Santa Maria Raceway Race Track in Nipomo, California, USA
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Santa Maria Raceway races USAC/CRA Sprints, California Lightning Sprints, IMCA SportMods, Dwarfcars, USAC Western States Midgets, IMCA Modifieds, WRA Vintage Sprints, and Karts.
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Santa Maria Raceway Dirt Track Location
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1900 Hutton Road
Nipomo, California, 93444 USA - lat: 35.003636, lng: -120.440265
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- Surface: 1/3 mile clay oval
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Santa Maria Raceway Dirt Track Contacts
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Santa Maria Raceway Dirt Track Racing Schedule
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Santa Maria Raceway Dirt Track News
- GRANT SEXTON LAUNCHES USAC/CRA ROOKIE CAMPAIGN THIS WEEK AT THE COCOPAH SPEEDWAY
(Lakeside, CA, January 26, 2023) 2021 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Grant Sexton has his eyes set on another title in 2023. The teenage racer will open his first full season of 410 sprint car racing and his campaign for "Rookie of the Year" when the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series visits Arizona's Cocopah Speedway this Friday and Saturday, January 27th and 28th. It will be his first ever time racing at the track known as the "Diamond in the Desert." Sexton, who lives in Lakeside, California, did have a few runs in full-size sprint cars in 2022. They included four events with USAC/CRA, three shows at Ventura including the Turkey Night Grand Prix, and an open comp show at the Imperial Valley Raceway. The talkative teen won his first-ever start in a full-size sprinter at Ventura on April 16th. His second-best finish was when he made the podium with a third at Imperial Valley in October. The well-spoken teen's initial efforts in a full-size sprinter came in an older car. He then switched to another car that was a little more modern than what he started in. However, things are going to change from the dark ages as soon as he arrives at Cocopah. "I ran an older Ellis (first) and then a newer Ellis," the 18-year-old said with a laugh earlier this week. "Well, it was new for us but it was pretty much the same car." Last year his father, Brent Sexton, decided it was time for a big-time upgrade. A three-time lightning sprint car titlist (including last year's POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint championship), the family patriarch realized his youngest offspring was ready to move up and he purchased a brand new Triple X chassis. He hid the new chassis in the rafters until he figured Grant was ready. That time is now and the youngster will make his debut in the car on Friday at Cocopah. The team was headed to Perris to shake down the car for the first time on Thursday and would head straight to the Arizona speed plant after. It will be a new car on a new track for Sexton's first run of 2023. While he has seen races at Cocopah, he has never raced there, but he knows what to expect. "I have not had any practice in our new Triple X car, but we are going to test at Perris Auto Speedway tomorrow," the teen said on Wednesday. "I know it (Cocopah) has really long straightaways and a lot wider turns. So, it should be a little bit more forgiving if I do make a mistake. Hopefully, I do not find that wall because I know it will hurt. "I watch a boatload of films," the young racer continued. "I mean, I sit there on YouTube for hours and go back to the old Flo events. I try to gather anything I can by watching the leaders and others on all the tracks. How they enter the corners and how they exit the corners. Sadly, Iracing does not have any California tracks, but I do hop on the simulator as much as I can. Mainly I just want to make every main event we go to and hopefully bring a car home in one piece. Try to use patience to learn the car itself before I try and get a little more ballsy." In addition to some new venues, Sexton will be competing on several tracks where he has raced lightning sprints over the past few years. Those tracks include Perris, the Bakersfield Speedway, Mohave Valley Raceway, the Ventura Raceway, and the Santa Maria Raceway. When asked which track he was looking forward to going to, he quickly named Bakersfield because it is a quarter mile and very racy. Another part of that answer may have had to do with his thrilling victory at the "Okie Bowl" when the CLS competed on the same card as the World of Outlaws on March 24th, 2022. The teen stole the show by rim-riding through the cushion in a daring display of bravery that saw him take the lead and win with less than a foot to go in the race. Like many young drivers, Sexton had some challenges early in his lightning sprint car career. Some nights he was fast, and some nights he was not quite as fast. He did tear up some equipment along the way. Through it all, there were flashes of brilliance that were shining through. But things changed halfway through the 2019 season. The then 15-year-old only finished better than 14th one time in the first seven races of the year. Near the end of June, he began to turn things around. In six starts between June 29th and August 24th, he placed in the top 10 four times. Included was a second-place finish in the CLS race at Santa Maria on July 27th. However, the best was yet to come. On August 24, 2019, he won an open comp race at the Barona Speedway. While not surprising, it was still not expected. What happened next was shocking and totally unexpected to everyone. That is, everyone but himself. Two weeks after the Barona triumph, the family team journeyed to Missouri and the Lake Ozark Speedway for the POWRi Lightning Sprint Car Nationals. There, they met up with top drivers and cars from several states. On the first night of the two-day show, Sexton sent shockwaves through the lightning sprint car world by handily winning the main event. For a teen upstart to come to a track he had never raced on before and compete against veteran drivers, many of whom were on their home turf, and beat them, ended up being popular with fans. Surely the triumph had to be a fluke. No way could a teen repeat that performance. He then stunned everyone again by leading 23-laps before finishing second. In less than 24 hours, he went from being an unknown to being the hottest lightning sprint car driver in North America. Like everyone else, Covid pretty much ruined the 2020 season for Sexton. He came back in 2021 with a vengeance. He proved his adaptability by winning four of the last seven main events, including three in a row, in the POWRi Southwest Series. Two of his victories came while running with a wing and the other two were wingless. When the checkered flag fell at the end of the final series race, he won the championship by a comfortable 122-points. In addition to his prowess in the SWLS, he went back to Missouri and finished third in the finale. The team also journeyed to the upper Midwest for the "Minkota Nationals." Once again competing on four new tracks against veteran drivers from several states and Canada, Sexton won the opening night and placed in the top eight in all four races. 2022 was not the normal season for Sexton. Perhaps more importantly than racing, he was graduating from high school. So, that took a little away from racing with all the festivities you only get to participate in once in your life. Also, of instead running a lightning sprint car-only schedule, he was moving up to full-size sprint cars. All told, he visited victory circle four times during the year. Sexton sends out big thanks to his crew chief, 2011 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year David Bezio, Tava Lopez, Cody Griggs, Nita "Nanna" Gatlin, and his father Brent. They have all been busting their tails to get the Triple X Chassis, Johnny Motorhead 410 ready for this week's openers at Cocopah. SGR has been busy all winter getting ready for another successful year in 2023. If you or your company is interested in becoming a partner with this front-running team, please call (619) 454-6945 or E-mail mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mailto:sextonfire@gmail.com Sexton/Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2022 season possible. Keys Brothers, East County Electric Works, Maxima Oil, Automated Interiors, Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Johnny Motorhead, Troy Dirt, Victory Graphix, and Swift Powdercoat. This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- BRODY ROA TEAMS WITH TOMMY AND CHRISTY DUNKEL FOR THE 2023 SPRINT CAR SEASON
(Cypress, CA, January 24, 2023) When the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Series kicks off its 24th season of racing at Brad Whitfield's Cocopah Speedway this Friday and Saturday, January 27th and 28th, longtime fans are going to be in for a big surprise. When the first green flag flies to begin the new campaign, veteran racer Brody Roa will not be in his familiar bright green #91R. For 2023, Roa's BR Performance is joining forces with Tom and Christy Dunkel and he will steer a white #17R throughout the year. 307549757_5399488930087465_6408996414449942611_n.jpg' Left to right: Joe Gobb, crew chief Zac Bozanich, Brody Roa and Brett Roa after a 2022 Perris win. Doug Allen photo. Last year Roa, who turns 32 years old on Wednesday, freelanced during the season. The pleasant driver started 37 races on 18 different tracks in four different states. He competed in five different types of cars in seven different sanctioning bodies. Right now for 2023, his plans include the entire 27-race USAC/CRA schedule and four open competition races at the Imperial Valley Raceway. He may also make some starts in the USAC/West Coast Sprint Car Series. Initially, Roa was going to do the usual and race his own car in CRA. And he was going to run as a teammate to Dunkel in the West Coast Series. However, while breaking bread with the Dunkel's a couple of weeks ago, a drastic change took place. "We went to dinner about a week and a half ago under the impression we were going to talk about the 360 races I was going to run for them," Roa said on Sunday night. "I threw something out to them about doing something with the 410 stuff. Him and Christy went back and talked about it. It ended up that they now have the 410s HD (HD Industries) used to have. We are going to run a Tom & Christy Dunkel/Inland Rigging/BR Performance Race Team this year. We just bought a brand new DRC. We got that two weeks ago or maybe less than that. We just finished that up last Wednesday night. We are going to fire it up tomorrow. We sold our Eagles and we have our trailer up for sale. Kind of big changes. I am very excited to represent Tom, Christy, and Inland Rigging running in the new #17R." "Man, this is huge," said car owner Tommy Dunkel who is just as excited as Roa. "Just kind of hearing it out loud for the first time from you, kind of gives me goosebumps. It is a major deal for me. I have grown up watching Major League Sprint Car Racing at Perris my entire life. To be able to be a part of it in our capacity leading up to this year with Brody and a few other drivers has been huge. Now to step things up a bit and become a major player in Brody's operation is going to be great. To team up with guys like them, who are so good and nice guys in the pits, but they come out swinging every weekend. That is kind of my style. I like to show up and try to win and have nice equipment. Those guys are at the top of their league. To team up with them is really major for me. We are really excited about it." "The opportunity just presented itself pretty well." Dunkel continued. "Brody has always been a great guy to work with. He has been running with Inland Rigging on his car for a handful of years now. He is always a class act. Him, his dad Brett, Zac (crew chief Zac Bozanich), and that whole camp are a great group of guys. They are competitive and they are a force to be reckoned with every Saturday night. That is something I like to be a part of." Up until now, the offseason has been anything but normal for Roa and his team. In late December, fans and fellow competitors noticed quite a bit of his equipment up for sale. There were queries wondering if the Garden Grove, California racing star was going to hang up his helmet. The questions intensified earlier in January when his trailer went up for sale. However, to everyone's relief, he is back and ready for another successful season. "We sold a chassis & body and a complete roller," the fan-friendly driver said." "We put a new DRC together with everything from the chassis we sold. We are basically keeping like one spare of everything. Other than that, everything is up for sale. We have probably got enough to build like 6 cars with everything we have back at the shop besides the big stuff. We have small components we probably had stashed away in that shop for 10 years. We definitely have not sold everything yet." The fact that he is switching from an Eagle chassis to a DRC is going to surprise a lot of people. Not competing on the full USAC/CRA schedule in 2022, Roa steered the Eagle to a pair of wins and six top-five finishes. And he finished sixth in the championship point standings despite missing a significant amount of races. Still, he felt he wanted to change. "I have never driven a DRC before," Roa confided. "Honestly, it just seems like it is the car that everybody is doing non-wing stuff in right now. I called Ronnie Gardner who works there. I am pretty good friends with Ronnie. I've talked to him about it a bit and then Joe Devin, who builds the DRCs, called me. We talked on the phone for probably at least a half an hour. It was pretty cool and that probably helped the decision. Mainly to get back to something that everybody is doing. Everybody has got notes and everybody has parts (for DRC's). At this point, I think we know what we are doing, but If we get really lost at least there are people we can bounce ideas off of." As in the past, Roa will continue to use powerful Shaver Engines. As always, when the driver known as "The Pride of Garden Grove" has an off week from his local racing commitments, he would be happy to talk with any car owners who desire his services behind the wheel (Roa's 2023 schedule is listed below). Roa is very grateful and wanted to be sure to thank departing sponsor HD Industries for years of dedicated support on his #91R car. "HD has given us so much over the last ten years," Roa said. "They have been on the side of the car and a huge part of our program for so many years. Without them, we never would have achieved the successes we accomplished. I will always be thankful to Mike, Jim, and HD." "I would also like to thank family and friends who are part of our racing effort," Roa said. "My family Tailor and Addison, parents Brett and Eden, Uncle B, Joe, Zac, Tyler, Tracy, and looking forward to joining family teams with Tom, Christy, and Ava Dunkel." Friday and Saturday's races at Cocopah Speedway - aka "The Diamond in the Desert," - will be full programs with qualifying, heats, and main events. For fans who would like to attend this weekend's doubleheader, spectator gates will open at 4:00 p.m. each day with hot laps at 5:30. Qualifying and racing will follow. In addition to the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, the IMCA Hobby Stocks, IMCA Sport Compacts and mod lights will also be in action. The speedway is located at 3450 W. County 15th Street in Somerton, Arizona (85350). The office phone is 602-292-7607 and the website is http://www.racecocopahspeedway.com/. For those who cannot make the trek to the "Copper State" track, both nights will be available on pay-per-view at the following link https://speedsport.tv/. The team wants to thank the following sponsors for making the 2023 season possible. Inland Rigging, Dunkel Farms, United Asset Sales, Osborne Speed & Machine, Sander Engineering, "Biker" Bruce Fischer, ALR Virtual Services, Burris Racing, Caltrol, Competition Suspension, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, Rod End Supply, Driven Racing Oil, Baldwin Filters, and NGK Spark Plugs. Brody Roa's 2023 Schedule and Race Results January 27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars January 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars March 3 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars March 4 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars March 10 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars March 11 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars March 18 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars March 24 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars March 25 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars April 1 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars April 15 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars April 22 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars April 29 Kern County Raceway Park USAC/CRA Sprint Cars May 6 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars May 20 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars May 27 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars June 10 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars June 24 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars July 1 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars July 15 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars August 12 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars August 19 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars August 26 TBA USAC/CRA Sprint Cars September 9 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars September 23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars October 14 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars October 20 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars November 3 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars November 4 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars November 11 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars @inlandrigging, @dunkelfarms @roygamityanauctioneer @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, @caltrolinc @narc410 @drivenracingoil This release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- FLOWDYNAMICS SPRINT CAR TEAM 2022 SEASON WRAP UP
(Ontario, CA, December 13, 2022) The Ontario, California-based USAC/CRA Flowdynamics sprint car racing team has wrapped up its 2022 racing season. When all was said and done, drivers Logan Williams and Matt McCarthy had both finished in the top ten of the series championship points standings. PAS 3-26-22=28m 5w=1085-3.jpg Flowdynamics drivers Matt McCarthy and Logan Williams at Perris in 2022. Doug Allen photo. The team had perfect attendance in 2022 showing up at all 21 series races. Each of the team drivers qualified for 16 of the main events and all told, there was a Flowdynamics car in 19 of the 21 mains. Third-generation driver Williams had eight top 10 finishes during the season and three times he placed in the top five. His best outings were a pair of fourth-place finishes. The first of those came at the Bakersfield Speedway on May 14th. That was followed by another fourth on August 6th at the grand reopening of the Santa Maria Raceway. McCarthy, who makes his home in Riverside, California, placed in the top ten four different times. His best main event finish came at Perris Auto Speedway on March 26th when he came home seventh. Williams, who calls Yorba Linda, California home, ended up ninth in the championship point standings. McCarthy, The father of two young children was one spot behind in 10th. Over the course of the year, each of the drivers won two heat races. The team's brightest moment came in August when Perris Auto Speedway hosted the annual California Racers Hall of Fame Night. A large crowd turned out to see the race which featured thousands of extra dollars added to the purse. The increased dough saw every team go the extra mile to be competitive on that very special evening. McCarthy fired the first salvo on the night when he captured the Woodlands Auto Display/Billy Wilkerson Fast Time Award for the first time in his career. If that was not enough, the 2017 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year backed it up by scoring the win in the special four-segment Junior Kurtz /Bill Simpson Trophy Dash. He did so by passing and beating three of the best drivers west of the Mississippi. McCarthy and his teammate Williams, the 2013 Perris Auto Speedway Young Guns Champion and 2014 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year, do not have a long time to rest. The 2023 campaign will kick off at the "Diamond In The Desert," Arizona's Cocopah Speedway, on January 27th and 28th. At the same event in 2022, it was Williams' time to shine as he recorded a six-place and two seventh-place finishes at the popular "Copper State" speed plant. Even though the 2022 season ended in early November and the first races of 2023 are still six weeks away, the action at the Flowdynamics race shop is nonstop. Cars are being prepped for another run for racing glory next year. In addition to equipment prep, the team is talking with potential marketing partners for the upcoming season. If you or your business would like to join one of the most organized and quickest teams in the west, contact John McCarthy at the following 909 930-5522 or mailto:john@flodyinc.com McCarthy, Williams, and the entire flow dynamics racing team would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. They look forward to seeing you somewhere along the way in the early part of 2023. McCarthy and Williams would like to thank the following sponsors for making the 2022 season possible. Flowdynamics Inc., JFK Design Build, Cal Therm Mechanical Insulators, CRC Component Repair Co., Encore Gas and Supply, Drink-Pac, and Benic Enterprises. Matt McCarthy 2022 Results 1/27/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 22nd A Main 1/28/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 15th A Main 1/29/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 14th A Main 3/26/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 7th A Main 4/1/22 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 15th A Main 4/2/22 Tulare Thunderbowl USAC/CRA 18th A Main 4/23/22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 10th A Main 4/30/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA DNS 5/14/22 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA 16th A Main 5/28/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 15th A Main 6/11/22 Ventura Raceway USAC/CRA 16th A Main 6/25/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 8th A Main 8/6/22 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA 18th A Main 8-20-22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 13th A Main 9-17-22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 12th A Main 10-8-22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 10th A Main 10-28-22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National 14th B Main 10-29-22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National 21st B Main 11-3-02 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National 14th B Main 11-4-02 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National 12th B Main 11-5-02 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National 11th B Main Logan Williams 2022 Results 1/27/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 6th A Main 1/28/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 7th A Main 1/29/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 7th A Main 3/26/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 11th A Main 4/1/22 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 11th A Main 4/2/22 Tulare Thunderbowl USAC/CRA 12th A Main 4/23/22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 22nd A Main 4/30/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 11th A Main 5/14/22 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA 4th A Main 5/28/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 6th A Main 6/11/22 Ventura Raceway USAC/CRA 10th A Main 6/25/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 5th A Main 8/6/22 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA 4th A Main 8-20-22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA DNS 9-17-22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA DNS 10-8-22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 16th A Main 10-28-22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National 21st A Main 10-29-22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National 23rd A Main 11-3-02 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National 11th B Main 11-4-02 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National 17th A Main 11-5-02 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National 12th B Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact is available at (909) 226-7768 or via email at mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com.
