CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES POINTS RACE VISITS THE VENTURA RACEWAY THIS SATURDAY (Torrance, CA, October 24, 2023) The penultimate point race in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series will take place this Saturday night, October 28th, at Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway. Saturday’s race could well decide who the 2023 CLS champion will be. With a good night, five-time series champion Bobby Michnowicz will have one hand on the winner’s crown. An off night for the veteran and a good night for second-place driver Eric Greco could set up a dramatic showdown at the last points-paying race of the season on November 14th at the Bakersfield Speedway. Point leader Bobby Michnowicz after a heat race win on the beach in Ventura. CLS photo. Greco, a Glendale Community College first-year student, comes into the race trailing seasoned veteran Michnowicz by 95 points. A driver who sweeps the show can earn 142 points. Realistically, the title fight will likely continue to the Bakersfield date. Second in points Erik Greco after his Merced win. CLS photo. In their last meeting at the Mohave Valley Raceway two weeks ago, Michnowicz won the battle between the pair when he placed fourth in the 20-lap main event. Greco was one spot behind in fifth. A couple of weeks prior to that at the Merced Speedway, Greco not only won the battle between the two, but he also won the main. It was his first victory of 2023. Michnowicz placed fourth that night. Michnowicz leads the CLS with four wins this season and has a fine 3.07 main event finishing percentage. San Diego’s AJ Bender, Chris Crowder of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and California Highway Patrol Officer Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley have two victories each. Greco, teen sensation Braden Chiaramonte of El Cajon, Lakewood’s Aiden Lange, and 1999 and 2008 series champion Brent Sexton of Lakeside all have one CLS triumph in 2023. Bad news for Greco, and all of the competitors at Ventura on Saturday is the fact that three of the four races Michnowicz has won in 2023 have been at Ventura. The only other driver to win at the famous track this year is Lange. His victory came one month ago on September 23rd. Michnowicz, who lives in Oak Hills, placed second that night. Dyer, who scored a runaway win in the last race at Mohave Valley, was in and should still have been in the midst of the championship battle. However, a severed Achilles tendon in August saw him miss four races and drop from title contention. His 16-year-old son Seth scored the first win of his career in the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series last Saturday night at the Imperial Valley Raceway. The teen, who won his first lightning sprint car heat race at Ventura last year, will also be on hand on Saturday. Behind Michnowicz and Greco in the championship standings, Lange and “Rockstar” Jon Robertson of Torrance are deadlocked for third. Fillmore’s Connor Speir, the 2022 CLS Rookie of the Year who came home second to Jeff Dyer at the last race at Mohave Valley, is fifth. Adding intrigue to the already highly anticipated race at the beach in Ventura, Channel Island Floorcoverings will once again guarantee that the winner of Saturday’s main event will collect a minimum of $500.00. In addition, the company has assured that it will pay $100.00 to start the feature race. As well as the CLS, the VRA Sprint Cars, VRA Senior Sprints, VRA Hobby Stocks, Dwarfs, IMCA Sport Compacts, and Destruction Derby #2 will also be a part of Saturday’s show. Spectator gates will open at 3:00 p.m. and the first race will be at 5:30. Adult tickets are $18.00. Seniors 60 and over, military members, and students with ID get in for $15.00. Children 12 and under are free when they are accompanied by a paid adult. 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. The following companies are marketing partners with the CLS in 2023. Hoosier Tires West, T-Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, RacingJunk.com, Advanced Racing Suspension, King Racing Products, BR Motorsports, EZ Up, RC Fuel Injection, and Triple X. If you or your company would like to be a marketing partner with the CLS, please contact Jon Robertson using the contact information at the top of this release. To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ or on. 2023 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings 1. Bobby Michnowicz, Lomita, CA … 1756 2. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA … 1661 3. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA … 1255 4. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA … 1255 5. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA … 1226 6. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … 1134 7. Seth Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA …984 8. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA … 838 9. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA … 835 10. AJ Bender, San Diego, CA … 746 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Standings 1. Greg Dennett, BCRA … 504 2. Eric Greco, CLS … 485 3. Bobby Michnowicz, CLS … 447 4. Dakota Albright, BCRA … 441 5. Aiden Lange, CLS … 430 6. Chris Crowder, BCRA … 343 7. Connor Speir, CLS … 327 7. Jon Robertson, CLS … 272 9. Leland Day, CLS … 245 10. Seth Dyer, CLS … 243 2023 CLS vs SWLS Best of the West Standings 1. Bobby Michnowicz, Lomita, CA, CLS … 666 1. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA, CLS … 602 3. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, CLS … 535 4. Brent Sexton, Lakeside, CA. SWLS … 490 5. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA, CLS … 447 5. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA, CLS … 447 7. Seth Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, CLS … 438 8. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA, CLS … 403 9. Cody Griggs, Lakeside, CA, SWLS … 299 10. Robbie Brockman, El Cajon, CA, SWLS … 280 2023 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 10 Imperial Raceway CLS/SWLS “Best of the West” Round #1 AJ Bender March 11 Imperial Raceway CLS/SWLS “Best of the West” Round #2 Braden Chiaramonte March 18 Bakersfield Speedway CLS With USAC Western Midgets Rained Out April 1 Mohave Valley Raceway CLS/SWLS “Best of the West” Round #3 Brent Sexton April 8 Bakersfield Speedway CLS AJ Bender May 13 Ventura Raceway CLS With USAC 360 Sprint Cars Bobby Michnowicz May 20 Bakersfield Speedway CLS/SWLS “Best of the West” Round #4 Bobby Michnowicz June 3 Bakersfield Speedway CLS/BCRA “Civil War Series Round” #1 Jeff Dyer June 17 Ventura Raceway CLS/SWLS “Best of the West” Round #5 Bobby Michnowicz July 8 Ventura Raceway CLS Bobby Michnowicz August 19 Ocean Speedway CLS/BCRA “Civil War Series Round” #2 Chris Crowder September 9 Bakersfield Speedway CLS/BCRA “Civil War Series” Round #3 Chris Crowder September 23 Ventura Raceway CLS Aiden Lange September 30 Merced Speedway CLS/BCRA “Civil War Series” Round #4, Eric Greco October 14 Mohave Valley Speedway CLS/SWLS “Best of the West” Round #6 Jeff Dyer October 28 Ventura Raceway CLS November 14 Bakersfield Speedway CLS/SWLS Best of The West Round #7 November 17 Placerville Speedway “Hangtown 100” No Points Non Wing November 18 Placerville Speedway “Hangtown 100” No Points Non Wing 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, 2022 David Gasper This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com