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Sat, Apr 8
- Antioch Speedway Race TrackAntioch, California, USA - TRIPLE CROWN RACE #1
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- Antioch Speedway Race TrackAntioch, California, USA - TRIPLE CROWN RACE #2
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- Antioch Speedway Race TrackAntioch, California, USA - TRIPLE CROWN RACE #3
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- 63rd Antioch Speedway Schedule Released
Antioch, CA...The 2023 season at Antioch Speedway will also be the 63rd consecutive year of championship auto racing on the 3/8 mile clay oval. For the fourth year, Chad Chadwick of PROmotions will be at the helm. The season will offer a few new touches to the schedule, while also giving the fans plenty of IMCA sanctioned Modified, Sport Modified and Stock Car racing. The popular Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks, Wingless Spec Sprints, Super Stocks, Print Club Mini Stocks and Delta Dwarf Cars will also be in the regular rotation, and we will also get more visits from the Hardtops. Working with Chadwick in putting the schedule together was Race Director Chris Bennett. From the time Bennett was a kid in the grandstands cheering on his favorite racers, he's taken the time to learn the sport and even competed in multiple divisions. A primary concern for Bennett and Chadwick this year was to put together a schedule that had Antioch Speedway's best interest at heart, while also working with some of the neighboring tracks to not step on their schedules. All too often, we've seen conflicts in the scheduling, and many times Antioch Speedway has been on the worst end of those conflicts. Bennett and Chadwick both wanted to make sure that Antioch Speedway fans would be getting a dose of great racing action on any occasion on which the speedway opened for business. Bennett had another thing in mind when he was first able to make scheduling adjustments going into September last year. He wanted to give the fans more Sprint Car racing. Through the years, the speedway has offered some of the best traveling association Sprint Car shows as well as its own in-house efforts, but things have gotten light on the schedule of late. It started with Chris getting a Hunt Series race for the Soares Memorial last October, continued with the addition of the first ever Open Wheel Showcase in November and concluded later that month when several phone calls resulted in 22 Wingless Spec Sprints for the final race of the year . The Open Wheel Showcase was designed to get the track back on the Sprint Car Tour's schedule, and it's happened in a big way. On April 29th, the Speedway welcomes the return of the NARC Fujitsu Winged 410 Sprint Car series, joined by the track's IMCA Modifieds and Stock Cars along with the Delta Dwarf Cars. On July 1st, the Elk Grove Ford Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Presented by Abreu Vineyards, will be in the house, joined by the track's Hobby Stock division. on April 15th, the Hunt Wingless Sprint Series will be there along with the IMCA Sport Modifieds. The Hunt Series returns on July 29th along with the IMCA Modifieds and Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and WMR Midgets Also competing will be the BCRA Midgets, Lightning Sprints and Vintage Midgets on August 26th and September look 23rd. The BCRA Midgets and Lightning Sprints will also be in action on April 8th. The USAC Western State Midgets will be in town on March 25th along with the IMCA sanctioned Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Stock Cars, the Hobby Stocks and the Delta Dwarf Cars. Fans wanting Sprint Cars will get plenty of it. The track will also run the occasional Winged 360 Sprint Car show, offer the 25th season of Wingless Spec Sprints and brings back the Sprint Car Showcase on November 11th. The intent is to give the fans more special occasions with plenty of racing and fast cars to enjoy. Some adjustments had to be made in October, and that meant that established events were getting moved. Everybody knew that the second weekend of October was the Soares Memorial Hall of Fame weekend. However, Hall of Fame night has been moved to September 15th and 16th. The two-race weekend offers IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks on the 15th and Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Super Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars and Mini Stocks on the 16th. The Soares Memorial event will take on a more important tone as the trifecta of IMCA, Modifieds, Sport Modifieds and Stock Cars, compete along with the Hobby Stocks and Xtreme Limited Late Models. After the success in saving the Larry Damitz Memorial race last October, the tribute to the legendary competitor who raced until he was 87, has been moved to May 13th. Among the divisions in the lineup will be the Tri State Pro Stock Series, the West Coast Hobby Stock Series and the Hardtops that Damitz competed in for the first 20 years of his career. The IMCA Sport Modifieds will also be there that night along with the third running of the Mother's Day Minivan race. Hobby stock fans will still get a big dose of the division they love. The Third Annual Hobby Stock Nationals will take place on October 6th and 7th, while the Dean Cline Classic returns on June 17th. Fans of the IMCA trifecta will get plenty of it. On some occasions, the divisions will be separated. On July 8th, those three divisions will compete in the 7th Annual Hetrick Memorial along with the Wingless Spec Sprints. On October 21st and 22nd, the three IMCA divisions run for the money again in the 5th Annual Bill Bowers Memorial West Coast Nationals. The Friday portion will also pay tribute to living legend and Hall of Famer JD Willis. The fans demanded their Figure 8 after what turned out to be the biggest attended event in the postseason last October. The 15-car field ran for $1,000 to win that race, won by two-time Spec Sprint champion Dan Gonderman. The big money event will take place on the second night of the Hobby Stock Nationals among the six events for the series this year. Other touches might be added to Figure 8 races throughout the season. Likewise, the Hardtops will have seven races, including the Annual Chet Thompson Memorial on September 30th. There's discussions about that night also being a Hall of Fame celebration for Vallejo Speedway. On October 28th, the track will also have the second running of the Butch Althar Memorial Hardtop show. Dwarf Car racing fans have things to be excited about. On June 9th and 10th, the annual Dwarf Car Nationals will bring some of the best drivers on the West Coast to the track. Friday will see the Wingless Spec Sprints and IMCA Stock Cars joining them, while the Tri State Pro Stocks and Mini Stocks will be there a night later. On April 29th, the Delta Dwarf Cars go head to head with the NorCal Dwarf Cars as part of the big Sprint Car event. The West Coast Sport Compact Series comes to Antioch on August 26th. The schedule looks so exciting and action-packed that fans will be breaking out their highlighter pens to pick out the dates. More of those dates will be highlighted as must see for long time Speedway observers. After a couple of practice events, the season kicks off on March 11th with Winged 360 Sprint Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. A week later is the season opener for the IMCA Modifieds along with Wingless Spec Sprints and Mini Late Models. The three IMCA sanctioned divisions, Hobby Stocks and Delta Dwarf Cars will be a part of the third week of racing on March 25th along with USAC Western States Midgets. Super Stock point racing kicks into high gear on May 6th along with Wingless Spec Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars and Mini Stocks. The idea is to make Antioch Speedway a destination point for people in the area once again. On any given Saturday night from March through October, there's something exciting happening on the 3/8 mile clay oval. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com or check out any Antioch Speedway by PROmotions on Facebook. 2023 Antioch Speedway Schedule Subject To Change February 25 - Practice March 4 - Practice March 11 - Winged 360 Sprints, Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks March 18 - Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Mini Late Models March 25 - USAC Western States Midgets, Delta Dwarf Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks April 1 - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Super Stocks (NP) April 8 - BCRA Midgets, BCRA Lightning Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Hardtops, Delta Dwarf Cars, Figure 8 April 15 - Hunt Wingless Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, 600 Micro Sprints April 22 - IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks April 29 - NARC Sprint Cars, Delta/NorCal Dwarf Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars May 3 - Central Valley Clash - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars May 6 - Wingless Spec Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks May 13 - Larry Damitz Memorial - Tri State Pro Stock Series, West Coast Hobby Stock Tour, Hardtops, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Mother's Day Mini Vans May 19 - Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars May 20 - IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Figure 8 May 27 - Dark June 3 - Soares Memorial - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Xtreme Late Models June 9 - Dwarf Car Nationals - WSDCA Dwarf Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks June 10 - Dwarf Car Nationals - WSDCA Dwarf Cars - Tri State Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks June 17 - Dean Cline Classic - Hobby Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks, Hartdtops, 600 Micro Sprints June - 24 - Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Stock Cars, BCRA Lightning Sprints, Hobby Stocks, Figure 8 July 1 - Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Hobby Stocks July 8 - Hetrick Memorial - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Wingless Spec Sprints July 15 - IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, Figure 8, 600 Micro Sprints July 22 - Wingless Spec Sprints, Super Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars, Hardtops, Xtreme Late Models July 29 - Hunt Wingless Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, WMR Midgets, Mini Stocks August 5 - Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Delta Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks August 12 - Hobby Stocks, Super Stocks, Figure 8 August 19 - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Delta Dwarf Cars, Mini Stocks August 26 - BCRA Midgets, Lightning Sprints and Vintage Midgets, Hobby Stocks, Delta Dwarf Cars, Hardtops, WCSC Mini Stocks September 2 - Dark September 9 - Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour September 15 - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks (Hall Of Fame) September 16 - Wingless Spec Sprints, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Delta Dwarf Cars, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, Extreme Late Models (Hall of Fame) September 23 - Wingless Spec Sprints, BCRA Midgets, Lightning Sprints and Vintage Midgets, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks September 30 - USAC Western States Midgets, Delta Dwarf Mania, Super Stocks, (Chet Thomson) Hardtops October 6 - Hobby Stock Nationals - Hobby Stocks October 7 - Hobby Stock Nationals - Hobby Stocks, Figure 8 October 14 - TBA October 20 - Bill Bowers Memorial - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars (JD Willis Tribute) October 21 - Bill Bowers Memorial - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars October 28 - Wingless Spec Sprints, Xtreme Late Models, Super Stocks, Hardtops (Butch Althar), Mini Stocks November 11 - Sprint Car Showcase November 25 - IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks 2022 Antioch Speedway Season Had Much To Be Excited About Antioch, CA...2022 offered Antioch Speedway fans a season of excitement. Racing kicked into gear back in March and didn't let up until the last weekend of November. Fans got to see a nice variety of different shows along with special events, such as two Malicious Monster Truck Insanity Tour visits and two Flat Track Motorcycle events. People know what to expect at the speedway these days. The IMCA Modifieds have been a featured class since 1990, the Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks have been around since 1995, the Delta Dwarf Cars have been a regular attraction since 1998, the Wingless Spec Sprints have been there since 1999, the Super Stocks have been there since 2000, the Mini Stocks have been there on and off since 2003, the Hardtops have been making visits since 2008 and the IMCA Sport Modifieds are the new kids on the block, competing regularly at the track since 2012. Most of the divisions had at least one special event with more money on the line. The bigger picture was the championship battle that took place in each regular class. When the final checkered flag flew on the point races, titles were won by Nick DeCarlo IMCA Modifieds, Fred Ryland, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Travis Dutra IMCA Stock Cars, Misty Welborn Hobby Stocks, Shannon Newton Wingless Spec Sprints, Danny Wagner Delta Dwarf Cars, Jim Freethy Super Stocks and Tom Brown Mini Stocks. A few of those battles went down to the wire. Sometimes there might only be one driver going for the IMCA Modified championship, but in this case Nick DeCarlo and Kellen Chadwick both declared intent. The 15 race point season went down to the wire and ended up with both drivers tied at the top. It came down to wins with DeCarlo edging Chadwick four to three. DeCarlo also had 12 Top 5 finishes to 11 for Chadwick. The race had to be audited through IMCA, but as many times the totals end up going with what the sanctioning body initially had, it was proven that Antioch had the total correct all along. The sanctioning body always edits to make sure things are accurate on their end. Bobby Motts Jr was in the hunt for most of the season, but the past champion couldn't quite get it to the winner's circle. He did, however earn six Top 3 finishes, including two runner up efforts, to maintain third in the standings ahead of an intense rookie battle between Trevor Clymens and Terry DeCarlo Jr. The two drivers went back and forth until Clymens broke through to get season best second and third place finishes in a three race span. Clymens had 11 Top 5 efforts to three for DeCarlo, but he still only won this battle by 12 points. The list of feature winners during the course of the season included seven-time victor Troy Foulger, two-time winner Bobby Hogge IV and 2004 champion Aaron Crowell one time. Foulger won the Bill Bowers Memorial West Coast Nationals in October. He came close to winning the Hetrick Memorial in July before settling for second behind Hogge in the extra money affair. Fred Ryland returned In his effort to match Trevor Clymens as a three-time IMCA Sport Modified champion. Along the way, he picked up his 70th combined career win at the Speedway, moving him into fourth on the all-time winner's list. Ryland needed those wins with Andrew Pearce nipping at his heels. He picked up four feature wins to three for Pearce. Pearce edged Ryland, 12 Top 5s to 11. Pearce won the last two point events, but mechanical errors while leading late In the third to last race of the season may have been his undoing. Ryland beat Pearce by eight points. Rising star Jacob Mallet Jr set about winning the IMCA State championship and accomplished the task. He won at multiple venues, including two wins at Antioch among nine Top 5 efforts. He had a solid hold on third. Kenny Shrader picked up three wins during the season, but two of them were the Hetrick Memorial and the Bill Bowers Memorial. This enabled him to beat Chuck Golden by just 11 tallies. The steady Golden had twelve Top 10 finishes and also won a race earlier in the season at Quincy. He was 23 points ahead of rapidly improving Jason Ryan Jr in the final rundown. A look at the winner's list found 2019 champion Tommy Fraser with two victories, while past champion KC Keller had one triumph. As the track continued to nurture the IMCA Stock Car division in its second full season, there were just 12 point events. Past Dwarf Car and Mini Truck champion Travis Dutra set about repeating as division champion. His consistency was unmatched. He had a division-leading 11 Top 5 efforts. Impressively, he racked up a division-leading five second place finishes, but he put the icing on his championship cake by