- DYER MOTORSPORTS 2022 SEASON WRAP UP
(Yucca Valley, CA, December 11, 2022) Dyer Motorsports concluded its 2022 season with races in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series at the Bakersfield and Placerville Speedways in November. The nine-month campaign saw four Dyer team drivers compete in 31 races in three different series. 319516619_681993760186206_1590081883721375343_n.jpg Seth Dyer will be running for Rookie of the Year with the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints in 2023. Roger Seymour photo. Jeff Dyer led the Yucca Valley, California-based team with 29 appearances. Twenty of those came in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series. Six were in competition in the USAC/CRA 410 Series and three came with the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints. In his 20 starts with the CLS, the California Highway Patrol Officer placed in the top ten 12 different times. Ten of those came when he finished in the top five. His best results of the season with the CLS were a quintuple of second-place results including four in a row from April 30th through May 21st. Likewise, his best finish in the SWLS was a second at Perris Auto Speedway in September. The longtime driver contested six USAC/CRA races on five different tracks with his best showing being a 13th at the Perris season opener on March 26th. Dyer's initial idea was to focus on the USAC series, but early season engine issues saw his plan switch to chasing the CLS title. When the final checkered of the year ended the campaign, he was fourth overall. Fifteen-year-old Seth began the year racing Speedway Sprints at Wheel2Wheel Raceway in Victorville. However, after a practice session in a lightning sprint at the Bakersfield Speedway, it was determined that it was time for him to take another step up in his racing career and move up full-time to lightnings. Debuting at Bakersfield on June 11th, the teen contested 13 races. Ten of his races came with the CLS and three were in the SWLS. His best finishes were a pair of 10th-place results at the Ventura Raceway. The highlight of his season came when officials removed his rookie flag at Ventura on October 29th. For the first time, the youngster was allowed to start in the position he qualified in, and in his heat race, he promptly went out and led every inch of the way for his first-ever CLS win. That triumph was extremely popular not only with his own team but also with all the other teams in the pits as Seth has been a longtime friend to everyone in the series. Phelan's Cal Smith, who has raced for over 30 years, got in four races with Dyer Motorsports at the end of the campaign. A longtime friend of Dyer's and a partner on his 410 sprint car team, the friendly driver got back in the cockpit near the end of the season and shook off years of rust with two top-10 finishes. They came on back-to-back nights at the Hangtown 100 at the Placerville Speedway in mid-November. When work forced Jeff to miss a couple of races in October, Sydney, Australia's J.D. Bentley stepped in. On October 21st and 22nd, he took part in the POWRi races at the Imperial Valley Raceway. The first night saw him sail to the victory in the main event. Twenty-four hours later he crossed the line in fifth. 2023 will have a different look for Dyer Motorsports. Instead of running full-time in a lightning sprint car, Jeff will be concentrating on running his 410 sprinter in the USAC/CRA Series. Also, he will spend more time mentoring Seth's career. When his schedule permits, he will make periodic appearances with the CLS and the SWLS. Seth's focus in 2023 will be on competing for the Rookie of the Year crown in the POWRi Series and making some appearances with the CLS. Work is already underway on getting the cars in order for next season and on securing marketing partnerships. If you would Like to be a part of this fun, fast-rising team, please use the contact information at the top of this release to talk to Dyer Motorsports. At this time, Jeff and every person at Dyer Motorsports would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year. Jeff raced in memory of his grandfather Glenn Sels throughout the 2022 season. Jeff would like to thank the following for making the 2022 racing campaign possible in the #4 Lightning Sprint Car. Dependable Machine Inc., Haircuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, LBA Investigations, and Dyer Motorsports. For the USAC/CRA #39 sprint car, Straight Time Stirrups, Dependable Machines Inc., Hair Cuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, Justice Brothers, and Specialty Fasteners helped put him on the track. If you would like to be a part of Dyer Motorsports in 2022, call (760) 267-0298 or send an email to mailto:dyermotorsports4@gmail.com. Jeff Dyer 2022 Results 3-5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest 13th A Main 3-25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 4th A Main 3-26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 13th A Main 4-1 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 14th A Main 4-2 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA 23rd A Main 4-16 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 4-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th B Main 4-30 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 1 4-30 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 2 5-14 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 5-14 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main 5-21 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 5-28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars DNS 6-11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 4th A Main 6-25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 7-16 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 7-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 8-6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprints 13th A Main* 8-25 Silver Dollar Speedway California Lightning Sprints 16th A Main 8-26 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 17th A Main 9-10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 9-17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 9-24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 10-1 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 13th A Main 10-8 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning/POWRi Southwest 11th A Main 11-15 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 15th A Main 11-17 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 9th A Main 11-18 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 17th A Main 11-19 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 7th A Main Seth Dyer 2022 Lightning Sprint Results 6-11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 12th A Main 6-25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 15th A Main 7-16 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 7-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 8-6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprints 14th A Main 8-25 Silver Dollar Speedway California Lightning Sprints DNS 9-10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprints 14th A Main 9-17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 16th A Main 9-24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 18th A Main 10-20 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 10-29 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 13th A Main 10-22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 11-15 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main Cal Smith 2022 Lightning Sprint Results 10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 12th A Main 11-17 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 11-18 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 9th A Main 11-19 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 9th A Main J.D. Bentley 2022 Lightning Sprint Results 10-22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 1st A Main 10-23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 5th A Main Scott Daloisio produced this release. For more information, use the following: call (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com.
- 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
- SEXTON GATLIN RACING ENDS THE 2022 SEASON AT THE TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX
(Lakeside, CA, December 2, 2022) Nine months after it opened the season at the Imperial Valley Raceway, Sexton Gatlin Racing brought the curtain down on its 2022 campaign when Grant Sexton competed in the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series portion of the 81st Turkey Night Grand Prix at the Ventura Raceway. The historic race was contested in front of a near-sellout crowd and watched by others around the world on the Flo Racing Network. Dating back to 1934, the Turkey Night Grand Prix is the third oldest race in the United States, trailing only the Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Some of the biggest names in USA racing have won Turkey Night including A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Tony Bettenhausen, Tony Stewart, and Kyle Larson. Just to say that a driver has competed in the Turkey Night Grand Prix is a feather in the racer's cap and an honor. Sexton's participation in the sprint car portion of this year's race adds the SGR driver's name to the long list of racers who have competed in the coveted event. The Lakeside, California native's first TNGP action came on Friday in a 10-lap heat. Starting on the outside of the front row, Sexton was third entering turn one on the first lap. He slipped back to fourth at the end of the opening circuit but racing on the track where he won the main event in his first-ever sprint car start, he raced back to third before the checkered flag. Not long thereafter, the 18-year-old came back onto the track known as "The Best Little Dirt Track In America" for his 12-lap qualifier. In that race, he started sixth. The 2021 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car champion advanced one spot forward to fifth on the second lap. He drove a smooth race the rest of the way and was still in fifth at the end. The teenage racer gave a good account of himself all night by racing fast and smoothly against his more experienced sprint car competitors. More importantly, he stayed out of trouble on a night when it seemed like there was carnage every other lap. Saturday saw the cars line up based on points accumulated on Friday. Sexton's good performance saw him start on the inside of row three in one of the 12-lap B mains. All he had to do was finish in the top six to earn his ticket into the 30-lap Turkey Night Grand Prix main event. Early on, the teen was shuffled back as far as seventh but an aggressive move on lap two saw him move all the way back up to fourth. After a restart on lap three, he got sideways in turn four and got punted by another car. A quick recovery meant that he only lost one position back to fifth. He stayed in fifth until there were two laps to go and it looked like he was going to transfer into the main event. However, just in front of him in turn three, two cars tangled leaving the young driver with nowhere to go. Try as he might, he could not miss the mess, and he became involved in it. Unfortunately, the pretty #22 car suffered enough damage to prevent it from restarting. So, what looked like a sure transfer to the A main ended up with a frustrating 13th-place finish. It also brought an end to SGR's 2022 season. The Turkey Night Grand Prix closed the books on a highly successful season for Sexton Gatlin Racing. Patriarch Brent Sexton won the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series championship. In addition, in 29 races, the team racked up an astounding 19 main event victories. That kind of success does not come easy, and SGR is ready to begin the hard work for another successful year in 2023. If you or your company is interested in becoming a partner with this front-running team, please call (619) 454-6945 or E-mail mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mailto:sextonfire@gmail.com. Sexton/Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2022 season possible. Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Johnny Motorhead, Troy Dirt, Victory Graphix, Swift Powdercoat, Maxima Oil, Automated Interior, and an extra special thanks to Scotty and Jimmy Keys. Sexton Gatlin Racing 2022 Schedule March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Dalton 1st - Brent 7th - Grant 15th March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Dalton 3rd - Grant 4th March 25 Bakersfield Speedway CLS Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 8th - Dalton 17th April 16 Ventura Raceway VRA Sprints - Grant 1st April 23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Bezio 3rd - Brent 4th - Dalton 5th April 30 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 4th - Dalton 5th May 14 Barona Speedway POWRi Wingless - Dalton 1st - Bezio 2nd - Brent 3rd May 28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant DNS June 11 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 2nd - Dalton 11th June 25 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Dalton 1st - Brent 2nd - Grant 3rd July 9 Barona Speedway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Grant 2nd - Dalton 6th August 6 Santa Maria Raceway CLS Winged - Brent 1st - Dalton 15th August 6th Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant 11th B Main August 11 Norman County Speedway Minkota Nationals Winged - Dalton 8th - Brent 13th - Grant 25th August 12 River Cities Raceway Minkota Nationals Winged - Brent 1st - Grant 9th - Dalton 11th August 13 Greenbush Race Park Minkota Nationals Winged - Grant 6th - Brent 11th - Dalton 13th August 14 Minkota Nationals Minkota Nationals Winged - Grant 1st - Dalton 15th - Brent DNS Sept. 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Winged - Chiaramonte 1st - Brent 4th - Dalton 18th October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Dalton 4th - Brent DNS October 8 Mojave Valley Raceway POWRi/CLS Winged - Brent 1st - A.J. Bender 2nd - Dalton 3rd October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant DNS October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Winged - Dalton 3rd - Grant 4th - Brent Horn 8th October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Horn 8th - Dalton 14th October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway Open Comp. Sprint Cars - Grant 3rd Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway BCRA/CLS Winged Brent 9th - Grant DNS Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless AJ Bender 1st - Grant 2nd - Brent 12th - Dalton 15th Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless AJ Bender 1st - Brent 5th - Grant 6th - Dalton 10th Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway q CRA/CLS Wingless Grant 1st - AJ Bender 2nd - Dalton 12th - Brent 20th Nov. 25 Ventura Raceway Turkey Night G.P. USAC West Coast Sprint Cars Grant 6th in Qualifier Nov. 26 Ventura Raceway Turkey Night G.P. USAC West Coast Sprint Cars Grant 13th B Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- SEXTON GATLIN RACING WINS ALL THREE NIGHTS OF HANGTOWN 100 AT PLACERVILLE
