FUEL - Fast Unified Engine Late Models
The FUEL (Fast Unified Engine Late Model) Racing Series is a southeast U.S. touring Series featuring CT525 & Steel Block Dirt Late Models.
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- Overton Denies Thornton in Golden Isles Finale
WAYNESVILLE, Ga. (January 28, 2023) - Brandon Overton utilized a last lap pass coming off turn number four to barely edge Ricky Thornton Jr. at the finish line. Overton earned a Golden Isles Speedway record $25,000 payday on Saturday night in the final night of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Super Clean Super Bowl of Racing - presented by ICON Electric Vehicles. Overton's 0.056 seconds margin of victory at the finish line was one of the closest in series history. For the second night in a row Thornton suffered a late-race heartbreak to come home in second. Tanner English finished third with Brandon Sheppard and Hudson O'Neal completing the top five finishers. For the third night in a row Overton started from the pole and would lead the first 22 laps of the 60-lap event. Thornton, who started fourth, charged by Hudson O'Neal on lap 13 for second and then pursue Overton before grabbing the point from him on lap 23. English, who started on the inside of the fourth row, moved into the runner-up slot behind Thornton on lap 33. A caution for a slowing Daulton Wilson on the frontstretch on lap 34 would bunch the field up. On the restart Overton got back by English for second and set his sights on Thornton. With five laps to go to Thornton was holding a precarious lead over Overton as he was battling with cars at the tail end of the field. Overton started to move to the top of the and close the gap on Thornton as they took the white flag. Overton with the momentum on the top as the duo exited off the final corner would make the winning pass against the outside retaining wall to steal the victory from Thornton. Overton in Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the fifth time in his career at Golden Isles emerged from his car to the cheering fans in his home state. "I got lucky tonight. Last night I stuffed it in the fence. When I sent it in there tonight, I made sure I had the back end pointed out and on the chip. It just worked out. I hate it for Ricky, but that's what it takes lapped traffic sometimes to play a big part of it. I knew when he [Thornton] passed me I had to stay in second and I had to do a better job of managing my tires. I knew a Hail Mary was all I had. Ricky's run well this week. I am so happy. I love this stuff." "I couldn't let Kyle [Larson come down and show us up like he did last night," Overton added. "I just keep playing it back through my head just trying to make sure I didn't go too soon. I seen the white and I said alright here it is I was going to knock the motor out of it, or I was going to get him. It worked out perfect." Thornton ended the week at Golden Isles with a third-place finish and a pair of runner-up finishes to maintain second place in the championship standings behind Overton. "The bottom was really good. I wanted to stay stuck there and I thought I had enough gap to Dennis [Erb Jr.] and then they got to racing in front of him and it kind of slowed my pace down. I knew he [Overton] was going to throw a Hail Mary in three and four. My crew guys were telling me to move up. It was like one of those deals where I tried it once and it about destroyed the car. Congrats to Brandon. It stinks to lose another one here. But the good part is we have good speed going into the next two days at Bubba." English had his best run of 2023 coming home in third to round out the Big River Steel Podium. "It definitely feels like a win especially against those two guys. They are two of the toughest in the business. We have got to figure out how to get better. It's feels like a rough month, but it's only been a few weeks. We are turning it around." The winner's Wells and Sons Motorsports-owned, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Garnto Southern, Victory Fuel Flavored Electrolyte Water, Muscle Factory, Clean Way Clearing and Grading, Dirt Mafia, Boswell Oil, R.W. Powell Construction, Penske Racing Shocks, EZ-GO, Earnhardt Technologies, Convenience Lube, H&A Development. Completing the top ten were Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, Mason Zeigler, Shane Clanton, and Kyle Bronson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Super Clean Super Bowl of Racing Finale Saturday, January 28, 2023 Golden Isles Speedway - Brunswick, GA Allstar Performance Time Trials Fast Time Group A: Brandon Overton / 14.798 seconds (overall) Fast Time Group B: Hudson O'Neal / 14.939 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 96V-Tanner English[3]; 3. 89J-Jeff Choquette[2]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening[4]; 5. 01-Jason Garver[6]; 6. 5-Mark Whitener[7]; 7. 19M-Wil Herrington[5]; 8. 6-Blake Spencer[8]; 9. 4S-Danny Snyder[9] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 2-GR Smith[6]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 5. 111-Steven Roberts[2]; 6. 20-Jimmy Owens[9]; 7. 18-Chase Junghans[5]; 8. 14W-Dustin Walker[7]; 9. 4-Kale Green[8] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25C-Shane Clanton[2]; 2. 8-Brian Shirley[4]; 3. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[5]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 5. 773-Christian Thomas[6]; 6. 2V-Allen Murray[1]; 7. 58-Garrett Alberson[8]; 8. (DNS) 25B-Mike Benedum AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1H-Hudson O'Neal[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[3]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 4. 93-Carson Ferguson[5]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[8]; 6. 111B-Max Blair[4]; 7. 114-Jordan Koehler[6]; 8. 78-Matthew Brocato[9]; 9. 21H-Robby Hensley[7] Super Clean Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 3. 2X-John Henderson[3]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[8]; 5. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 6. 26JR-Jimmy Sharpe Jr[5]; 7. 8K-Kyle Strickler[6]; 8. 89-Logan Roberson[9]; 9. 20V-Rece Vaught[7] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 2. 10-Garrett Smith[3]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[5]; 4. 44D-Dalton Cook[6]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 6. 81J-Jack Riggs[7]; 7. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 8. 22*-Payton Freeman[4] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 3. 5-Mark Whitener[7]; 4. 19M-Wil Herrington[10]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens[8]; 6. 6-Blake Spencer[13]; 7. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 8. 58-Garrett Alberson[12]; 9. 25B-Mike Benedum[17]; 10. 18-Chase Junghans[11]; 11. 773-Christian Thomas[6]; 12. 111-Steven Roberts[5]; 13. 2V-Allen Murray[9]; 14. (DNS) 01-Jason Garver; 15. (DNS) 14W-Dustin Walker; 16. (DNS) 4S-Danny Snyder; 17. (DNS) 4-Kale Green UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 93-Carson Ferguson[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin[5]; 4. 111B-Max Blair[7]; 5. 99B-Boom Briggs[4]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 7. 89-Logan Roberson[14]; 8. 44D-Dalton Cook[3]; 9. 78-Matthew Brocato[13]; 10. 8K-Kyle Strickler[11]; 11. 81J-Jack Riggs[9]; 12. 26JR-Jimmy Sharpe Jr[8]; 13. 114-Jordan Koehler[10]; 14. 20V-Rece Vaught[17]; 15. (DNS) 18D-Daulton Wilson; 16. (DNS) 22*-Payton Freeman; 17. (DNS) 21H-Robby Hensley Super Clean Super Bowl of Racing- Night #3 Feature Finish (60 Laps): Race Statistics Entrants: 52 Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Brandon Overton Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (Laps 1-22); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 23-59); Brandon Overton (Lap 60) Wieland Feature Winner: Brandon Overton Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/a Brandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Brandon Overton Margin of Victory: 0.056 seconds Stop-Tech Brakes Cautions: Shane Clanton, Carson Ferguson, Garrett Smith, Spencer Hughes, Tyler Erb (Initial Start); Brian Shirley, John Henderson, Tyler Bruening, GR Smith (Restart); Devin Moran (Lap 8); Daulton Wilson (Lap 34) Series Provisionals: Garrett Alberson; Daulton Wilson Fast Time Provisional: n/a Series Emergency Provisionals: Ross Robinson; Kyle Bronson; Wil Herrington; Logan Roberson; Jimmy Owens Track Provisional: n/a Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Overton, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tanner English Penske Shocks Top 5: Brandon Overton, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tanner English, Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O'Neal Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Kyle Bronson (Advanced 16 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Jonathan Davenport Deathridge Opticians Lucky 13th Place Finisher: Spencer Hughes Earnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (37 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr. Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Brandon Overton O'Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/a Etchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Overton (Lap 4 - 15.844 seconds) Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Kent Fegter (Brandon Overton) ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing Engines Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ryan Gustin (15.054 seconds) Time of Race: 37 minutes 44 seconds The Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings: About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Founded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2023, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 56 events across 16 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap. The series receives national exposure through a television package streamed live via MAVTV on FloRacing, with select broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network. The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com. 2023 Official Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Marketing Partners 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Partners Include: Advanced Powder Coating, AP1 Insurance, Allstar Performance, Arizona Sport Shirts, ARMSLIST.com, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Behrent's Performance Warehouse, Big River Steel, Black Diamond Chassis, Boyd Bilt Fabrication, Brandon Ford, Brodix, Capital Race Cars, Clements Racing Engines, Cornett Racing Engines, Deathridge Opticians, DirtCar Lift, Dirt Draft, Dixie Chopper, E3 Spark Plugs, Earnhardt Technologies Group, Etchberger Trucking, Fast Shafts, FLORacing, FOX Shocks, General Tire, Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Heath Lawson Photography, Holmatro, Hoosier Tire, Hot Rod Septic Treatment, Keyser Manufacturing, K&N Engineering, Kryptonite Race Cars, Longhorn Chassis, Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV Motorsports Network, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welders, MSD, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Outerwears, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies, Pro Power Racing Engines, ProtectTheHarvest.com, Rocket Chassis, Rugged Radios, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Slicker Graphics, Strange Oval, Stop Tech Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, Super Clean, Swift Springs, Summit Racing Equipment, Terminal Maintenance and Construction, Thermo-Tec Automotive Products, Todd Steel Buildings, UNOH - University of Northwestern Ohio, Vahlco Wheels, Vic Hill Race Engines, Whelen Engineering Company Inc, Wieland Performance Products, Wilwood, Xceldyne, and 5150 Race Trailers
- Overton Claims Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Opener
WAYNESVILLE, Ga. (January 26, 2023) - Brandon Overton continued his mastery of Golden Isles Speedway - winning Thursday's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season opener. It was the Georgia native's third consecutive Lucas Oil victory at the 4/10-mile oval after winning the final two nights of the Super Clean Super Bowl of Racing in 2022. Overton held off a hard-charging Tim McCreadie on the final lap to secure his 15th career Lucas Oil win. McCreadie, the two-time and reigning Lucas Oil National Champion came from the tenth starting spot to finish just .402 seconds behind Overton. Ricky Thornton Jr. was third, with Devin Moran and Daulton Wilson rounding out the top five finishers. Overton led the first circuit before the caution flew with just one lap scored. On the restart Overton would maintain the top spot with Thornton moving to second. Hudson O'Neal, the fastest qualifier of the 50 entrants, was on the move early on moving from seventh to third by lap five. Thornton and O'Neal had a side-by-side duel for a several laps until O'Neal cleared his fellow Indiana racer. Overton was setting a steady pace out front as McCreadie was marching through the field from his outside row five starting position. McCreadie climbed to second around O'Neal on lap 18. The top four with 10 laps remaining were Overton, McCreadie, O'Neal, and Jonathan Davenport. However, a caution for O'Neal and Davenport would fly relegating both to the tail. On the restart Overton began pulling away from McCreadie as Thornton was commanding the third spot. Overton would catch the back of the field in the waning laps as McCreadie tried one last ditch effort coming to the checkered flag falling just short at the finish. Overton in Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the fourth time in his career at Golden Isles said: "When you're out front like that you are just a sitting duck. You don't know where to go. My crew did a good job of moving me around. I have lost a lot of races when I have been loose, but I was getting too tight because I couldn't stay on the bottom. This race car is awesome this is the first night on it." "I think I was a little rusty qualifying," Overton added. "I got out and I felt really good, and I found out I was fourth. We made up for it in the heat race and got us a good starting spot and we made the right tire choice. So, everything worked out for us. I hope the fans enjoyed it. We love coming here to race in front of people I grew up with. I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend." McCreadie, who will be seeking his third straight Lucas Oil title this year came home in the runner-up slot. "I knew if I was going to try and poke him on the outside I had about a lap or maybe a lap and a half to do it because the good racers they can see their guys. There is no shame in running second. We just have to qualify better I messed up and did a bad job qualifying and it put us behind all night long. We passed a lot of fast cars to finish where we did." Thornton, who finished third in last year's championship standings rounded out the podium. "It's a good start to the season. I would give it an A+ for us, we didn't have any luck here last year. With the misfortune to JD [Davenport] and Hud [O'Neal] we were able to capitalize on that." The winner's Wells and Sons Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Garnto Southern, Muscle Factory, Victory Fuel Flavored Electrolyte Water, Clean Way Clearing and Grading, R.W. Construction, Boswell Oil, Penske Racing Shocks, EZ-GO, Dirt Mafia, Convenient Lube, H&A Development, and Earnhardt Technologies. Completing the top ten were Ryan Gustin, Tyler Bruening, Brian Shirley, Brandon Sheppard, and Kyle Bronson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Super Clean Super Bowl of Racing Thursday, January 26, 2023 Golden Isles Speedway - Brunswick, GA Allstar Performance Time Trials Fast Time Group A: Hudson O'Neal / 14.921 seconds (overall) Fast Time Group B: Devin Moran / 15.131 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 1H-Hudson O'Neal[1]; 3. 16-Tyler Bruening[3]; 4. B5-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 5. 96V-Tanner English[6]; 6. 8K-Kyle Strickler[5]; 7. 114-Jordan Koehler[7]; 8. 4-Kale Green[8]; 9. (DNS) 01-Jason Garver Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[2]; 3. 93-Carson Ferguson[3]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[6]; 5. 11-Spencer Hughes[4]; 6. 773-Christian Thomas[5]; 7. 2X-John Henderson[7]; 8. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[8] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 3. 2-GR Smith[2]; 4. 78-Matthew Brocato[6]; 5. 14W-Dustin Walker[8]; 6. 99B-Boom Briggs[5]; 7. 111B-Max Blair[3]; 8. 2V-Allen Murray[7] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 3. 89-Logan Roberson[2]; 4. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 5. 111-Steven Roberts[6]; 6. 58-Garrett Alberson[5]; 7. 6-Blake Spencer[8]; 8. 21H-Robby Hensley[9]; 9. 25B-Mike Benedum[7] Super Clean Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 8-Brian Shirley[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 19M-Wil Herrington[3]; 4. 22*-Payton Freeman[5]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 6. 18-Chase Junghans[8]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[4]; 8. 81J-Jack Riggs[7] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 10-Garrett Smith[2]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 4. 5-Mark Whitener[4]; 5. 26JR-Jimmy Sharpe Jr[5]; 6. 20V-Rece Vaught[8]; 7. 89J-Jeff Choquette[6]; 8. 4S-Danny Snyder[7] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 3. 96V-Tanner English[4]; 4. 11-Spencer Hughes[5]; 5. 8K-Kyle Strickler[7]; 6. 773-Christian Thomas[8]; 7. 114-Jordan Koehler[10]; 8. 78-Matthew Brocato[3]; 9. 2X-John Henderson[11]; 10. 14W-Dustin Walker[6]; 11. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[14]; 12. 