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CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES MAKES FINAL
2022 VENTURA APPEARANCE ON SATURDAY
(Torrance, CA, October 24, 2022)
After two weekends off, the California Lightning
Sprint Car Series returns to action this Saturday
night, October 29th, when it pays its last visit
of 2022 to Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway. After
Saturday’s race at the beachside oval, the CLS
will only have four races remaining before the end
of the season.
Like it was late in 2021,
teenage sensation David Gasper of Santa Barbara is
closing in on the series championship. The
16-year-old has an 86-point lead over Palmdale’s
Eric Greco going into the Ventura race. In
addition, Gasper also tops the series with seven
wins in the first 17 races of the year. However,
in the five races since winning at Ventura on July
23rd, he only has one victory. That came when he
bested the field at the Bakersfield Speedway on
September 24th.
David Gasper, who is closing in on his second CLS
championship, heads the CLS field Saturday at
Ventura.
Camarillo’s Cody Nigh, a San Diego
State University graduate who grew up around the
Ventura Raceway, and Yucca Valley’s Jeff Dyer, are
currently tied for third in the championship point
standings. They trail second-place Greco by 122
points going into Saturday’s race. Nigh and
California Highway Patrol officer Dyer are both
seeking their first win of the year in the CLS.
Dyer leads the series with five second-place
finishes this year, but apart from the September
24th race at Bakersfield when he placed third, he
has not finished better than 11th in the last six
races. Five-time series champion Bobby Michnowicz
of Oak Hills rounds out the top five in the
standings. The veteran, who has raced for over 40
years, has three wins in 2022. That is second best
to Gasper.
Besides Gasper and Michnowicz,
five other drivers have won CLS mains this year.
Lakeside’s Brent Sexton and San Diego’s A.J.
Bender have two victories each. Greco, Sexton’s
18-year-old son Grant, and rookie Connor Speir of
Bakersfield all have one win apiece.
Thus
far in 2022, Gasper has taken four CLS wins in the
first six races at Ventura. That includes three in
a row from June 25th through July 23rd. Besides
Gasper, Michnowicz and Greco have one victory each
at the track that abuts the Pacific Ocean on the
Ventura County Fairgrounds.
After
Saturday’s race, the CLS will only have one
point-paying event remaining in 2022. That will be
at the Bakersfield Speedway on Tuesday, November
15th. In addition to its being the last points
race of the season, it will also be the finale of
the “Civil War Series” pairing the CLS versus
northern California’s Bay Cities Racing
Association. After that date in Bakersfield, the
club will journey north to the Placerville
Speedway where it will co-sanction three races
with the BCRA at the annual ”Hangtown 100” on
November 16th, 17th, and 18th.
For fans
who wish to attend Saturday’s show at Ventura,
adult tickets are $18.00. Seniors 60 & over,
military with id, and students with id get in for
$15.00. Children 12 and under, who are accompanied
by an adult, are free. Spectator gates will open
at 3:00 p.m. and the first race will be at 5:30.
The track 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.
California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point
Standings
1. David Gasper – 1925
2. Eric
Greco – 1839
3. Cody Nigh – 1696
3. Jeff
Dyer – 1696
5. Bobby Michnowicz – 1578
6.
Connor Speir – 1372
7. Will Browne – 1300
8.
Jon Robertson – 1107
9. Pat Kelley – 1053
10. Dominic Del Monte – 700
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 Evans 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
Nov. 15
Bakersfield Speedway Winged – With USAC Midgets -
Civil War #5
Nov. 17 Placerville Speedway
Non-Wing – With USAC Midgets - No Points
Nov. 18 Placerville Speedway Non-Wing – With USAC
Midgets - No Points
Nov. 19 Placerville
Speedway Non-Wing – With USAC Midgets - No Points
To keep up with the CLS online, please visit
the website at http://racecls.com/ or on Facebook
at
https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints
PAST CALIFORNIA
LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS
1994 Tony Everhart,
1995 Gary Sexton, 1996 Rob Sczymczak, 1997 Jon
Rahe, 1998 Chris Rahe, 1999 Brent Sexton, 2000
Greg Bragg, 2001 Greg Bragg, 2002 Greg Bragg, 2003
David Cardey, 2004 Keith Janca, 2005 Johnny Bates,
2006 Donny Gansen, 2007 Shane Rossen, 2008 Brent
Sexton, 2009 Stuart Hielschier Sr., 2010 Jarrett
Kramer, 2011 Tim Brown, 2012 Bobby Michnowicz,
2013 Stephen Limon, 2014 Bobby Michnowicz, 2015
Bobby Michnowicz, 2016 Bobby Michnowicz, 2017
Bobby Michnowicz, 2018 Jarrett Kramer, 2019
Jarrett Kramer, 2021 David Gasper
This press release was
produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768
mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com |
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