(Lakeside, CA, November 29, 2022) Sexton Gatlin Racing drivers Grant Sexton and AJ Bender combined to win all three nights of the prestigious Hangtown 100 at the Placerville Speedway. In addition to the victories, SGR drivers also had two second-place finishes. The performances gave the Lakeside, California-based team five of the nine trophies passed out to lightning sprint car drivers in the three nights of action on the famous red clay banked quarter-mile oval. 1200x1200-K9pjC23fPzx779998.jpg Grant Sexton does the cage dance after winning the lightning sprint car portion of the Hangtown 100. M&MRACINGPHOTOS.COM Night #1 After making the trek up from the Bakersfield Speedway on Wednesday, SGR had four drivers ready to rumble on Thursday night. They were met by 22 other top drivers in cars from the California Lightning Sprint Car Series and Northern California's BCRA. Soon to be 20-year-old Dalton Sexton got the ball rolling in qualifying when he turned in the second fastest time at 13.523. San Diego's AJ Bender, who recorded three second-place finishes at Placerville for SGR at last year's Hangtown, was the third-fast qualifier at 13.541. 18-year-old Grant Sexton was seventh quick at 13.894 and family patriarch Brent Sexton turned in the 10th quickest time when he stopped the clocks at 13.966. The first eight-lap heat race at the three-day dirt racing fest saw Grant finish second after starting fourth. Brent started one spot ahead of his youngest offspring in the same heat and placed fifth. Dalton had no family members to deal with in heat race #2. The second fastest qualifier started sixth in that eight-lapper and finish eighth. SGR wrapped up its participation in the heat races when Bender came from sixth to second in heat race #3. When the cars rolled down the hill to the racetrack for the 25-lap main event, 2021 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Grant was starting on the pole. Bender was starting on the outside of the second row. Dalton was on the inside of row five and Brent had the worst starting spot for the team coming from the outside of the eighth row. Grant set the pace for the first six laps of the race. However, Bender had worked his way up to second, and just before a red flag due to a driver getting upside down, he relieved Grant of the top spot. Bender's tenure at the point only lasted three laps before another car drove underneath him for the lead in turn three. However, the new leader bit the cushion in turn two on the 11th circuit handing the lead back to Bender and allowing Grant to move up to second. Grant immediately closed in on Bender and started dogging him for the lead. He tried to race by on the inside on lap 17, but Bender fended off the advances. The teen kept the heat on and it looked as though it would be a fight to the finish, but Grant had issues with the turn two cushion on lap 21 and allowed Bender to pull away for a convincing win four laps later. Grant ended up second with Brent 12th and Dalton 15th. "I totally forgot about last year, so thanks for reminding me," Bender laughed when talented USAC mic man 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." Night #2 Like the first night, 26 cars showed up for night number two of the Hangtown 100, and qualifying was the first thing on the agenda. A bad omen for the competition came when Thursday night winner Bender outqualified the field with a time of 13.341. Grant was the second quickest of the SGR cars when he timed in fourth fast at 13.644. Dalton's lap of 13.884 was good for the 14th spot and Brent, at 14.321, was 19th. The first eight-lap heat race on night #2 included three SGR drivers. They were Grant, who started fifth, Bender who started alongside his young teammate and Brent who was coming from seventh. The youngster got the best of his two teammates when he finished second in the heat. Brent advanced his position four spots to finish third and Bender ended up fourth. Dalton was up in the next heat race and was off the outside of the front row. Unfortunately, he ended up placing fifth. That meant he did not transfer straight into the A main and would have to run the semi. He was off the pole to start the semi and ended up third. That was good enough to punch his ticket into the main event with his three teammates. Much to the chagrin of the competition, Bender was beginning the 25-lap main event on the outside of the second row. Grant was on the inside of row two with Brent beginning on the outside of the fifth row. Dalton, due to having to run the B main, started 17th. Bender did not lead the first lap in his sleek, black #22 car but coming off turn #4 on the second circuit he took the top spot away and was basically unchallenged for the remainder of the race. He had few problems throughout the race with the exception of the lapped traffic at the very end but by that time he had established a huge lead and once again won by nearly ½ straight away. Brent charged up five spots in the main for his best finish of the weekend when he came home fifth. Grant, who later said he missed the setup on the night, ended up sixth and Dalton charged from 17th all the way up to 10th. "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 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. Its 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 Kramer), 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." Night #3 The final chilly night rolled around and the format was a bit different. There was no qualifying and no heat races. There were two 12-lap qualifiers lined up by points from the previous two nights. The way the drivers finished those qualifiers would determine where they started in the main event. There was also a last chance B main for the final starting spots in the 30-lap finale. Bender started on the pole for the first qualifier and ended up finishing third. That earned him a ticket straight into the last lightning sprint car race in California in 2022. Dalton was in the same qualifier, but he finished 10th after starting 7th which meant he had to go to the B main. Grant and Brent were in the second qualifier. Grant started on the pole and won the race and Brent started 4th and stayed there for the duration. To get into the 30-lap main, Dalton was going to have to do some work in this semi. He was starting 9th and that meant he had to move forward. That is just what he did as he advanced four spots to finish in the fifth-place position. Bender was on the outside of the front row for the main, That was a bad omen for the competition. Grant was coming from fifth. Brent had his colorful #44 in the eighth starting spot for the last race of the year with Dalton beginning in 15th. After witnessing his winning performances on the first two nights, many in the crowd were surprised that Bender wasn't leading going into turn number one. However, he eased their shock when he raced into the lead. Many in the crowd probably thought they were in for a snore fest once the 29-year-old commandeered the top spot. As it turned out it was anything but that. Unfortunately, things did not go quite as well for newly crowned 2022 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Brent. On lap four, a car clipped the inside berm and flipped. In the ensuing scramble caused by the tumbling car, Brent got clobbered by another competitor and knocked out of the race. Bender led eight go arounds but got surprised when another car shot by him and stole the lead. That lasted for about 2 laps before Bender chased the new leader down and retook the top spot. Soon thereafter, chilly fans in the grandstands noticed Grant streaking toward the front. This one was about to get exciting in a hurry. Even though he had retaken the lead, Bender, who was running the top, had his hands full with another driver who was rolling the bottom to perfection and battling hard for the lead. After several advances by his foe, Bender dipped to the low side of the track slowing his pursuer down. By that time though, he was about to have something else to worry about as Grant was coming on like a runaway freight train. Much to the delight of the fans, Grant was pounding the cushion in a daring display that was reminiscent of his spectacular win at the Bakersfield Speedway on March 25th. The teen slid into second on the 18th circuit. The yellow came out two laps later and Grant was glued to Bender's rear end for the restart. The race only got one more lap completed before another yellow flag came out. However, Grant had inched ahead of Bender at the conclusion of that lap. That put the teen in first place with nine laps to go. Once the race began again, Bender launched a ferocious attack. For three straight laps, he dove to the bottom going into one and slid up the track only to find Grant alongside. Up against the cushion, the youngster would beat him back to turn three. Bender went to the top in one and two on lap 25 and it appeared that the fight was over and Grant was going to cruise to the victory. He moved away to a one-second lead and seemingly had everything under control. But somebody forgot to inform Bender. With two laps to go he came storming toward the front once again. On both lap 29 and lap 30, he threw massive slide jobs on his teammate trying to tear the lead away. But the kid held tough and went on to score a crowd-pleasing victory. Bender ended up second with Dalton coming home in the 12th spot. Brent getting clobbered by someone else saw him get credit for 20th. "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 Kramer), 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 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." Sexton/Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2022 season possible. Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Johnny Motorhead, Troy Dirt, Victory Graphix, Swift Powdercoat, Maxima Oil, Automated Interior, and an extra special thanks to Scotty and Jimmy Keys. If you or your business wants to partner up with one of the most visible Lightning Sprint teams on the West Coast for the 2023 season, please call (619) 454-6945. You can also E-mail mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mailto:sextonfire@gmail.com. Sexton Gatlin Racing 2022 Schedule March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless Dalton 1st - Brent 7th - Grant 15th March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless Brent 1st - Dalton 3rd - Grant 4th March 25 Bakersfield Speedway CLS Winged Grant 1st - Brent 8th - Dalton 17th April 16 Ventura Raceway VRA Sprints Grant 1st April 23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless Bezio 3rd - Brent 4th - Dalton 5th April 30 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged Grant 1st - Brent 4th - Dalton 5th May 14 Barona Speedway POWRi Wingless Dalton 1st - Bezio 2nd - Brent 3rd May 28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Grant DNS June 11 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged Grant 1st - Brent 2nd - Dalton 11th June 25 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged Dalton 1st - Brent 2nd - Grant 3rd July 9 Barona Speedway POWRi Wingless Brent 1st - Grant 2nd - Dalton 6th August 6 Santa Maria Raceway CLS Winged Brent 1st - Dalton 15th August 6th Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Grant 11th B Main August 11 Norman County Speedway Minkota Nationals Winged Dalton 8th - Brent 13th - Grant 25th August 12 River Cities Raceway Minkota Nationals Winged Brent 1st - Grant 9th - Dalton 11th August 13 Greenbush Race Park Minkota Nationals Winged Grant 6th - Brent 11th - Dalton 13th August 14 Minkota Nationals Minkota Nationals Winged Grant 1st - Dalton 15th - Brent DNS Sept. 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Winged Chiaramonte 1st - Brent 4th - Dalton 18th October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged Grant 1st - Dalton 4th - Brent DNS October 8 Mojave Valley Raceway POWRi/CLS Winged Brent 1st - A.J. Bender 2nd - Dalton 3rd October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Grant DNS October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Winged Dalton 3rd - Grant 4th - Brent Horn 8th October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless Brent 1st - Horn 8th - Dalton 14th October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway Open Comp. Sprint Cars Grant 3rd Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway BCRA/CLS Winged Brent 9th - Grant DNS Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless AJ Bender 1st - Grant 2nd - Brent 12th - Dalton 15th Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless AJ Bender 1st - Brent 5th - Grant 6th - Dalton 10th Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless Grant 1st - AJ Bender 2nd - Dalton 12th - Brent 20th This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- EDDIE TAFOYA JR. POSTS A CAREER-BEST THIRD-PLACE FINISH IN USAC/CRA SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(Chino, CA, November 26, 2022) When the Heimark Anheuser-Busch Budweiser Oval Nationals closed the 2022 season at Perris Auto Speedway earlier this month, Eddie Tafoya Jr. ended up a career-best third place in the 2022 USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series championship standings. The outcome was five spots better than his previous career best of eighth place in 2021. The biggest key to Tafoya's prowess in 2022 was his consistency. The Specialty Fasteners hauler pulled up into racetracks 24 times this year. Every single time, the Chino Hills, California racer started the A main event. Those 24 races took place on nine different racetracks in 3 different states (California, Arizona, and South Dakota). Of the 24 main events he started, Tafoya finished in the top ten 13 times. Of the 13, six were top five. His best finish of the campaign was a second-place result on January 29th at the Cocopah Speedway. He recorded a third at the Mohave valley Raceway on April 24th and placed fourth at Perris on June 25th. By contrast, the team appeared at 29 races in 2021 and made the A main 17 times. He finished in the top ten on six occasions. Four of the six top 10s in 2021 were in the top five. His best finish of that season was a third at Perris in July. Tafoya, the 2018 Perris Auto Speedway Young Guns champion and 2019 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year, finished off his 2022 season with the two biggest events on the USAC/CRA schedule. First up came the Western World Championships at the Cocopah Speedway near Yuma, Arizona. That was followed by the Oval Nationals at Perris the first weekend in November. Each of those race weekends saw the 25-year-old not only squaring off with the best that USAC/CRA has to offer but also the finest drivers from the National Series as well. They were tough main events to make but the handsome 25-year-old did so every time. Going into those final five races, Tafoya was 17 points out of third place and 25 points out of second. By the time he left Arizona and headed to Perris, he had taken over third place and only trailed the second-place driver by 18 points. When the final checkered flag of the season closed the campaign, he had sewed up third place and was only 21 points out of the runner-up spot. The 2023 schedule should be out soon. It is safe to say that Tafoya will continue his rise in the sport and will be a contender for the 2023 USAC/CRA championship. During the off-season, Tafoya, and the Specialty Fasteners #51T team, will be prepping for that very important campaign. In addition to the work on the cars in the shop, the team will be busy exploring corporate partnership opportunities for the upcoming campaign. If you or your company would like to be a partner with the Specialty Fasteners team in 2023, please contact Eddie Tafoya Jr. via phone at (909) 393-3999 or by e-mail at mailto:teamtafoya@aol.com. He will be happy to talk to you and lay out the team's plans. Tafoya's great-looking shirts and hoodies will make great Christmas presents for the special racing fans on your Christmas list. They are available online at www.specialty-fasteners.com. Tafoya has a great YouTube channel at the following link https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1hrmC5L80EU. Tafoya and the #51T team would like to thank Specialty Fasteners, DRC Chassis, Ryder Racing Engines, Simpson Safety Products, Bell, Benic Enterprises, BR Motorsports, PSC Powder Coating, Magik Graphics, Gasper Transportation, Owen's Insurance Services, and Weld Wheels for making the 2022 season possible. Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. The same contact point can be used to purchase his great-looking shirts via mail. Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2022 Race Results 1-27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 7th A Main 1-28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 9th A Main 1-29 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 2nd A Main 3-26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 18th A Main 4-1 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 13th A Main 4-2 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 15th A Main 4-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 3rd A Main 4-30 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 5-14 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main 5-28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 6-11 Ventura Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main 6-25 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 4th A Main 7-8 Huset's Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 13th A Main 7-9 Huset's Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 10th A Main 7-10 Huset's Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 15th A Main 8-6 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 8-27 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main 9-17 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 10-8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 10-28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National Sprints 19th A Main 10-29 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National Sprints 16th A Main 11-3 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National Sprints 18th A Main 11-4 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National Sprints 21st A Main 11-5 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA & National Sprints 16th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- SEXTON GATLIN RACING HAS A TOUGH NIGHT AT BAKERSFIELD
