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CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CARS HEAD TO LEMOORE RACEWAY FOR FIRST RESPONDERS APPRECIATION NIGHT
(Torrance, CA, September 5, 2022)
The California Lightning Sprint Car Series is headed to Central California’s Lemoore Raceway for this Saturday’s First Responder’s Appreciation Night. It will be the only 2022 appearance for the CLS at the track that is located 30 minutes south of Fresno. Spectator gates will open at 4:00 p.m. and the first race will take the green flag at 7:00.

CLS President Jon Robertson is inviting all the drivers from the Bay Cities Racing Association to participate in the show. The CLS will honor all BCRA memberships and will pay a $100.00 bonus to the highest finishing BCRA driver.

Saturday’s race will be the 15th of the year for the CLS. After the series races in Northern California two weeks ago, the top four in the point standings got shuffled. David Gasper of Santa Barbara, the 2021 series champion, still leads the pack heading into Lemoore. However, Palmdale’s Eric Greco has moved up to second and Cody Nigh of Camarillo has taken over third. Jeff Dyer, who calls Yucca Valley home, had a nightmare weekend in Nor Cal and dropped from second to fourth in the championship standings. Five-time CLS champion Bobby Michnowicz of Oak Hills, who won the main event at Placerville, is fifth.

Gasper went into the two Nor Cal events having won four straight points races. He also had a 39-point advantage over Dyer when he arrived at Chico on August 26th. He finished fourth on the first night of the Nor Cal junket and eighth on the second night. Greco came into the races trailing Gasper by 41-points. He finished one position ahead of Gasper each night and cut his disadvantage down to 36-points going into Lemoore. Nigh is one point ahead of Dyer in the battle for third.

The second half of the top 10 going into the weekend is comprised of Glendora’s Will Browne, Connor Spier of Fillmore, “Rockstar” Jon Robertson of Torrance, Chino’s Pat Kelley, and Dominic Del Monte of Gardena. Browne and Spier are locked in a battle for the Rookie of the Year award. Browne leads his fellow freshman by 22 points. At Chico, the two teenagers bested the veterans and finished first and second in the main event. It was Spier taking the photo finish victory prevailing by a scant .088.

In addition to leading the CLS and Civil War Series point standings, Gasper sits on top of the CLS victory chart with six wins in the first 14 races. In the 13 mains he has started, he has a whopping .461 winning percentage. Michnowicz and San Diego’s A.J. Bender each have two wins. Greco, Spier, and the father and son combo of Grant Sexton, and his father Brent of Lakeside, have one win each.

Joining the CLS stars at Lemoore will be Bender. He has the night off from his USAC Western Midget and USAC/CRA Sprint Car duties and will be on hand this weekend. Last October, Bender appeared in the three-night Cal Cup at Lemoore driving for Sexton Gatlin Racing and he posted a win, a third, and a fifth-place finish. This week he will be in Mike Schweitzer’s #41B. In four races together in 2022, Bender and Schweitzer have combined to win two times at the Bakersfield Speedway.

Aiden Lange of Lakewood, a CLS regular and winner over the past few years, will make his second appearance of 2022 at Lemoore. The Lakewood racer last competed at the season opener in Bakersfield on March 25th.
In addition to the CLS, five other classes will be racing on Saturday. The Lemoore Raceway is located at 1750 CA-41, Lemoore, CA (93245). The track website is http://www.lemoorejetbowl.com/.

After Saturday’s race at Lemoore, the CLS will return to action at the Bakersfield Speedway for round #4 of the Civil War Series vs the BCRA on September 24th.

California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings
1. David Gasper – 1526
2. Eric Greco – 1490
3. Cody Nigh – 1390
4. Jeff Dyer – 1389
5. Bobby Michnowicz – 1215
6. Will Browne – 1111
7. Connor Spier – 1089
8. Jon Robertson – 875
9. Pat Kelley – 847
10. Dominic Del Monte – 656

Civil War Series Point Standings
1. David Gasper – CLS – 375
2. Eric Greco – CLS – 344
3. Will Browne – CLS – 333
4. Bobby Michnowicz – CLS - 300
5. Cody Nigh – CLS – 299
6. Greg Dennett - BCRA - 282
7. Harlee Aguilera – BCRA – 263
8. Dakota Albright – BCRA – 244
9. Matt Land – BCRA – 239
10. Brandon Leedy – BCRA - 236

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

Sept. 24 Bakersfield Speedway Winged – Civil War #4

October 8 Mohave Valley Raceway Winged – With SWLS

October 29 Ventura Raceway Winged

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

*Non Points Race

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