GASPER WINS SECOND STRAIGHT CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT MAIN AT VENTURA (Torrance, CA, June 26, 2022) Defending series champion David Gasper made it two wins in a row when the California Lightning Sprint Cars visited Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway on Saturday night. The victory, which was the teenager’s series-leading fourth of the year, moved him into second in the championship standings. David Gasper won his fourth CLS main of the year at Ventura. CLS photo. On a day when it was over 100 degrees inland, it was a pleasant 65 at the racetrack that is located on the beach in Ventura. Sixteen CLS cars turned up for the 9th of 24 races on the 2022 schedule. The night kicked off with West Evans Motorsports Qualifying. Palmdale’s Erik Greco set the fastest time of the night with a lap of 12.068. Veteran Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley, who came into the race as the series point leader, was second quickest at 12.164. Gasper, who won the race two weeks prior at the Bakersfield Speedway, ended up third quick with the time of 12.298. Kevin Michnowicz of Carson was the first to the finish in Extreme Muffler Heat Race #1. However, it was his only hurrah of the show as he popped a radiator and was done for the night. Ventura local Robb Pelmear, who was making his 2022 debut, finished second with Gasper taking third. In the Yoshimura R&D second heat race Camarillo driver Cody Nigh was the first to complete the 8 laps and he took the victory. Torrance’s “Rockstar” Jon Robertson placed second with Gage Cheek, who calls Ojai home, third. When the cars for the 25 lap main event rolled onto the famous 1/5 of a mile Oval, Gasper and Dyer took their spots on the front row. Greco and Bobby Michnowicz were in row two, with Del Monte and Pelmear in row three. At the drop of the Chris Kornder green flag, Gasper and Dyer raced side by side for the lead until the middle of three and four before Gasper took control of the point position. Little did anyone know that he would lead every inch of the way after that. Things went smoothly with Gasper out front and Dyer right behind until lap four when Pelmear spun out. Robertson slid into Pelmear’s car and tipped over onto his side bringing out a red flag. Neither driver was injured and Pelmear was able to continue. Robertson would have loved to continue, but his car was done for the night with front end damage. Things got back underway after Robertson’s car was towed to the infield. However, officials might as well have left the red flag out. In nearly the exact same spot as Robertson’s tip-over, Chino’s Pat Kelley laid one over on its side less than a lap after the green light came back on. The red came back out so Kelley’s car could be righted. The car had severe wing damage but that was about it, so Kelley carried on. In what was turning into a weird night, rookie Connor Speir of Fillmore and his pretty bright red #57 came to a stop, ending his night moments after the yellow was turned back on. Then it was Dyer’s turn. He was in second-place as the cars were circling the track waiting for the restart. He then drove through the back pit gate with a cut tire ending his night. It was the first time he finished out of the top four in eight CLS races this year. It also ended his tenure at the top of the point standings. Dyer’s 15-year-old son Seth, who was contesting his second CLS race, also left the track before the green came back on. When Dyer left, Greco was elevated up to the runner up spot. But he was not there for long. Before another lap was completed, five time series champion Michnowicz relieved Greco of second. Out front Gasper was setting a sizzling pace and had a comfortable lead. That is until the third car in the first half of the race flipped. Rosamond’s Mark Henry tumbled down the front chute after contact with another car just before the halfway point of the race. Unlike Robertson and Kelley’s incidents where they tipped over on their sides, Henry’s incident packed a lot more punch. Fortunately, like Robertson and Kelley, Henry walked away unscathed from his heavily damaged car. The race restarted and went green the final 14 laps. Gaspar, in his bright blue Kittle Motorsports/Certified Construction/Rattlesnake Ridge/Valley Precision Products/Martin Roofing/B2 Design/Hyper Race Cars/Saldana Race Products #18, started to move away from the field on lap 13. Michnowicz inched closer on a couple of occasions, but never quite enough to mount a serious challenge. Inthe end, it was Gasper for the second time in a row and the fourth time this season by six car lengths. Michnowicz finished second to the teen for the second straight time. Greco ended up in the third place spot. Del Monte finished fourth, which was his best result of the season. Cheeks fifth place finish was his best finish of the year as well. Rookie Josh Hackett of Ventura made his debut in the series a successful one by earning the “Speed Mart/Competition Suspension/Hepfner Racing Products Hard Charger” award coming from 