(Glendora, California, November 26, 2022) Impressive young racer Will Browne brought his rookie season in lightning sprint cars to a close in impressive fashion by finishing sixth at the "6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" at the Bakersfield Speedway. The race was co-sanctioned by the California Lightning Sprint Car Series and Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association. It was also the final race of the five-race "Civil War Series" matching CLS drivers vs BCRA racers and the final points-paying race for the CLS in 2022. 305255847_762704451652371_2366630231652135019_n.jpg Will Browne placed second in the CLS standings and fourth in the Civil War Series in 2022. Lance Jennings photo. Browne, 18, has had a wonderful rookie season in lightning sprint cars. He started out on the first weekend in March when he placed 5th and 6th in a pair of POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series races at the Imperial Valley Raceway. After that weekend, he mostly competed with the rival CLS where he was never worse than seventh in the season-long championship standings and was locked into fourth most of the five-race "Civil War Series." The lanky driver was in those positions when he arrived at Bakersfield for what turned out to be his last race of the year. 2022 High School graduate Browne, who lives in Glendora, California, led the CLS rookie of the year standings for most of the 2022 campaign. However, he slipped a second in that competition late in the year. Two races before the Bakersfield affair, he was 72 points behind the leader of the rookie standings. Coming into the Bakersfield event, he had whittled 32 points off that disadvantage and was only 39 out at the beginning of the finale. Twenty-three cars showed up for the race at the 1/3 mile bank clay oval that is in the middle of Bakersfield's rich oil fields. Browne got things going in a good way when he timed in 5th fastest of those 23 cars with a lap of 14.287. That placed him in the fifth starting spot for the eight-lap heat race. The young driver steered the handsome "Win Now Racing" #8 to a sixth-place finish. For the final 30-lap main of the 2022 campaign, Browne started on the outside of the sixth row in the 12th position. On the original start, he stayed out of trouble when the car in front of him flipped wildly in turn two. For the restart, he moved up to the outside of row five and methodically moved his way forward throughout the race. By lap six, he was up to eighth. Four laps later he had advanced another position to seventh. He stayed out of trouble the entire race and came home sixth to close his 2022 season. Browne hacked 14 more points off his disadvantage in the "Rookie of the Year" chase in Bakersfield. That means, he chopped 47 points off in two races! However, that was not enough and he fell 25 points short of capturing the crown. While he did not win that award, his fourth-place result in the "Civil War Series" was the best of any of the first-year drivers. Fourth in the CWS and seventh in the CLS were products of his smooth calculating style. His results in year one were extremely impressive and so was his great personality throughout the season. Perhaps the most amazing stat in Browne's first season portfolio is the fact that he placed in the top 10 13 times in 17 starts. In addition, seven of his top 10s were in the top five. His best result of the year was a second-place conclusion at Chico at the end of August. With his rookie season completed, Browne is now looking toward 2023. In addition to working on equipment, he will be seeking marketing partners for his sophomore campaign. If you are looking for a young driver to be involved with, you need to look no further than Will Browne. In addition to his prowess behind the wheel, he is an extremely well-spoken, friendly young man who likes repping for his partners and meeting fans. He has a good social media presence that includes a very entertaining YouTube channel. If you would like to join the pleasant driver as a marketing partner for the 2023 campaign, drop an email or give him a call at the following: willbrowne88@gmail.com or (626) 261-5310. Be sure to visit and signup for Browne's YouTube channel at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSNglz0llw. Browne and the "Win Now Racing" team would like to thank marketing partner Pacific Panel Products for being a part of his rookie campaign in lightning sprint cars Will Browne 2022 Racing Results March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main March 25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main April 2 Merced Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main April 16 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 7th A Main May 14 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main May 21 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main June 11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main June 25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS June 25 Ventura Raceway WMR Midgets 7th A Main August 6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 2ND A Main August 27 Placerville Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main September 10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 12th A Main September 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main September 24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 11th A Main October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 16th A Main October 29 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main November 15 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com or (909) 226-7768
- GRANT SEXTON RIM RIDES TO THRILLING MAIN EVENT WIN IN HANGTOWN 100 FINALE AT PLACERVILLE
(Torrance, CA, November 25, 2022) Teenage racer Grant Sexton closed the California Lightning Sprint Car Series 2022 season the same way he began it eight months earlier when he rim-rode his way to a thrilling victory in the finale of the "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway. The win in the race that was co-sanctioned by Northern California's BCRA, gave Sexton Gatlin Racing a clean sweep of the event as Sexton's teammate, AJ Bender, captured the first two nights. 316541914_1279363969272986_1358255239783212506_n.jpg Grant Sexton after winning the finale of the Hangtown 100 at Placerville. M&M Racing Photo. Orangevale's Harlee Aguilera was on the pole for the final lightning sprint car race in California in 2022. Bender, a veteran driver who resides in San Diego was on the outside of the front row. Row two was made-up of BCRA president Greg Dennett of Fremont and Warner Springs teen "Shugah" Shane Sexton. Grant Saxton, who lives in Lakeside, and Lakewood, Colorado's Johnny Boos were in row three. The 30-lap main on the picturesque 57-year-old track kicked off with track announcer Gary Thomas' familiar refrain, "It Is About To Go Down In Old Hangtown." Aguilera was the first driver to reach turn one with Bender and Dennett right behind. Bender swept by Aguilera coming out of turn three on lap one to take over the lead. The race did not stay green for long as Placerville local Shane Hopkins rolled to a stop in turn one on the second lap bringing out the first yellow flag of the race. Once the race got going again, Boos advanced his standing by one position would he took Aguilera for third. However, the green light did not stay on for long. Going into turn 3 on the 4th circuit Waterford's Dakota Albright clipped the inside berm and flipped. That knocked the 2021 BCRA champion out of the race early, on what for him was a see-saw weekend. At the Thursday opener, he exited the race early with a blown tire. Twenty-four hours later, he raced to an impressive second-place finish. He wrapped it up with the frustrating flip that knocked him out of the race. Albright was not the only casualty in the red flag incident. Behind his flipping car Brent Sexton, the 2022 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car champion, was clobbered by another car as they swept wide to avoid Albright's tumbling racer. The damage ended Sexton's race at that point. The race resumed with Bender still in his familiar first-place position. He was being chased by Boos, Aguilera, Dennett, and 2021 "Hangtown 100" champion Logan Seavey of Sutter, California. Chris Crowder of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who won night two at Hangtown in 2021, relieved Seavey of fifth on lap four. Soon thereafter, the yellow reared its frustrating, ugly head again when Shane Sexton and 2022 BCRA champion Matt Land ended their race by mixing it up in turn one. The third restart, which came on lap 6, still found Bender in command. Boos, was still second with Dennett, and Aguilera third and fourth. At that time, Grant Sexton, who started fifth but who was shuffled backward in lap one traffic chaos, was starting to make his presence felt as he was up to eighth. Hard-driving Boos began stalking Bender for the lead and his dogging paid off at the end of the eighth go-round when he shot into the top spot. Trying to score the hat trick for the week Bender immediately went on the attack of the pacesetter. If those two battling for the lead were not enough, Dennett, who was rolling the bottom like a boss, came calling and was just inches behind the lead duo. Bender ran it hard on the inside in one in two on lap 10 and nearly snatched the lead back. One lap later he did the same and pulled next to Boos. As they came off turn two inches apart, Boos ran out of racetrack and slipped over the cushion. That not only allowed Bender to get by, but Dennett passed the black #24 as well. One lap later Dennett turned the heat up on Bender and tried to pry the lead from his grasp. Bender was equal to the challenge and maintained his lofty position on top of the heap. However, behind them, Grant Sexton was getting a lot of attention from the fans with some daring rim riding. The affable teenager was up to third and was yearning for more. Dennett again tried to wrestle the lead away in one and two on the 13th orbit. Bender fought him off and decided enough is enough. One lap later when they hit turn one, Bender changed lines and dropped to the bottom in front of Dennett. While he continued to hold the top spot, Grant Sexton eyed the open lane on the top and continued to close in on the leaders. While he was only in third place, Grant Sexton's brave run on the outside was warming up the fans on the chilly night. His attack on the cushion was relentless and he caught a good chunk of it in the middle of three and four on lap 18. The jolt straightened his eye-catching #3 out and shot him to the bottom and to the inside of Dennett. Dennett was not by any means handing the keys to second over to his teen challenger and they traded the spot back and forth before the youngster took full claim of it. The green flag remained on until there was ten laps to go when Dalton Sexton spun and turn four forcing another painful yellow. This time the makeup of the top four had Bender in the lead, Sexton in the second-place spot, Dennett in third, and Aguilera in fourth. The field took the green flag and got one lap in before Boos stopped in turn one after making contact with the back of Aguilera. However, seconds prior to that when the field completed the last lap, Sexton had inched by for the lead and would be at the head of the pack for the final restart of the race. Teammates or not, Bender was not going to let Sexton off the hook. For three straight laps, he threw big-time haymakers at his teammate on the first bend. He nearly took the lead each time, but Sexton was just a tad faster and maintained his advantage. On lap 25, Bender kept it on the top and Sexton began to pull away. Dennett kept up his pesky persistence when he tried to relegate Bender back to third but the "San Diegan" managed to hold him off. It looked like the race was over as Sexton had nearly a full second lead, but with two circuits left, tenacious Bender came calling again. He threw massive sliders at Sexton in turn two on laps 29 and 30, but each time the teen repelled the threats. Sexton raced under the last CLS checkered flag of the season just as he had done eight months earlier, with a rim-riding win. It was only his second CLS triumph of the year. Bender took second with Dennett glued to his tail in third. Aguilera and Bellingham, Washington's Alex Lewis placed fourth and fifth. "Everyone was around the bottom and I knew I wasn't going to get them by following," Sexton told the appreciative crowd. "Guess my balls were feeling a little swollen tonight because we were rippin' the top. Honestly, trying to earn myself a midget ride out here and prove I am a driver. I couldn't have done it without Seth (crew chief Seth Wilson), and everyone working on my cars, my dad, and my Nana. AJ, he's taught me so much about racing with him. I hate to take his sweep away, but man, that felt good. I am always trying to beat that guy." "I think we missed the set up a little bit," second-place finisher Bender told interviewer Drake York and the fans. "I wasn't expecting it to be this dry so I made some last-minute choices. I think they were a little off. Grant railed around me and I was like, 'dang I gotta get up there and start doing it.' I am glad Grant got it, and SGR is one and two and we get some more trophies to add." "Fifteen years ago I ran midgets here and I knew the bottom is good," third-place driver Dennett said afterward. "I just tried to be super smooth on the bottom and just kind of run my race. These guys are way better than me and I was just excited to be up front racing with them. We raced super clean and it was just awesome to be here and to run up front." There were two qualifiers earlier in the night to determine the starting lineup. Boos and main event winner Grant Sexton claimed those. Washington's Alex Lewis won the B main. Other CLS and Southern California drivers in the finale were Jeff Dyer (7th), Cal Smith (9th), Dalton Sexton (12th), and Brent Sexton 20th. Work is underway on the 29th CLS series schedule. Information will be released as soon as possible. The 2022 CLS banquet will take place at Frantone's Pizza & Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos on February 4th. Tickets for the banquet are $40.00. To order or for more information call (310) 367-9050 or email mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net ?subject=jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net. November 19 Hangtown 100 Results Hangtown 100 Night #3 25-Lap Main Event (with starting spots and distances back): 1. Grant Sexton, Lakeside, CA, 5th 2. AJ Bender, San Diego, CA, 2nd … 1.385 3. Greg Dennett, Fremont, CA, 3rd, … 1.576 4. Harlee Aguilera, Orangevale, CA, 1st … 2.553 5. Alex Lewis, Bellingham, WA, 11th … 6. Hunter Kinney, Citrus Heights, CA, 21st … 2.966 7. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, 20th … 5.264 8. Logan Seavey, Sutter, CA, 10th … 6.892 9. Cal Smith, Phelan, CA, 14th … 7.600 10. Steve Becker, Lakewood, CA, 12th … 8.182 11. Josef Ferolito, Modesto, CA, 16th … 9.232 12. Dalton Sexton, Lakeside. CA, 15th … 10.742 13. Jason Schapansky, Kamloops, BC, Canada, 18th … 12.313 14. Johnny Boos, Lakewood, CO, 6th … 12.787 15. Chris Crowder, Colorado Springs, CO, 9th … 1 Lap 16. Shane Hopkins, Placerville, CA, 13th … 20 Laps 17. Matt Land, Elk Grove, CA, 17th … 24 Laps 18. Shane Sexton, El Cajon, CA, 4th … 24 Laps 19. Dakota Albright, Waterford, CA, 7th … 28 Laps 20. Brent Sexton, Lakeside, CA, 8th … 28 Laps 21. Danielle Clauson-Sevo, Placerville, CA, 19th … 28 Laps B Main (15 Laps): 1. Alex Lewis; 2. Steve Becker; 3. Shane Hopkins; 4. Cal Smith; 5. Dalton Saxton; 6. Josef Ferolito; 7. Matt Land; 8. Jason Schapansky; 9. Danielle Clauson-Sevo; 10. Jeff Dyer; 11. Mark Henry; 12. Hunter Kinney Qualifier 1 (12 Laps): 1. Johnny Boos; 2. Shane Sexton; 3. AJ Bender;4. Dakota Albright; 5. Chris Crowder; 6. Steve Becker; 7. Ken Coulsten Jr; 8. Hunter Kinney; 9. Matt land; 10. Dalton Sexton Qualifier 2 (12 Laps): 1. Grant Sexton; 2. Greg Dennett; 3. Harlee Aguilera; 4. Brent Sexton; 5. Logan Seavey; 6. Alex Lewis; 7. Jeff Dyer; 8. Shane Hopkins; 9. Cal Smith; 10. Mark Henry Final California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - 2184 2. Eric Greco - 2089 3. Cody Nigh - 1913 4. Bobby Michnowicz - 1886 4. Jeff Dyer - 1777 6. Connor Speir - 1548 7. Will Browne - 1523 8. Jon Robertson - 1246 9. Pat Kelley - 1162 10. Dominic Del Monte - 784 Final Civil War Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - CLS - 629 2. Eric Greco - CLS - 572 3. Bobby Michnowicz - CLS - 568 4. Will Browne - CLS - 526 5. Cody Nigh - CLS - 486 6. Harlee Aguilera - BCRA - 415 7. Greg Dennett - BCRA - 403 8. Connor Speir - CLS - 392 9. Matt Land - BCRA - 388 10. Dakota Albright - BCRA - 358 The following companies have become marketing partners with the CLS in 2022. They have offered up more than $13,000.00 in contingencies that will be awarded on top of the regular racing purses and they will be paid out throughout the year. Yoshimura R&D, Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Speed Mart, Cold Fire West, West Evens Motorsports, RC Fuel Injection, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, Advanced Racing Suspensions, CSI Shocks, Eibach Springs, Triple X Race Components, King Racing Products, Hyper Racing Products, Rebel Gears, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disk Brakes, Fuel Safe Systems, MPI, Circle Track Performance, E-Z UP, Hepfner Racing, Smith Titanium, and Hoosier Speed. If you or your company would like to become a partner of the longtime racing organization, contact Jon Robertson via email at mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310) 367-9050. 2022 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 25 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Grant Sexton April 2 Merced Speedway Non-Wing -- Civil War #1 - David Gasper April 16 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged (Make Up Main) David Gasper April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz May 14 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender May 21 Ventura Raceway Winged - Eric Greco June 11 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - David Gasper June 25 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 9 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 23 Ventura Raceway Winged - Dave Gasper August 6 *Santa Maria Raceway Winged - Brent Sexton August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway Winged - Civil War #2 - Connor Spier August 27 Placerville Speedway Winged - Civil War #3 - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 10 Lemoore Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Civil War #4 - David Gasper October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged - With SWLS - Brent Sexton October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - With USAC Midgets - Civil War #5 - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - AJ Bender Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - AJ Bender Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - Grant Sexton To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS 1994 Tony Everhart 1995 Gary Sexton 1996 Rob Sczymczak 1997 Jon Rahe 1998 Chris Rahe 1999 Brent Sexton 2000 Greg Bragg 2001 Greg Bragg 2002 Greg Bragg 2003 David Cardey 2004 Keith Janca 2005 Johnny Bates 2006 Donny Gansen 2007 Shane Rossen 2008 Brent Sexton 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr. 2010 Jarrett Kramer 2011 Tim Brown 2012 Bobby Michnowicz 2013 Stephen Limon 2014 Bobby Michnowicz 2015 Bobby Michnowicz 2016 Bobby Michnowicz 2017 Bobby Michnowicz 2018 Jarrett Kramer 2019 Jarrett Kramer 2021 David Gasper 2022 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- 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