winning his first race in the finale. Jason Robles had picked up two wins in seven Top 5 efforts, but bad luck kept him 20 points behind in the end. Past Mini Stock champion Jason Jennings battle past Street Stock competitor Dave Hill for third and top rookie honors. However, it wasn't as close as the 23 point differential in Jason's favor would make it appear. Jennings did have five Top 5 efforts. With Jim Reed turning the wrenches, Hill did get faster as the season ended and had two Top 5 finishes. Coming off of a third place season and driving a new car, Dan Gonderman beat Jeff Bentancourt by just seven points for fifth in the standings. His seven Top 5 efforts included three season-high third place finishes. Also earning spots on the winner's list were four-time victor Troy Foulger, three-time winner Garrett Corn, Fred Ryland with two triumphs and one win for Kellen Chadwick. Foulger won the IMCA Stock Car portion of the Bill Bowers Memorial and did the same at the extra money paying Construction Night event. Corn, who lost a close battle with Steven Johnson for the Merced title, had three wins, but a broken A-frame kept him for winning the Construction Night special. Corn was the winner of the IMCA Stock Car portion of the Hetrick Race. The Hobby Stock division proved to be the workhorse division at the track. They were also the division that had the best car count and frequently needed B Mains to set the 20 car grid for the feature race. Misty Welborn shot out of the gate like a cannonball with her three wins happening in the first four events. She had a total of six Top 5 efforts. Michaela Taylor kept it close during the first half of the season. Though Taylor had a season high second place Main Event finish in her three Top 5 efforts, the win eluded her. She needed the fourth place finish she had at the point finale to beat Jared Baugh by just for tallies. Baugh led the final race for several laps before mechanical issues ended that. He had 10 Top 5 efforts and two wins . Taylor DeCarlo had an eventful rookie season, including three Top 5 finishes, and she had a solid hold on fourth in her Rookie of the Year effort. The rapidly improving Jewell Crandall used her third fifth place finish in the point finale to overtake Grayson Baca by 20 points for fifth in the standings. Baca had six Top 5 finishes, including one win. Other drivers on the winner's list included Clarence Holbrook III four times, two times for Les Friend and one each for Kenneth Robles, Ken Johns, reigning champion Larry McKinzie Jr and Aidan Ponciano. The front-runners were likely breathing a sigh of relief as Holbrook only ran eight times and didn't chase points. He was dominant when he was there. The Dean Cline Classic was introduced as a late season addition, and McKinzie picked up the win in that race. Bakersfield star Dylan Wilson bagged the $5,000 prize in the second running of the Hobby Stock Nationals. The win on Hetrick Memorial night went to Les Friend. The Hobby Stocks also ran three Figure 8 races. There had been rumors of the addition of this class. After a rather bold statement was made by Figure 8 enthusiast Jim Robbins by running through an X that didn't exist on practice night in August, things changed. That event happened to be broadcast on the track's Facebook page, and Promoter Chad Chadwick threw down the gauntlet. Get him 15 cars for the race in October, and he'd pay $1,000 to win. Robbins himself beat the drum to get drivers to run and also secured sponsrship for this event. The rough and tumble Figure 8 that night didn't have 15 cars until Charlie Bryant signed up at the last minute. Figure 8 legend Johnny Keldsen, a three-time Antioch champion, nursed a smoking mount to a Top 3 finish, but it was two-time Spec Sprint champion Dan Gonderman hoisting the championship belt over his head and claiming the $1,000 prize. Other wins went to Richard Keldsen and son DJ Keldsen. Richard's win happened to be in the Mike Conley Salute. The Figure 8 proved very popular as the big money race was the best attended special show in postseason. The Wingless Spec Sprint division entered their 24th season on a seemingly high note, but car count was less than desired at times. With the win in the opener, Zack Neely was the early front runner in the John Hendrickson Motorsports car, but he fell out with the consistent James East taking over the lead. East did lead the class with eight Top 5 finishes, but a win was never in the cards for him. Shannon Newton got hot with four wins and seven Top 5s among his eight starts, enabling him to beat East by just 17 markers. The steady Steve Maionchi used his two Top 5 finishes to secure third by just 30 points over three-time Top 5 finisher MacKenzie Newton. Neely managed to settle for fifth. Also etching their names onto the winner's list were Ethon Lanfri, Cameron Martin, Scott Chapetta, Shawn Arriaga, Jarrett Soares, Daniel Whitley and Jimmy Christian. Arriaga collected the win in the special Sonny Calkins Memorial on June 11th, netting him a $2,500 payday. The Hunt Series was added on late notice as part of the Soares Memorial event in October, and Shawn Jones picked up that victory. A hastily scheduled race at the last event of the season saw an impressive 22 drivers show up with Jimmy Christian claiming the glory. The Dwarf Cars have had championships at Antioch since 1998, but this was the third year under the Delta Dwarf Car and Western States Dwarf Car rules package. Danny Wagner was unstoppable as the champion at Antioch and with the South Bay group at Watsonville. He racked up six wins in nine races at Antioch, and managed to nurse his lead despite driving with a broken arm for a few races. Despite falling 60 points short, young up-and-comer Devan Kammermann notched his first two wins among eight Top 5 finishes for a stellar season. The consistent Ellie Russo beat David Michael Rosa by 24 points to claim third as Chance Russell held off David Rosa by just 22 points for fifth. Antioch Speedway proudly hosted a Western States Dwarf Car Nationals event in July that had over 60 competitors. On the money night, it was Adam Teves picking up his first Pro division win. Teves has moved to Nevada, but he called Antioch Speedway his home track for several seasons. Mike Reeder won the Veteran division portion of the show, while Kinser Endicott was the Sportsman winner. Michael "Spanky" Grenert was the only other driver to get a win during regular season, but it was Brandon Shaw picking up the $1,000 prize in the special Nighthawk 30, which accompanied the Sprint Car Showcase. Janis Munroe held off Danny Wagner to win the after hours Golf Cart race in the pits during the Dwarf Car Nationals. The Super Stocks seemed to be on the edge of oblivion, but a few dedicated racers wouldn't give up the fight. With four wins to his credit, there was little doubt that Jim Freethy would win his third championship in the class. Joey Ridgeway liked to run at other tracks, and that proved negative towards his car when he had a hard crash at Petaluma. He had four fourth place finishes at Antioch to beat Jim Robbins by just eight markers. Robbins had a season-high second early in the season. Mike Walko was a solid fourth in the final rundown with two season-high seconds, one of which happened in the Larry Damitz Memorial. Two-time champion and division all-time winner Mike Gustafson had a season-high pair of third place finishes, giving him a six point advantage over Chad Hammer for fifth in the standings. Ryan Smith of the Tri State Pro Stock group won on a crazy night when their race had bad weather and several drivers came from Hanford to be a part of the Antioch show. Because he built and set up his car, Michael Burch put Nick DeCarlo behind the wheel on one occasion and watched DeCarlo claim the glory that night. Burch, who's been around the speedway for many years, picked up his first career win in the Larry Damitz Memorial race, netting him the $1,000 prize and a championship belt. In Mini Stock competition, Tom Brown picked up where he left off a year earlier. He again won the championship at Petaluma. With four wins at Antioch, he cruised to his second-consecutive title there. After Dana Gardner broke leading his heat in the point finale, Laina Bales overtook him for second by six points in the final rundown. She had two Top 5 finishes to six for Gardner. However, Gardner got hot in postseason with his first two wins. Don Abitz had three Top 5s to finish fourth in the standings by 16 points over rookie Shane Titman, who had two Top 5s. 2021 Petaluma Super Stock champion Randy Miramontez won the season opener. Many-time Orland Raceway champion Tom Davis won the special extra money race at the end of October. Race Director Chris Bennett organized the Sprint Car Showcase on November 12th and got a field of 23 competitors to show up for the race that was won by Colby Copeland over Colby Johnson and Kaleb Montgomery. The race was a success, leading to a Sprint Car Challenge Tour race being booked for 2023. The track had five Xtreme Scaffolding Limited Late Model races on the schedule. Dan Brown Jr had a pair of seconds and three wins in the Antioch races as he won the series title over the consistent Matt Micheli. Other wins went to Anthony Slaney in the opener and Placerville champion Dan Jinkerson the following week. The track had three WMR Midget races. It was Sage Bordenave beating Brody Petrie in an eventful race back in April. Series champion Blake Bower outran teammate Bryant Bell to win the next visit. Bower took a tumble in the final Antioch visit to end things early for him, while Hunt Wingless Sprint star Josh Young won that race ahead of Logan Mitchell and Terry Nichols. The BCRA Lightning Sprints made two appearances with wins going to Harlee Aguilera ahead of champion Matt Land and Peter Paulson in the first visit. Land outran Hunter Kinney and Brandon Leedy at the next go-round. There was a hastily scheduled Hardtop race at the end of September that was run in memory of the late Butch Althar. The Sportsman of two-time Merced champion Rick Elliott won this eventful showdown ahead of Joel Hannagan in the Doug Braudrick owned Junkyard Dog and Mike Gillard. They also had the regularly scheduled Chet Thomson Memorial, and Hannagan became the first three-time winner of this race ahead of Gillard and Elliott. The very first California Sharp Mini Late Model race was won by Late Model veteran Mitch Enos after early leader Matt Malcolm spun twice. There were many highlights during the 2022 season, and some good moments were created. There's much optimism in the air around the speedway. Though the 62nd season of racing might have had a lot of things to be proud of, the 63rd year is expected to be even better. Stay tuned for more information to come. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com or go to Antioch Speedway by PROmotions on Facebook Antioch Speedway Final 2022 Points IMCA Modifeds 1 Nick DeCarlo 483 2 Kellen Chadwick 483 3 Bobby Motts Jr 456 4 Trevor Clymens 442 5 Terry Decarlo Jr 430 6 Kenneth Robles 384 7 Troy Foulger 376 8 Terry Decarlo Sr 292 9 Buddy Kniss 280 10 Aaron Crowell 249 IMCA Sport Modifieds 1 Fred Ryland 456 2 Andrew Pearce 448 3 Jacob Mallet Jr 432 4 Kenny Shrader 368 5 Chuck Golden 357 6 Jason Ryan Jr 324 7 Tom Fraser 307 8 KC Keller 301 9 Dylan Connelly 300 10 Tyler Browne 290 IMCA Stock Cars 1 Travis Dutra 446 2 Jason Robles 426 3 Jason Jennings 379 4 Dave Hill 356 5 Dan Gonderman 315 6 Jeff Bentancourt 308 7 Joe Gallaher 300 8 Fred Ryland 297 9 Troy Foulger 254 10 Kellen Chadwick 211 Pacific Coast Engineering Hobby Stocks 1 Misty Welborn 580 2 Michaela Taylor 510 3 Jared Baugh 506 4 Taylor DeCarlo 454 5 Jewell Crandall 420 6 Grayson Baca 400 7 James Graessle 350 8 Larry McKinzie Jr 342 9 Jess Paladino 338 10 Gavin Griffiths 318 Delta Dwarf Cars 1 Danny Wagner 418 2 Devan Kammermann 358 3 Ellie Russo 296 4 David Michael Rosa 272 5 Chance Russell 256 6 David Rosa 238 7 Travis Day 212 8 Sean Catucci 174 9 Mario Marques 162 10 Toby Brown 152 Super Stocks 1 Jim Freethy 270 2 Joey Ridgway 182 3 Jimmy Robbins 174 4 Mike Walko 146 5 Mike Gustafson 96 6 Chad Hammer 90 7 michael burch 78 8 Nick DeCarlo 56 9 Jay Bryant 54 10 Ryan Smith 50 Wingless Spec Sprints 1 Shannon Newton 370 2 James East 353 3 Steve Maionchi 256 4 MacKenzie Newton 226 5 Zack Neeley 215 6 Jimmy Christian 186 7 Dylan Newberry 180 8 Tony Bernard 174 9 Roy Fisher 170 10 Richard Panfili 158 Print Club Mini Stocks 1 Tom Brown 278 2 Laina Bales 194 3 Dana Gardner 188 4 Don Abitz 150 5 Shan Titman 134 6 Eddie Humphrey III 132 7 David Carson 84 8 Chris Corder 82 9 Ryan Graham 82 10 Randy Miramontez 56
- LUCAS OIL POWRi SOUTHWEST LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES 2023 SCHEDULE
(Lakeside, CA, January 2, 2023) The Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series has released its exciting schedule for the 2023 racing season with 19 dates on the slate. Seventeen of the races will be in California and two will be across the border in Arizona. 320926663_6018675031484286_8788656927764865312_n.jpg Among the 19 races will be first-time stops at the Bakersfield Speedway and the Ventura Raceway. In addition, the biggest track lightning sprint cars compete on in the southwest, the half-mile at Perris Auto Speedway will become a regular stop for the first time for the SWLS. An impressive showing by the club at the longtime Riverside County clay oval last September has led to four races at the venue this year. As well as the new tracks, the SWLS will be back in action at familiar racing facilities. The rejuvenated Imperial Valley Raceway will be the club's home track in 2022 with six races scheduled. San Diego County's only ¼ mile dirt oval, the Barona Speedway, will see the SWLS make four trips to town. The club will venture across the border to Arizona two times in 2023. The first trip to the "Copper State" will be on April 1st and the second will be on October 14th. Both of those sojourns will see the SWLS on the same card as the popular USAC/CRA Sprint Cars on the racy Mohave Valley Raceway. "It is going to take a lot of these guys from down here in the San Diego area to tracks they have not been to before," SWLS President Brent Sexton said when asked about the new series venues. "They will be able to compete against some different drivers on different tracks. Hopefully, at some point, we can join forces with the two groups (California Lightning Sprint Cars and Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association) and have 25 cars and B mains." The SWLS calendar shows a co-sanctioned six-race series with the California Lightning Sprint Cars that is titled "Best of the West." Those six races will feature a $3,000.00 point fund that will be paid out to the top 10 drivers. The season-opening races at Imperial Valley on March 10th and 11th will kick off the "Best of the West." Round #3 will take place at Mohave on April 1st. May 20th will see Bakersfield host round #4. After a two-month break, the next to last race in the BOTW will happen at Ventura on July 22nd before heading back to Mohave to wrap up the series on October 14th. The busiest month for the SWLS in 2022 will be October when it races four times. After the finish of the "Best of the West" series on October 14th, the teams will be right back in action on October 20th and 21st at Imperial Valley. One week later, they head to Barona for the last time in 2023. After two weeks off, the season will end at Perris on November 11th. Being back at Perris, one of the most visible tracks in the country is important for the SWLS. A longtime home to lightning races, last September's SWLS appearance at the track known as The PAS was the first lightning race there in several years. The 18-car field and clean racing made track officials more than happy to schedule the SWLS four times in 2023. "It is huge for us getting to run all of those races there with USAC," Sexton responded when asked what it meant to have the famous track on the schedule. "It is a good thing so we can highlight these lightning sprints. It shows that these things can definitely lead to racing in midgets and sprint cars. It is a step for all of us (lightning sprints) here in California. It will strengthen that gap with the younger generations coming up through the ranks. Hopefully, it will help lightning sprint racing and full-size sprint cars as well." In a change from the 2022 season when the SWLS had seven wingless races, there are only three topless shows on the schedule this year. The first will take place at Imperial on April 22nd. The second will be four months later in August at Barona. The last wingless race of the 2023 campaign will take place at Imperial on October 21st. "At some of the tracks we are at it will make it more entertaining," Sexton said. "Plus the six-race "Best of the West" series with CLS is all winged races." Built into the regular season will be three breaks for teams to travel to the Colorado Nationals in June, Washington's "Dirt Cup" in July, and the "Minkota Nationals" in mid-August. The series is currently hard at work seeking marketing partners for the 2023 campaign. If you or your company would like to be a part of the SWLS this year, call or email Brent Sexton at mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mailto:sextonfire@gmail.com. The Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series would like to thank Sexton Fire Protection, RTL Traffic Control & Equipment, Victory Graphix, BK Wing, and A.M. Ortega Construction Inc. 2023 Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 10 Imperial Valley Raceway Winged March 11 Imperial Valley Raceway Winged April 1 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged April 15 Perris Auto Speedway Winged April 22 Imperial Valley Raceway Wingless May 13 Barona Speedway Winged (TBD) May 20 Bakersfield Speedway Winged May 27 Perris Auto Speedway Winged (TBD) June 10 Colorado Nationals Winged (TBD) July 8 Barona Winged (TBD) Deming Speedway Clay Cup Winged (No Points) July 22 Ventura Raceway Winged August 5 Barona Speedway Wingless (TBD) August 19 Perris Auto Speedway Winged August 10-13 13th Minkota Nationals Winged (Non-Points) September 2 Barona Speedway Winged (TBD) September 23 Imperial Valley Raceway Winged October 14 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged October 20 Imperial Valley Raceway Winged October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway Wingless October 28 Barona Speedway Winged (TBA) November 11 Perris Auto Speedway Winged Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series Champions 2020 Chris Crowder 2021 Grant Sexton 2022 Brent Sexton This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CARS SERIES RELEASES 21 RACE SCHEDULE FOR 2023