14th to finish eighth. Robertson received the “Speed Mart Hard Luck Award.” Greco reclaimed the point lead and Gasper jumped up to second. The two are only separated by four points. Dyer’s cut tire saw him slide back to third in the standings. Nigh, and Will Browne of Glendora round out the top five. The CLS will be back in action on July 9th when it makes its fifth appearance of 2022 at the Ventura Raceway. West Evans Motorsports Qualifying: 1. Eric Greco 12.068; 2. Jeff Dyer 12.164; 3. David Gasper 12.298; 4. Bobby Michnowicz 12.419; 5. Rob Pelmear 12.491; 6. Mark Henry 12.657; 7. Dominic Del Monte 12.686; 8. Gage Cheek 12.695; 9. Connor Speir 12.746; 10. John Robertson 12.925; 11. Kevin Michnowicz 12.943; 12. Cody Nigh 13.028; 13. Will Browne 13.166; 14. Pat Kelley 13.457; 15. Josh Hackett 13.871; 16. Seth Dyer 14.606 Extreme Muffler Heat Race #1: 1. Kevin Michnowicz; 2. Robb Pelmear; 3. David Gasper; 4. Dominic Del Monte; 5. Eric Greco; 6. Connor Speir; 7. Josh Hackett Yoshimura R&D Heat Race #2: 1. Cody Nigh; 2. Jon Robertson; 3. Gage Cheek; 4. Bobby Michnowicz; 5. Jeff Dyer; 6. Pat Kelley; 7. Mark Henry; 8. Seth Dyer Ventura A Main Event – 25 Laps (with starting positions) 1. David Gasper, Santa Barbara, CA, 1st 2. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Hills, CA, 4th 3. Erik Greco, Palmdale, CA, 3rd 4. Dominic Del Monte, Gardena, CA, 5th 5. Gage Cheek, Ojai, CA, 8th 6. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA, 7th 7. Robb Pelmear, Ventura, CA, 6th 8. Josh Hackett, Ventura, CA, 14th 9. Mark Henry, Rosamond, CA, 10th 10. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA, 13th 11. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, 2nd 12. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA, 9th 13. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA 11th 14. Seth Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, 15th 15. Will Browne, Glendora, CA, 12th DNS Kevin Michnowicz, Carson, CA CLS Contingency Awards Heat Race #1 – Extreme Muffler $50.00 Product Certificate – Bobby Michnowicz Heat Race #2 – Yoshimura R& D - $50.00 CSI Product Certificate – Cody Nigh Heat Race #3 - Saldana Racing Products $50 product certificate – Mark Henry 1st Place Main Event - Eibach Springs $100.00 Product Certificate – David Gasper 2nd Place Main Event - Vahlco Wheels $50.00 Product Certificate – Bobby Michnowicz 3rd Place Main Event - Jake Swanson Shock Technology $50 Product Certificate – Eric Greco 4th Place Main Event – Hyper Chassis $50 Product Certificate – Dominic Del Monte 5th Place Main Event – Smith Titanium $50 Product Certificate – Gage Cheek 8th Place Main Event – BR Motorsports $25 Product Certificate – Josh Hackett 10th Place Main Event – King Racing Products $25.00 Product Certificate – Pat Kelley Fast Qualifier - West Evans Motorsports $25.00 Product Certificate – Eric Greco Hard Charger - Speed Mart $25.00 Product Certificate – Josh Hackett Hard Charger - Advanced Racing Suspension $50.00 Product Certificate – Josh Hackett Hard Charger – Hepfner Racing Products $25.00 Product Certificate – Josh Hackett Hard Luck Award – Speed Mart $25.00 Product Certificate – Jon Robertson 1st Car Not On The Lead Lap – Rebel Gears 30% Off Coupon - Josh Hackett The Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 W. Harbor Boulevard (93001). The track website is http://venturaraceway.com/ and the office phone number is (805) 648-RACE. California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA, 998 2. David Gasper, Santa Barbara, CA, 994 3. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, 974 4. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA, 943 5. Will Browne, Glendora, CA, 776 6. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Hills, CA, 735 7. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA, 649 8. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA, 643 9. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA, 492 10. Dominic Del Monte, Gardena, CA, 432 CLS vs BCRA “Civil War Series” Points 1. David Gasper – CLS - 142 2. Dakota Albright – BCRA – 126 3. Eric Greco – CLS – 126 4. Will Browne – CLA 116 5. Harlee Aguilera – BCRA – 109 6. Cody Nigh – CLS – 104 7. Greg Dennett – BCRA – 100 8. Hunter Kinney – BCRA – 92 9. Matt Land – BCRA – 89 10. Tim Kinser - 83 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 July 23 Ventura Raceway Winged August 26 Silver Dollar Speedway Winged – Civil War #2 August 27 Placerville Speedway Winged – Civil War #3 September 10 Lemoore Raceway Winged September 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged – Civil War #4 October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged – With SWLS October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged November 15 Bakersfield Speedway Winged – With USAC Midgets - Civil War #5 November 17 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing – With USAC Midgets - No Points November 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing – With USAC Midgets - No Points November 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