4-Kale Green[13]; 13. (DNS) 99B-Boom Briggs; 14. (DNS) 111B-Max Blair; 15. (DNS) 2V-Allen Murray; 16. (DNS) 01-Jason Garver UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 2. 7-Ross Robinson[5]; 3. 5-Mark Whitener[3]; 4. 22*-Payton Freeman[2]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[11]; 6. 111-Steven Roberts[4]; 7. 18-Chase Junghans[8]; 8. 58-Garrett Alberson[7]; 9. 20V-Rece Vaught[9]; 10. 89J-Jeff Choquette[12]; 11. 6-Blake Spencer[10]; 12. 26JR-Jimmy Sharpe Jr[6]; 13. 81J-Jack Riggs[14]; 14. 21H-Robby Hensley[13]; 15. 25B-Mike Benedum[16]; 16. 4S-Danny Snyder[15] Super Clean Super Bowl of Racing- Night #1 Feature Finish (40 Laps): Race Statistics Entrants: 50 Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Brandon Overton Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (40 Laps) Wieland Feature Winner: Brandon Overton Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/a Brandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/a Margin of Victory: 0.402 seconds Stop-Tech Brakes Cautions: GR Smith (Lap 2); Jonathan Davenport, Hudson O'Neal (Lap 30); Ross Robinson, Hudson O'Neal, Earl Pearson, Jr., Garrett Alberson, Jordan Koehler (Lap 30 restart) Series Provisionals: Garrett Alberson, Spencer Hughes Fast Time Provisional: n/a Series Emergency Provisionals: Tanner English, Jordan Koehler Track Provisional: n/a Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Overton, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton, Jr. Penske Shocks Top 5: Brandon Overton, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Daulton Wilson Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Tanner English (Advanced 12 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Finisher: Tyler Bruening Earnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Brandon Overton (40 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr. Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadie O'Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/a Etchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Overton (Lap 32 - 15.769 seconds) Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Kent Fegter (Brandon Overton) ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing Engines Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brandon Sheppard (15.256 seconds) Time of Race: 20 minutes 38 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings: About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Founded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2023, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 56 events across 16 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap. The series receives national exposure through a television package streamed live via MAVTV on FloRacing, with select broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network. The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com. 2023 Official Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Marketing Partners 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Partners Include: Advanced Powder Coating, AP1 Insurance, Allstar Performance, Arizona Sport Shirts, ARMSLIST.com, Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Behrent's Performance Warehouse, Big River Steel, Black Diamond Chassis, Boyd Bilt Fabrication, Brandon Ford, Brodix, Capital Race Cars, Clements Racing Engines, Cornett Racing Engines, Deathridge Opticians, DirtCar Lift, Dirt Draft, Dixie Chopper, E3 Spark Plugs, Earnhardt Technologies Group, Etchberger Trucking, Fast Shafts, FLORacing, FOX Shocks, General Tire, Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Heath Lawson Photography, Holmatro, Hoosier Tire, Hot Rod Septic Treatment, Keyser Manufacturing, K&N Engineering, Kryptonite Race Cars, Longhorn Chassis, Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV Motorsports Network, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welders, MSD, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Outerwears, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies, Pro Power Racing Engines, ProtectTheHarvest.com, Rocket Chassis, Rugged Radios, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Slicker Graphics, Strange Oval, Stop Tech Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, Super Clean, Swift Springs, Summit Racing Equipment, Terminal Maintenance and Construction, Thermo-Tec Automotive Products, Todd Steel Buildings, UNOH - University of Northwestern Ohio, Vahlco Wheels, Vic Hill Race Engines, Whelen Engineering Company Inc, Wieland Performance Products, Wilwood, Xceldyne, and 5150 Race Trailers
- WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS--CORNELL EYES MLRA'S SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Wheatland, Missouri (January 26, 2023) - When the Lucas Oil Midwest Late Model Racing Association (MLRA) Series kicks off season number 35 in just over two months-time, another talented group of drivers are expected at the starting line to contend for the series coveted Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Championship. Driven with a lifelong passion to race, 22 year-old Kaeden Cornell is no stranger to racing, in fact the Willard, Missouri driver has been behind the wheel in one form or another since he was just five years old. Following a steady progression through the ranks from Go-Karts to Midwest Mods, and eventually B-Mods, Cornell's breakthrough opportunity into Late Model racing came as a surprise for the then 16 year-old. Growing up in southern Missouri at tracks like Springfield Raceway and Lucas Oil Speedway he recalls, "When I was 16 we were running pretty good at the time. It was just our family program with our little crate motor. Back then at Lucas they had 60 cars every night and we were normally top five about every night. I never could win, but I think I ran second to about everybody there. About mid-season we had just a terrible night, and Rick Hoover ended up messaging my Facebook Page and asked if I would be interested in driving his late model for him, and that's pretty much how it all started. At first dad and I thought he was joking because of the bad night we just had, but we went out to his place and looked it over and off we went." After a number of years gaining experience and recording numerous victories competing primarily under the ULMA Late Model Series banner, the Hoover Motorsports team began to branch out more into Open Late Model events in recent years, including last year where they made 10 starts with the MLRA. Three of those nights netted the team top ten finishes, led by a strong 6th place run at the Off Road Speedway in Norfolk, Nebraska. Cornell is confident that his MLRA experiences from 2022 will be a benefit to his entire team when they hit the road this season. "It's great experience anytime you can run against those guys—that's one thing you can't buy and it's experience. Anytime you can go out and race it's what you've got to do. I tell dad all the time, if I could run the whole Hell Tour deal it would make me so much better. It's just the more you race the better you will be." A four time Lucas Oil Speedway "Most Popular Driver of the Year" award recipient, Cornell is excited knowing he will have eight opportunities with the MLRA this season to compete at the Lucas Oil Speedway, but he is quick to acknowledge that there is no real home field advantage. "The hard deal about that place is normally it ain't the same but once. Everybody says it's a home track, but it ain't much of a home track because they keep you on your toes pretty good. It could be rough or smooth and fast, it's just kind of all over the place, but I like it that way." Outside of being able to notch his name in the records books as the newest Sunoco Race Fuel Rookie of the Year at seasons end, many of Cornell's goals for the season focus around running good in the Show-Me 100 and the Diamond Nationals. "A big goal of mine is the Show-Me, to be able to lock in and not have to use a provisional. I feel like that's the best measuring stick for where we are at with our program. That race brings the best of the best, so if we can run good there, man that would make me really happy. Pretty much all of my sponsors and fans and family will be there—that is our World 100." Cornell is a two-time winner with the former Southern Outlaw Late Model Series, with those wins coming in 2017 and 2018 at the Batesville Motor Speedway. However, tracing back to his Lucas Oil Speedway roots, he notes one of his biggest accomplishments was qualifying for the Diamond Nationals. "We made the Diamond back in 2019, and I think I ran right behind Rick Eckert pretty much the whole race. I'm racing with people that I literally looked up to my whole life. I mean I've got these peoples die cast and here I am now racing against them." Now as the team embarks on their sixth season together in 2023, Cornell is confident that the resources are now there to be a regular contender with the series. "I can't thank Rick enough, he just keeps believing in me and