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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.
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
This press release was
produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768
mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com |
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