- SEXTON GATLIN RACING CLOSES THE 2022 LIGHTNING SPRINT SEASON WITH FOUR RACES IN FIVE DAYS THIS WEEK
(Lakeside, CA, November 14, 2022) Lakeside, California-based Sexton Gatlin Racing will close the lightning sprint car portion of its 2022 season this week when it journeys to Central and Northern California to compete at the Bakersfield and the Placerville Speedways. All told, the four-driver effort will race four times in the space of five days. The team's second stop at the Bakersfield Speedway this year for the "6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" will be on Tuesday, November 15th. Driving SGR cars that night will be newly crowned Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Brent Sexton, and his son Grant. SGR kicked off the 2022 Bakersfield Speedway season on May 25th when the California Lightning Sprint Car Series appeared worldwide on the internet with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars. In that one, then-17-year-old Grant thrilled the crowd with a wild last-lap rim ride that saw him take the victory leading only the last six feet in a thrilling photo finish. Brent ended up eighth. Dalton Sexton, Brent's 19-year-old son, suffered electrical problems in that race and dropped out early. He finished 17th. Tuesday's race will be the team's first appearance on the Kern County oval since March. After Tuesday's show, the drivers will use Wednesday as a travel day to Northern California's Placerville Speedway for three nights of racing in the "Hangtown 100." Dalton will join his dad and brother at Placerville as will San Diego's A.J. Bender who will reunite SGR after a successful run with them last November. Last year at Bakersfield's "5th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship," Bender took the win driving for SGR. Grant came home sixth and Brent finished 22nd after leaving the race early with mechanical issues. Last year at the three nights of Hangtown, Bender finished second all three nights. Grant recorded finishes of 4th, 16th, and 18th. Brent placed 9th, 12th, and 18th. Dalton placed 12th in the B main at the opener and 19th on the second night after a crash in the A-main. He did not start on Saturday. The Tuesday night show at Bakersfield will be a winged race. All three nights at Placerville will be wingless. The car Bender is driving at Placerville is for sale. It is powered by a 2020 Suzuki 1000. Interested parties can contact Brent Sexton at the number at the top of this release for details. 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. To see SGR close its 2022 lightning season at Placerville, you can purchase advance tickets 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. After this week's races, SGR will have one race remaining in 2022. That will be Friday and Saturday, November 25th and 26th, when Grant competes in the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series for the first time in the 81st running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway. Sexton/Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2022 season possible. Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Johnny Motorhead, Troy Dirt, Victory Graphix, Swift Powdercoat, Maxima Oil, Automated Interior, and an extra special thanks to Scotty and Jimmy Keys. If you or your business wants to partner up with one of the most visible Lightning Sprint teams on the West Coast for the 2023 season, please call (619) 454-6945. You can also E-mail mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mailto:sextonfire@gmail.com. Sexton Gatlin Racing 2022 Schedule 2022 Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Dalton 1st - Brent 7th - Grant 15th March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Dalton 3rd - Grant 4th March 25 Bakersfield Speedway CLS Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 8th - Dalton 17th April 16 Ventura Raceway VRA Sprints - Grant 1st April 23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Bezio 3rd - Brent 4th - Dalton 5th April 30 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 4th - Dalton 5th May 14 Barona Speedway POWRi Wingless - Dalton 1st - Bezio 2nd - Brent 3rd May 28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant DNS June 11 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 2nd - Dalton 11th June 25 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Dalton 1st - Brent 2nd - Grant 3rd July 9 Barona Speedway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Grant 2nd - Dalton 6th August 6 Santa Maria Raceway CLS Winged - Brent 1st - Dalton 15th August 6th Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant 11th B Main August 11 Norman County Speedway Minkota Nationals Winged - Dalton 8th - Brent 13th - Grant 25th August 12 River Cities Raceway Minkota Nationals Winged - Brent 1st - Grant 9th - Dalton 11th August 13 Greenbush Race Park Minkota Nationals Winged - Grant 6th - Brent 11th - Dalton 13th August 14 Minkota Nationals Minkota Nationals Winged - Grant 1st - Dalton 15th - Brent DNS Sept. 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Winged - Chiaramonte 1st - Brent 4th - Dalton 18th October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Dalton 4th - Brent DNS October 8 Mojave Valley Raceway POWRi/CLS Winged - Brent 1st - A.J. Bender 2nd - Dalton 3rd October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant DNS October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Winged - Dalton 3rd - Grant 4th - Brent Horn 8th October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Horn 8th - Dalton 14th October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway Open Comp. Sprint Cars - Grant 3rd Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway BCRA/CLS Winged Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- WILL BROWNE PREPARES FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT RACE OF THE SEASON AT BAKERSFIELD - PLACERVILLE TO FOLLOW
(Glendora, California, November 13, 2022) This time of year when the days are getting cooler and the leaves start falling from the trees is an important period for race drivers around the country. One of those is Glendora, California teenager Will Browne. The rookie driver will close his initial season in lightning sprints when the California Lightning Sprint Car Series appears Tuesday, November 15th, at the Bakersfield Speedway and then heads north to Placerville to wrap up the year in the three-night "Hangtown 100." 305255847_762704451652371_2366630231652135019_n.jpg Lance Jennings photo. For 18-year-old Browne, Tuesday's race is the most significant in his 2022 campaign. It is the last points race of the season and he comes into that event seventh in the season-long CLS point standings. He is also second in the chase for "Rookie of the Year." The driver just ahead of him in sixth is the leader in the "Rookie of the Year" battle. Two weeks ago, when the CLS staged its final race of the year at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway, Browne entered the event 72-points behind the driver he needs to catch. A fine performance at Ventura saw him qualify fifth fastest in the 17-car field. He then placed second in his heat race and fourth in the 25-lap main event. It was his seventh top-five finish in his rookie season. That allowed him to chop 33-points off the disadvantage. He comes into Bakersfield only 39-points shy of sixth in the standings and the rookie leader. Browne has had a fine record at Bakersfield in his freshman campaign in the CLS. He has started all five mains and finished in the top 10 four times and the top five twice. His best finish at "The West's Fastest 1/3 Mile High Banked Clay Oval" was a fourth on May 14th. The only time he finished out of the top 10 at the famous track came on September 24th when he placed 11th. Tuesday's race will also be the finale in the five-race "Civil War Series" between the CLS and Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association. Browne comes into that series fourth in points and is the leading rookie. He is only 13-points out of third and 31 out of second. His best finish of the entire year came in the mini-series when he placed second in a photo finish at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico on August 26th. In addition to the second-place finish, he took fourth in the CWS opener at Merced on April 2nd, was ninth on August 27th at Placerville, and 11th at Bakersfield in September. Browne will end his season on the 17th, 18th, and 19th at the Placerville Speedway in the "Hangtown 100." It will be three nights of non-point racing co-sanctioned by the CLS and BCRA. The trek north will be his second-ever visit to Placerville. The other was the above-mentioned ninth-place result at the track in August. In addition to placing ninth that night in the main (he started 14th) on the banked red clay quarter mile, he turned in the fourth fastest lap in qualifying with a time of 12.064. He also placed fifth in his heat race. If you wish to see Browne in person on Tuesday, gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00. Fans can save $5.00 per ticket by ordering in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1113. The historic track is located at 5001 N. Chester Ext. in Bakersfield. The website is https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ and the office phone is (661) 393-3373. In addition to the lightnings, the program will also include the "November Classic" for the USAC National Midgets. Advance tickets for the three nights at Placerville are available at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/hangtown-2022. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each day with racing at 6:00. Fans can find the track at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. The website is https://www.placervillespeedway.com/ and the track phone is (530) 344-7592. Be sure to visit and signup for Browne's entertaining video page on YouTube at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSNglz0llw. Browne and the "Win Now Racing" team would like to thank marketing partner Pacific Panel Products for being a part of his rookie campaign in lightning sprint cars. If you would like to join the friendly driver as a marketing partner for the 2023 campaign, drop an email or give him a call at the following: willbrowne88@gmail.com or (626) 261-5310. Will Browne 2022 Racing Results March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main March 25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main April 2 Merced Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main April 16 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 7th A Main May 14 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main May 21 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main June 11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main June 25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS June 25 Ventura Raceway WMR Midgets 7th A Main August 6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 2ND A Main August 27 Placerville Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main September 10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 12th A Main September 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main September 24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 11th A Main October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 16th A Main October 29 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main November 15 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 17 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 18 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 19 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com or (909) 226-7768
- DYER MOTORSPORTS CONCLUDES ITS 2022 SEASON NEXT WEEK AT BAKERSFIELD AND PLACERVILLE
(Yucca Valley, CA, November 10, 2022) Nearly nine months after it started, Dyer Motorsports will finish its 2022 racing with four races next week. The first race will be the "6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" at the Bakersfield Speedway on Tuesday, November 15th. That will be followed up by a day of travel and then three straight nights of racing in the "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway on November 17th, 18th, and 19th. The race at Bakersfield will be the final points-paying race for the CLS and for the Civil War Series matching the California Lightning Sprint Cars vs Northern California's Bay cities racing association. Jeff Dyer and his son Seth will both be competing at Bakersfield. Jeff comes into that race tied for fourth in the championship series point standings. He also brings in the best 2022 main event finishing average at the track, 3.2 of all riders who have started three main events there. On May 14th at the track, Dyer turned in his best 2022 appearance on the Kern County oval when he placed second in the 25-lap main. In his other four starts at the track, he has finished third and fourth two times each. Bakersfield is the track where Seth launched his lightning sprint career with the CLS on June 11th. Two weeks ago the 15-year-old had turned in the best qualifying effort of his rookie season when he timed in 10th fastest of 16 cars at the Ventura Raceway. He followed that up by leading every inch of the way to score the first heat race win of his lightning career. Despite only running After Tuesday at Bakersfield, Dyer Motorsports will drive 316 miles north to the Placerville Speedway for the "Hangtown 100." Phelan's Cal Smith, who spent years racing in the SCRA Sprint Cars and ¾ midgets, will jump into Seth's car and join Jeff in the season-enders. In addition to the lightning sprints, Tuesday's show at Bakersfield will also include the "November Classic" for the USAC National Midgets. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00. Fans can save $5.00 per ticket by ordering in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1113. The historic track is located at 5001 N. Chester Ext. in Bakersfield. The track website is https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ and the office phone is (661) 393-3373. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each day with racing at 6:00. Fans can find the track at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. Advance tickets for Placerville are available at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/hangtown-2022. The website is https://www.placervillespeedway.com/ and the track phone is (530) 344-7592. Jeff is racing in memory of his grandfather Glenn Sels throughout the 2022 season. Dyer would like to thank the following for making the 2022 season possible in the #4 Lightning Sprint Car. Dependable Machine Inc., Haircuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, LBA Investigations, and Dyer Motorsports. For the USAC/CRA #39 sprint car, Straight Time Stirrups, Dependable Machines Inc., Hair Cuts By Susie, Jobu Racing, Justice Brothers, and Specialty Fasteners make it all possible. If you would like to be a part of Dyer Motorsports in 2022, call (760) 267-0298 or send an email to mailto:dyermotorsports4@gmail.com. Jeff Dyer 2022 Results 3-5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest 13th A Main 3-25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 4th A Main 3-26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 13th A Main 4-1 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 14th A Main 4-2 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA 23rd A Main 4-16 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 4-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th B Main 4-30 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 1 4-30 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 2 5-14 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 5-14 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main 5-21 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 5-28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars DNS 6-11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 4th A Main 6-25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 7-16 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 7-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 8-6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprints 13th A Main* 8-25 Silver Dollar Speedway California Lightning Sprints 16th A Main 8-26 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprints 17th A Main 9-10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 9-17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main 9-24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main 10-1 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 13th A Main 10-8 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning/POWRi Southwest 11th A Main Seth Dyer 2022 Lightning Sprint Results 6-11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 12th A Main 6-25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 15th A Main 7-16 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 7-23 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 10th A Main 8-6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprints 14th A Main 8-25 Silver Dollar Speedway California Lightning Sprints DNS 9-10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprints 14th A Main 9-17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 16th A Main 9-24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 18th A Main 10-20 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 11th A Main 10-29 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 13th A Main Scott Daloisio produced this release. For more information, use the following: call (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com.
- CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES POINT BATTLES TO BE SETTLED AT BAKERSFIELD - PLACERVILLE TO FOLLOW
(Torrance, CA, November 10, 2022) The California Lightning Sprint Car Series will wrap up its 28th season of racing with four races next week. The first race will be the "6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" at Scott Schweitzer's Bakersfield Speedway on Tuesday, November 15th. That race will be the final points race for the CLS in 2022. It will also be the final of the annual "Civil War Series" featuring the CLS versus Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association. After that, the club will journey north for the last three races of the year at the annual "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway on November 17th, 18th, and 19th. 304963786_614150010297916_5260543286247762772_n.jpg David Gasper will try to make it two in a row in the CLS title chase and the Civil War. D&P Photography Three key positions in the standings will be decided in Bakersfield on "The West's Fastest 1/3 Mile High Banked Clay Oval." The overall championship will come down to a pair of young drivers. Defending series champion David Gasper of Santa Barbara is first in the championship standings. He has a 77-point lead over Palmdale's Eric Greco going into the event. Camarillo's Cody Nigh has third place pretty much locked up. However, Yucca Valley California Highway Patrol officer Jeff Dyer and five-time series champion Bobby Michnowicz of Oak Hills are tied for fourth. In the battle for the championship, Greco's main event average finish at Bakersfield this year is 3.5. Sixteen-year-old Gasper's average finish is 4.25. Gasper broke before the main event and did not compete in the season opener on March 25th. At the club's second appearance at the track, he broke again and was forced to drive someone else's car to a 10th-place finish in the A main. In addition to the 10th-place result, Gasper has a fifth and has won the last two races at the track. Greco's best finish at Bakersfield was a second, and he placed third two times. Like Gasper, Michnowicz had a disastrous first two stops at Bakersfield this year when he broke before the mains. To top that off, he did not make it to the third race of the year at the track. In the last two races there, the driver who will celebrate his 59th birthday at the track on Tuesday has a pair of second-place finishes. Dyer has had a good season at the oval that is affectionately referred to as the "Okie Bowl." In five starts he has not placed worse than fourth. He came home second one time and finished in third and fourth two times each. That gives him a fine 3.2 finishing average at the track this year. That is the best among the CLS regulars who have started at least three of the races at the facility in 2022. Another top-10 battle that will be decided on Tuesday will also determine who is the rookie of the year. Going into the last race in the series at Ventura two weeks ago, Fillmore's Connor Speir was 6th in the championship standings and fellow rookie Will Browne of Glendora was seventh. Speir had a 72-point advantage over Browne heading into that contest. However, Browne's fourth-place finish combined with Speir's 11th narrowed the advantage to 39-points. Each of the freshmen has started all five races at Bakersfield this year. Brown's best finish was a fourth and Speir's best was a seventh (two times). Speir's finishing average at the track is 11.00, while Browne's is 7.20. Tuesday will also be the final of five races in the "Civil War Series." CLS drivers man the first five positions and BCRA racers make up sixth through 10th. Like the regular season CLS championship point standings, Gasper is the point leader in the CWS with Greco second. Gasper, who won the triple crown last year winning the "Civil War Series," and CLS titles as well as being named Rookie of the Year, is 63 points ahead of Greco. Michnowicz is third and trails Greco by 18-points. Browne ranks fourth and is only 13 points out of third with Nigh in fifth. Starting in 2017, the "Western States Lightning Sprints Championship" has seen four different winners in its first five years of existence. Indiana's Andy Bradley won the first one and was followed by Kingsburg's Doug Nunes in 2018. Michnowicz won two in a row in 2019 and 2020. Last year San Diego's A.J. Bender, a rising star in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, took the Western States title driving for Sexton Gatlin racing. Bender, who won two CLS races at Bakersfield earlier this year driving for Mike Schweitzer, will be driving for Sexton Gatlin Racing again on Tuesday. Joining him will be new POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Brent Sexton and his 18-year-old son Grant. The younger Sexton won the season opener at Bakersfield in a photo finish on March 25th. Brent has CLS wins at Santa Maria on August 6th and Mohave Valley on October 8th. After one night off, the CLS drivers will head north for the three-night "Hangtown 100" at the Placerville Speedway. The non-points event will be co-sanctioned by the BCRA. Last year, USAC racing star Logan Seavey of Sutter, California won the opening night and the finale on the red clay ¼ mile oval. Sandwiched in between was a victory for Colorado Springs, Colorado star Chris Crowder. Bender, who finished second on all three nights of the 2021 "Hangtown 100" last year, will be in Schweitzer's #41 Lightning Sprint at Placerville. He will also be driving the #1 LKK midget he steered to fourth in the championship standings and to the "Rookie of the Year" honors in this year's USAC Western Midget Series. Tuesday's show at Bakersfield will also include the "November Classic" for the USAC National Midgets. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00. Fans can save $5.00 per ticket by ordering in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1113. The historic track is located at 5001 N. Chester Ext. in Bakersfield. The track website is https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ and the office phone is (661) 393-3373. Advance tickets for Placerville are available at https://www.eventsprout.com/event/hangtown-2022. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m. each day with racing at 6:00. Fans can find the track at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. The website is https://www.placervillespeedway.com/ and the track phone is (530) 344-7592. California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - 2045 2. Eric Greco - 1968 3. Cody Nigh - 1812 4. Jeff Dyer - 1716 4. Bobby Michnowicz - 1716 6. Connor Speir - 1456 7. Will Browne - 1417 8. Jon Robertson - 1193 9. Pat Kelley - 1111 10. Dominic Del Monte - 784 Civil War Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - CLS - 514 2. Eric Greco - CLS - 451 3. Bobby Michnowicz - CLS - 433 4. Will Browne - CLS - 420 5. Cody Nigh - CLS - 385 6. Greg Dennett - BCRA - 383 7. Dakota Albright - BCRA - 358 8. Harlee Aguilera - BCRA - 331 9. Matt Land - BCRA - 329 10. Brandon Leedy - BCRA - 302 The following companies have become marketing partners with the CLS in 2022. They have offered up more than $13,000.00 in contingencies that will be awarded on top of the regular racing purses and they will be paid out throughout the year. Yoshimura R&D, Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, Saldana Racing Products, Rod End Supply, Speed Mart, Cold Fire West, West Evens Motorsports, RC Fuel Injection, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, Advanced Racing Suspensions, CSI Shocks, Eibach Springs, Triple X Race Components, King Racing Products, Hyper Racing Products, Rebel Gears, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disk Brakes, Fuel Safe Systems, MPI, Circle Track Performance, E-Z UP, Hepfner Racing, Smith Titanium, and Hoosier Speed. If you or your company would like to become a partner of the longtime racing organization, contact Jon Robertson via email at mailto:jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310) 367-9050. 2022 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 25 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Grant Sexton April 2 Merced Speedway Non-Wing -- Civil War #1 - David Gasper April 16 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged (Make Up Main) David Gasper April 30 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz May 14 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - A.J. Bender May 21 Ventura Raceway Winged - Eric Greco June 11 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - David Gasper June 25 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 9 Ventura Raceway Winged - David Gasper July 23 Ventura Raceway Winged - Dave Gasper August 6 *Santa Maria Raceway Winged - Brent Sexton August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway Winged - Civil War #2 - Connor Spier August 27 Placerville Speedway Winged - Civil War #3 - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 10 Lemoore Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Sept. 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - Civil War #4 - David Gasper October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged - With SWLS - Brent Sexton October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged - Bobby Michnowicz Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway Winged - With USAC Midgets - Civil War #5 Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing - With USAC Midgets - No Points To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints PAST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS 1994 Tony Everhart 1995 Gary Sexton 1996 Rob Sczymczak 1997 Jon Rahe 1998 Chris Rahe 1999 Brent Sexton 2000 Greg Bragg 2001 Greg Bragg 2002 Greg Bragg 2003 David Cardey 2004 Keith Janca 2005 Johnny Bates 2006 Donny Gansen 2007 Shane Rossen 2008 Brent Sexton 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr. 2010 Jarrett Kramer 2011 Tim Brown 2012 Bobby Michnowicz 2013 Stephen Limon 2014 Bobby Michnowicz 2015 Bobby Michnowicz 2016 Bobby Michnowicz 2017 Bobby Michnowicz 2018 Jarrett Kramer 2019 Jarrett Kramer 2021 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- WILL BROWNE TAKES ANOTHER TOP-FIVE IN CLS ACTION - BAKERSFIELD AND PLACERVILLE NEXT
(Glendora, California, November 7, 2022) Impressive rookie Will Browne picked up his seventh top-five finish of 2022 when he placed fourth in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series main event at the Ventura Raceway on October 29th. The finish allowed him to close the gap from 72 points down to 39 in the "Rookie of the Year" battle heading into the final points race of 2022 at the Bakersfield Speedway on November 15th. 305333235_465964848777567_8472627722709539918_n.jpg Will Browne photo courtesy of Lance Jennings. Browne and the "Win Now Racing" #8 team turned up at the oceanside oval knowing that a top finish was needed to stay in the "Rookie of the Year" chase. It came at a track where he only contested one CLS main. That was on May 21st. In that race, he went home with a sixth-place finish. On the 29th, Browne knew he needed to better that performance and that is just what he went out and did by placing fourth in the 25-lapper. Eighteen-year-old Browne qualified fifth out of the 17 cars to take part in time trials when he stopped the clocks at 12.558. That put him on the outside of row number two for his eight-lap heat race. From that position, he ended up finishing second. When the cars rolled out of the pit area for the final CLS race at Ventura this year, the Glendora, California racer was starting on the pole. Once the Kris Kornder green flag dropped to get the race started, he was second into turn one. The lanky racer stayed in second through the early going and was third when the first of two yellow flags waved on lap 12. Once the action resumed, Browne hung on to the third spot until lap 16 when he slipped back to fourth and that is where he finished. Of his seven top-five finishes this year, Browne has a season-best second place at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico on August 26th. He has also placed fourth and fifth three times each. Perhaps just as impressive as the seven top fives is the fact that he has 13 top 10 finishes in the 16 main events he has started thus far in 2022. That is quite impressive for a rookie in the 28-year-old CLS series. Browne will wrap up the CLS point-paying season at the 6th Annual Western States Lightning Sprint Car Championships at the Bakersfield Speedway on Tuesday, November 15th. He comes into that race seventh in the overall championship standings and as mentioned earlier, he is a close second in the "Rookie of the Year" points. That race will also be the wrap-up for the five-race "Civil War Series." Browne is fourth in CVS points, a mere 13-points out of third and only 31 out of second. Two days after Bakersfield, he will journey to the Placerville Speedway to conclude his rookie campaign at the three-night "Hangtown 100." Be sure to visit and signup for Browne's entertaining video page on YouTube at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwSNglz0llw. Browne and the "Win Now Racing" team would like to thank marketing partner Pacific Panel Products for being a part of his rookie campaign in lightning sprint cars. If you would like to join the friendly driver as a marketing partner for the 2023 campaign, drop an email or give him a call at the following: willbrowne88@gmail.com or (626) 261-5310. Will Browne 2022 Racing Results March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main March 25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main April 2 Merced Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main April 16 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 7th A Main May 14 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main May 21 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 6th A Main June 11 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main June 25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS June 25 Ventura Raceway WMR Midgets 7th A Main August 6 Santa Maria Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 2nd A Main August 27 Placerville Speedway CLS/BCRA Lightning Sprint Cars 9th A Main September 10 Lemoore Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 12th A Main September 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 5th A Main September 24 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 11th A Main October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars DNS October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars 16th A Main October 29 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprint Cars 4th A Main November 15 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 17 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 18 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars November 19 Placerville Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com or (909) 226-7768
- BOBBY MICHNOWICZ GOES WIRE TO WIRE IN CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES MAIN AT VENTURA