(Torrance, CA, December 24, 2022) California Lightning Sprint Car Series President Jon Robertson has released a 21-race schedule for the club's 29th season of racing. The campaign will commence with a pair of races at the Imperial Valley Raceway on March 10th & 11th and will conclude with the annual "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway on November 16th, 17th, and 18th. 321294199_903102144455462_2945131048475801055_n.jpg The season, which will last a little over eight months, will see the series compete on seven different tracks. Eight of those tracks are in California and one is in Arizona. The series will have co-home tracks in 2023 with the Ventura Raceway and the Bakersfield Speedway hosting six races each. As mentioned above. the club will attack Placerville's famous red clay three times and after several years away, the CLS will return to the Imperial Valley Raceway for two nights. Another track with two races on the schedule will be Arizona's 1/3 mile Mohave Valley Raceway. The CLS will make single appearances at the Merced and Ocean Speedways. The appearance at Ocean, which is in Watsonville, California, will be the first ever for the club at the iconic track. As always, the CLS will combine with Northern California's BCRA for the popular "Civil War Series." For 2023 the CWS will be a four-race affair with two races on CLS tracks and two others in BCRA territory. Bakersfield will host the two CLS races in the mini-series on June 3rd and September 9th. The pair of races in BCRA country will be August 19th at the Johnny Key Classic at Ocean Speedway and October 7th at the annual Wayne Albright Memorial at racy Merced Speedway. "Greg (BCRA President Greg Dennett) was able to talk to the promoters from Ocean at the Promoter's Workshop and he got them to lean with us," second year CLS President Jon Robertson said. "We will be a part of one of their prime shows, the Johnny Key Classic. That is not a first-base hit, it is a home run! It is a good facility. I had been there back in the SCRA Sprint Car Series days. I would like to race there more but let's crawl before we fly. It is also a special deal for us to be part of the Wayne Albright Memorial once again at Merced. Everybody loves racing there." In addition to the BCRA, the CLS is joining forces with the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars for the first "Best of the West Series." Comprised of six races, the first two for the joint effort will be the season-opening March doubleheader at Imperial. Mohave Valley will host rounds on April 1st and October 14th. Sandwiched in between will be two more series races at Bakersfield on May 20th and Ventura's beachside 1/5 mile oval on July 22nd. The "Best of the West Series" will have a $3,000.00 point fund that will pay the top 10 drivers after the final race. "We have two separate mini-series going on in addition to our regular full-season series," Robertson stated. "We are going with BCRA for our annual "Civil War Series." That is four races. Talking with Brent Sexton (POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series President), we put together a really good "Best of the West" six-race series, too. Each club has put up $1,500.00 and we will pay the top 10 in points. "The series' with BCRA and SWLS are good deals as it helps keep everybody's car count up," Robertson continued. "Many of the guys in the SWLS will get to race some new tracks and we will be heading (back) to Imperial. We have not been there in several years. That is a neat place. They have redone the track configuration and the surface. All of those are going to be good shows. All of our stand-alone shows are real good as well." The busiest week of the campaign will be in mid-November when the CLS teams and drivers will race four times in five nights. On Tuesday the 14th, the CLS and the USAC National Midgets will be at the Bakersfield Speedway. After one night off, the CLS and National Midgets will head north to Placerville for three straight nights of action at the "Hangtown 100." Seventeen of the 21 CLS races will be contested with wings on. The only exceptions are the "Albright Memorial" and the three nights of the "Hangtown 100." "People can call the phone number or email the contact information provided in this press release," Robertson said regarding companies wanting to be a marketing partner with the CLS. "After the New Year, we will continue to work on our contingency awards. We had $13,000.00 or $14,000.00 in contingencies this year. We will start working on that stuff after the first of the year and I hope to get most of those people back. Earlier this month the CLS welcomed RacingJunk as its newest sponsor. To learn more about RacingJunk, please visit the company website at https://www.racingjunk.com/ A month before the launch of the longtime club's racing season, the CLS banquet will take place at Frantone's Pizza & Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos on February 4th. Tickets for the banquet which features presentations, raffles, and great food are $40.00. To order or for more information call (310) 367-9050 or email mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net ?subject=jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net. The following companies were marketing partners with the CLS in 2022. They offered up more than $13,000.00 in contingencies that were awarded on top of the regular racing purses and they were paid out throughout the year. Yoshimura R&D, Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Speed Mart, Cold Fire West, West Evens Motorsports, RC Fuel Injection, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, Advanced Racing Suspensions, CSI Shocks, Eibach Springs, Triple X Race Components, King Racing Products, Hyper Racing Products, Rebel Gears, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disk Brakes, Fuel Safe Systems, MPI, Circle Track Performance, E-Z UP, Hepfner Racing, Smith Titanium, and Hoosier Speed. To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints 2023 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 10 Imperial Raceway CLS/SWLS "Best of the West" Round #1 March 11 Imperial Raceway CLS/SWLS "Best of the West" Round #2 March 18 Bakersfield Speedway CLS With USAC Western Midgets April 1 Mohave Valley Raceway CLS/SWLS "Best of the West" Round #3 With USAC/CRA Sprint Cars April 8 Bakersfield Speedway CLS With USAC 360 Sprint Cars May 13 Ventura Raceway CLS With USAC 360 Sprint Cars May 20 Bakersfield Speedway CLS/SWLS "Best of the West" Round #4 June 3 Bakersfield Speedway CLS/BCRA "Civil War Series Round" #1 With USAC 360 Sprint Cars June 17 Ventura Raceway CLS With USAC 360 Sprint Cars Wagsdash July 8 Ventura Raceway CLS July 22 Ventura Raceway CLS/SWLS "Best of the West" Round #5 August 19 Ocean Speedway CLS/BCRA "Civil War Series" Round #2, Johnny Key Classic September 9 Bakersfield Speedway CLS/BCRA "Civil War Series" Round #3 September 23 Ventura Raceway CLS October 7 Merced Speedway CLS/BCRA "Civil War Series" Round #4, Wayne Albright Memorial Non Wing October 14 Mohave Valley Speedway CLS/SWLS "Best of the West" Round #4 With USAC/CRA Sprint Cars October 28 Ventura Raceway CLS November 14 Bakersfield Speedway CLS With USAC National Midgets November 16 Placerville Speedway "Hangtown 100" No Points Non Wing November 17 Placerville Speedway "Hangtown 100" No Points Non Wing November 18 Placerville Speedway "Hangtown 100" No Points Non Wing PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS 1994 Tony Everhart 1995 Gary Sexton 1996 Rob Sczymczak 1997 Jon Rahe 1998 Chris Rahe 1999 Brent Sexton 2000 Greg Bragg 2001 Greg Bragg 2002 Greg Bragg 2003 David Cardey 2004 Keith Janca 2005 Johnny Bates 2006 Donny Gansen 2007 Shane Rossen 2008 Brent Sexton 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr. 2010 Jarrett Kramer 2011 Tim Brown 2012 Bobby Michnowicz 2013 Stephen Limon 2014 Bobby Michnowicz 2015 Bobby Michnowicz 2016 Bobby Michnowicz 2017 Bobby Michnowicz 2018 Jarrett Kramer 2019 Jarrett Kramer 2021 David Gasper 2022 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- "SHUGAH" SHANE SEXTON GETS A THIRD-PLACE FINISH ON LAST WEEKEND OF THE SEASON AT PLACERVILLE
(Warner Springs, CA, December 1, 2022) Shane Sexton brought the curtain down on his 2022 racing season at the three-night Hangtown 100 at the Placerville Speedway. Driving for Brian Fonseca, whom he has teamed with for two victories in 2022, the 18-year-old driver had a third-place finish on the second night on the quarter-mile banked red clay Oval. Night #1 A stellar field of 26 cars showed up for the race that was co-sanctioned by the California Lightning Sprint Car Series, and Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association. The affable 18-year-old got off to a good start when he recorded the fourth-fastest qualifying time with a sizzling lap of 13.751. That effort placed him in the first 8-lap heat race of the three-night affair. Fortunately, that heat result did not resonate on the entire weekend as Sexton started in the 5th place spot and ended up 7th. He followed the heat up by starting the 25-lap main in 10th in Fonseca's #3F. He moved the car forward four spots and finished six. Night #2 Sexton, who makes his home in Warner Springs, California, had another good qualifying effort on night number two. That time he recorded the fifth-fastest lap at 13.644. Things went much better for his heat race on the second night when he began in fifth and finished fourth in the quick 8-lapper. Not long thereafter, the driver who picked up preliminary main event wins at Washington's Clay Cup and the Cal Cup at the Lemoore Speedway was fired up and ready for the main event. He started on the inside of the second row and 100 turns later, he crossed the finish line in third place. It was his 7th top-five finish of the 2022 season. It was an impressive finish considering that the condition of the track for the main caught the team by surprise. "I did not think it was going to be this dry," Sexton explained. "We probably could have went a little bit tighter. Hats off to my guys, Brian Fonseca, and my dad. They work their tails off throughout the night. We have had some success all around the country. We normally do not do the local stuff for Brian, but he called and asked if I wanted to drive it and I could not say no. Third place on the podium is not too bad." 316166392_1752841241764061_2197171293471255483_n.jpg Shane Sexton with his Friday night third place trophy at Placerville. Sexton photo. Night #3 Hopes were high for the Sexton/Fonseca duo in the final race of the year. Coming off the previous night's podium finish combined with their success in big events this year, there were plenty of reasons to believe that the night was going to be special. Those expectations grew higher when Sexton started and finished second in his 12-lap qualifier. That put him on the outside of row two for the feature. However, this is no fairy tale and the main event did not have a happy ending. On lap six, Sexton tangled with another car in turn one. While it was not a heavy crash, the damage done was enough to knock him out of the race. He ended up with a very frustrating 18th-place finish. While the 2022 campaign is done, the work is already underway for 2023. Sexton will be spending countless hours in the shop getting his family-owned GAS Chassis 410 sprint car ready to go at the season openers in late January. He plans to run the full season with USAC/CRA. He also hopes to see some time in Fonseca's potent car in select events when his 410 racing schedule permits. In addition to prepping the cars, the young driver is looking to have some corporate marketing partners join him for the year. If you are interested, please contact him via the information that follows: e-mail mailto::Shanesexton7@gmail.com or by phone at (619) 362-5921. If you are looking to get into sprint car racing, you can use the same contact information to purchase or get information on a new GAS Chassis for the 2023 campaign. Sexton would like to thank Brian Fonseca and Samantha Sproull for the opportunity to wheel their lightning sprint and he would like to thank their team sponsors for making it possible. They are the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Foothill Tractor & Heavy Equipment, KB Rod Benders, and MJK Auto Sales. Sexton and the #74 team wish to extend their thanks to the following 2022 racing season partners. GAS Chassis, Key Brothers Racing, Nita Gatlin, Hugh Jorgan, Mike Pridgeon Racing Engines, AG Sandcars, Powder 1, Ron's Tire and Brake, and Savage Racing. Shane Sexton's 2022 Results January 27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main January 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 21st A Main January 29 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 11th A Main March 26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main April 22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 12th A Main April 29 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 22nd A Main May 28 Central Missouri Speedway POWRi Lightning Sprint 2nd A Main May 29 Central Missouri Speedway POWRi Lightning Sprint 14th A Main July 14 Deming Speedway Clay Cup Lightning Sprint 5th A Main July 15 Deming Speedway Clay Cup Lightning Sprint 1st A Main July 16 Deming Speedway Clay Cup Lightning Sprint 21st A Main August 6 Santa Maria Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main September 17 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 17th A Main October 13 Lemoore Raceway California Cup 5th A Main October 14 Lemoore Raceway California Cup 1st A Main October 15 Lemoore Raceway California Cup 5th A Main November 17 Placerville Speedway Hangtown 100 6th A Main November 18 Placerville Speedway Hangtown 100 3rd A Main November 19 Placerville Speedway Hangtown 100 18th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio (909) 226-7768 or mailto:sdaloisiosprts@gmail.com
- SEXTON GATLIN RACING HAS A TOUGH NIGHT AT BAKERSFIELD
