Rusty Schlenk Crashes the Party: Move Over Michigan Round 2 at I-96
From the MARC News archives: Originally reported and written by Mike Powell for MARC News. Republished here by the author.
Lake Odessa, MI — Friday night, August 28, 2026, the Late Model main event at I-96 Speedway was supposed to belong to the regulars. Travis Stemler’s been the man to beat at his home track all year, Cody Bauer rolled in on the pole, and the Move Over Michigan Dirt Late Model Series finale had all the makings of a hometown coronation.
Instead, Jackson’s Rusty Schlenk crashed the party.
Starting third in the 25-lap Choice Concrete UMP Late Models A-Feature, Schlenk worked his way forward and took the checkers after an epic high-side turn 1 pass, denying Stemler what would’ve been a signature win in his own backyard. Stemler came home second after leading from his front-row start, and Buckley’s Brandon Thirlby rounded out the podium in third after starting fourth. A clean top three, all things considered, on a night where a lot of other people’s races did not go well at all.
Before more details on the race, a word on why the series came to be. The Move Over Michigan Dirt Late Model Series isn’t just a cool name; it’s named directly after Michigan’s Move Over law. This inaugural mini-season carries it in memory of Keagen Spencer, a 25-year-old tow-truck operator who was struck and killed while working near Caledonia, MI, back in November 2023. The series was put together by Jeff Finley, a Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer and the man behind Northside Towing and Service, who wanted to use the platform he already had in DIRTcar Late Model racing to push the message that people need to slow down and move over for roadside workers, tow operators, and first responders. It’s a cause that predates the race series itself. Move Over Michigan as an advocacy movement goes back to 2014, started by people from towing, law enforcement, fire, EMS, and MDOT, and they’ve spent the last decade running safety days, educational outreach, stand-alone memorial races, and “Slow Down, Move Over” sign campaigns at rest stops around the state. Finley took that same mission and turned it into a race series. Three races, three purses, one message: move over, every time.
The move of the night belonged to Chase Burda. The Lapeer driver started dead last on the 21-car chart in 21st and sliced all the way up to 7th by the checkers, yielding a 14-spot gain that was the best of anybody in the field. If there’s a highlight reel from this one, Burda’s charge through the pack should be on it.
Right behind him, Rylee Knoll and Jordan Dahlke both had nights to remember from deep in the field. Knoll came from 10th to finish 4th, and Dahlke worked from 20th all the way up to 10th. Both picked their way forward while plenty of cars around them were headed to the pits early.
And that was the story for a lot of the field. This was not a kind night for attrition. Ten cars didn’t see the checkered flag, and the DNF list reads like a who’s who of drivers who probably wanted this race back. Cody Bauer, who started on the pole, never got to cash in on that front-row draw and fell all the way out for a -17 on the night. That’s the single hardest luck of anybody in the building. Logan Nickerson (started 5th), Eric Spangler (8th), and Jim Billett (9th) all had solid starting spots evaporate into early exits, and Brian Nelson slid from 12th to out entirely. Lake Odessa’s own Patric Lajoye, racing in front of the home crowd, also went down as a DNF after starting 18th.
Schlenk's trip to victory lane wasn't a cakewalk, either. According to his post-race interview, he fought vibrations in the car after the final caution and figured he no longer had the fastest car on the track. Didn't matter. He just had to be there at the end, and on a night that rewarded patience and survival as much as raw speed, that was worth plenty.
Move Over Michigan — I-96 Speedway A-Feature (25 Laps)
Rusty Schlenk (Jackson, MI) — started 3rd
Travis Stemler (Ionia, MI) — started 2nd
Brandon Thirlby (Buckley, MI) — started 4th
Rylee Knoll (Lake, MI) — started 10th
Chad Finley (St. Johns, MI) — started 6th
Jacob Stuhr (Harrison, MI) — started 11th
Chase Burda (Lapeer, MI) — started 21st
Colin Shipley (McClure, OH) — started 7th
Bill Bray (Spring Lake, MI) — started 14th
Jordan Dahlke (Caledonia, MI) — started 20th
The Move Over Michigan Dirt Late Model Series wraps up it’s campaign with a third, and final, race on Saturday, September 5 at Merritt Speedway. More information can be found on facebook:https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CBxNZyaJL/
