CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CARS SUMMER CLASSIC SATURDAY AT SANTA MARIA (Upland, CA, July 21, 2021) The California Lightning Sprint Car Series heads to the Santa Maria Raceway for the “CLS Summer Classic” which will be part of “Winged Madness 1” this Saturday night, July 24th. The extra incentives for the race will have dollar signs dancing in the heads of the CLS drivers as they journey to the San Luis Obispo County oval for the second time in three weeks. Saturday’s CLS main event will pay $500.00 to win and $100.00 to start. The fastest qualifier will take home an extra $100.00 from Timeless Enterprises. Each heat race winner will collect $100.00 courtesy of Pinky’s Tire in Santa Maria and Timeless Enterprises. In addition, the CLS will award a right rear Hoosier Tire to the main event “Hard Charger.” A Hard Luck Award will also be given and there will not be an entry fee (pea pick) for the CLS on the night. A field of more than 20 CLS cars is expected to vie for the extra money. When the CLS last visited Santa Maria on July 3rd, the story of the night was Palmdale teenager Eric Greco. The recent high school graduate started the night by posting fast time in qualifying and then led every inch of the way in the main event for his second series triumph of the 2021 campaign. Fellow teen and current CLS point leader James Turnbull of Indio was second past the checkered flag and ageless Bobby Michnowicz was third. The victory ties Greco with San Diego’s A.J. Bender as the only drivers with two wins in the first six races of 2021. Turnbull and Michnowicz are the other winners on the year with one victory each. Eric Greco at Santa Maria on July 3rd. Lance Jennings photo. Turnbull brings a 70-point lead to Santa Maria in the championship standings over Michnowicz, who has the devilish total of 666 points. Greco currently sits third and is only 22-points behind Michnowicz. Series leading rookie David Gasper of Santa Barbara is fourth and makes it three teenage drivers in the top four spots. Fifth spot is occupied by series veteran Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley. In addition to the CLS, the NARC King of the West 410 Winged Sprints, RaceSaverr Winged Sprints and Winged Legends of Kearney Bowl will also be in action. For fans who would like to attend Saturday’s race, the front gates will open at 4:00 p.m. with qualifying at 5:30 and the first race at 6:00. Santa Maria Raceway is located at 1900 Hutton Road in Nippomo (93444). The track website is, https://santamariaraceway.com/contact/ and the office phone number is (805) 710-4407. The CLS would like to thank 2021 series sponsors Hoosier Tires, T Shirts By Timeless, TJ Forged Racing Wheels, and Walker Performance Filtration. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, please call Alex Grigoreas at (909) 437-3170. To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints/ 2021 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. James Turnbull – Indio, CA – 736 2. Bobby Michnowicz – Oak Hills, CA – 666 3. Eric Greco – Palmdale, CA – 644 4. Dave Gasper ® – Santa Barbara, CA – 634 5. Jeff Dyer – Yucca Valley, CA – 562 6. Dominic Del Monte – Gardena, CA – 489 7. A.J. Bender – San Diego, CA – 484 8. Mark Henry ® - Rosamond, CA – 377 9. Trevor Ballou ® - Corona, CA – 373 10. Jon Robertson - Torrance, CA - 366 CLS/BCRA Civil War Series Point Standings 1. James Turnbull – CLS – 135 2. Bobby Michnowicz – CLS – 133 3. Dakota Albright – BCRA – 121 4. Dave Gasper – CLS – 119 5. Aiden Lange – CLS – 112 6. Seth Hespe – WASH – 107 7. Jeff Dyer – CLS – 98 8. Chase Gaal – CLS – 88 9. Eric Greco – CLS – 85 10. Brandon Leedy – BCRA 83 2021 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 13 Bakersfield Speedway – Eric Greco April 10 Bakersfield Speedway – Bobby Michnowicz April 24 Merced Speedway (Wayne Albright Memorial - Round #1 of the Civil War Series with BCRA – Wingless) – James Turnbull May 15 Bakersfield Speedway – A.J. Bender June 5 Ventura Raceway – A.J. Bender June 19 Keller Auto Speedway (Hanford) – Postponed due to heat. July 3 Santa Maria Speedway – Eric Greco July 24 Santa Maria Speedway (Wing Madness #1) August 7 Merced Speedway (Civil War Series #2 with BCRA – Winged) August 14 Bakersfield Speedway August 28 Santa Maria Speedway September 4 Ventura Raceway September 18 Bakersfield Speedway (Civil War #3 with BCRA – Winged) September 19 The Dirt Track At Kern County Raceway Park September 25 Santa Maria Speedway (Wing Madness #2) October 2 Ventura Raceway October 30 Ventura Raceway November 16 Bakersfield Speedway (Civil War #4 with BCRA – Winged and Western States Lightning Sprint Car Championship) November 18 Placerville Speedway Hangtown 100 – (Co sanctioned with BCRA and in companion with the USAC National Midgets) November 19 Placerville Speedway Hangtown 100 – (Co sanctioned with BCRA and in companion with the USAC National Midgets) November 20 Placerville Speedway Hangtown 100 – (Co sanctioned with BCRA and in companion with the USAC National Midgets) The schedule is subject to change due to Covid restrictions. 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. This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@aol.com