(Glendora, California, November 26, 2022) Impressive young racer Will Browne brought his rookie season in lightning sprint cars to a close in impressive fashion by finishing sixth at the "6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" at the Bakersfield Speedway. The race was co-sanctioned by the California Lightning Sprint Car Series and Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association. It was also the final race of the five-race "Civil War Series" matching CLS drivers vs BCRA racers and the final points-paying race for the CLS in 2022. 305255847_762704451652371_2366630231652135019_n.jpg Will Browne placed second in the CLS standings and fourth in the Civil War Series in 2022. Lance Jennings photo. Browne, 18, has had a wonderful rookie season in lightning sprint cars. He started out on the first weekend in March when he placed 5th and 6th in a pair of POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series races at the Imperial Valley Raceway. After that weekend, he mostly competed with the rival CLS where he was never worse than seventh in the season-long championship standings and was locked into fourth most of the five-race "Civil War Series." The lanky driver was in those positions when he arrived at Bakersfield for what turned out to be his last race of the year. 2022 High School graduate Browne, who lives in Glendora, California, led the CLS rookie of the year standings for most of the 2022 campaign. However, he slipped a second in that competition late in the year. Two races before the Bakersfield affair, he was 72 points behind the leader of the rookie standings. Coming into the Bakersfield event, he had whittled 32 points off that disadvantage and was only 39 out at the beginning of the finale. Twenty-three cars showed up for the race at the 1/3 mile bank clay oval that is in the middle of Bakersfield's rich oil fields. Browne got things going in a good way when he timed in 5th fastest of those 23 cars with a lap of 14.287. That placed him in the fifth starting spot for the eight-lap heat race. The young driver steered the handsome "Win Now Racing" #8 to a sixth-place finish. For the final 30-lap main of the 2022 campaign, Browne started on the outside of the sixth row in the 12th position. On the original start, he stayed out of trouble when the car in front of him flipped wildly in turn two. For the restart, he moved up to the outside of row five and methodically moved his way forward throughout the race. By lap six, he was up to eighth. Four laps later he had advanced another position to seventh. He stayed out of trouble the entire race and came home sixth to close his 2022 season. Browne hacked 14 more points off his disadvantage in the "Rookie of the Year" chase in Bakersfield. That means, he chopped 47 points off in two races! However, that was not enough and he fell 25 points short of capturing the crown. While he did not win that award, his fourth-place result in the "Civil War Series" was the best of any of the first-year drivers. Fourth in the CWS and seventh in the CLS were products of his smooth calculating style. His results in year one were extremely impressive and so was his great personality throughout the season. Perhaps the most amazing stat in Browne's first season portfolio is the fact that he placed in the top 10 13 times in 17 starts. In addition, seven of his top 10s were in the top five. His best result of the year was a second-place conclusion at Chico at the end of August. With his rookie season completed, Browne is now looking toward 2023. In addition to working on equipment, he will be seeking marketing partners for his sophomore campaign. If you are looking for a young driver to be involved with, you need to look no further than Will Browne. In addition to his prowess behind the wheel, he is an extremely well-spoken, friendly young man who likes repping for his partners and meeting fans. He has a good social media presence that includes a very entertaining YouTube channel. If you would like to join the pleasant driver as a marketing partner for the 2023 campaign, drop an email or give him a call at the following: willbrowne88@gmail.com or (626) 261-5310. Be sure to visit and signup for Browne's YouTube channel at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSNglz0llw. Browne and the "Win Now Racing" team would like to thank marketing partner Pacific Panel Products for being a part of his rookie campaign in lightning sprint cars Will Browne 2022 Racing Results March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main March 25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main April 2 Merced Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main April 16 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 7th A Main May 14 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main May 21 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main June 11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main June 25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS June 25 Ventura Raceway WMR Midgets 7th A Main August 6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 2ND A Main August 27 Placerville Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main September 10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 12th A Main September 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main September 24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 11th A Main October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 16th A Main October 29 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main November 15 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com or (909) 226-7768
- GRANT SEXTON RIM RIDES TO THRILLING MAIN EVENT WIN IN HANGTOWN 100 FINALE AT PLACERVILLE
(Torrance, CA, November 25, 2022) Teenage racer Grant Sexton closed the California Lightning Sprint Car Series 2022 season the same way he began it eight months earlier when he rim-rode his way to a thrilling victory in the finale of the "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway. The win in the race that was co-sanctioned by Northern California's BCRA, gave Sexton Gatlin Racing a clean sweep of the event as Sexton's teammate, AJ Bender, captured the first two nights. 316541914_1279363969272986_1358255239783212506_n.jpg Grant Sexton after winning the finale of the Hangtown 100 at Placerville. M&M Racing Photo. Orangevale's Harlee Aguilera was on the pole for the final lightning sprint car race in California in 2022. Bender, a veteran driver who resides in San Diego was on the outside of the front row. Row two was made-up of BCRA president Greg Dennett of Fremont and Warner Springs teen "Shugah" Shane Sexton. Grant Saxton, who lives in Lakeside, and Lakewood, Colorado's Johnny Boos were in row three. The 30-lap main on the picturesque 57-year-old track kicked off with track announcer Gary Thomas' familiar refrain, "It Is About To Go Down In Old Hangtown." Aguilera was the first driver to reach turn one with Bender and Dennett right behind. Bender swept by Aguilera coming out of turn three on lap one to take over the lead. The race did not stay green for long as Placerville local Shane Hopkins rolled to a stop in turn one on the second lap bringing out the first yellow flag of the race. Once the race got going again, Boos advanced his standing by one position would he took Aguilera for third. However, the green light did not stay on for long. Going into turn 3 on the 4th circuit Waterford's Dakota Albright clipped the inside berm and flipped. That knocked the 2021 BCRA champion out of the race early, on what for him was a see-saw weekend. At the Thursday opener, he exited the race early with a blown tire. Twenty-four hours later, he raced to an impressive second-place finish. He wrapped it up with the frustrating flip that knocked him out of the race. Albright was not the only casualty in the red flag incident. Behind his flipping car Brent Sexton, the 2022 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car champion, was clobbered by another car as they swept wide to avoid Albright's tumbling racer. The damage ended Sexton's race at that point. The race resumed with Bender still in his familiar first-place position. He was being chased by Boos, Aguilera, Dennett, and 2021 "Hangtown 100" champion Logan Seavey of Sutter, California. Chris Crowder of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who won night two at Hangtown in 2021, relieved Seavey of fifth on lap four. Soon thereafter, the yellow reared its frustrating, ugly head again when Shane Sexton and 2022 BCRA champion Matt Land ended their race by mixing it up in turn one. The third restart, which came on lap 6, still found Bender in command. Boos, was still second with Dennett, and Aguilera third and fourth. At that time, Grant Sexton, who started fifth but who was shuffled backward in lap one traffic chaos, was starting to make his presence felt as he was up to eighth. Hard-driving Boos began stalking Bender for the lead and his dogging paid off at the end of the eighth go-round when he shot into the top spot. Trying to score the hat trick for the week Bender immediately went on the attack of the pacesetter. If those two battling for the lead were not enough, Dennett, who was rolling the bottom like a boss, came calling and was just inches behind the lead duo. Bender ran it hard on the inside in one in two on lap 10 and nearly snatched the lead back. One lap later he did the same and pulled next to Boos. As they came off turn two inches apart, Boos ran out of racetrack and slipped over the cushion. That not only allowed Bender to get by, but Dennett passed the black #24 as well. One lap later Dennett turned the heat up on Bender and tried to pry the lead from his grasp. Bender was equal to the challenge and maintained his lofty position on top of the heap. However, behind them, Grant Sexton was getting a lot of attention from the fans with some daring rim riding. The affable teenager was up to third and was yearning for more. Dennett again tried to wrestle the lead away in one and two on the 13th orbit. Bender fought him off and decided enough is enough. One lap later when they hit turn one, Bender changed lines and dropped to the bottom in front of Dennett. While he continued to hold the top spot, Grant Sexton eyed the open lane on the top and continued to close in on the leaders. While he was only in third place, Grant Sexton's brave run on the outside was warming up the fans on the chilly night. His attack on the cushion was relentless and he caught a good chunk of it in the middle of three and four on lap 18. The jolt straightened his eye-catching #3 out and shot him to the bottom and to the inside of Dennett. Dennett was not by any means handing the keys to second over to his teen challenger and they traded the spot back and forth before the youngster took full claim of it. The green flag remained on until there was ten laps to go when Dalton Sexton spun and turn four forcing another painful yellow. This time the makeup of the top four had Bender in the lead, Sexton in the second-place spot, Dennett in third, and Aguilera in fourth. The field took the green flag and got one lap in before Boos stopped in turn one after making contact with the back of Aguilera. However, seconds prior to that when the field completed the last lap, Sexton had inched by for the lead and would be at the head of the pack for the final restart of the race. Teammates or not, Bender was not going to let Sexton off the hook. For three straight laps, he threw big-time haymakers at his teammate on the first bend. He nearly took the lead each time, but Sexton was just a tad faster and maintained his advantage. On lap 25, Bender kept it on the top and Sexton began to pull away. Dennett kept up his pesky persistence when he tried to relegate Bender back to third but the "San Diegan" managed to hold him off. It looked like the race was over as Sexton had nearly a full second lead, but with two circuits left, tenacious Bender came calling again. He threw massive sliders at Sexton in turn two on laps 29 and 30, but each time the teen repelled the threats. Sexton raced under the last CLS checkered flag of the season just as he had done eight months earlier, with a rim-riding win. It was only his second CLS triumph of the year. Bender took second with Dennett glued to his tail in third. Aguilera and Bellingham, Washington's Alex Lewis placed fourth and fifth. "Everyone was around the bottom and I knew I wasn't going to get them by following," Sexton told the appreciative crowd. "Guess my balls were feeling a little swollen tonight because we were rippin' the top. Honestly, trying to earn myself a midget ride out here and prove I am a driver. I couldn't have done it without Seth (crew chief Seth Wilson), and everyone working on my cars, my dad, and my Nana. AJ, he's taught me so much about racing with him. I hate to take his sweep away, but man, that felt good. I am always trying to beat that guy." "I think we missed the set up a little bit," second-place finisher Bender told interviewer Drake York and the fans. "I wasn't expecting it to be this dry so I made some last-minute choices. I think they were a little off. Grant railed around me and I was like, 'dang I gotta get up there and start doing it.' I am glad Grant got it, and SGR is one and two and we get some more trophies to add." "Fifteen years ago I ran midgets here and I knew the bottom is good," third-place driver Dennett said afterward. "I just tried to be super smooth on the bottom and just kind of run my race. These guys are way better than me and I was just excited to be up front racing with them. We raced super clean and it was just awesome to be here and to run up front." There were two qualifiers earlier in the night to determine the starting lineup. Boos and main event winner Grant Sexton claimed those. Washington's Alex Lewis won the B main. Other CLS and Southern California drivers in the finale were Jeff Dyer (7th), Cal Smith (9th), Dalton Sexton (12th), and Brent Sexton 20th. Work is underway on the 29th CLS series schedule. Information will be released as soon as possible. The 2022 CLS banquet will take place at Frantone's Pizza & Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos on February 4th. Tickets for the banquet are $40.00. To order or for more information call (310) 367-9050 or email mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net ?subject=jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net. November 19 Hangtown 100 Results Hangtown 100 Night #3 25-Lap Main Event (with starting spots and distances back): 1. Grant Sexton, Lakeside, CA, 5th 2. AJ Bender, San Diego, CA, 2nd … 1.385 3. Greg Dennett, Fremont, CA, 3rd, … 1.576 4. Harlee Aguilera, Orangevale, CA, 1st … 2.553 5. Alex Lewis, Bellingham, WA, 11th … 6. Hunter Kinney, Citrus Heights, CA, 21st … 2.966 7. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, 20th … 5.264 8. Logan Seavey, Sutter, CA, 10th … 6.892 9. Cal Smith, Phelan, CA, 14th … 7.600 10. Steve Becker, Lakewood, CA, 12th … 8.182 11. Josef Ferolito, Modesto, CA, 16th … 9.232 12. Dalton Sexton, Lakeside. CA, 15th … 10.742 13. Jason Schapansky, Kamloops, BC, Canada, 18th … 12.313 14. Johnny Boos, Lakewood, CO, 6th … 12.787 15. Chris Crowder, Colorado Springs, CO, 9th … 1 Lap 16. Shane Hopkins, Placerville, CA, 13th … 20 Laps 17. Matt Land, Elk Grove, CA, 17th … 24 Laps 18. Shane Sexton, El Cajon, CA, 4th … 24 Laps 19. Dakota Albright, Waterford, CA, 7th … 28 Laps 20. Brent Sexton, Lakeside, CA, 8th … 28 Laps 21. Danielle Clauson-Sevo, Placerville, CA, 19th … 28 Laps B Main (15 Laps): 1. Alex Lewis; 2. Steve Becker; 3. Shane Hopkins; 4. Cal Smith; 5. Dalton Saxton; 6. Josef Ferolito; 7. Matt Land; 8. Jason Schapansky; 9. Danielle Clauson-Sevo; 10. Jeff Dyer; 11. Mark Henry; 12. Hunter Kinney Qualifier 1 (12 Laps): 1. Johnny Boos; 2. Shane Sexton; 3. AJ Bender;4. Dakota Albright; 5. Chris Crowder; 6. Steve Becker; 7. Ken Coulsten Jr; 8. Hunter Kinney; 9. Matt land; 10. Dalton Sexton Qualifier 2 (12 Laps): 1. Grant Sexton; 2. Greg Dennett; 3. Harlee Aguilera; 4. Brent Sexton; 5. Logan Seavey; 6. Alex Lewis; 7. Jeff Dyer; 8. Shane Hopkins; 9. Cal Smith; 10. Mark Henry Final California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - 2184 2. Eric Greco - 2089 3. Cody Nigh - 1913 4. Bobby Michnowicz - 1886 4. Jeff Dyer - 1777 6. Connor Speir - 1548 7. Will Browne - 1523 8. Jon Robertson - 1246 9. Pat Kelley - 1162 10. Dominic Del Monte - 784 Final Civil War Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - CLS - 629 2. Eric Greco - CLS - 572 3. Bobby Michnowicz - CLS - 568 4. Will Browne - CLS - 526 5. Cody Nigh - CLS - 486 6. Harlee Aguilera - BCRA - 415 7. Greg Dennett - BCRA - 403 8. Connor Speir - CLS - 392 9. Matt Land - BCRA - 388 10. Dakota Albright - BCRA - 358 The following companies have become marketing partners with the CLS in 2022. They have offered up more than $13,000.00 in contingencies that will be awarded on top of the regular racing purses and they will be paid out throughout the year. Yoshimura R&D, Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Speed Mart, Cold Fire West, West Evens Motorsports, RC Fuel Injection, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, Advanced Racing Suspensions, CSI Shocks, Eibach Springs, Triple X Race Components, King Racing Products, Hyper Racing Products, Rebel Gears, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disk Brakes, Fuel Safe Systems, MPI, Circle Track Performance, E-Z UP, Hepfner Racing, Smith Titanium, and Hoosier Speed. If you or your company would like to become a partner of the longtime racing organization, contact Jon Robertson via email at mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310) 367-9050. 2022 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 25 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Grant Sexton April 2 Merced Speedway Non-Wing -- Civil War #1 - David Gasper April 16 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged (Make Up Main) David Gasper April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz May 14 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender May 21 Ventura Raceway Winged - Eric Greco June 11 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - David Gasper June 25 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 9 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 23 Ventura Raceway Winged - Dave Gasper August 6 *Santa Maria Raceway Winged - Brent Sexton August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway Winged - Civil War #2 - Connor Spier August 27 Placerville Speedway Winged - Civil War #3 - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 10 Lemoore Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Civil War #4 - David Gasper October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged - With SWLS - Brent Sexton October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - With USAC Midgets - Civil War #5 - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - AJ Bender Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - AJ Bender Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - Grant Sexton To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS 1994 Tony Everhart 1995 Gary Sexton 1996 Rob Sczymczak 1997 Jon Rahe 1998 Chris Rahe 1999 Brent Sexton 2000 Greg Bragg 2001 Greg Bragg 2002 Greg Bragg 2003 David Cardey 2004 Keith Janca 2005 Johnny Bates 2006 Donny Gansen 2007 Shane Rossen 2008 Brent Sexton 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr. 2010 Jarrett Kramer 2011 Tim Brown 2012 Bobby Michnowicz 2013 Stephen Limon 2014 Bobby Michnowicz 2015 Bobby Michnowicz 2016 Bobby Michnowicz 2017 Bobby Michnowicz 2018 Jarrett Kramer 2019 Jarrett Kramer 2021 David Gasper 2022 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- CLS DRIVER AJ BENDER MAKES IT TWO WINS IN A ROW AT PLACERVILLE'S HANGTOWN 100