getting me all of the equipment we need to go fast. He has given me opportunities that I can promise you I would've never had if we were just on our own budget. We are probably one of the smallest and lowest funded teams in the pits, but I think this year we are going to have just as good of shot as anybody. Will Vaught told me one time, we all strap on our helmets just the same way so, I've kinda took that and rode with it." The team will enter the season with a 2022 Black Diamond Chassis that they debuted last July, along with a new Scott Bailey Racing Engine. "I feel like this year is going to be the first time for us to really be on an even playing field with these guys, so it's really exciting." Hoover Motorsports Partners: Cloverleaf Auto Repair, Asphalt Sealcoating & Striping LLC., Scott Bailey Racing Engines, Black Diamond Chassis, Oil & Octane, Midwest Sheet Metal, Choate Farms, Swift Springs, Truform Racing Products, Dynamic Drivelines, & Simpson Racing Products. Car Owner: Rick Hoover, Hoover Motorsports Crew: Aaron Cornell, Tracy Cornell, Dave, Ruby, & Rick Hoover For all of the latest news and information fans are encouraged to visit the series website: Explore MLRARACING.COM Fans may also "like" the Lucas Oil MLRA Facebook page or follow us on Twitter: CONTACT: Ernie Leftwich Lucas Oil MLRA Series Director Mobile: (417) 309-3509 Email Ernie Leftwich 2023 Official Lucas Oil MLRA Marketing Partners Arizona Sport Shirts "The Official Merchandise Provider" of Lucas Oil MLRA Cedar Creek Beef Jerky "The Official Beef Jerky" of Lucas Oil MLRA General Tire "The Official Tire" of Lucas Oil MLRA Hoosier Race Tires "The Official Race Tire" of Lucas Oil MLRA K&N "The Official Filter" of Lucas Oil MLRA Lucas Oil Products "The Official Oil" of Lucas Oil MLRA MAVTV Motorsports Network "The Official Television Network" of Lucas Oil MLRA Optima Batteries "The Official Battery" of Lucas Oil MLRA RacingJunk.com "The Official Classifieds" of Lucas Oil MLRA Rugged Radios "The Official Radio" of Lucas Oil MLRA Sunoco Race Fuels "The Official Fuel" of Lucas Oil MLRA Super Clean "The Official Cleaner-Degreaser" of Lucas Oil MLRA 2023 MLRA Supporters Include: Arizona Sport Shirts, Allgaier Performance Parts, Cedar Creek Beef Jerky, Hoosier Race Tires, Hooker Harness, Lucas Cattle Co., MyRacePass, Sunoco Race Fuels, Whelen, Dirt On Dirt, Midwest Sheet Metal, Protect The Harvest, MSD Performance, Rugged Radios, Dirt Car Lift Behrents Performance Warehouse, Earnhardt Technologies, Fast Shafts, Fast Track Photos, Fox Shocks, Outerwears, Performance Bodies, Vahlco Wheels, Swift Springs, Strange Oval, Xceldyne
- 2023 ACTION SPRINT TOUR SCHEDULES REVEALED
Bryan Hulbert - TULSA, Okla. (January 14, 2023) Winning his first Midget race in over a year on Friday, that was quickly joined with a win on the biggest stage in Midget racing Saturday night when California's Logan Seavey held off the charge of Tanner Thorson to win the 37th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire. "I don't even know yet," chuckled Seavey when asked how it felt to win. "I'll let you know tomorrow, but for now, it feels awesome. It really set in when they handed me the Driller, and I got to talk to Kevin a little bit. He deserves it, and will probably get a lot more, so to win this race is special, but to win it in the No. 39 on our first try is really cool." The 23rd driver to top the Chili Bowl, the win is a first for Kevin and Jordan Swindell as car owners. The Swindell name now accounts for 14 overall wins in Chili Bowl competition. Of that, ten came with a Golden Driller. The pair's time in Tulsa this year also included his first win as a car owner at the Lucas Oil Tulsa Shootout. A redo on the restart after trailing Hank Davis, the reset for a spun car saw Seavey rolling out with the lead. Chased by Cannon McIntosh, the No. 08 kept pace before finally getting the point on Lap 21 with a low side move off the fourth turn. In traffic shortly after, McIntosh held the position but would find his lead challenged following a Lap 30. Working the hub of the Tulsa Expo Raceway before varying his line at either end, Seavey took the Victory Fuel No. 39 back to the point on Lap 31. Taking second in the same breath, Tanner Thorson was in pursuit. Both changing up their lines to gain an edge on the other, the track finally migrated the field low with just a handful of laps to run. Trying to set up Seavey for a last lap run, the caution would bring about a green, white, checkered finish, with Seavey holding off the 2022 champion by 0.306-seconds. Falling back to fourth at one point, Cannon McIntosh was able to get back to third with California's Shane Golobic in fourth. Emerson Axsom completed the top five. Making up ten positions, Kyle Jones stormed to a sixth-place finish, with Mitchel Moles in seventh. Trey Marcham from 14th land eighth, followed by Tim Buckwalter, who made an impressive run from 23rd to ninth. Justin Grant completed the top ten. The 37th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire saw 365 drivers officially draw in. During the Saturday Alphabet Soup, Claremore's Kris Carroll set a new event record through 'The Soup' with seven races from the N-Feature to the H-Features. Saturday's run of events was slated for double P-Features, but with drivers scratching, began with double O-Features. The 2023 Rookie of the Year and recipient of the Fuzzy Hahn Highest Finishing Female Award was California's Jade Avedisian, who was the only rookie to lock into Saturday's A-Feature. She is the second woman to do so, with Kaylee Bryson in her second consecutive. The 2024 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, takes place January 8-13, 2024, at the Tulsa Expo Raceway, located inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Okla. Information on tickets will be released in the next few weeks. Ticket orders begin the first Wednesday of March. For continued updates on the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, fans can follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with @CBNationals. All official press, updates, and results on the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire can be found online at http://www.chilibowl.com. Race Results: Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire Tulsa Expo Raceway (Tulsa, Okla.) Saturday, January 14, 2023 General Tire Championship Night Event Car Count: 365 A-Feature: A Feature (55 Laps): 1. 39-Logan Seavey[1]; 2. 88-Tanner Thorson[4]; 3. 08-Cannon McIntosh[3]; 4. 17W-Shane Golobic[6]; 5. 19T-Emerson Axsom[7]; 6. 7U-Kyle Jones[16]; 7. 89X-Mitchel Moles[9]; 8. 32T-Trey Marcham[14]; 9. 29-Tim Buckwalter[23]; 10. 2J-Justin Grant[10]; 11. 39T-Tim McCreadie[24]; 12. 5T-Kevin Thomas Jr[19]; 13. 26R-Zeb Wise[17]; 14. 89-Chris Windom[11]; 15. 19A-Daison Pursley[22]; 16. 40M-Chase McDermand[12]; 17. 7X-Thomas Meseraull[18]; 18. 84-Jade Avedisian[13]; 19. 67-Ryan Timms[21]; 20. 29S-Hank Davis[2]; 21. 24-Rico Abreu[5]; 22. 71-Kaylee Bryson[20]; 23. (DNF) 1S-Spencer Bayston[8]; 24. (DNF) 71M-Brent Crews[15] Lap Leaders: Logan Seavey 1-20, 31-55; Cannon McIntosh 21-30 Hard Charger: Tim Buckwalter +14 #DoItForGrady Pole Shuffle Pole Shuffle (4 Laps): 1. 39-Logan Seavey[2]; 2. 29S-Hank Davis[1]; 3. 08-Cannon McIntosh[3]; 4. 88-Tanner Thorson[4]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu[5]; 6. 17W-Shane Golobic[6]; 7. 19T-Emerson Axsom[7]; 8. 1S-Spencer Bayston[10]; 9. 89X-Mitchel Moles[8]; 10. 2J-Justin Grant[9] B-Features: Top 7 advance to the A-Feature B Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 89-Chris Windom[2]; 2. 84-Jade Avedisian[1]; 3. 71M-Brent Crews[3]; 4. 26R-Zeb Wise[4]; 5. 5T-Kevin Thomas Jr[8]; 6. 67-Ryan Timms[12]; 7. 29-Tim Buckwalter[5]; 8. 28-Ace McCarthy[9]; 9. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[20]; 10. 5-Chase Briscoe[7]; 11. 26-Chance Crum[11]; 12. 47-Zach Daum[16]; 13. 87W-Ryan Bernal[15]; 14. 25-Jacob Denney[18]; 15. 25K-Taylor Reimer[13]; 16. 55A-Jake Swanson[17]; 17. 21S-Karter Sarff[10]; 18. 19-Brian Carber[14]; 19. (DNF) 88J-Jonathan Beason[6]; 20. (DNF) 40S-Steven Snyder Jr[19] B Feature 2 (20 Laps): 1. 40M-Chase McDermand[1]; 2. 32T-Trey Marcham[4]; 3. 7U-Kyle Jones[3]; 4. 7X-Thomas Meseraull[15]; 5. 71-Kaylee Bryson[8]; 6. 19A-Daison Pursley[20]; 7. 39T-Tim McCreadie[13]; 8. 21-Daryn Pittman[19]; 9. 51R-Ricky Thornton Jr[10]; 10. 98-Tanner Carrick[7]; 11. 47X-Jason McDougal[6]; 12. 86-Chase Johnson[12]; 13. 21J-Kameron Key[18]; 14. 71K-Dominic Gorden[16]; 15. 11B-Clinton Boyles[17]; 16. 21H-Brady Bacon[2]; 17. 87-Jace Park[11]; 18. 52-Blake Hahn[5]; 19. 67X-Kyle Spence[14]; 20. (DNF) 5G-Gavan Boschele[9] C-Features: Top 5 advance to the corresponding B-Feature C Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 47-Zach Daum[1]; 2. 55A-Jake Swanson[3]; 3. 25-Jacob Denney[2]; 4. 40S-Steven Snyder Jr[7]; 5. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[4]; 6. 3G-Kyle Cummins[19]; 7. 