(Torrance, CA, November 6, 2022) When you chain an old dog to the front porch, he is going to bark. That is exactly what happened when five-time California Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Bobby Michnowicz started on the outside of the front row when the CLS visited Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway on October 29th. The veteran driver roared away from the pack and led every inch of the way for his fourth win of 2022. 312140380_548863817046258_59651180472463838_n.jpg Winner Bobby Michnowicz (center with second-place Eric Greco (left) and third-place David Gasper. CLS photo. Eighteen cars showed up for the final race of the year at the picturesque track located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds. When BR Motorsports Qualifying ended, Michnowicz, who lives in Oak Hills, laid down the fastest lap with a time of 12.326. It was the fourth time in 2022 that he out-qualified a talent-laden CLS field. His teammate, three-time series champ Jarrett Kramer of Spring Valley, was second quickest at 12.357. The third speediest time was turned in by Camarillo's Cody Nigh, Michnowicz's nephew, at 12.393. Young Seth Dyer of Yucca Valley qualified 10th fastest and for the first time in his brief CLS career, was allowed to start where he qualified (instead of the rookie routine at the back). The affable team started outside the front row for Extreme Muffler's heat race one. The second-generation driver led every inch of the way and scored his crowd-pleasing first-ever CLS heat win. Lakewood's Aiden Lange and Nigh chased the 15-year-old home. "Rockstar" Jon Robertson of Torrance captured his third heat race win of 2022 in the Yoshimura R&D Heat race two over Quartz Hill's Gage Cheek and series-leading rookie Connor Speir of Fillmore. Eighteen-year-old Rookie Will Browne of Glendora was on the pole for the start of the 25-lap main with Michnowicz alongside. Palmdale's Eric Greco and Nigh comprised the second row with Speir and Lange in row three. As soon as starter Kris Kornder threw the green flag to start the 25-lapper, Michnowicz steered his T Shirts By Timeless/Fabozzi Metalworks/Pflum & Wagner/Super Shox/Outlaw Wings/Kaiser Wheels/Fast Time Studios/Bondio Fabrication #21K into the lead. Browne, Nigh, and Greco gave chase. By the end of the second circuit, Michnowicz had over a half-straight advantage over his pursuers. While Michnowicz was running away from the field, defending series champion and current point leader David Gasper of Santa Barbara was drawing a lot of the spectator's attention. The 16-year-old started the night off by losing an engine in qualifying forcing the Kittle Motorsports team to go to a backup car. He started the main in 10th but was fifth by the end of lap two. Out front, the streaking Michnowicz became immersed in lapped traffic on the sixth go-around, but it failed to slow him. He was flying past the slower cars like a hot knife thru butter. The leader stayed far away from his nearest competitor until lap 11 when a yellow slowed the field. The culprit of the yellow was Michnowicz's teammate Kramer, who came to a stop in turn two. For the restart, it was Michnowicz at the point. Greco, who got by Browne in lapped traffic was second. Browne, Gasper, and Nigh rounded out the top five. Try as he might, Greco could not keep up with Michnowicz who was a half straightaway ahead on lap 13. Likewise, Greco put the same distance between himself and third-place Browne. By lap 16, Michnowicz was back into the lap traffic. The first time thru, he encountered little problems. This time, near disaster struck. As he was closing on Speir to put him a lap down, the rookie spun and Michnowicz narrowly avoided him when the yellow flag came out. The second yellow of the race once again brought the pursuers to Michnowicz rear end. It was the same players in the top five with Greco second, Browne third, Gasper fourth, and Nigh fifth. The only change after Kornder waved the green was Gasper getting by Browne for third. Meanwhile, at the front, Michnowicz just motored away. By the time he got to the white, he was back into lapped traffic. Like the rest of the race, it was all his, but he did have a hiccup coming off turn four while heading for the checkers. A lapped car right in front of him clipped the inside berm and nearly spun in front of the race-long leader. Disaster was averted and Michnowicz took the checkers first for his fourth win of the year. Greco placed second with Gasper, Browne, and Nigh rounding out the top five. Kramer came from his restart at the back to finish sixth. Gasper's finish netted him the Speed Mart/Advanced Racing Suspension/Hepfner Racing Hard Charger Awards finishing third after starting 11th. "That was a good race," Michnowicz told the crowd after. "Wendy (his wife) drew the #2 and that put us on the front row. I just tried to run smooth laps and not run too hard and just weed my way through traffic. I figured the #18 car was probably coming. The track was great. It is more of a paper clip now. Jimmy (promoter Jim Naylor) changed it so we have to slow down for the corners and hit our marks." The CLS returns to action on Tuesday, November 18th, for the final points race of the season at the Bakersfield Speedway. Greco comes in 77-points behind Gasper and still has a shot at the title. Nigh has a pretty firm grip on third in the championship standings. Yucca Valley's Jeff Dyer and Michnowicz are tied for fourth. The race will also be the finale for the five-race "Civil War Series" that pits the CLS against Northern California's BCRA. Like the CLS regular championship, Gasper also won the "Civil War Series" title last year and is in the lead going into the final race. He is 63-points up on Gasper in the CWS. Michnowicz is third and is only 18-points in back of Greco and rookie Browne is just 13 behind Michnowicz. Nigh is fifth. After Bakersfield, the CLS will wrap up the 2022 campaign with three nights of non-point racing at the Placerville Raceway in the "Hangtown 100" on November 17, 18, and 19. Highlights of the CLS main courtesy of LoudPedal Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsYpoxczi4 Ventura Raceway October 29th Contingency Awards Extreme Mufflers Heat #1 - $50.00 Product Certificate - Seth Dyer Yoshimura R&D Heat #2 - $50.00 CSI Shocks - Jon Robertson Main Event Winner - $100.00 Eibach Sprints Product Certificate - Bobby Michnowicz Main Event 2nd Place - Valco Wheels $50.00 Product Certificate - Eric Greco Main Event 3rd Place - Jake Swanson Shock Technology $50.00 Product Certificate - David Gasper Main Event 5th Place - Smith Titanium $50.00 Product Certificate - Cody Nigh Quick Time - BR Motorsports $25.00 Product Certificate - Bobby Michnowicz Hard Charger - Speed Mart $25.00 Certificate/Advanced Racing Suspension $50.00 Certificate/Hepfner Racing $25.00 Certificate - David Gasper 1st Car Not On Lead Lap - Rebel Gears $30.00 Coupon - Jacob Magallanes Hard Luck Award - $25.00 Speed Mart $25.00 Certificate - Jeff Dyer Ventura Raceway October 29 Results Heat #1 (8 Laps): one period Bobby Michnowicz, 12.326; 2. Jarrett Kramer 12.357; 3. Cody Nigh, 12.393; 4. Eric Greco, 12.446; 5. Will Browne, 12.558; 6. Connor Speir, 12.616; 7. David Gasper, 12.731; 8. Aiden Lange, 12.786; 9. Gage Cheek, 12.898; 10. Seth Dyer, 13.140; 11. Jon Robertson, 13.167; 12. Dale Gamer, 13.421; 13. Jacob Magallanes, 13.484; 14. Mark Henry, 13.694; 15. Pat Kelley, NT; 16 Dominic Del Monte, NT Extreme Muffler Heat Race #1 (8-Laps): 1. Seth Dyer; 2. Aiden Lange; 3. Cody Nigh; 4. Bobby Michnowicz; 5. Will Browne; 6. Mark Henry; 7. Dale Gamer; 8. Pat Kelley Yoshimura R&D Heat Race #2 (8-Laps): 1. Jon Robertson; 2. Gage Cheek; 3. Connor Speir; 4. Eric Greco; 5. Dave Gasper; 6. Jarrett Kramer; 7. Dominic Del Monte; 8. Jacob Magallanes Ventura Raceway 25-Lap Main Event (with starting positions and differences 1. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Hills, CA (2nd) 2. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA, (3rd) - 1.925 3. David Gasper, Santa Barbara, CA (10th) - 2.742 4. Will Browne, Glendora, CA, (1st) - 4.072 5. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA (4th) - 6.220 6. Jarrett Kramer, Spring Valley, CA (11th) - 7.204 7. Mark Henry Rosamond, CA (13th) - 9.143 8. Gage Cheek, Quartz Hills, CA (9th) - 9.305 9. Dominic Del Monte, Gardena, CA (14th) 9.807 10. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA (8th) - 11.161 11. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA (5th) - 11.690 12. Jacob Magallanes, Pasadena, CA (16th) - 2 Laps 13. Seth Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA (7th) - 2 Laps 14. Dale Gamer, Anaheim, CA (12th) - 10 Laps 15. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA, (15th) - 13 Laps 16. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA - (6th) - 23 Laps California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. David Gasper - 2045 2. Eric Greco - 1968 3. Cody Nigh - 1812 3. Jeff Dyer - 1716 5. 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
- MATT McCARTHY AND LOGAN WILLIAMS WILL END 2022 SEASON AT PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY
(Ontario, CA, November 2, 2022) The Flowdynamics sprint car racing duo of Matt McCarthy and Logan Williams will close the 2022 season this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 3rd, 4th, and 5th, at the 26th Annual Heimark Anheuser Busch Budweiser Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway. Heading into the finale, both drivers are in the top 10 in the USAC/CRA Series point standings. Williams, who lives in Yorba Linda, California, joined forces with Flowdynamics and McCarthy in May of 2021. When Williams signed on with the team, his father, National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Rip Williams, joined on as well. It also brought on a relationship with Williams' brothers, Cody, and Austin, who are also regulars in the series. The joining of forces and sharing of information has done well for both McCarthy and Logan Williams in their first full season together. PAS 3-26-22=28m 5w=1085-3.jpg Matt McCarthy (inside) and Logan Williams at Perris earlier this year. Doug Allen photo. Williams comes into the three races this week seventh in the point standings. He is only five points out of sixth and 35 points out of fifth. Riverside's McCarthy, who flexed his muscle at August's California Racers Hall of Fame Night at Perris by being the fast qualifier and winning a four-segment high-dollar trophy dash, will enter this weekend's fray 10th in the points. McCarthy's best appearances of the season both came at Perris. He kicked off the campaign at the famous Riverside County oval with the 7th place finish on March 28th. Three months later on June 25th, he took his beautiful #28M to an eighth-place result on the same half-mile track. Williams' best outings thus far in 2022 were 4th place finishes at the Bakersfield Speedway on May 14th and the Santa Maria Raceway on August 6th. His best result at Perris was a 6th place in the annual Salute To Indy on May 28th. Both drivers are hoping to rebound from a disappointing weekend last week at the Western World Championships at Arizona's Cocopah Speedway. Williams finished 21st and 23rd in the A mains, and McCarthy placed 14th and 21st in the B mains. This week's event, which will feature both the USAC/CRA and USAC National Sprint Cars, will include qualifying, heat races, preliminary mains, and an A main event every single night. The show will culminate with a 40-lap, $ 20,000.00-to-win Oval Nationals finale on Saturday. For those who wish to see McCarthy and Williams in action this week, advance tickets are available at the following link https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7 or by calling 1-800-595-4849. If you do not wish to buy tickets in advance, there will be plenty available for everyone at the ticket window all three nights. Perris Auto Speedway is located on the freeway close Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 lake Perris Drive in the city of Perris. The track website is www.perrisautospeedway.com and the office phone number is (951) 940-0134. Be sure to visit the pits and meet both friendly Flowdynamics drivers after the races this weekend and pick up one of their fine-looking team shirts. Even though the end of the 2022 season is nearly over, the hard work for 2023 will begin almost immediately. The team will be tearing down the cars, going over them, and making any repairs and adjustments needed. They will also be ordering parts and discussing the possibility of marketing opportunities for 2023. If you or your company would like to be a part of one of the West coast's most prominent Sprint car teams for the upcoming season, please contact John McCarthy at 909 930-5522 or mailto:john@flodyinc.com McCarthy and Williams would like to thank the following sponsors for making the 2022 season possible. Flowdynamics Inc., JFK Design Build, Cal Therm Mechanical Insulators, CRC Component Repair Co., Encore Gas and Supply, Drink-Pac, and Benic Enterprises. Matt McCarthy 2022 Results 1/27/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 22nd A Main 1/28/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 15th A Main 1/29/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 14th A Main 3/26/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 7th A Main 4/1/22 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 15th A Main 4/2/22 Tulare Thunderbowl USAC/CRA 18th A Main 4/23/22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 10th A Main 4/30/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA DNS 5/14/22 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA 16th A Main 5/28/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 15th A Main 6/11/22 Ventura Raceway USAC/CRA 16th A Main 6/25/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 8th A Main 8/6/22 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA 18th A Main 8-20-22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 13th A Main 9-17-22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 12th A Main 10-8-22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 10th A Main 10-28-22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National 14th B Main 10-29-22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National 21st B Main Logan Williams 2022 Results 1/27/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 6th A Main 1/28/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 7th A Main 1/29/22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA 7th A Main 3/26/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 11th A Main 4/1/22 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 11th A Main 4/2/22 Tulare Thunderbowl USAC/CRA 12th A Main 4/23/22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 22nd A Main 4/30/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 11th A Main 5/14/22 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA 4th A Main 5/28/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 6th A Main 6/11/22 Ventura Raceway USAC/CRA 10th A Main 6/25/22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA 5th A Main 8/6/22 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA 4th A Main 8-20-22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA DNS 9-17-22 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA DNS 10-8-22 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA 16th A Main 10-28-22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National 21st A Main 10-29-22 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National 23rd A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact is available at (909) 226-7768 or via email at mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com.