(Torrance, CA, November 22, 2022) In November 2021, San Diego's AJ Bender came to the "Hangtown 100" and finished second all three nights. Not wanting to face that frustration again this year, Bender scored a convincing win in night #2 of the prestigious lightning sprint car race at the Placerville Speedway last Friday. It was his second victory at the track in 24 hours, and his third on the banked red clay quarter mile in 2022. Overall, it was his fifth lightning sprint car win of the year. 316108167_10224947420026830_1319108853916825848_n.jpg AJ Bender with his crew chief Seth Wilson after their second win in 24 hours at Placerville. MMRACINGPHOTOS.COM Just like in 2021 when Bender was added to the Sexton Gatlin Racing roster for the end of the season, the team brought him back again to close out 2022. The 29-year-old's record with SGR in that time has been phenomenal. He has nine starts with the team. Of the nine, he has won four times. He has also finished runner-up three times, third once, and fifth one time. With him starting on the outside of the second row on Friday, anybody who doubted that he could possibly win had to be foolish. When the 19-car field took to the track for the 25-lapper, Ken Coulsten Jr of Bermuda Dunes was on the pole. Starting next to him was Colorado's Johnny Boos, who gave a very good account of himself finishing fourth the night before. Warner Springs teenager "Shugah" Shane Sexton, who competes against Bender in the USAC/CRA 410 Sprint Car Series, was on the inside of the second row with Bender just to his right. 2021 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Grant Sexton, "Shugah" Shane's cousin, and Freemont's Greg Dennett were in row three. At the drop of the green flag Coulston, who was only making his fourth start of the year, drove his brilliant blue #32 into the lead. Boos was second and Bender was third. Bender, who won the 2021 Sprint car portion of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at the Ventura Raceway, wasted little time in getting to the front. In fact, he jetted by Coulston for the top spot with an inside pass coming off turn two on the second circuit. Not long after that, Coulston slowed dramatically and slid back in the pack. Lap two also saw the demise of Sutter's Logan Seavey. The winner of two of the three lightning sprint mains at the 2021 "Hangtown 100," went up in smoke and pulled his car to the infield. By the end of the fifth lap, Bender had established a comfortable lead. Boos was second, and Shane Sexton was third. 2021 BCRA champ Dakota Albright of Waterford had impressively raced all the way up to fourth after starting 11th. Things stayed the same until the ninth lap when Sexton advanced his position to second when he got by Boos. However, he had little time to relish his tenure in the runner-up spot as Albright blew by both of them in the next turn. By the time Albright took up residence in second place, Bender, in the Boczanowski/Sexton Fire Protection/BK Wings/Johnny Motorhead/Troy Dirt/Victory Graphix/Swift Powdercoat/Maxima Oil/Automated Interior/Scotty and Jimmy Keys/#22, had already built a 2 ½ second lead. Bender hit the lapped traffic on lap 10 but it failed to slow him down. Five laps later, he had advanced his advantage to 3.2 seconds. Late in the race, Bender met up with a gaggle of lappers and it did allow Albright to slightly close the gap. However, when the checkered flag came down it was Bender by a half straightaway. Albright wrapped up his impressive performance by placing second with Shane Sexton third, Dennett fourth, and Brent Sexton fifth. Albright's sterling display made him the race "Hard Charger." "Once I got in lapped traffic, I could hear cars everywhere so I was not sure where they (his closest pursuers) were at," he told Drake York and the crowd after the race. "I was really thinking it was going to be on the top, but it just kept working on the bottom. I just kind of stuck to my guns there. It's not the funnest going around the bottom for 25 laps, but it is fun talking to you at the end of the night. I will take it. Again like last night, I have to thank Phil and Wyatt (Boczanowski). This car is a rocket ship. They are trying to sell it so I am trying to make it look good. I have to thank Seth (crew chief Seth Wilson), Nita (Nita Gatlin from SGR), Brent (Brent Sexton from SGR), and all the SGR people for putting up with me. Seth is a one-man team overlooking four cars. So, he is earning his money. Thank you to my wife and daughter at home and to my family." "Anything was better than last night," happy second-place finisher Albright said after the race. "We went 11th to second tonight. Hugged it around the bottom and this baby was hooked up. It was great. The track was a lot better tonight, Scott did an awesome job." "I did not think it was going to be this dry," third-place finisher Shane Sexton said afterward. "We probably could have went a little bit tighter. Hats off to my guys, Brian Fonseca, and my dad. They work their tails off throughout the night. We have had some success all around the country. We normally do not do the local stuff for Brian, but he called and asked if I wanted to drive it and I could not say no. Third place on the podium is not too bad." Other CLS and Southern California drivers in the main were Grant Sexton (6th), Cal Smith (9th), Dalton Sexton (10th), Coulston (14th), Mark Henry (15th) and Jeff Dyer (17th). Earlier in the night, Bender recorded the fastest lap in qualifying at 13.341. Dennett was second fastest at 13.428 and Rosamond's Henry was third quick at 13.479. Seavey captured the first heat race over the son and father combo of Grant and Brent Sexton. Coulston claimed the victory in heat two ahead of Dennett and Harlee Aguilera of Orangevale. Albright got to the checkers first in the final heat when he bested Boos and Dyer. The 2022 CLS banquet will take place at Frantone's Pizza & Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos on February 4th. Tickets for the banquet are $40.00. To order or for more information call (310) 367-9050 or email mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net ?subject=jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net. November 18 Hangtown 100 Results Qualifying: 1. AJ Bender, 13.341; 2. Greg Dennett, 13.428; 3. Mark Henry, 13.479; 4. Grant Sexton, 13.510; 5. Shane Sexton, 13.644; 6. Alex Lewis, 13.687; 7. Matt Land, 13.709; 8. Harlee Aguilera, 13.757; 9. Johnny Boos, 13.775; 10. Chris Crowder, 13.791; 11. Ken Coulston Jr., 13.862; 12. Cal Smith, 13.879; 13. Steve Becker, 13.880; 14. Dalton Sexton, 13.884; 15. Dakota Albright, 13.896; 16 Logan Seavey, 13.997; 17 Josef Ferolito, 14.214; 18. Jeff Dyer, 14.297; 19. Brent Sexton, 14.321; 20. Hunter Kinney, 14.921; 21. Shane Hopkins, 14.924; 22. Jason Schapansky, 15.010; 23. Danielle Clauson-Servo, 16.783 Heat Race #1 (9 Laps): 1. Seavey; 2. G. Sexton; 3. B. Sexton; 4. Bender; 5. Crowder; 6. Schapansky; 7. Becker; 8. Land Heat Race #2 (9 Laps): 1. Coulston Jr; 2. Dennett; 3. Aguilera; 4. S. Sexton; 5. D. Sexton; 6. Ferolito; 7. Clauson- Servo; 8. Kinney Heat Race #3 (9 Laps): 1. Albright; 2. Boos; 3. Dyer; 4. Smith; 5. Lewis; 6. Hopkins; 7. Henry Hangtown 100 Night #2 25-Lap Main Event (with starting spots and distances back): 1. AJ Bender, San Diego, CA, (4th) 2. Dakota Albright, Waterford, CA, (11th) … 2.592 3. Shane Sexton, El Cajon, CA, (3rd) … 4.755 4. Greg Dennett, Fremont, CA, (6th) … 5.822 5. Brent Sexton, Lakeside, CA, (10th) … 7.408 6. Grant Sexton, Lakeside, CA, (5th) … 8.429 7. Chris Crowder, Colorado, CO, (13th) … 11.354 8. Johnny Boos, Lakewood, CA, (2nd) … 12.704 9. Cal Smith, Phelan, CA, … (15th) 1 Lap 10. Dalton Sexton, Lakeside, CA, (16th) …1 Lap 11. Harlee Aguilera, Orangevale, CA, (7th) … 1 Lap 12. Steve Becker. Lakewood, CO, (18th) … 1 Lap 13. Shane Hopkins, Placerville, CA, (17th) … 1 Lap 14. Ken Coulston, Bermuda Dunes, CA, (1st) … Lap 15. Mark Henry, Rosamond, CA, … (9th) 1 Lap 16. Jason Schapansky, Kamloops, BC, Canada (19th) … 2 Laps 17. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, (14th) … 4 Laps 18. Alex Lewis, Bellingham, WA (8th) … 21 Laps 19. Logan Seavey, Sutter, CA, … (12th) 23 Laps DNS Matt Land, Elk Grove, CA DNS Josef Ferolito. Modesto, CA DNS Hunter Kinney, Citrus Heights, CA DNS Danielle Clauson-Sevo, Placerville, CA Final California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - 2184 2. Eric Greco - 2089 3. Cody Nigh - 1913 4. Bobby Michnowicz - 1886 4. Jeff Dyer - 1777 6. Connor Speir - 1548 7. Will Browne - 1523 8. Jon Robertson - 1246 9. Pat Kelley - 1162 10. Dominic Del Monte - 784 Final Civil War Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - CLS - 629 2. Eric Greco - CLS - 572 3. Bobby Michnowicz - CLS - 568 4. Will Browne - CLS - 526 5. Cody Nigh - CLS - 486 6. Harlee Aguilera - BCRA - 415 7. Greg Dennett - BCRA - 403 8. Connor Speir - CLS - 392 9. Matt Land - BCRA - 388 10. Dakota Albright - BCRA - 358 The following companies have become marketing partners with the CLS in 2022. They have offered up more than $13,000.00 in contingencies that will be awarded on top of the regular racing purses and they will be paid out throughout the year. Yoshimura R&D, Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Speed Mart, Cold Fire West, West Evens Motorsports, RC Fuel Injection, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, Advanced Racing Suspensions, CSI Shocks, Eibach Springs, Triple X Race Components, King Racing Products, Hyper Racing Products, Rebel Gears, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disk Brakes, Fuel Safe Systems, MPI, Circle Track Performance, E-Z UP, Hepfner Racing, Smith Titanium, and Hoosier Speed. If you or your company would like to become a partner of the longtime racing organization, contact Jon Robertson via email at mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310) 367-9050. 2022 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 25 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Grant Sexton April 2 Merced Speedway Non-Wing -- Civil War #1 - David Gasper April 16 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged (Make Up Main) David Gasper April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz May 14 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender May 21 Ventura Raceway Winged - Eric Greco June 11 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - David Gasper June 25 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 9 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 23 Ventura Raceway Winged - Dave Gasper August 6 Santa Maria Raceway Winged - Brent Sexton August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway Winged - Civil War #2 - Connor Spier August 27 Placerville Speedway Winged - Civil War #3 - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 10 Lemoore Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Civil War #4 - David Gasper October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged - With SWLS - Brent Sexton October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Civil War #5 - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - AJ Bender Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - AJ Bender Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - No Points To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS 1994 Tony Everhart 1995 Gary Sexton 1996 Rob Sczymczak 1997 Jon Rahe 1998 Chris Rahe 1999 Brent Sexton 2000 Greg Bragg 2001 Greg Bragg 2002 Greg Bragg 2003 David Cardey 2004 Keith Janca 2005 Johnny Bates 2006 Donny Gansen 2007 Shane Rossen 2008 Brent Sexton 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr. 2010 Jarrett Kramer 2011 Tim Brown 2012 Bobby Michnowicz 2013 Stephen Limon 2014 Bobby Michnowicz 2015 Bobby Michnowicz 2016 Bobby Michnowicz 2017 Bobby Michnowicz 2018 Jarrett Kramer 2019 Jarrett Kramer 2021 David Gasper 2022 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- CLS DRIVER AJ BENDER SCORES WIN IN LIGHTNING SPRINT HANGTOWN 100 OPENER