51B-Joe B Miller[5]; 8. 00-Anton Hernandez[18]; 9. 5LK-Jordan Kinser[6]; 10. 67K-Cade Lewis[17]; 11. 2D-Matt Sherrell[15]; 12. 00B-Braden Chiaramonte[14]; 13. 82-Landon Crawley[10]; 14. 54-Matt Westfall[8]; 15. 71E-Mariah Ede[16]; 16. 81-Tanner Holmes[12]; 17. 8-Alex Sewell[20]; 18. 14M-Michael Faccinto[9]; 19. (DNF) 4P-Kody Swanson[13]; 20. (DNF) 27B-Jake Bubak[11] C Feature 2 (15 Laps): 1. 71K-Dominic Gorden[2]; 2. 11B-Clinton Boyles[1]; 3. 21J-Kameron Key[3]; 4. 21-Daryn Pittman[6]; 5. 19A-Daison Pursley[8]; 6. 19B-Alex Bright[16]; 7. 07W-Corey Day[18]; 8. 2X-Landon Brooks[15]; 9. 80S-Kaden Honeycutt[13]; 10. 1Z-Justin Zimmerman[11]; 11. 08G-Trey Gropp[5]; 12. 2H-Nick Hoffman[17]; 13. 2G-JJ Yeley[12]; 14. 03-Ayrton Gennetten[14]; 15. 77W-Joe Wirth[19]; 16. 50-Daniel Adler[4]; 17. 4C-Cody Jessop[7]; 18. 57-Daniel Whitley[10]; 19. (DNF) 11A-Andrew Felker[9]; 20. (DNS) 73B-Tyler Edwards D-Features: Top 5 advance to the corresponding C-Feature D Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 71E-Mariah Ede[1]; 2. 67K-Cade Lewis[3]; 3. 00-Anton Hernandez[5]; 4. 3G-Kyle Cummins[4]; 5. 8-Alex Sewell[7]; 6. 19Z-Hayden Reinbold[8]; 7. 41X-Howard Moore[2]; 8. 4B-Chelby Hinton[13]; 9. 95-Chris Andrews[9]; 10. 40-Max Adams[15]; 11. 47W-Dylan Westbrook[10]; 12. 31K-Danny Stratton[18]; 13. 4X-Michael Pickens[16]; 14. 71G-Damion Gardner[11]; 15. 45H-Briggs Danner[17]; 16. 97K-Tom Harris[12]; 17. 55X-Alex Bowman[20]; 18. 25M-Jake Andreotti[19]; 19. (DNF) 57A-Shane Cottle[14]; 20. (DNF) 5V-AJ Bender[6] D Feature 2 (15 Laps): 1. 19B-Alex Bright[1]; 2. 2X-Landon Brooks[10]; 3. 07W-Corey Day[16]; 4. 2H-Nick Hoffman[4]; 5. 77W-Joe Wirth[7]; 6. 68W-Matt Mitchell[6]; 7. 51J-RJ Johnson[2]; 8. 0H-Cap Henry[9]; 9. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[18]; 10. 85-Jerry Coons Jr[17]; 11. 7W-Brendon Wiseley[8]; 12. 68-Ronnie Gardner[15]; 13. 97-Brenham Crouch[11]; 14. 3N-Jake Neuman[19]; 15. 23P-Preston Lattomus[3]; 16. 69P-Joey Paxson[14]; 17. 7MF-Chance Morton[12]; 18. 71W-Michael Kofoid[13]; 19. (DNF) 44X-Wesley Smith[20]; 20. (DNF) 45X-Roger Crockett[5] E-Features: Top 5 advance to the corresponding D-Feature E Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 4X-Michael Pickens[1]; 2. 45H-Briggs Danner[7]; 3. 31K-Danny Stratton[10]; 4. 25M-Jake Andreotti[3]; 5. 55X-Alex Bowman[5]; 6. 19K-Riley Kreisel[9]; 7. 31X-Jeff Champagne[14]; 8. 7G-Gavin Miller[12]; 9. 56-Mitchell Davis[17]; 10. 2W-Tony Bruce Jr[11]; 11. 32W-Casey Shuman[4]; 12. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[15]; 13. 22-Sean McClelland[2]; 14. 75-Mario Clouser[16]; 15. (DNF) 91X-Danny Wood[13]; 16. (DNF) 72X-Caden McCreary[18]; 17. (DNF) 7T-TJ Smith[6]; 18. (DNF) 15D-Andrew Deal[8]; 19. (DNS) 1I-Ashton Torgerson; 20. (DNS) 23K-Kyle Simon E Feature 2 (15 Laps): 1. 07W-Corey Day[5]; 2. 85-Jerry Coons Jr[4]; 3. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[6]; 4. 3N-Jake Neuman[7]; 5. 44X-Wesley Smith[12]; 6. 17B-Austin Barnhill[1]; 7. 22X-Steven Shebester[15]; 8. 32-Gary Taylor[9]; 9. 18L-Logan Scherb[19]; 10. 16W-Garet Williamson[17]; 11. P1-Paul White[13]; 12. 3P-Darin Naida[8]; 13. 17L-Cody Trammell[11]; 14. 57W-Devon Borden[3]; 15. 11X-Donovan Peterson[20]; 16. 7M-Shane Cockrum[18]; 17. 4-Taylor Ferns[14]; 18. (DNF) 2ND-Jeb Sessums[16]; 19. (DNF) 17-Travis Berryhill[10]; 20. (DNF) 57R-Daniel Robinson[2] F-Features: Top 5 advance to the corresponding E-Feature F Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 31X-Jeff Champagne[3]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[5]; 3. 75-Mario Clouser[4]; 4. 56-Mitchell Davis[10]; 5. 72X-Caden McCreary[9]; 6. 1G-Justin Peck[20]; 7. 21K-Dale Curran[7]; 8. 8R-Randi Pankratz[1]; 9. 118-Scott Evans[16]; 10. 55D-Nick Drake[18]; 11. 21B-Trey Burke[11]; 12. 8X-Broc Elliott[8]; 13. (DNF) 37F-Adyn Schmidt[12]; 14. (DNF) 28Q-Sean Quinn[13]; 15. (DNF) 21E-Emilio Hoover[19]; 16. (DNF) 11K-Joey Klemish[14]; 17. (DNF) 1-Sammy Swindell[17]; 18. (DNF) 81G-Greyson Springer[2]; 19. (DNF) 80A-Chris Schmelzle[15]; 20. (DNF) 1K-Brayton Lynch[6] F Feature 2 (15 Laps): 1. 2ND-Jeb Sessums[1]; 2. 16W-Garet Williamson[3]; 3. 7M-Shane Cockrum[2]; 4. 18L-Logan Scherb[6]; 5. 11X-Donovan Peterson[10]; 6. 2B-Tanner Berryhill[16]; 7. 25B-Steve Buckwalter[9]; 8. 20H-Noah Harris[12]; 9. 16C-David Camfield Jr[5]; 10. 22T-Don Droud Jr[19]; 11. 01C-Carson Sousa[8]; 12. 7S-Parker Price Miller[18]; 13. 06-Rylan Gray[14]; 14. 80D-Josh Hawkins[17]; 15. (DNF) 45S-Shon Deskins[4]; 16. (DNF) 715-Robert Bell[11]; 17. (DNF) 91K-Kevin Bayer[13]; 18. (DNF) 56X-Mark Chisholm[15]; 19. (DNF) 1M-Mason Smith[7]; 20. (DNS) 14J-Jody Rosenboom G-Features: Top 5 advance to the corresponding F-Feature G Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 118-Scott Evans[1]; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell[8]; 3. 55D-Nick Drake[13]; 4. 21E-Emilio Hoover[2]; 5. 1G-Justin Peck[10]; 6. 16-Santino Ferrucci[5]; 7. 22B-Troy Betts[9]; 8. 40U-Jace Sparks[6]; 9. 96-Cody Brewer[4]; 10. 25V-Billy VanInwegen Jr[14]; 11. 1A-Jacob Allen[7]; 12. 28K-Kory Schudy[12]; 13. 7-Frankie Guerrini[11]; 14. 08K-Karsyn Elledge[3]; 15. (DNS) 98B-Joe Boyles; 16. (DNS) 77X-Wayne Johnson G Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 06-Rylan Gray[5]; 2. 80D-Josh Hawkins[7]; 3. 2B-Tanner Berryhill[11]; 4. 22T-Don Droud Jr[9]; 5. 7S-Parker Price Miller[15]; 6. 31H-Carson Hocevar[10]; 7. 9-Xavier Doney[14]; 8. 23-Patrick Ryan[1]; 9. 23S-Steve Irwin[6]; 10. 87F-Johnny Kent[2]; 11. 51X-Joe Walker[13]; 12. 5F-Danny Frye III[16]; 13. 22L-Lucas Scherb[4]; 14. 8D-Colby Deming[8]; 15. (DNF) 14X-KJ Snow[12]; 16. (DNF) 86C-David Camfield Sr[3] H-Features: Top 6 advance to the corresponding G-Feature H Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 22B-Troy Betts[1]; 2. 1G-Justin Peck[5]; 3. 7-Frankie Guerrini[9]; 4. 28K-Kory Schudy[3]; 5. 55D-Nick Drake[11]; 6. 25V-Billy VanInwegen Jr[15]; 7. 4A-Kyle Steffens[4]; 8. 37X-Blake Edwards[6]; 9. 8W-Troy Rutherford[7]; 10. 76-Michael Smith[8]; 11. 56M-Mike Veatch[12]; 12. 9B-Brian Schwabauer[13]; 13. 24T-Glenn James Bratti[2]; 14. (DNF) 9P-Kevin Cook[16]; 15. (DNF) 18N-Weston Gorham[14]; 16. (DNF) 7J-Shawn Jackson[10] H Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 2B-Tanner Berryhill[5]; 2. 14X-KJ Snow[1]; 3. 51X-Joe Walker[4]; 4. 9-Xavier Doney[6]; 5. 7S-Parker Price Miller[8]; 6. 5F-Danny Frye III[3]; 7. 41W-Brad Wyatt[2]; 8. 36K-Kris Carroll[15]; 9. 3B-Zach Blurton[14]; 10. 6-Bill Rose[12]; 11. 14-Cody Hays[7]; 12. 21L-Austin Langenstein[13]; 13. 10X-Trevor Serbus[9]; 14. 7P-AJ Hopkins[10]; 15. (DNF) 11T-Tyler Baran[11]; 16. (DNS) 44-Colton Hardy I-Features: Top 6 advance to the corresponding H-Feature I Feature 1 (6 Laps): 1. 55D-Nick Drake[2]; 2. 56M-Mike Veatch[7]; 3. 9B-Brian Schwabauer[3]; 4. 18N-Weston Gorham[10]; 5. 25V-Billy VanInwegen Jr[14]; 6. 9P-Kevin Cook[5]; 7. 98C-Chad Boespflug[8]; 8. 91-Jeff Stasa[9]; 9. 55V-CJ Leary[11]; 10. (DNF) 6A-Kalib Henry[15]; 11. (DNF) 7B-Cody Beard[12]; 12. (DNF) 15F-Kinzer Edwards[4]; 13. (DNF) 3V-Jim Vanzant[6]; 14. (DNF) 4G-Drake Edwards[1]; 15. (DNF) 3W-Brandon Waelti[13]; 16. (DNS) 11G-Avery Goodman Race ended early after reaching the 10-minute time limit. I Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 11T-Tyler Baran[5]; 2. 7P-AJ Hopkins[7]; 3. 21L-Austin Langenstein[6]; 4. 6-Bill Rose[8]; 5. 36K-Kris Carroll[16]; 6. 3B-Zach Blurton[11]; 7. 17H-Harli White[12]; 8. 17K-Garth Kasiner[9]; 9. 55C-Angelo Cornet[14]; 10. 00G-Braedon Enos[1]; 11. 71H-Austin Ervine[13]; 12. 31-David Budres[15]; 13. 12-Corbin Gurley[2]; 14. 71L-Charlie Louden[10]; 15. (DNF) 47K-Kevin Brewer[3]; 16. (DNF) 17C-Devin Camfield[4] Kevin Studley J-Features: Top 6 advance to the corresponding I-Feature. J Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 55V-CJ Leary[9]; 2. 18N-Weston Gorham[3]; 3. 3W-Brandon Waelti[5]; 4. 7B-Cody Beard[1]; 5. 6A-Kalib Henry[12]; 6. 25V-Billy VanInwegen Jr[13]; 7. 4R-Ryan Bickett[15]; 8. 53R-Sean Robbins[4]; 9. 60M-Earl McDoulett Jr[7]; 10. 51C-Logan Calderwood[16]; 11. 37T-Chet Gehrke[14]; 12. 02-Matt Rossi[2]; 13. 22G-John Murdie[6]; 14. 28M-Gray Leadbetter[11]; 15. M1-Colby Stubblefield[10]; 16. (DNF) 7K-Kolton Gariss[8] J Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 3B-Zach Blurton[4]; 2. 17H-Harli White[2]; 3. 71H-Austin Ervine[1]; 4. 55C-Angelo Cornet[5]; 5. 31-David Budres[7]; 6. 36K-Kris Carroll[14]; 7. 116-Claud Estes III[13]; 8. 36C-Ian Creager[8]; 9. 6D-Isaac Chapple[11]; 10. 71T-Keith Rauch[12]; 11. 58-Dillon Welch[9]; 12. 15C-Carter Chevalier[15]; 13. 51Z-Zach Boden[10]; 14. 7C-Josh Bilicki[6]; 15. 17M-Jeremy Schnepper[3]; 16. (DNS) 57H-Steve Hix K-Features: Top 6 advance to the corresponding J-Feature K Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 28M-Gray Leadbetter[1]; 2. 6A-Kalib Henry[5]; 3. 25V-Billy VanInwegen Jr[10]; 4. 37T-Chet Gehrke[4]; 5. 4R-Ryan Bickett[9]; 6. 51C-Logan Calderwood[11]; 7. 11H-Jori Hughes[12]; 8. 77J-John Klabonde[15]; 9. 14U-Cole Schroeder[13]; 10. 