2wd carpet 1/12th scale on road, will make you the best driver. Carpet on road has a ton of decent options in Ohio right now.
2wd buggy isn't any fun for some racers. Very picky about expensive tires. Go to your local tracks and watch more racing. I hated the time I wasted in 2wd buggy gluing and cutting up hundreds of tires. Not to mention that the average racer in that class has been running that class, and only that class, every single week for the past 30 years. Pick a class that isn't so stagnant, that you can be competitive in, within a year or two. It looks like a beginner class, but it requires nitro 1/8th scale on road levels of commitment.
You need to go to EN Hobbies, if you're in Central Ohio. Carpet off road and carpet on road. Top quality raceway. No more indoor dirt. 13.5 4wd buggy is a blast.
EN Hobbies
Last I checked, off road Sat. On road Sun.
Stateline Rc (big outdoor track like Medina)
Medina Rc Raceway (free practice all week which is nice)
NORCAR at the Gate. (carpet on road)
Access Hobby (carpet on road way down in Springfield)
Austintown (carpet on road)
The Factory (crcrc, indoor clay)
Toledo 1/8th racers (nitro on road and Midwest series)
No idea what's up in Ashtabula right now? Haven't been there in a decade.
Your b44 should jump 100 times better than a stadium truck. They can fly like 8th scales on 8th scale tracks. Likely just needs some work. If you enjoy 4wd buggy, stick with it. Gluing tires for it still sucks, but they have a much wider tuning window for each set.