(Torrance, CA, November 18, 2022) One year ago this week, AJ Bender journeyed to the Placerville Speedway to take part in the lightning sprint portion of the three-night Hangtown 100. The San Diego, California-based star proceeded to finish second in all three main events at the open-wheel classic. Last night he kicked off this year's Hangtown with a win in the 25-lap main event. 316132999_10224944726199486_3447485580907313279_n.jpg AJ Bender takes the checkered flag at the Hangtown 100 in Placerville on Thursday. MMRACINGPHOTOS.COM To say Bender's win was anything but hard-fought would be a massive understatement. While he crossed the line a half straightaway ahead of teammate Grant Sexton when the checkered waved, he had to fight for every inch in the first 20-laps. Bender, in the Sexton Gatlin Racing #22, started on the outside of the second row in the main. Grant Sexton was on the pole with Lakeside, Colorado's Johnny Boos alongside. 2022 BCRA champion Matt Land of Elk Grove started inside of Bender in row two. The BCRA duo of Harlee Aguilera of Orangevale and Citrus Heights racer Hunter Kinney was in row three. Eighteen-year-old Sexton was the first driver to hit turn one on the famous red clay quarter mile at the outset of the main. Boos was second with Land and Bender third and fourth. The top three remained the same through lap four when a yellow flag came out after 2021 BCRA champion Dakota Albright of Waterford, blew a left rear tire. After racing resumed, things got interesting in a hurry. Boos, who had been working the outside in his sleek looking #24, slid off the top of turn two on the restart. Simultaneously, Kinney clipped the inside berm and the rear end of his car caught some airtime before coming back to earth. Both drivers continued, but Boos dropped back to fourth while Kinney somehow hung on to fifth. Boos misadventure allowed Bender to move into second and Land to take over third. If anyone thought Boos was out of contention for the night, they were sadly misinformed. Before the field could get two more laps recorded, Ken Coulston slid to a stop forcing the second yellow flag in the first five laps. Soon after the restart, the Bermuda Dunes racer who drives a car that looks like Sammy Swindell's Channel Lock car from many years ago, got upside down in between one and two necessitating a red flag. Fortunately, the driver was unhurt but he was done for the night. On the restart before the red flag, Bender, 29, had relieved Sexton of the lead and Boos had moved back to third when he got past Land. Boos quickly got by Sexton for second on the following restart and set his sights on the race leader. Bender, who is a regular in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series and who was this year's USAC Western Midget Series "Rookie of the Year," maintained the point until a sweet move from Boos on lap nine relegated him to second. Going into three in second place, Boos quickly transitioned from the top to the bottom in turn three and shot past Bender. After taking the lead, Boos kept it on the wide side, but he had Bender, snapping at his heels on the low line. In turn one on lap 11, Boos touched the cushion, and it sucked him in and slowed him down. By the time he recovered, the lead changed hands for the third time in the race and Bender was back in front. In addition, Sexton and Kinney went by as well for second and third. Suddenly, the race that was having such a hard time getting going was turning into a barn burner. Bender, who scored California Lightning Sprint Car Series wins at the Bakersfield Speedway in April and May as well as the BCRA opener at Placerville at the end of March, was putting laps together and hitting his marks. That did not seem to matter to his teenage teammate. Sexton chased the leader down and tried to go by on the inside on the 17th circuit. Bender fended off the advances but Sexton remained close behind. It looked like it was going to be a fight to the finish, between Sexton, the 2021 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Series champion who has a flair for late race dramatics, and Bender. However, just as Boos did two times earlier in the race, the teen went over the cushion on lap 21. By the time he got settled back into the flow, he was still in second but Bender, in the Boczanowski/Sexton Fire Protection/BK Wings/Johnny Motorhead/Troy Dirt/Victory Graphix/Swift Powdercoat/Maxima Oil/Automated Interior/Scotty and Jimmy Keys/#21, was long gone. When the checkers came out, Bender was a half straight away in front of second place Sexton. Kinney, Boos, and Land rounded out the top five. "I totally forgot about last year, so thanks for reminding me," Bender laughed when Drake York asked him about his feelings after finally winning following three runner-up finishes in 2021. "It is cool. I am finally glad to get one because running second three times sucked. The car is a little off and we are trying to figure it out. It is the first time I am in it. I have to give a big shout-out to Phil and Wyatt (Boczanowski). Wyatt drives it and Phil owns the car. They let the SGR team bring it up here so I could drive it. We were doing homework on it trying to figure it out. We still have some stuff to work on. This one pays less. I want to win the one on Saturday. I have to thank Phil and Wyatt again, the whole SGR team, and my wife and daughter at home." Other CLS and Southern California drivers in the main were "Shugah" Shane Sexton (6th), Jeff Dyer (9th), Cal Smith (11th), Brent Sexton (12th), Mark Henry (13th), Dalton Sexton (15th), and Coulston (18th). Preliminary action before the main event saw Grant Sexton out-qualify the 26-car field with a time of 14.455. Orangevale's Harlee Aguilera was second fastest at 14.531 and Land was third on the speed charts at 14.533. USAC National star Logan Seavey of Sutter, Kinney, and Boos captured the heat races and CLS regular Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley won the B main. The action continues at the Hangtown 100 tonight, and Saturday. Gates will open each day at 3:00 p.m. with racing at 6:00. Advance tickets for Placerville are available at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/hangtown-2022. Fans .0can find the track at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. The website is https://www.placervillespeedway.com/ and the track phone is (530) 344-7592. The 2022 CLS banquet will take place at Frantone's Pizza & Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos on February 4th. Tickets for the banquet are $40.00. To order or for more information call (310) 367-9050 or email mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net ?subject=jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net. November 17 Hangtown 100 Results BR Motorsports Qualifying: 1. Grant Sexton, 14.455; 2. Harlee Aguilera, 14.531; 3. Matt Land, 14.533; 4. Mark Henry, 14.698; 5. Shane Sexton, 14.743; 6. AJ Bender, 14.749; 7. Johnny Boos, 15.188; 8. Ken Coulston, 15.133; 9. Logan Seavey, 15.258; 10. Hunter Kinney, 14.359; 11. Dakota Albright, 15.738; 12. Shane Hopkins, 15.804; 13. Dalton Sexton, 15.813; 14. Tyler Gerdes, 15.949; 15. Scott Kinney, 16.179; 16. Steve Becker, 16.187; 17. Chris Crowder, 16.262; 18. Jason Schapansky, 16.555; 19. Brent Sexton, 16.669; 20. Cal Smith, 16.670; 21. Jeff Dyer, 16.837; 22. Greg Dennett, 16.895; 23. Josef Ferolito, 17.054; 24. Alex Lewis, 17.148; 25 Jimmy Riddle, 17.814; 26. Danielle Clauson-Servo 18.016 Heat Race #1 (9 Laps): 1. Seavey; 2. G. Sexton; 3. Lewis; 4. Dennett; 5. B. Sexton; 6. Aguilera; 7. S. Sexton; 8. Clauson-Servo; 9. Gerdes Heat Race #2 (9 Laps): 1. H. Kinney; 2. S. Kinney; 3. Land; 4. Albright; 5. Crowder; 6. Hopkins; 7. Smith; 8. D. Sexton; 9. Riddell Heat Race #3 (9 Laps): 1. Boos; 2. Becker; 3. Dyer; 4. Colston; 5. Henry; 6. Schapansky; 7. Becker; 8. Ferolito B Main (12 Laps - Top 4 Transfer): 1. Dyer; 2. Crowder; 3. Ferolito; 4. Smith; 5. Hopkins; 6. Becker; 7. Schapansky 8. Clauson-Servo Hangtown 100 Night #1 25-Lap Main Event (with starting spots and distances back): 1. AJ Bender, San Diego, CA, (4th) 2. Grant Sexton, Lakeside, CA, (1st) ... 1.955 3. Hunter Kinney, Citrus Heights, CA, (6th) ... 4.134 4. Johnny Boos, Lakewood, CO, (2nd) ... 4.832 5. Matt Land, Elk Grove, CA, (3rd) ... 5.052 6. Shane Sexton, El Cajon, CA, (10th) ... 5.973 7. Alex Lewis, Bellingham, WA, (15th) ... 6.454 8. Greg Dennett, Fremont, CA, (13th) ... 7.262 9. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, (17th) ... 7.761 10. Chris Crowder, Colorado, CO, (18th) ... 11.175 11. Cal Smith, Phelan, CA, (20th) ... 11.885 12. Brent Sexton, Lakeside, CA, (16th) ... 1 Lap 13. Mark Henry, Rosamond, CA, (7th) ... 1 Lap 14. Harlee Aguilera, Orangevale, CA, (5th) ... 1 Lap 15. Dalton Sexton, Lakeside, CA, (9th) ... 1 Lap 16. Logan Seavey, Sutter, CA, (11th) ... 8 Laps 17. Josef Ferolito, Modesto, CA, (19th) ... 10 Laps 18. Ken Coulston, Bermuda Dunes, CA, (12th) ... 19 Laps 19. Dakota Albright, Waterford, CA, (8th) ... 22 Laps 20. Scott Kinney, Citrus Heights, CA, (14th) ... 22 Laps Final California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - 2184 2. Eric Greco - 2089 3. Cody Nigh - 1913 4. Bobby Michnowicz - 1886 4. Jeff Dyer - 1777 6. Connor Speir - 1548 7. Will Browne - 1523 8. Jon Robertson - 1246 9. Pat Kelley - 1162 10. Dominic Del Monte - 784 Final Civil War Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - CLS - 629 2. Eric Greco - CLS - 572 3. Bobby Michnowicz - CLS - 568 4. Will Browne - CLS - 526 5. Cody Nigh - CLS - 486 6. Harlee Aguilera - BCRA - 415 7. Greg Dennett - BCRA - 403 8. Connor Speir - CLS - 392 9. Matt Land - BCRA - 388 10. Dakota Albright - BCRA - 358 The following companies have become marketing partners with the CLS in 2022. They have offered up more than $13,000.00 in contingencies that will be awarded on top of the regular racing purses and they will be paid out throughout the year. Yoshimura R&D, Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Speed Mart, Cold Fire West, West Evens Motorsports, RC Fuel Injection, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, Advanced Racing Suspensions, CSI Shocks, Eibach Springs, Triple X Race Components, King Racing Products, Hyper Racing Products, Rebel Gears, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disk Brakes, Fuel Safe Systems, MPI, Circle Track Performance, E-Z UP, Hepfner Racing, Smith Titanium, and Hoosier Speed. If you or your company would like to become a partner of the longtime racing organization, contact Jon Robertson via email at mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310) 367-9050. 2022 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 25 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Grant Sexton April 2 Merced Speedway Non-Wing -- Civil War #1 - David Gasper April 16 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged (Make Up Main) David Gasper April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz May 14 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender May 21 Ventura Raceway Winged - Eric Greco June 11 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - David Gasper June 25 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 9 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 23 Ventura Raceway Winged - Dave Gasper August 6 *Santa Maria Raceway Winged - Brent Sexton August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway Winged - Civil War #2 - Connor Spier August 27 Placerville Speedway Winged - Civil War #3 - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 10 Lemoore Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Civil War #4 - David Gasper October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged - With SWLS - Brent Sexton October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - With USAC Midgets - Civil War #5 - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points - AJ Bender Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS 1994 Tony Everhart 1995 Gary Sexton 1996 Rob Sczymczak 1997 Jon Rahe 1998 Chris Rahe 1999 Brent Sexton 2000 Greg Bragg 2001 Greg Bragg 2002 Greg Bragg 2003 David Cardey 2004 Keith Janca 2005 Johnny Bates 2006 Donny Gansen 2007 Shane Rossen 2008 Brent Sexton 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr. 2010 Jarrett Kramer 2011 Tim Brown 2012 Bobby Michnowicz 2013 Stephen Limon 2014 Bobby Michnowicz 2015 Bobby Michnowicz 2016 Bobby Michnowicz 2017 Bobby Michnowicz 2018 Jarrett Kramer 2019 Jarrett Kramer 2021 David Gasper 2022 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- MICHNOWICZ SCORES CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES WIN ON HIS BIRTHDAY - GASPER WINS TWO CROWNS
(Torrance, CA, November 17, 2022) California Lightning Sprint Car Series legend Bobby Michnowicz celebrated his 59th birthday with a come-from-behind victory in the "6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" at Scott Schweitzer's Bakersfield Speedway. The victory was Michnowicz's second in a row and fifth of the season. Joining the veteran in victory circle after his triumph in the 25-lap race was David Gasper, who sewed up both the season CLS championship and the title in the "Civil War Series," and new BCRA champion Matt Land. 315622402_2348165512026550_925338686143423907_n.jpg Bobby Michnowicz won the Western States Lightning Sprint Car championship for the sixth time in three years. Windy Michnowicz photo. Between the CLS and the Bay Cities Racing Association, 23 cars turned out for the final points-paying races in each club's respective season, and the last round of the "Civil War Series". At last year's Western States Championship, San Diego's AJ Bender turned in the fastest qualifying time of the cars on hand and he later went on to win the main event. Tuesday's race saw Bender, in Mike Schweitzer's number 41, get off to the same start when he turned in the quickest qualifying time of the night with a 13.875 in BR Motorsports Time Trials. Eric Greco of Palmdale, who was hoping to chase down Gasper, the defending champion in both the CLS and "Civil War," was second quickest at 13.927. Seventeen-year-old Gasper logged in the third fastest lap at 14.159. Michnowicz, who lives in Oak Hills, had the 7th-best lap in qualifying at 14.366. That meant if all six of the cars who qualified faster than him finished amongst the first four spots in their heat races, the best the five-time series champion could start in the main event would be 7th. Fortunately for him, things did not turn out that way. Michnowicz, who started in the second row in Extreme Muffler heat #1, took the lead in the second half of the race, and ran off for a convincing victory. Bakersfield youngster Leland Day placed second with 2022 BCRA champion Matt Land of Elk Grove finishing third. More important than the win for Michnowicz was the fact that Bender finished seventh and out of the invert spots. That ensured Michnowicz of at least starting on the pole of the dash. The dash would set the first three rows for the main. For the moment, Michnowicz was on the pole, but his exact starting spot in the dash would be determined by the final two heat races. The second eight-lap heat race, which was sponsored by Yoshimura R&D, went to San Diego State University graduate Cody Nye of Camarillo. BCRA's Harlee Aguilera of Orangevale placed second. Bermuda Dunes driver Ken Coulston, who was only making his second CLS start of the year and his first since April 16th, place third with Greco fourth. Glendora 18-year-old Will Browne, who was the fifth fast qualifier, placed sixth in the heat and that moved Michnowicz to the outside of the front row of the dash. That is exactly where he wanted to be. In the Saldana Race Products Colleen's Choice third heat race, 2021 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series Champion Grant Sexton smoked the field and won the race by nearly a half lap. However, coming out of turn 4 the final time, the teen star who won the CWS opener at Bakersfield on March 25th, slowed dramatically and coasted across the line for the win over "Rockstar" Jon Robertson of Torrance and Colorado Rapids, Colorado racer Chris Crowder. Unfortunately, that heat win was Sexton's one and only hurrah of the night as he blew the engine. For the six-lap dash, Coulston was on the pole and Michnowicz was on the outside. Crowder and Lakewood's Aiden Lange made up the second row and Gasper and Greco were in row three. In reality, the race was over as soon as it started as Michnowicz leaped into the lead and never looked back. Much to the horror of the competition, that meant he was starting on the pole for the main event. Lange, who was only contesting his third race of the year, was on the outside of the front row. Coulston was on the inside of row two with Greco alongside. Gasper and Crowder started in row three. As was expected as soon as the green light sent the field on its way, Michnowicz raced into the lead. What was not expected was an almost immediate red flag when Robertson dumped his #42 in turn two. The driver emerged from the crash uninjured, but his car was too damaged to carry on. To sew up his second straight CLS championship, all Gasper had to do was beat one driver in the main event. When Robertson flipped on the first circuit, that clinched the title for Gasper. Michnowicz flew back into the lead on the restart over Lange, Crowder, and Greco. The veteran driver had increased his advantage to over five car lengths when a yellow flag flew on lap three as defending race winner Bender's car went up in a massive plume of white smoke. He stopped by the start-finish line where a small fire broke out. He was done for the night, but if there was any ease of mind to the deal, the crew was happy to see that he did "not window the case" and figured it was a cracked piston or broken ring. Action resumed with Michnowicz, Lange, Crowder, and Greco making up the top five. Michnowicz quickly put some distance between himself and the competition. Land, who was running in the top 10, left the action when he threw a chain on the fifth circuit. While Michnowicz was advancing his lead, Crowder slipped into second by getting past Lange on the 10th circuit. One lap later, Michnowicz hit the lap traffic but he only passed one car before the yellow waved again on the 12th go around. This time it came as Coulston, who had been in sixth, rolled to a stop in turn four. That stop wiped out the race-long leader's advantage, and things were about to get very exciting. The race restarted with 14 laps remaining. Michnowicz was at the point with Crowder, Lang, Greco, and Gasper in tow. A funny thing happened this time, though. Crowder was not letting Michnowicz get away. He stayed close to the race-long leader and on lap 20, he went to the outside and took the top spot away as they exited turn two. Michnowicz dove to the bottom and pulled even with Crowder going into three, but the new leader had a better drive off four and stayed in the top spot. It went like that for three straight laps before Michnowicz, who stayed dedicated to the bottom, stole the lead back coming off turn four with just two laps to go. Crowder had a look at the outside coming off two on lap 24, but Michnowicz thwarted the effort. From there on, he kept the T Shirts By Timeless/Fabozzi Metalworks/Pflum & Wagner/Super Shox/Outlaw Wings/Kaiser Wheels/Fast Time Studios/Bondio Fabrication #21K in the front and won by two car lengths. It was Michnowicz's fifth win of 2022. It was also his third in the six-year history of the "Western States Lightning Sprints Championship." Crowder held on for second with Lange, who had a great run, third. Greco and Gasper, who got stuck behind a lapped car on the final restart, finished fourth and fifth respectively. Yucca Valley's Seth Dyer was the "Speed Mart/Advanced Racing Suspension/Hepfner Racing Hard Charger." All of the extra lap money ended up being split by three drivers. Michnowicz pocketed an extra $595.00. Crowder received an extra $360.00 and Lange collected $295.00. "That was a good race. I knew if I could stick with it, I could probably get back by him. Chris did a good job and he is a good dude. I really like him, but I did not want him to win tonight," Michnowicz laughed after the race. "I really like this place. I started racing here in about 1980 or 81 in TQs. I ran sprint, wing sprint cars, focus midgets, midgets, and lightning sprint cars here. It has been very good to me and it is one of my favorite tracks to race at." "It is a fun place and I love coming here," Crowder said afterward. "I have been here three times and finished second in all three. I thought tonight was the night. Apparently not. Bobby is a great friend of mine; I really like him. I love racing with him." "Bring home the hardware, that is what it is all about," Gasper, the now two-time CLS and Civil War Series champ said. "Also making my sponsors proud and putting on a show for the fans. I could not have been out here without my mom and dad. Without them, none of this would have been possible. Kittle Motorsports, Valley Precision Products, Rattlesnake Ridge, Certified Construction, B2 Designs, Carol Plumbing, Capital Label Company, Martin Roofing. If I forgot anyone, I am so sorry. My guys Rowdy, Dwayne, and Harrison, they stuck behind me the whole way through." 