20-Tadd Holliman[16]; 11. 19J-Jack Berger[7]; 12. 74-Drew Rader[14]; 13. B1-Aaron Sanders[8]; 14. 45K-Kyler Johnson[3]; 15. 36-Kevin Reed[2]; 16. (DNF) 251-Johnny Brown Jr[6] K Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 6D-Isaac Chapple[1]; 2. 51Z-Zach Boden[4]; 3. 116-Claud Estes III[8]; 4. 71T-Keith Rauch[9]; 5. 15C-Carter Chevalier[14]; 6. 36K-Kris Carroll[11]; 7. 35L-Cody Ledger[7]; 8. 31B-Kyle Beilman[13]; 9. 60-Landon Britt[10]; 10. 68B-Jason Martin[5]; 11. 12X-Steven Snawder[3]; 12. 4K-Kayla Roell[12]; 13. 8M-Kade Morton[2]; 14. 34C-Cameron Willhite[15]; 15. 51-Curtis Jones[6]; 16. (DNS) 73T-Tony Gomes L-Features: Top 6 advance to the corresponding K-Feature L Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 51C-Logan Calderwood[3]; 2. 11H-Jori Hughes[1]; 3. 14U-Cole Schroeder[5]; 4. 74-Drew Rader[7]; 5. 77J-John Klabonde[10]; 6. 20-Tadd Holliman[13]; 7. 55K-Todd Kluever[2]; 8. 2MD-Conner Morrell[14]; 9. 8L-Colin Deming[6]; 10. 99K-Robert Carson[12]; 11. 80-Jarrod Jennings[4]; 12. 75X-Alex Vande Voort[11]; 13. (DNF) 0G-Glenn Styres[8]; 14. (DNF) 4M-Brody Fuson[9]; 15. (DNF) 45-Kyle Hammer[15]; 16. (DNS) 2E-Whit Gastineau L Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 71T-Keith Rauch[4]; 2. 4K-Kayla Roell[11]; 3. 36K-Kris Carroll[14]; 4. 15C-Carter Chevalier[15]; 5. 31B-Kyle Beilman[13]; 6. 34C-Cameron Willhite[6]; 7. 19U-Pierce Urbanosky[2]; 8. 7F-Roy Entze II[8]; 9. 5K-Ben Worth[9]; 10. 14R-Brody Petrie[1]; 11. 45J-Jerry Brey[3]; 12. 68C-Ryder Laplante[16]; 13. 19N-Nathan Byrd[10]; 14. (DNF) 35-Tyler Robbins[5]; 15. (DNF) 14T-Dylan Bloomfield[12]; 16. (DNF) 10C-Dalton Camfield[7] M-Features: Top 6 advance to the corresponding L-Feature M Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 75X-Alex Vande Voort[1]; 2. 77J-John Klabonde[5]; 3. 20-Tadd Holliman[7]; 4. 99K-Robert Carson[10]; 5. 45-Kyle Hammer[9]; 6. 2MD-Conner Morrell[14]; 7. 21D-Justin Dickerson[11]; 8. 7Z-Ryan Powers[16]; 9. 15M-Shane Morgan[4]; 10. 50T-Keoni Texeira[13]; 11. 7JR-JD Black[15]; 12. (DNF) 22J-Taylor Kuehl[12]; 13. (DNF) 7E-Joseph Wray IV[6]; 14. (DNF) 1W-Bryon Walters[2]; 15. (DNF) 15G-Dennie Gieber[3]; 16. (DNF) 15K-Gage Rucker[8] M Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 4K-Kayla Roell[3]; 2. 14T-Dylan Bloomfield[4]; 3. 31B-Kyle Beilman[1]; 4. 36K-Kris Carroll[11]; 5. 15C-Carter Chevalier[7]; 6. 68C-Ryder Laplante[13]; 7. 68S-Corby Scherb[9]; 8. 139-Todd Bertrand[12]; 9. (DNF) 7TX-Anthony Pope[6]; 10. (DNF) 21X-Justin Bates[2]; 11. (DNF) 80H-Joshua Hanna[14]; 12. (DNF) 6K-Jesse Denome[15]; 13. (DNF) 23T-Tristan Lee[10]; 14. (DNF) 5B-Bobby Brewer[5]; 15. (DNF) 7R-Casey Burkham[8]; 16. (DNS) 76X-Tom Savage N-Features: Top 6 advance to the corresponding M-Feature N Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 21D-Justin Dickerson[3]; 2. 22J-Taylor Kuehl[1]; 3. 50T-Keoni Texeira[2]; 4. 2MD-Conner Morrell[7]; 5. 7JR-JD Black[8]; 6. 7Z-Ryan Powers[13]; 7. 27J-Frank Beck III[10]; 8. 00H-John Heitzman[4]; 9. 33B-Mike Bitner[12]; 10. 37-Ashton Thompson[11]; 11. 19X-Dylan Archer[5]; 12. 22P-Marcus Kennedy[15]; 13. (DNF) 1T-Tyler Shoemaker[9]; 14. (DNF) 18K-Billy Rayburn[6]; 15. (DNS) 70-Cade Cowles N Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 68S-Corby Scherb[1]; 2. 139-Todd Bertrand[3]; 3. 36K-Kris Carroll[7]; 4. 80H-Joshua Hanna[2]; 5. 68C-Ryder Laplante[10]; 6. 6K-Jesse Denome[5]; 7. 10M-Kort Morgan[12]; 8. 46-Adam Andretti[11]; 9. 5J-Josh Hodge[6]; 10. 8AJ-AJ Johnson[8]; 11. (DNF) 2Y-Dave Axton[4]; 12. (DNF) 8K-Jake Neal[9]; 13. (DNS) 14E-Tom Dunkel; 14. (DNS) 7D-Michelle Decker; 15. (DNS) 17X-Jadon Rogers; 16. (DNS) 98P-Ryan Padgett O-Features: Top 6 advance to the corresponding N-Feature O Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 1T-Tyler Shoemaker[1]; 2. 27J-Frank Beck III[2]; 3. 37-Ashton Thompson[6]; 4. 33B-Mike Bitner[4]; 5. 7Z-Ryan Powers[3]; 6. 70-Cade Cowles[12]; 7. 17D-Wyatt Rotz[5]; 8. 7L-Jarrad Warhurst[10]; 9. 83T-Herman Carrier[8]; 10. 0-Johnny Murdock[7]; 11. 42K-Kevin Battefeld[11]; 12. 5H-Casey Hicks[9]; 13. (DNS) 11N-Nick Baran; 14. (DNS) 11C-Mike Woodruff; 15. (DNS) 87C-Austin Garrett; 16. (DNS) 93-Kyle Bellm O Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 8K-Jake Neal[4]; 2. 68C-Ryder Laplante[5]; 3. 98P-Ryan Padgett[2]; 4. 17X-Jadon Rogers[6]; 5. 46-Adam Andretti[1]; 6. 10M-Kort Morgan[7]; 7. 12H-Jared Hood[10]; 8. 3F-Tim Barber[3]; 9. 130-Larry Bratti[9]; 10. 42-Patrick Prescott[8]; 11. (DNF) 66-Harry Elzo[11]; 12. (DNF) 127-James Picardi[12]; 13. (DNS) 84J-Jesse Shapel P-Features scratched. All remaining drivers advanced into O-Features
- 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
- NARC SPRINT CARS ROLL OUT FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS RULE: EFFECTIVE MAY 1, 2023
(12/27/22) Sacramento, CA ... The Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC), sanctioning bodies and sprint car race promoters throughout California and the left coast have agreed to implement a fire suppression system rule in 2023. Effective May 1, 2023, all sprint cars will be required to run a fully functional system meeting a SFI 17.3 specification. The safety-enhancing rule was discussed in depth with representatives of all major sanctioning bodies and dirt tracks at the Reno RPM Workshop and all agreed on the date moving forward. This includes the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Kings of Thunder, Skagit Speedway and all tracks on the 2023 NARC 410 sprint car schedule. The equipment specifications mirror what most major sprint car sanction bodies are requiring during the 2023 season. A complete breakdown of the rule will be published in the NARC rulebook in early January. Listed below is the baseline for the rule: A fire suppression system that meets the SFI 17.3 specification must be installed and functional in all race cars at all times when competing at Northern Auto Racing Club events after May 1, 2022. The fire suppression system must include a thermal trigger and a manual trigger. Both triggers must be mounted in the driver's compartment. The thermal trigger must be in the lower area of the drivers compartment forward of the seat near the area of the fuel pump. The manual trigger must be mounted within reach of the driver on the forward left-hand side of the cockpit. A minimum of one nozzle must be mounted in the lower area of the cockpit forward of the seat. The DOT approved cylinder manufactured of aluminum or steel must be securely mounted to the frame per the manufacturer's instructions. The cylinder must have a minimum capacity of five-pounds. The system must be fully charged and display a legible and valid SFI 17.3 and manufacturer label, easily viewable at any time by NARC and/or race track officials. Cylinders that are beyond useful certification date must be inspected, serviced and re-labeled by the manufacture. If a nozzle is connected to the cylinder with a line, the line must be steel or steel reinforced and must be triggered at the end of the line. (NOTE: SFI is a certification that demonstrates that the manufacturer certifies the racing equipment has been laboratory tested to meet or exceed SFI safety specifications. This gives consumers and sanctioning bodies a way to differentiate a certified product from one that is untested.) Approved Manufacturer's: Lifeline Fire & Safety USA Safecraft Safety Equipment, Martinez, CA Safety Systems Inc. (Firebottle), Ft Myers, FL Spa Technique Inc. Indianapolis, IN
- BRODY ROA COMPLETED HIS 2022 SEASON AT THE TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX
(Cypress, CA, December 7, 2022) Nearly eleven months after it started, Brody Roa finished his 2022 racing season in the 81st annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway. Contesting the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series portion of the program in Jayson May's pretty #8M sprint car, the Garden Grove, California driver ended up finishing 17th in the 30-lap main event due to some late-race bad luck. 310350912_10166729824325201_6527411594461310400_n.jpg Brody Roa's Turkey Night Grand Prix ride. May photo. The two-night program featured heat races, qualifiers, and a dash for the sprint cars on Friday night. An outstanding field of 49 entries showed up for the event. Drivers did not qualify but rather drew for positions in the Friday night heat races. Roa pulled a number that placed him in the second heat race on the famous 1/5-of-a-mile clay oval. The 31-year-old started in the fourth position in his heat race. By the end of the opening go around he was second and was applying immediate heat to the leader. The veteran racer kept the pressure up all the way to the Kris Kornder checkered flag but he had to settle for second. The finish placed him on the outside of row number one for his 12-lap qualifier. From there, he steered the #8M into the lead and proceeded to stay out front every inch of the way. Two races down and everything was working to perfection. However, that was about to change. With the heat and qualifiers out of the way, there was only one thing left for Roa on the night. That was the 15-lap dash for the top 10 drivers in points after the heat races and the qualifiers. The way they finished the dash would be the way they started the main event straight up. Roa was on the outside of the second row in fourth for the start. He stayed in that position over the first two circuits before slipping back to fifth on lap three. On lap nine Roa moved back to the 4th place spot. That pass moved him up a full row in Saturday's main if he could stay there. Everything went smoothly until lap 12. Entering turn three, the second-place car clipped one of the huge tires protecting the end of the crashwall at the pit entrance. That caused the car to spin and it also kicked the tire onto the track. The third-place driver, Roa's teammate Chase Johnson, hit the tire and turned over. Roa, who was close behind, had nowhere to go and slid into the mess. For good measure, another car sailed into Roa and the red flag came out. