By T.J. Buffenbarger
(August 19, 2026) — Zane DeVault has established himself this year as one of the top drivers to beat when sprint cars visit I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan collecting a pair of Great Lakes Super Sprints feature victories.
DeVault hopes the success the team has found in the 360 sprint car division helps the Rocky Anderson owned team, with former SOD Champion Sean Robinson turning the wrenches with the All Star Circuit of Champions coming into the area for two night’s Friday at I-96 and Saturday night at Butler Motor Speedway.
While DeVault has five feature victories to his credit this season, he has been particularly strong at I-96 which has seen the track develop a curb on the top of the racetrack and bottom lane with some different track preparation during race nights, particularly before the feature event.
“They put a lot of hard work into it and have figured out that you know how much water to use kind of how to groom the track through the week,” said DeVault of I-96 track crew. “They’ll build a little bit of a ledge and get it to the very top, but kind of slick across, and they go out there and till up the bottom little bit and put some water in there to where that kind of comes back.
“The track is a little technical because it’s so high speed there and a little mistake on the curb really shows big time. If you miss the bottom, it’s the same thing, but you are still able to throw some slide jobs and race. Usually, the slide jobs are tight because it is so fast when you get to the cushion because when you peel off and throw a slide job the guy on the top’s coming behind you.”
DeVault has put together a solid season in his first year driving for Rocky Anderson after parting ways with Lane Racing at the end of last year. Driving for Anderson was an idea that had been discussed previously between driver and car owner.
“Rocky and I had some conversations in in the past about doing some one-off races here and there. DeVault said. “I was in kind of a tough spot where I didn’t have anything to drive, and they had basically two teams that they were going to combine into one and try to build a program that was kind of all-star regional caliber. So, we sat down and hashed out a decent schedule and kind of game plan, and it took off from there.
The pairing with Anderson’s race team also gave DeVault the opportunity to work with Robinson, who he has worked with in the past and was excited to connect again to tackle an ambitious schedule with the All Stars and around the Great Lakes Region. It did take some time to get adjusted to some of the changes in the sport since DeVault and Robinson last teamed up.
“Sean and I have worked together on the 410 and side of things,” said DeVault. “We had to get used to the new tires because when we were together it was the H15s and the older mediums. So, we worked to get our package back kind of to what we had.”
One aspect DeVault enjoys working with Robinson is his relatability when giving feedback about the car race.
“I think it’s great because it’s different when you have a guy that’s pushed the button before,” said DeVault. “I can come in and say this is really what I’m feeling, or this is what I feel trim package wise when we get into dirty air, and really knows what I’m what I’m talking about because he’s been in those situations before,”
“He really knows the feeling of being a driver and the ups and downs and the thinking behind the seat and kind of what’s going through your mind. It’s a good thing to have in the back of your mind to be able to communicate. When I get into certain situations, it’s nice for him to know what I’m talking about.”
With the deal to drive Anderson’s car coming together late, DeVault and Robinson spent some time playing catch up to prepare for the season and some of the changes in the sport since they last worked together. That work has paid off with DeVault scoring two feature victories and a second-place finish in his last three starts with GLSS, which DeVault hopes translates to the 410 sprint car.
“I think we’re definitely starting to mesh with what I like feel wise again and what Sean likes to see in a car,” said DeVault. “We were good at times and just kind of had some had some tough luck and whatnot. We’ve been chipping away at it. I’m actually excited to kind of put this this notebook and everything in this chapter that we’ve learned to really turn our program around with to the 410 and see if we can make a run back towards the front of the All Star points to try to close that gap as much as we can.”
Other Notes…
-
Cale Thomas. (T.J. Buffenbarger Photo) Since the All Stars have not conducted a race since June 20th with their last three races being rained out, you may need to brush up on some of the driver/team changes that have taken place.Cale Thomas parted ways with Ruzdik Racing and Zeth Sabo is not the driver of the familiar black and orange #49x car for Ruzdik. The #29 car owned by Rich Farmer Sabo was driving has remained parked since his move to the Ruzdik team.
Thomas has driven for a couple of different teams since that occurred and even drove Brian Grove’s #45 entry to a win at Mansfield Speedway. No official word yet on if Thomas will drive Grove’s entry at I-96 and butler, even though he’s second in the point standings to Kalib Henry.
In addition to these changes, there could be a couple of other new faces in different cars as the All Stars return to action this week.
- Fresh off his first effort at the Knoxville Nationals, Darin Naida will be competing with the All Stars for both nights at I-96 and Butler in Ed Neumeister’s entry. Naida recently finished second to DeVault in a GLSS feature event the Neumeister team used as a tune-up for their 360 program before going to Knoxville.
- Look for Clinton Boyles to put his seat back into the Home Pro Roofing entry this weekend to compete with the All Stars. Boyles was victorious at I-96 with GLSS back on June 19th.
- Nate Dussel will make the trip north from Bradner, Ohio to only run the Friday portion of the program with the All Stars at I-96. Dussel is always one to watch at I-96, finishing third with the All Stars last August and has three feature wins there from June of 2022 in 360 and 410 action.
-
Brad Lamberson. (T.J. Buffenbarger Photo) Jason Blonde will be absent for the All Star Circuit of Champions programs in Michigan this weekend due to commitments to the Race for the Million series at Colorado National Speedway in Dacono, Colorado. Brad Lamberson will be in the driver’s seat for both nights in a Rhino Racing team this weekend with the All Stars fresh off of his stint on the World of Outlaws tour with Bill Rose Racing filling in for Kasey Jedrzejek who was idle with a broken arm.Other Great Lakes region teams expected in Colorado with the Race for the Million series on Saturday include the Dick Myers owned #50M car driven by Kody Swanson and Jimmy McCune.The Race for the Million event in Colorado is the final race in that series that will pay $30,000 to the feature winner while the champion will receive $40,000. Currently Aaron Willison holds a five-point lead over Kody Swanson for that title.The payout for the points championship goes down in relatively small increments compared to most series with second place paying $37,500, third place paying $35,000, and 10th paying $20,000.
- The Tri-State Sprint Car Series had its largest car count of its existence last Friday night when 16 cars making the trip to compete at Corrigan Oil Speedway (AKA Spartan Speedway) in Mason, Michigan with AJ Leseicki coming out on top. The event in Mason completed the Tri-State’s 2026 season with South African driver Quintin Saayman winning the championship.