315827492_560659319200041_2299474607454082486_n (1).jpg David Gasper win the CLS and Civil War Series titles for the second year in a row. Gasper Racing photo. "First I have to thank John Taylor," newly crowned BCRA champion Land told the appreciative crowd after the race. "He had this car hooked up all year long. It was because of his expertise and his help that we are even able to be here. We were consistent and able to keep it on four wheels throughout the season. Tonight may have not been the showing of that. The car was good and we had it hooked up. John had the car dialed in. Unfortunately, we had a little problem and lost our chain. That ended our night. We were definitely going to try and go hunt for the win tonight." When the final checker ended the race, Gasper had a 95-point advantage over second-place Greco. Nigh ended up third. Michnowicz, whose five wins on the year were only second to Gasper's seven, ended up fourth with Jeff Dyer fifth. Speir sewed up the "Rookie of the Year" award when he ended up sixth in the standings, 25-points ahead of fellow rookie Browne. Thursday's race also saw Gasper win his second straight Civil War Series title. Like the regular season standings, Greco was second, 57-points behind the champion. The CLS swept the top five positions in the five-race series with Michnowicz third, Browne fourth and Nigh fifth. BCRA drivers took four of the five spots between sixth and 10th. While the point season is done, three non-point races remain on the schedule at the Hangtown 100 at the Placerville Speedway this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Gates will open each day at 3:00 p.m. with racing at 6:00. Advance tickets for Placerville are available at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/hangtown-2022. Fans can find the track at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. The website is https://www.placervillespeedway.com/ and the track phone is (530) 344-7592. In addition to its regular sponsors, the CLS would like to thank the following for donating extra lap and contingency money to the Bakersfield purse. Dyer Motorsports, Dave Gasper, Kittle Motorsports, Mike Schweitzer, CLS & BCRA officials, Susie & Don Nelson, P.J. Benedetti, Area 49, Savage Racing, T Shirts By Timeless, Stock Parts Racing and Dick Hindman. The 2022 CLS banquet will take place at Frantone's Pizza & Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos on February 4th. Tickets for the banquet are $40.00. To order or for more information call (310) 367-9050 or email mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net ?subject=jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net. Western States Lightning Sprints Contingency Awards Extreme Muffler Heat Race #1 winner Extreme Muffler $50 product certificate Bobby Michnowicz Yoshimura R&D Heat Race #2 winner CSI Shocks $50 product certificate Cody Nigh Saldana "Colleen's choice" Saldana Racing Products $50 product certificate Grant Sexton Main Event Award Winner Eibach $100 product certificate Bobby Michnowicz 2nd place Vahlco Wheels $50 product certificate Chris Crowder 3rd place Jake Swanson Shock Technology $50 product certificate Aiden Lange 5th place Smith Titanium $50 product certificate David Gasper Quick time BR Motorsports - $25 product certificate AJ Bender Hard charger Speed Mart $25 product certificate - Advanced Racing Suspension $50 product certificate - Hepfner Racing Products $25 product certificate Seth Dyer 1st car not on lead lap Rebel Gears 30% off coupon Harlee Aguilara Hard Luck Award Speed Mart $25 product certificate Jon Robertson November 15 Western States Lightning Sprints Championship Results BR Motorsports Qualifying: 1. A.J. Bender, 13.875; 2. Eric Greco, 13.927; 3. David Gasper, 14.159; 4. Aiden Lange, 14.278; 5. Will Browne, 14.287; 6. Chris Crowder, 14.355; 7. Bobby Michnowicz, 14.366; 8. Connor Speir, 14.382; 9. Thomas Meseraull, 14.445; 10. Scott Kinney, 14.468; 11. Ken Coulston, 14.553; 12. Grant Sexton, 14.569; 13 Leland Day, 14.620; 14 Harlee Aguilera, 14.648; 15. Jacob Magallanes, 14.738; 16.Matt Land, 24.820; 17. Cody Nigh, 14.845; 18. Jon Robertson, 15.078; 19. Greg Dennett, 15.126; 20. Jeff Dyer, 15.374; 21. Pat Kelley, 15.645; 22. Brent Sexton, 15.749; 23. Seth Dyer, 16.244 Extreme Muffler Heat Race #1 (8 Laps): 1. Michnowicz; 2. Day; 3. Land; 4. Lange; 5. Kinney; 6. Brent Sexton; 7. Bender Yoshimura R&D Heat Race #2 (8 Laps): 1. Nigh; 2. Aguilera; 3. Coulston; 4. Greco; 5. Jeff Dyer; 6. Browne; 7. Speir; 8. Seth Dyer Saldana Race Products Colleen's Choice Heat Race #3 (8 Laps): 1. Grant Sexton; 2. Robertson; 3. Crowder; 4. Gasper; 5. Meseraull; 6. Kelley Six Lap Dash: 1. Michnowicz; 2. Lange; 3. Coulston; 4. Greco; 5. Gasper; 6. Crowder Western States Lightning Sprints Championship Main Event (with starting spots and distances back): 1. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Hills, CA (1st) 2. Chris Crowder, Colorado Springs CO, (6th) ... 0.310 3. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA (2nd) 2.972 4. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA (4th) ... 3.615 5. David Gasper, Santa Barbara, CA (5th) ... 6.651 6. Will Browne, Glendora, CA (12th) ... 8.270 7. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA (7th) ... 9.517 8. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA (15th) ... 10.957 9. Brent Sexton, Lakeside, CA (19th) ... 14.257 10. Harlee Aguilera, Orangevale, CA (8th) ... 1 Lap 11. Seth Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA (16th) ... 1 Lap 12. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA (9th) ... 2 Laps 13. Scotty Kinney, Citrus Heights, CA (17th) ... 13 Laps 14. Ken Coulston, Bermuda Dunes, CA (3rd) ... 14 Laps 15. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA (14th) ... 15 Laps 16. Matt Land, Elk Grove, CA (11th) ... 20 Laps 17. A.J. Bender, San Diego, CA (13th) ... 23 Laps 18. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA (18th) ... 23 Laos 19. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA (10th) .... 25 Laps DNS Thomas Meseraull, San Jose, CA DNS Grant Sexton, Lakeside, CA DNS Greg Dennett, Livermore, CA DNS Jacob Magallanes, Pasadena, CA California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - 2184 2. Eric Greco - 2089 3. Cody Nigh - 1913 4. Bobby Michnowicz - 1886 4. Jeff Dyer - 1777 6. Connor Speir - 1548 7. Will Browne - 1523 8. Jon Robertson - 1246 9. Pat Kelley - 1162 10. Dominic Del Monte - 784 Civil War Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - CLS - 629 2. Eric Greco - CLS - 572 3. Bobby Michnowicz - CLS - 568 4. Will Browne - CLS - 526 5. Cody Nigh - CLS - 486 6. Harlee Aguilera - BCRA - 415 7. Greg Dennett - BCRA - 403 8. Connor Speir - CLS - 392 9. Matt Land - BCRA - 388 10. Dakota Albright - BCRA - 358 The following companies have become marketing partners with the CLS in 2022. They have offered up more than $13,000.00 in contingencies that will be awarded on top of the regular racing purses and they will be paid out throughout the year. Yoshimura R&D, Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Speed Mart, Cold Fire West, West Evens Motorsports, RC Fuel Injection, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, Advanced Racing Suspensions, CSI Shocks, Eibach Springs, Triple X Race Components, King Racing Products, Hyper Racing Products, Rebel Gears, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disk Brakes, Fuel Safe Systems, MPI, Circle Track Performance, E-Z UP, Hepfner Racing, Smith Titanium, and Hoosier Speed. If you or your company would like to become a partner of the longtime racing organization, contact Jon Robertson via email at mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310) 367-9050. 2022 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 25 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Grant Sexton April 2 Merced Speedway Non-Wing -- Civil War #1 - David Gasper April 16 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged (Make Up Main) David Gasper April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz May 14 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender May 21 Ventura Raceway Winged - Eric Greco June 11 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - David Gasper June 25 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 9 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 23 Ventura Raceway Winged - Dave Gasper August 6 *Santa Maria Raceway Winged - Brent Sexton August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway Winged - Civil War #2 - Connor Spier August 27 Placerville Speedway Winged - Civil War #3 - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 10 Lemoore Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Civil War #4 - David Gasper October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged - With SWLS - Brent Sexton October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - With USAC Midgets - Civil War #5 - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS 1994 Tony Everhart 1995 Gary Sexton 1996 Rob Sczymczak 1997 Jon Rahe 1998 Chris Rahe 1999 Brent Sexton 2000 Greg Bragg 2001 Greg Bragg 2002 Greg Bragg 2003 David Cardey 2004 Keith Janca 2005 Johnny Bates 2006 Donny Gansen 2007 Shane Rossen 2008 Brent Sexton 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr. 2010 Jarrett Kramer 2011 Tim Brown 2012 Bobby Michnowicz 2013 Stephen Limon 2014 Bobby Michnowicz 2015 Bobby Michnowicz 2016 Bobby Michnowicz 2017 Bobby Michnowicz 2018 Jarrett Kramer 2019 Jarrett Kramer 2021 David Gasper 2022 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- WILL BROWNE PREPARES FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT RACE OF THE SEASON AT BAKERSFIELD - PLACERVILLE TO FOLLOW
(Glendora, California, November 13, 2022) This time of year when the days are getting cooler and the leaves start falling from the trees is an important period for race drivers around the country. One of those is Glendora, California teenager Will Browne. The rookie driver will close his initial season in lightning sprints when the California Lightning Sprint Car Series appears Tuesday, November 15th, at the Bakersfield Speedway and then heads north to Placerville to wrap up the year in the three-night "Hangtown 100." 305255847_762704451652371_2366630231652135019_n.jpg Lance Jennings photo. For 18-year-old Browne, Tuesday's race is the most significant in his 2022 campaign. It is the last points race of the season and he comes into that event seventh in the season-long CLS point standings. He is also second in the chase for "Rookie of the Year." The driver just ahead of him in sixth is the leader in the "Rookie of the Year" battle. Two weeks ago, when the CLS staged its final race of the year at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway, Browne entered the event 72-points behind the driver he needs to catch. A fine performance at Ventura saw him qualify fifth fastest in the 17-car field. He then placed second in his heat race and fourth in the 25-lap main event. It was his seventh top-five finish in his rookie season. That allowed him to chop 33-points off the disadvantage. He comes into Bakersfield only 39-points shy of sixth in the standings and the rookie leader. Browne has had a fine record at Bakersfield in his freshman campaign in the CLS. He has started all five mains and finished in the top 10 four times and the top five twice. His best finish at "The West's Fastest 1/3 Mile High Banked Clay Oval" was a fourth on May 14th. The only time he finished out of the top 10 at the famous track came on September 24th when he placed 11th. Tuesday's race will also be the finale in the five-race "Civil War Series" between the CLS and Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association. Browne comes into that series fourth in points and is the leading rookie. He is only 13-points out of third and 31 out of second. His best finish of the entire year came in the mini-series when he placed second in a photo finish at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico on August 26th. In addition to the second-place finish, he took fourth in the CWS opener at Merced on April 2nd, was ninth on August 27th at Placerville, and 11th at Bakersfield in September. Browne will end his season on the 17th, 18th, and 19th at the Placerville Speedway in the "Hangtown 100." It will be three nights of non-point racing co-sanctioned by the CLS and BCRA. The trek north will be his second-ever visit to Placerville. The other was the above-mentioned ninth-place result at the track in August. In addition to placing ninth that night in the main (he started 14th) on the banked red clay quarter mile, he turned in the fourth fastest lap in qualifying with a time of 12.064. He also placed fifth in his heat race. If you wish to see Browne in person on Tuesday, gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00. Fans can save $5.00 per ticket by ordering in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1113. The historic track is located at 5001 N. Chester Ext. in Bakersfield. The website is https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ and the office phone is (661) 393-3373. In addition to the lightnings, the program will also include the "November Classic" for the USAC National Midgets. Advance tickets for the three nights at Placerville are available at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/hangtown-2022. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each day with racing at 6:00. Fans can find the track at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. The website is https://www.placervillespeedway.com/ and the track phone is (530) 344-7592. Be sure to visit and signup for Browne's entertaining video page on YouTube at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSNglz0llw. Browne and the "Win Now Racing" team would like to thank marketing partner Pacific Panel Products for being a part of his rookie campaign in lightning sprint cars. If you would like to join the friendly driver as a marketing partner for the 2023 campaign, drop an email or give him a call at the following: willbrowne88@gmail.com or (626) 261-5310. Will Browne 2022 Racing Results March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main March 25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main April 2 Merced Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main April 16 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 7th A Main May 14 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main May 21 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main June 11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main June 25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS June 25 Ventura Raceway WMR Midgets 7th A Main August 6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 2ND A Main August 27 Placerville Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main September 10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 12th A Main September 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main September 24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 11th A Main October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 16th A Main October 29 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main November 15 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 17 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 18 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 19 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com or (909) 226-7768