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Roa was done for the night. In fact, he climbed out of his car and took off his helmet. But after a closer look, he realized his car was not damaged as much as he thought. The veteran racer pushed his helmet back on, climbed back in the car, and bumped off for the restart. By that time there were only seven cars left in the race. That meant Roa had to restart at the back in seventh. In the remaining laps, he passed one car to finish sixth and start one spot closer to the front in Saturday's championship main event. Saturday night Roa and his fellow competitors were greeted by a near-capacity crowd at one of America's most popular dirt tracks. In addition to the packed house, the race was also seen by thousands more around the world on Flo Racing. Being that he finished sixth in points the previous night, Roa did not have to race in any of the preliminaries. He was seeded right into the 30-lap finale and would start on the outside of the third row in May's gorgeous #8M. At the drop of the Chris Kornder green flag, Roa immediately went on the attack. However, the green flag was short-lived as the caution came out on the second circuit. For the restart, Roa was in fifth and he dogged the fourth-place car for the first 1/3 of the race. By lap 20, he had slipped back to seventh. As the race reached the waning laps, he was still in seventh, but with an engine issue and an overzealous driver clobbering him from behind, Roa was knocked from the action with two laps to go. He ended up 17th. The Ventura result was not the way "The Pride of Garden Grove" wanted to conclude the season but he did have a very good year. He had 15 top-10 finishes and 11 of those were in the top five. Despite not running the full USAC/CRA schedule, Roa's total of three wins was second-best on the circuit and he finished sixth in points. Highlights of the year included his win at Mohave Valley after he started 11th in the main event. At Santa Maria, he drove to the win in the 410 race in May's 360 powered rocketship. He also had a win in May's car in a USAC West Coast Series race at Ventura. In addition to his non-wing endeavors, Roa, also qualified for his first-ever World of Outlaws main event at Perris on March 26th. It was only his second-ever race in the legendary series. The first came 24 hours earlier at Bakersfield. While the 2022 season just ended, 2023 will kick off in just five weeks in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Chili Bowl. The sprint car season will kick off two weeks after that at the Cocopah Speedway in Arizona. In between now and Cocopah, the team will be working on cars, ordering parts, and exploring marketing opportunities with potential partners. If you would like to join forces with Roa for 2023, give him a call or drop him an email at the contact information at the top of this release. To learn more about Roa and the team or to pick up some team merchandise, check out the website https://www.brodyroa.com/. Fans can also stay up to date by checking out the team news on Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/br91r/. If you are looking to purchase a sprint car, Roa has a nice roller for sale. It is a 2021 Eagle 87/40 Raised Rail. It includes KSE Gen2 Steering, new in 2022, KSE Steering Pump, Winters Competition Eliminator 4.12 Rear End with swivel coupler, XYZ Birdcages, BMRS Plumbing, Plenty of Titanium, Carbon Body, Quick Car Gauges, Wilwood Brakes. Front axle length of buyer's choice - 50" or 53". No Fuel Tank, Shocks, or Seat. Quality Race Car! CSI Shocks and/or Saldana Fuel Tank can be added at additional cost. $9,900. Send an email address for a list of components. Brett - 562-230-1286 brett@brodyroa.com or Brody - 714-932-7994 brody@brodyroa.com. Roa and the team want to thank the following sponsors for making the 2022 season possible. HD Industries, Burris Racing, Sander Engineering, Inland Rigging, Caltrol, "Biker" Bruce Fischer, Competition Suspension, ALR Virtual Services, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, Rod End Supply, Driven Racing Oil, Baldwin Filters, and NGK Spark Plugs. In addition, the veteran driver offers thanks to RDM Mechanics, Fastenal, KC Keen Concrete, Coopers Propane, Ten West Towing, Ten West Environmental, TJM Distribution, and Westco International for sponsoring May's #8M. To keep up with May Motorsports, please check out and "like" its Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/MayMotorsports8M Brody Roa's 2022 Schedule and Race Results January 12 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Nationals 15th A Main January 15 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Nationals 13th C Main January 27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main January 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 6th A Main January 29 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 4th A Main February 11 Central Arizona Speedway ASCS/CAS 360 5th A Main February 12 Central Arizona Speedway ASCS/CAS 360 2nd A Main February 26 Keller Auto Speedway King of Thunder 9th A Main March 25 Bakersfield Speedway World of Outlaws 8th B Main March 26 Perris Auto Speedway World of Outlaws 24th A Main April 9 Keller Auto Speedway NARC King of the West Canceled April 30 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 6th A Main May 28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 3rd A Main June 11 Ventura Raceway USAC/CRA 2nd A Main June 25 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 1ST A Main July 22 Gas City I69 Speedway ISW - USAC National 9th C Main July 23 Kokomo Speedway ISW - USAC National 7th B Main July 24 Lawrenceburg Speedway ISW - USAC National Rained out July 25 Circle City Raceway ISW - UASC National 19th A Main July 27 Terre Haute Action Track ISW - USAC National Rained Out July 28 Lincoln Park Speedway ISW - USAC National 8th B Main July 29 Bloomington Speedway ISW - USAC National 16th A Main July 30 Tri-State Speedway ISW - USAC National 16th A Main August 6 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA 1st A Main August 20 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 19th A Main August 27 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast 360 1st A Main September 17 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 3rd A Main September 24 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast 360 DNS October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 1st A Main October 15 Kern County Raceway USAC West Coast 360 17th A Main October 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC National & CRA 15th A Main October 29 Cocopah Speedway USAC National & CRA 15th A Main November 3 Perris Auto Speedway USAC National & CRA 16th A Main November 4 Perris Auto Speedway USAC National & CRA 17th A Main November 5 Perris Auto Speedway USAC National & CRA 11th A Main November 25 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast 360 7th Dash November 26 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast 360 17th A Main @hdindustries_1971 @burris_racing_usa @mikeburrisoc @csishocks @sander_engineering @sanderjenna @theoriginalloosebruce @alrvirtualservices @k1racegear @moleculesports @rodendsupply @baldwinfilters @ngkracing @originalngksparkplugs @usacnation @usac_cra @perrisautospeedway @b_roa91 @tai_xoxo_roa @zacboz35 @joegibb83, @inlandrigging, @eaglemotorsportsinc @caltrolinc @drivenracingoil This release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- 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
- BRODY ROA WRAPS UP THE 2022 CAMPAIGN IN THE TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX AT VENTURA