- EDDIE TAFOYA JR. IS ONE POINT OUT OF THIRD GOING INTO THIS WEEK'S OVAL NATIONALS AT PERRIS
(Chino, CA, November 2, 2022) Eddie Tafoya Jr. will close his sprint car season this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 3rd, 4th, and 5th at the 26th Annual Heimark Anheuser Busch Budweiser Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway. Entering the final weekend of the eight-month season, the 2019 USAC/CRA "Rookie of the Year" is one point out of third place and only 20-points out of second in the championship standings. 313399486_10166826944290201_5018192168403270918_n.jpg Eddie Tafoya in the Specialty Fasteners #51T. Doug Allen photo. Tafoya's quiet demeanor and smooth style on the track make him one of the best-kept secrets in west coast sprint car racing. In only three full seasons of 410 sprint car action, he has climbed to a lofty position that most can only dream of attaining in their racing careers. The key to the 25-year-old driver's success has been his consistency. Thus far in 21 total starts in 2022, he has seen the checkered flag 20 times. That shows he knows how to race, and he knows how to take care of his equipment. In the only race he did not finish this year he was clobbered by another car at Perris in March. Combining his ever-growing smooth skill with his keen ability to avoid trouble, he has 13 top-10 finishes in 18 USAC/CRA starts this year. Six of the top 10s were in the top five. His best outing of the season was a second place at Cocopah Speedway on January 29th. His other podium finish came on June 25th at Perris. The Chino Hills, California resident also recorded his first-ever series fast qualifying time at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway in early June. Last weekend Tafoya journeyed to Yuma, Arizona's Cocopah Speedway for the 55th Annual Western World Championships. On the first night, "Mr. Smooth" qualified with a time of 17.459 which was good for the 26 fastest time in the 40-car field. He missed the transfer spot in his heat race by one position and was forced to run the B main event. There, he clawed his way forward to finish 4th and transferred into the A main. He started the A in the 22nd position and moved forward three spots to finish 19th. Twenty-four hours later, the handsome driver reeled off a lap of 16.413, which was good for seventh quickest in the stacked 37-car field. He then avoided having to start in the B main again when he placed fourth in his heat race. For the finale, Tafoya was on the outside of the front row and ran in the top three for the first five laps. However, his car was, "the tightest I've ever been and wasn't even close to tight enough." That cost him and he eventually ended up finishing 16th. Look for an improvement on that finish this weekend on his home track. Tafoya has a new load of great-looking shirts and hoodies that will be on sale at the Oval Nationals. Fans can meet the driver and the team and pick up a shirt or hoodie in the pits after each night of racing. For those who cannot make it to the tracks, they are also available online at www.specialty-fasteners.com. For fans who wish to see Tafoya in action at this week's Oval Nationals, spectator gates will open at 5:00 PM with racing at 7:00 each night. Advance tickets are available at the following link https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7 or by calling 1-800-595-4849. For those who do not wish to buy advance tickets, there will be plenty available for everyone at the ticket window each night. The famous racetrack is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in the city of Perris. The track website is www.perrisautospeedway.com and the office phone number is (951) 940-0134. After Saturday's race is over, Tafoya, and The Specialty Fasteners #51T team, will be prepping for the 2023 campaign. The cars will be stripped down to bare frames before being rebuilt and ready to go on the other side of the New Year. In addition to the work on the cars in the shop, the team will be busy exploring corporate partnership opportunities for the upcoming campaign. If you or your company would like to be a partner with the Specialty Fasteners team in 2023, please contact Eddie Tafoya Jr. via phone at (909) 393-3999 or by e-mail at teamtafoya@aol.com. He will be happy to talk to you and lay out the team's plans. Tafoya has a great new YouTube channel at the following link https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1hrmC5L80EU. Fans can follow Tafoya on Instagram @eddietafoya51. The same contact point can be used to purchase his great-looking shirts via mail. Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2022 Race Results 1-27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 7th A Main 1-28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 9th A Main 1-29 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 2nd A Main 3-26 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 18th A Main 4-1 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 13th A Main 4-2 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 15th A Main 4-23 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 3rd A Main 4-30 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 5-14 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main 5-28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 6-11 Ventura Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main 6-25 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 4th A Main 7-8 Huset's Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 13th A Main 7-9 Huset's Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 10th A Main 7-10 Huset's Speedway USAC National Sprint Cars 15th A Main 8-6 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 8-27 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 5th A Main 9-17 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 10-8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 8th A Main 10-28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National Sprints 19th A Main 10-29 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA & National Sprints 16th A Main This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. (909) 226-7768 or E-mail mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
- BRODY ROA FINISHES 410 SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE AT THIS WEEK'S PERRIS OVAL NATIONALS
(Cypress, CA, November 1, 2022) Brody Roa will wrap up the 410 portion of his 2022 sprint car schedule when the USAC National and CRA Sprint Cars converge on Southern California's Perris Auto Speedway this Thursday thru Saturday, November 3rd, 4th, and 5th, in the 26th running of the Heimark Anheuser Busch Budweiser Oval Nationals. For Roa, the Oval Nationals brings back a fond memory of the finest weekend of his career. In the three nights from November 9th to the 11th, 2017, the Garden Grove, California racer stood on the podium two times and never finished worse than sixth in the prestigious race. It started out on Thursday the ninth when the friendly driver qualified fourth fastest in the 43-car field. He followed that up by placing fourth in his heat race and third in the main event. Twenty-four hours later, Roa, then 26 years old, qualified ninth fastest and finished fourth in his heat race on preliminary night #2. For the 30-lap main event, he started on the pole. After trading the lead back and forth over the first circuit, he took full control on lap two and went unchallenged the remainder of the way. Every time the yellow waved, Roa would simply drive away from the pack to score a convincing win. "I can't believe I just won a National Sprint Car race," the excited driver told the crowd after climbing out of his car five years ago. "I don't know what to say. This is the coolest thing I have done in my racing career so far. I did not like seeing all of those yellows and reds. I was waiting for a slider on a restart and I kept seeing Chad's (Boespflug) nose a few times. I cannot say enough about this team. We are clicking right now and this thing runs like a banshee. We are going to celebrate a bit tonight, but not too much because we have got to get the job done tomorrow." download.jpg Brody and his wife Tailor celebrate after his Oval Nationals preliminary win in 2017. Surfnsprint photo. The following night Roa had enough points to bypass the heat races and contest the "Super Six Dash." That race was for the six highest point-scoring cars from the first two nights. Roa started and finished 6th in that one and that meant he would be coming from outside row three in the 40-lap championship. He placed sixth in the finale and that was the best of any of the CRA cars in the field. Flash forward to 2022 and Roa has had a very impressive season at Perris. The now 31-year-old driver from Garden Grove, California has three podiums including a win on June 25th in five USAC/CRA starts at the track this year. He also qualified for his first-ever World of Outlaws main event when the touring troupe came to the famous Riverside County clay oval on March 26th. In addition to his USAC/CRA win at The PAS in June, Roa has two other victories in the series this year. The first came when he outdistanced the 410 field in Jayson May's 360 sprint car at the Santa Maria Raceway on August 6th. On October 8th, he came all the way from the 11th starting spot to win the main event at the Mohave Valley Raceway. In addition to his wins in USAC/CRA, he also steered May's 360 to a win at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway in the USAC West Coast Series on August 27th. Roa comes into the Oval Nationals after contesting last week's 56th Annual Western World Championships at the Cocopah Speedway in Yuma, Arizona. Last Friday night he timed in 17th fastest of 40 cars on hand with a lap of 17.365. He followed that up with a second-place finish in his 10-lap heat. In the 30-lap main, he began the race in 17th and advanced two places to finish 15th. Twenty-four hours later, he was the 14th fastest out of 37 cars with a time of 16.699. Another second-place result in his heat secured the 15th starting spot in the finale. Just like the night before, he ended up 15th. While Saturday will be Roa's last 410 race of 2022, he will still have one date left on his racing calendar. He will be in Jayson May's car for the historic 81st running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway on Thanksgiving weekend. 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 the #8M he will pilot for Jayson May on 10 occasions in 2022. If you or your company would like to jump on board and receive recognition as a team partner throughout the 2022 racing season, 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 November 4 Perris Auto Speedway USAC National & CRA - Oval Nationals November 5 Perris Auto Speedway USAC National & CRA - Oval Nationals 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
- BRENT SEXTON WINS MAIN EVENT AND LUCAS OIL POWRi SOUTHWEST LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP
(Lakeside, CA, October 30, 2022) Wily veteran racer Brent Sexton captured the Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series season closing main event at the Imperial Valley Raceway. In doing so, he sewed up the series championship. The title is Sexton's third in his lightning career and his first since taking the California Lightning Sprint Car Series crown in 2008. thumbnail.jpg King of the Oval, Brent Sexton, surrounded by his court. Kim Arringdale photo. Sexton, of Lakeside, California, his oldest son Dalton, and Alpine's Brent Horn raced on the lightning side of the two-night program. Brent's youngest son Grant, 18, drove his 360 in the open sprint car portion of the show. Action for the POWRi portion of the weekend began with the cars using wings on Friday night. The first heat race saw Dalton off the pole, Horn, who was in the #3 usually steered by Grant. was on the outside of him. Brent started on the inside of row two. Brent, who came into the weekend second in points behind Dalton, fired the first salvo by winning the heat. Dalton, who will turn 20 in a little over a month, placed third with Horn taking fourth in his first-ever start in a car owned by SGR. Like the heat race, Dalton was on the pole for the main event. Brent was on the outside of the third row with Horn on the outside of row five. Dalton led the early going in the race before relinquishing the top spot on lap seven. The only yellow flag came out on the next lap and Dalton was in second for the restart. Brent restarted in fifth, but in one spectacular swoop around the outside, he moved all the way up to third. The 50-year-old racer and his 19-year-old son swapped the runner-up position back and forth before Brent asserted himself and set sail for the leader. Late in the race, Brent, who was flying, caught the leader in lapped traffic. He attempted to go around the outside for the top spot but lappers intervened and held him up. A couple of laps later the checkered flag ended the affair with Brent in the second position and Dalton in third. Horn crossed under the checkered flags in eighth. The second night of action in the southern reaches of California saw Grant competing as well as his father, older sibling Dalton, and Horn. Being part of the open comp sprint portion of the show, the previous night was a practice for him. Saturday was the real deal. Saturday's program added a couple of twists for the lightning sprints. First off, they were racing without their wings. Second was the fact that they were qualifying. Dalton topped the 18 cars in time trials with a dazzling 13.419. Brent was fifth at 13.669 and Horn was 14th at 14.072. In the first lightning heat race, Brent was on the outside of row two and Dalton was directly behind him in sixth. Brent went wide in the first corner of the race and slipped back to sixth. Dalton was moving forward and on the second circuit, he went from fourth to second. However, by that time, the leader was long gone and Dalton was forced to settle for second. Brent moved up one spot before the end of the heat and placed fifth. Horn was up in heat race two and started on the outside of the front row and ended up sixth after a spin late in the going. For the final SWLS race of 2022, Dalton had the best starting spot on the SGR team coming from fifth. Brent was starting in ninth and Horn was alongside him in 10th. Dalton quickly sliced his way through the field and at the end of the fourth circuit he took over the lead. Seconds later a double flip in turn #3 brought out a red flag. For the restart Dalton was in first, Brent was up to 5th and Horn was ninth. Brent went on a good run on lap six when he entered turn three in fifth and exited turn four in third. Two laps later he again swooped to the inside in turn four and in spectacular style took over second. However, he was not there for long. Coming down the front straightaway Dalton's car dramatically slowed before it got to the start-finish line. That handed the lead to Brent. Dalton stayed on the track but fell to the back and two laps later he pulled into the infield with a broken fuel pump. That fuel pump not only knocked Dalton out of the lead in the race, but it also cost him his shot at the series championship. Another red flag halted the proceedings a few moments later when a car flipped spectacularly down the front straightaway. After the car was taken off the track the race resumed. Brent simply drove away from the remainder of the field and won by over a half straightaway. Horn ended up eighth with Dalton 14th. The win sewed up Brent's third-lifetime lightning sprint car series championship by seven points over Dalton (Grant finished seventh). His first two titles came in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series in 1999 and 2008. It also was his sixth victory of the year, four of which were in POWRi. The other two came in the CLS. He split the wins with three coming while racing with a wing and three without. He also was crowned "King of the Ovals" for accumulating the most points in the two-night event at Imperial. After Brent won the lightning sprint race, the open comp field came onto the track and Grant was starting on the outside of the first row. After taking the green flag he sailed it into one and got in the loose stuff on the outside. By the time the teen had gathered it back in, he had slipped back to 7th. Disaster nearly struck at the end of the third circuit. Grant got a good run on the inside when the two cars in front of him tangled coming out of the corner. The 18-year-old deftly went inside them and avoided the mess. For the restart, Grant was up to fourth. The teenager raced into second on the 10th lap and stayed there until slipping back to third late in the going. It was his second podium finish in a full-size sprint car in 2022. Sexton Gatlin Racing is not done yet for the 2022 season. Still to come is a race with the California Lightning Sprint Cars at the Bakersfield Speedway on November 15th. After that, the family team will journey north to the Placerville Speedway for the annual "Hangtown 100." There, they will compete with the CLS and Northern California's Bay Cities Racing Association. Sexton/Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2022 season possible. Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Johnny Motorhead, Troy Dirt, Victory Graphix, Swift Powdercoat, Maxima Oil, Automated Interior, and an extra special thanks to Scotty and Jimmy Keys. If you or your business wants to partner up with one of the most visible Lightning Sprint teams on the West Coast, please call (619) 454-6945. You can also E-mail mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mailto:sextonfire@gmail.com. Sexton Gatlin Racing 2022 Schedule March 5 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Dalton 1st - Brent 7th - Grant 15th March 6 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Dalton 3rd - Grant 4th March 25 Bakersfield Speedway CLS Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 8th - Dalton 17th April 16 Ventura Raceway VRA Sprints - Grant 1st April 23 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Bezio 3rd - Brent 4th - Dalton 5th April 30 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 4th - Dalton 5th May 14 Barona Speedway POWRi Wingless - Dalton 1st - Bezio 2nd - Brent 3rd May 28 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant DNS June 11 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Brent 2nd - Dalton 11th June 25 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Dalton 1st - Brent 2nd - Grant 3rd July 9 Barona Speedway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Grant 2nd - Dalton 6th August 6 Santa Maria Raceway CLS Winged - Brent 1st - Dalton 15th August 6th Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant 11th B Main August 11 Norman County Speedway Minkota Nationals Winged - Dalton 8th - Brent 13th - Grant 25th August 12 River Cities Raceway Minkota Nationals Winged - Brent 1st - Grant 9th - Dalton 11th August 13 Greenbush Race Park Minkota Nationals Winged - Grant 6th - Brent 11th - Dalton 13th August 14 Minkota Nationals Minkota Nationals Winged - Grant 1st - Dalton 15th - Brent DNS Sept. 17 Perris Auto Speedway POWRi Winged - Chiaramonte 1st - Brent 4th - Dalton 18th October 1 Barona Speedway POWRi Winged - Grant 1st - Dalton 4th - Brent DNS October 8 Mojave Valley Raceway POWRi/CLS Winged - Brent 1st - A.J. Bender 2nd - Dalton 3rd October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars - Grant DNS October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Winged - Dalton 3rd - Grant 4th - Brent Horn 8th October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway POWRi Wingless - Brent 1st - Horn 8th - Dalton 14th October 22 Imperial Valley Raceway Open Comp. Sprint Cars - Grant 3rd Nov. 15 Bakersfield Speedway BCRA/CLS Winged Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless Nov. 19 Placerville Speedway BCRA/CLS Wingless This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. Contact (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
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Santa Maria Raceway Dirt Track Videos
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Santa Maria Raceway Nearby Dirt Tracks
- Kern County Raceway Park Race Track69 miles away - Bakersfield, California, USA
- Ventura Raceway Race Track81 miles away - Ventura, California, USA
- Bakersfield Speedway Race Track85 miles away - Bakersfield, California, USA
- Lemoore Raceway Race Track94 miles away - Lemoore, California, USA
Distance information is direct (as the crow flies) - driving distance will differ due to road routes and things like lakes or mountains.
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Santa Maria Raceway Dirt Track Racing Organizations
- BCRA - Bay Cities Racing Association Dirt Track Racing Organization
- CLS - California Lightning Sprints Dirt Track Racing Organization
- KWS - King of the West Sprints by NARC Dirt Track Racing Organization
- NMRA - National Midget Racing Association Dirt Track Racing Organization
- USAC - United States Auto Club Dirt Track Racing Organization