- DYER MOTORSPORTS CONCLUDES ITS 2022 SEASON NEXT WEEK AT BAKERSFIELD AND PLACERVILLE
(Yucca Valley, CA, November 10, 2022) Nearly nine months after it started, Dyer Motorsports will finish its 2022 racing with four races next week. The first race will be the "6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" at the Bakersfield Speedway on Tuesday, November 15th. That will be followed up by a day of travel and then three straight nights of racing in the "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway on November 17th, 18th, and 19th. The race at Bakersfield will be the final points-paying race for the CLS and for the Civil War Series matching the California Lightning Sprint Cars vs Northern California's Bay cities racing association. Jeff Dyer and his son Seth will both be competing at Bakersfield. Jeff comes into that race tied for fourth in the championship series point standings. He also brings in the best 2022 main event finishing average at the track, 3.2 of all riders who have started three main events there. On May 14th at the track, Dyer turned in his best 2022 appearance on the Kern County oval when he placed second in the 25-lap main. In his other four starts at the track, he has finished third and fourth two times each. Bakersfield is the track where Seth launched his lightning sprint career with the CLS on June 11th. Two weeks ago the 15-year-old had turned in the best qualifying effort of his rookie season when he timed in 10th fastest of 16 cars at the Ventura Raceway. He followed that up by leading every inch of the way to score the first heat race win of his lightning career. Despite only running After Tuesday at Bakersfield, Dyer Motorsports will drive 316 miles north to the Placerville Speedway for the "Hangtown 100." Phelan's Cal Smith, who spent years racing in the SCRA Sprint Cars and ¾ midgets, will jump into Seth's car and join Jeff in the season-enders. In addition to the lightning sprints, Tuesday's show at Bakersfield will also include the "November Classic" for the USAC National Midgets. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00. Fans can save $5.00 per ticket by ordering in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1113. The historic track is located at 5001 N. Chester Ext. in Bakersfield. The track website is https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ and the office phone is (661) 393-3373. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each day with racing at 6:00. Fans can find the track at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. Advance tickets for Placerville are available at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/hangtown-2022. The website is https://www.placervillespeedway.com/ and the track phone is (530) 344-7592. Jeff is racing in memory of his grandfather Glenn Sels throughout the 2022 season. Dyer would like to thank the following for making the 2022 season possible in the #4 Lightning Sprint Car. Dependable Machine Inc., Haircuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, LBA Investigations, and Dyer Motorsports. For the USAC/CRA #39 sprint car, Straight Time Stirrups, Dependable Machines Inc., Hair Cuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, Justice Brothers, and Specialty Fasteners make it all possible. If you would like to be a part of Dyer Motorsports in 2022, call (760) 267-0298 or send an email to mailto:dyermotorsports4@gmail.com. Jeff Dyer 2022 Results 3-5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest 13th A Main 3-25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 4th A Main 3-26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 13th A Main 4-1 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 14th A Main 4-2 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA 23rd A Main 4-16 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 4-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th B Main 4-30 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 1 4-30 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 2 5-14 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 5-14 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main 5-21 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 5-28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars DNS 6-11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 4th A Main 6-25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 7-16 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 7-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 8-6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprints 13th A Main* 8-25 Silver Dollar Speedway California Lightning Sprints 16th A Main 8-26 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 17th A Main 9-10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 9-17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 9-24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 10-1 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 13th A Main 10-8 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning/POWRi Southwest 11th A Main Seth Dyer 2022 Lightning Sprint Results 6-11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 12th A Main 6-25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 15th A Main 7-16 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 7-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 8-6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprints 14th A Main 8-25 Silver Dollar Speedway California Lightning Sprints DNS 9-10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprints 14th A Main 9-17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 16th A Main 9-24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 18th A Main 10-20 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 10-29 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 13th A Main Scott Daloisio produced this release. For more information, use the following: call (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com.
- CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES POINT BATTLES TO BE SETTLED AT BAKERSFIELD - PLACERVILLE TO FOLLOW
(Torrance, CA, November 10, 2022) The California Lightning Sprint Car Series will wrap up its 28th season of racing with four races next week. The first race will be the "6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" at Scott Schweitzer's Bakersfield Speedway on Tuesday, November 15th. That race will be the final points race for the CLS in 2022. It will also be the final of the annual "Civil War Series" featuring the CLS versus Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association. After that, the club will journey north for the last three races of the year at the annual "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway on November 17th, 18th, and 19th. 304963786_614150010297916_5260543286247762772_n.jpg David Gasper will try to make it two in a row in the CLS title chase and the Civil War. D&P Photography Three key positions in the standings will be decided in Bakersfield on "The West's Fastest 1/3 Mile High Banked Clay Oval." The overall championship will come down to a pair of young drivers. Defending series champion David Gasper of Santa Barbara is first in the championship standings. He has a 77-point lead over Palmdale's Eric Greco going into the event. Camarillo's Cody Nigh has third place pretty much locked up. However, Yucca Valley California Highway Patrol officer Jeff Dyer and five-time series champion Bobby Michnowicz of Oak Hills are tied for fourth. In the battle for the championship, Greco's main event average finish at Bakersfield this year is 3.5. Sixteen-year-old Gasper's average finish is 4.25. Gasper broke before the main event and did not compete in the season opener on March 25th. At the club's second appearance at the track, he broke again and was forced to drive someone else's car to a 10th-place finish in the A main. In addition to the 10th-place result, Gasper has a fifth and has won the last two races at the track. Greco's best finish at Bakersfield was a second, and he placed third two times. Like Gasper, Michnowicz had a disastrous first two stops at Bakersfield this year when he broke before the mains. To top that off, he did not make it to the third race of the year at the track. In the last two races there, the driver who will celebrate his 59th birthday at the track on Tuesday has a pair of second-place finishes. Dyer has had a good season at the oval that is affectionately referred to as the "Okie Bowl." In five starts he has not placed worse than fourth. He came home second one time and finished in third and fourth two times each. That gives him a fine 3.2 finishing average at the track this year. That is the best among the CLS regulars who have started at least three of the races at the facility in 2022. Another top-10 battle that will be decided on Tuesday will also determine who is the rookie of the year. Going into the last race in the series at Ventura two weeks ago, Fillmore's Connor Speir was 6th in the championship standings and fellow rookie Will Browne of Glendora was seventh. Speir had a 72-point advantage over Browne heading into that contest. However, Browne's fourth-place finish combined with Speir's 11th narrowed the advantage to 39-points. Each of the freshmen has started all five races at Bakersfield this year. Brown's best finish was a fourth and Speir's best was a seventh (two times). Speir's finishing average at the track is 11.00, while Browne's is 7.20. Tuesday will also be the final of five races in the "Civil War Series." CLS drivers man the first five positions and BCRA racers make up sixth through 10th. Like the regular season CLS championship point standings, Gasper is the point leader in the CWS with Greco second. Gasper, who won the triple crown last year winning the "Civil War Series," and CLS titles as well as being named Rookie of the Year, is 63 points ahead of Greco. Michnowicz is third and trails Greco by 18-points. Browne ranks fourth and is only 13 points out of third with Nigh in fifth. Starting in 2017, the "Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" has seen four different winners in its first five years of existence. Indiana's Andy Bradley won the first one and was followed by Kingsburg's Doug Nunes in 2018. Michnowicz won two in a row in 2019 and 2020. Last year San Diego's A.J. Bender, a rising star in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, took the Western States title driving for Sexton Gatlin racing. Bender, who won two CLS races at Bakersfield earlier this year driving for Mike Schweitzer, will be driving for Sexton Gatlin Racing again on Tuesday. Joining him will be new POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Brent Sexton and his 18-year-old son Grant. The younger Sexton won the season opener at Bakersfield in a photo finish on March 25th. Brent has CLS wins at Santa Maria on August 6th and Mohave Valley on October 8th. After one night off, the CLS drivers will head north for the three-night "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway. The non-points event will be co-sanctioned by the BCRA. Last year, USAC racing star Logan Seavey of Sutter, California won the opening night and the finale on the red clay ¼ mile oval. Sandwiched in between was a victory for Colorado Springs, Colorado star Chris Crowder. Bender, who finished second on all three nights of the 2021 "Hangtown 100" last year, will be in Schweitzer's #41 Lightning Sprint at Placerville. He will also be driving the #1 LKK midget he steered to fourth in the championship standings and to the "Rookie of the Year" honors in this year's USAC Western Midget Series. Tuesday's show at Bakersfield will also include the "November Classic" for the USAC National Midgets. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00. Fans can save $5.00 per ticket by ordering in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1113. The historic track is located at 5001 N. Chester Ext. in Bakersfield. The track website is https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ and the office phone is (661) 393-3373. Advance tickets for Placerville are available at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/hangtown-2022. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each day with racing at 6:00. Fans can find the track at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. The website is https://www.placervillespeedway.com/ and the track phone is (530) 344-7592. California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - 2045 2. Eric Greco - 1968 3. Cody Nigh - 1812 4. Jeff Dyer - 1716 4. Bobby Michnowicz - 1716 6. Connor Speir - 1456 7. Will Browne - 1417 8. Jon Robertson - 1193 9. Pat Kelley - 1111 10. Dominic Del Monte - 784 Civil War Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - CLS - 514 2. Eric Greco - CLS - 451 3. Bobby Michnowicz - CLS - 433 4. Will Browne - CLS - 420 5. Cody Nigh - CLS - 385 6. Greg Dennett - BCRA - 383 7. Dakota Albright - BCRA - 358 8. Harlee Aguilera - BCRA - 331 9. Matt Land - BCRA - 329 10. Brandon Leedy - BCRA - 302 The following companies have become marketing partners with the CLS in 2022. They have offered up more than $13,000.00 in contingencies that will be awarded on top of the regular racing purses and they will be paid out throughout the year. Yoshimura R&D, Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Speed Mart, Cold Fire West, West Evens Motorsports, RC Fuel Injection, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, Advanced Racing Suspensions, CSI Shocks, Eibach Springs, Triple X Race Components, King Racing Products, Hyper Racing Products, Rebel Gears, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disk Brakes, Fuel Safe Systems, MPI, Circle Track Performance, E-Z UP, Hepfner Racing, Smith Titanium, and Hoosier Speed. If you or your company would like to become a partner of the longtime racing organization, contact Jon Robertson via email at mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310) 367-9050. 2022 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 25 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Grant Sexton April 2 Merced Speedway Non-Wing -- Civil War #1 - David Gasper April 16 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged (Make Up Main) David Gasper April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz May 14 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender May 21 Ventura Raceway Winged - Eric Greco June 11 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - David Gasper June 25 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 9 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 23 Ventura Raceway Winged - Dave Gasper August 6 *Santa Maria Raceway Winged - Brent Sexton August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway Winged - Civil War #2 - Connor Spier August 27 Placerville Speedway Winged - Civil War #3 - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 10 Lemoore Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Civil War #4 - David Gasper October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged - With SWLS - Brent Sexton October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - With USAC Midgets - Civil War #5 Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS 1994 Tony Everhart 1995 Gary Sexton 1996 Rob Sczymczak 1997 Jon Rahe 1998 Chris Rahe 1999 Brent Sexton 2000 Greg Bragg 2001 Greg Bragg 2002 Greg Bragg 2003 David Cardey 2004 Keith Janca 2005 Johnny Bates 2006 Donny Gansen 2007 Shane Rossen 2008 Brent Sexton 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr. 2010 Jarrett Kramer 2011 Tim Brown 2012 Bobby Michnowicz 2013 Stephen Limon 2014 Bobby Michnowicz 2015 Bobby Michnowicz 2016 Bobby Michnowicz 2017 Bobby Michnowicz 2018 Jarrett Kramer 2019 Jarrett Kramer 2021 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
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- Antioch Speedway Race TrackAntioch, California, USA