(Cypress, CA, November 25, 2022) Southern California racing veteran Brody Roa will close out another successful season tonight and Saturday, November 25th and 26th, in the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series at the 81st running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway. The veteran driver will be back behind the wheel of Jayson May's gorgeous #8M sprint car that has already carried him to a pair of victories in 2022. 297879254_2204237209743457_8079382424926505894_n.jpg Brody Roa in Jayson May's #8M. SCRAFAN.COM Photo. Roa's prowess at Ventura and in May's car makes him one of the favorites in this week's race. In two appearances at the beach side track in 2022, he has a win and a second-place finish. Driving his own #91R car in a USAC/CRA race on June 11th, Roa ended up second in the main event. He was clearly the fastest car on the track, but on the night, the track was one lane on the bottom. Rather than wreck the first-place car and possibly take himself out as well, Roa wisely settled for second. Two months later, he steered May's car to the USAC West Coast Series main event win on the tiny, challenging oval that is located a stone's throw away from the breaking surf of the Pacific Ocean. After returning from Indiana Sprint week, Roa jumped into May's 360 and led every inch of the way in the USAC/CRA 410 race at the grand re-opening of the Santa Maria Raceway on August 6th. His other 2022 appearances in May's equipment came in early February in a pair of CAS/ASCS events at the Central Arizona Speedway. The first night Roa had the main event in the bag, but the competition was plagued by an exorbitant amount of yellow flags and Roa ran out of fuel near the end of the race. He restarted at the rear and came back through the field to finish fifth. Twenty-four hours later he placed second on the same track. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each day at Ventura with cars on the track at 3:15. The sprint cars will have heats and a dash for cash on Friday. On Saturday, they will have preliminary main events and a $3,000.00 to win A main. The USAC National Midgets will join the action with practice on Friday. On Saturday, the midgets will qualify, contest preliminaries, and finish the night with the historic 98-lap main event. The Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 W. Harbor Boulevard (93001). The website is http://venturaraceway.com/ and the office phone number is (805) 648-RACE. Friday night adult tickets are $22.00. Seniors, military, and students get in for $18.00, and it is free for kids under 12 on Friday. On Saturday, reserved seats are $45.00 for those 13 and older. Reserved seats for those 12 and under are $25.00. General admission tickets are $35.00. Roa comes into the event after ending the 410 sprint car portion of his 2022 season at the 26th running of the Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway. The first night of the Ovals saw the Garden Grove, California racecar chauffeur being the most competitive of the local drivers at the race on the famous Riverside County half-mile clay Oval. In qualifying in the stellar 40-car field that showed up for the last USAC National and USAC/CRA race of 2022, Roa only managed to qualify 18th fastest. He shrugged off the time trials result with a convincing win in the first heat race of the three-day event. For the 30-lap main, Roa, 31 started in the ninth spot. Racing in the toughest field on the famous Riverside County half-mile clay oval in 2022, the veteran driver was the highest-running USAC/CRA driver in the field. He was just behind the USAC National Series regulars in the early part of the race. As the laps dwindled down, he began to infiltrate the invaders and advance toward the front of the pack. Running on the top, which had an unforgiving cushion, he was in the sixth spot with two laps to go when the cushion bit him and sent the #91R careening into the wall. Roa looked at the car, saw little damage, and climbed back in. He restarted at the back and ended up 16th. On the second night at the Ovals, Roa qualified 22nd fastest. He backed that up with a third-place finish in his heat race. That gave him his second straight ticket into the 30-lap main event. The veteran driver started that race in 20th and finished 17th. The tangle with the cushion on Thursday, combined with the 17th place finish on Friday, meant that Roa would have to qualify again on Saturday and make it to the main event through his heat race or the B main. The affable racing star was the ninth-quickest qualifier and placed third in his heat. That automatically sent him into the A main for the third consecutive night. For the 40-lap championship main event, Roa started in the 10th place spot and was 11th when the checkered flag ended the contest and the 410 season. That was the best performance by a USAC/CRA driver in the race. Roa and the team want to thank the following sponsors for making the 2022 season possible. HD Industries, Burris Racing, Sander Engineering, Inland Rigging, Caltrol, "Biker" Bruce Fischer, Competition Suspension, ALR Virtual Services, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, Rod End Supply, Driven Racing Oil, Baldwin Filters, and NGK Spark Plugs. In addition, the veteran driver offers thanks to RDM Mechanics, Fastenal, KC Keen Concrete, Coopers Propane, Ten West Towing, Ten West Environmental, TJM Distribution, and Westco International for sponsoring May's #8M. If you or your company would like to jump on board and receive recognition as a team partner throughout 2023, please give the two-time USAC champion racer a phone call or drop him a note at the contact information on the top of this release. Fans can learn more about Roa and the team at https://www.brodyroa.com/. Fans can also check out the team news at Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/br91r/. To keep up with May Motorsports, please check out and "like" its Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/MayMotorsports8M Brody Roa's 2022 Schedule and Race Results January 12 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Nationals 15th A Main January 15 Tulsa Expo Raceway Chili Bowl Nationals 13th C Main January 27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main January 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 6th A Main January 29 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 4th A Main February 11 Central Arizona Speedway ASCS/CAS 360 5th A Main February 12 Central Arizona Speedway ASCS/CAS 360 2nd A Main February 26 Keller Auto Speedway King of Thunder 9th A Main March 25 Bakersfield Speedway World of Outlaws 8th B Main March 26 Perris Auto Speedway World of Outlaws 24th A Main April 9 Keller Auto Speedway NARC King of the West Canceled April 30 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 6th A Main May 28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 3rd A Main June 11 Ventura Raceway USAC/CRA 2nd A Main June 25 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 1ST A Main July 22 Gas City I69 Speedway ISW - USAC National 9th C Main July 23 Kokomo Speedway ISW - USAC National 7th B Main July 24 Lawrenceburg Speedway ISW - USAC National Rained out July 25 Circle City Raceway ISW - UASC National 19th A Main July 27 Terre Haute Action Track ISW - USAC National Rained Out July 28 Lincoln Park Speedway ISW - USAC National 8th B Main July 29 Bloomington Speedway ISW - USAC National 16th A Main July 30 Tri-State Speedway ISW - USAC National 16th A Main August 6 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA 1st A Main August 20 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 19th A Main August 27 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast 360 1st A Main September 17 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 3rd A Main September 24 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast 360 DNS October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 1st A Main October 15 Kern County Raceway USAC West Coast 360 17th A Main October 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC National & CRA 15th A Main October 29 Cocopah Speedway USAC National & CRA 15th A Main November 3 Perris Auto Speedway USAC National & CRA - Oval Nationals 16th A Main November 4 Perris Auto Speedway USAC National & CRA - Oval Nationals 17th A Main November 5 Perris Auto Speedway USAC National & CRA - Oval Nationals 11th A Main November 25 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast 360 - Turkey Night GP November 26 Ventura Raceway USAC West Coast 360 - Turkey Night GP @hdindustries_1971 @burris_racing_usa @mikeburrisoc @csishocks @sander_engineering @sanderjenna @theoriginalloosebruce @alrvirtualservices @k1racegear @moleculesports @rodendsupply @baldwinfilters @ngkracing @originalngksparkplugs @usacnation @usac_cra @perrisautospeedway @b_roa91 @tai_xoxo_roa @zacboz35 @joegibb83, @inlandrigging, @eaglemotorsportsinc @caltrolinc @drivenracingoil This 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
- 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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