on to have a near-perfect night, winning his heat race and rolling from third to victory lane. DeVault had some help that night as engine issues plagued both Jared Horstman and Clinton Boyles, who were at the front of the field for the first half of the race.
DeVault remains the only driver to win multiple races this season with the Great Lakes Super Sprints. In 11 shows, nine different drivers have made their way to victory lane. The top two in GLSS Tour points, however, are still held winless. Chase Dunham, who took control of the championship points lead following the trip to Ohsweken and Buxton Speedways in June, has ripped off five top five finishes so far this year, including a runner-up performance at Buxton Speedway. Dunham has been lights-out in qualifying, though, grabbing five Ti22 Performance Fast Qualifier Awards, the only driver with more than one so far this season. Dunham holds a 28-point lead over four-time and defending GLSS Champion, Max Stambaugh, who holds four wins at I-96 Speedway, has been held winless as well so far this season.
As for the MacAllister CAT (Michigan) Division, Dustin Daggett has his No.85 at the top of the standings, returning to the place he calls home. The Michigan championship standings is one of the best points battles with GLSS in recent memory, with the top five separated by roughly 100 points. Daggett brings in a 29-point advantage over Max Stambaugh and sits 49 points ahead of Chase Dunham. Inaugural GLSS Champion, Chase Ridenour holds down the fourth spot, hot off his win at Butler Motor Speedway in June, and a potential sleeper in the championship hunt, Boston Mead sits fifth just 110 points back from Daggett.
With $5,000 on the line Friday night, the 20 or more GLSS regulars that fans are used to seeing throughout the season are likely to deal with plenty of outsiders looking to cash in on a payday. Pit gates at I-96 Speedway open at 4:00 PM with racing scheduled for 8:00PM. Saturday at Crystal Motor Speedway, pit gates open at 2:00 PM and racing is slated for 7:00 PM. Fans who can’t make the trip can catch the action LIVE on www.GreatLakesSprints.TV.
For more information on the Great Lakes Super Sprints, visit GreatLakesSuperSprints.com. Find Great Lakes Super Sprints on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.