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CALIFORNIA
LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES ANNOUNCES 30TH SEASON
SCHEDULE (Torrance, CA, January 22,
2024) The table has been set for the
historic 30th season of racing for Southern
California’s premier lightning sprint
organization, the California Lightning Sprint
Cars. The famous So Cal-based racing club will
kick off the new campaign during the annual
California Mid-Winter Fair at the Imperial Valley
Raceway on March 1st and 2nd. The 20-race schedule
will end nine months later at the Bakersfield
Speedway.
“We are excited about this season,” CLS
president Jon Robertson said. “Santa Maria is back
on the schedule for three races. We will be back
at Bakersfield and Ventura. They have been part of
the CLS for years. We are back at El Centro to
open the season and we will head north for annual
stops at Merced and Placerville.”
Two
longtime stops for the CLS, Scott Schweitzer’s
Bakersfield Speedway and Jim Naylor’s Ventura
Raceway will headline the series once again in
2024. Billed as “The West’s Fastest 1/3 Mile High
Banked Clay Oval,” Bakersfield will see the club
drop in six times. Highlighting the shows at the
nearly 80-year-old track will be a September 13th
date alongside the legendary World of Outlaws
Sprint Cars. That night will also be round #3 of
the annual Civil War Series matching the CLS vs
Northern California’s Bay Cities Racing
Association. Other dates at Bakersfield will be
March 23rd with the USAC Western Midgets, April
20th, May 18th with the Inland Rigging Ultimate
Sprint Car Series, June 15th, and the season ender
on November 26th with the USAC National Midgets.
Veteran race fans are looking forward to
all five stops the CLS is going to make at the
Ventura Raceway. Situated on the beach inside the
Ventura County Fairgrounds, the tiny track is one
of the most popular in the nation. Fans and racing
teams come out early to enjoy the beach, one of
the great local restaurants, and then to the track
for some of the most exciting racing in the
nation. This year, the mighty CLS will be at the
“Commotion By The Ocean” on May 4th, June 8th,
September 14th, September 28th, and October 26th.
After a one-year absence from the CLS
schedule, the Santa Maria Raceway, which is under
new management, returns to the CLS roster of
tracks in 2024. The Central California 1/3 mile
will see the CLS on the track on July 5th and 6th
with the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars. Three weeks later
the club will be back for round #2 of the Civil
War Series on July 27th. Joining the lightning
cars on the 27th will be the popular King of the
West Sprint Cars.
The Imperial Valley
Raceway will be the site of two CLS races in 2024.
This year’s races will be run during the annual
California Mid-Winter Fair and will be a
co-sanction with the SoCal Lightning Sprints.
Racing at the fair was a tradition for the CRA
Sprint Car Series for over 30 years beginning in
the 1950s. The CLS dates at the track that is
located near the USA/Mexico border are March 1st
and 2nd.
Two other tracks with a pair of
dates are on the 2024 schedule. First up will be
Doug Lockwood’s Merced Speedway. Known as one of
the raciest tracks on the West Coast, the CLS will
journey north to take on BCRA’s finest in rounds
one and four of the Civil War Series on April 13th
and October 5th. Another Northern California
track, the Placerville Speedway, will see the CLS
on hand for two nights of racing. BCRA will join
the CLS on the famous red-clay quarter mile in the
Hangtown 100 on November 15th and 16th. The
Placerville shows, which will also feature the
USAC National Midgets, will both be non-point
races.
“Hangtown is such a huge event,”
Robertson said. “You have guys from all over
there. Merced is on the schedule for two nights of
Civil War action. The Albright race in October is
a very big deal. It will be our only non-wing show
of the year with the exception of Hangtown. Our
Civil War shows are very good. The BCRA drivers
are tough and we (CLS) have an equally tough
field.”
“It takes a little bit longer and
a lot of skill putting these schedules together.
Working with all of the different organizations
and the racetracks. Bobby Michnowicz does a
fantastic job piecing a lot of this together.
Dealing with all of the pieces to make it happen.
It took us a little bit longer to get this
schedule out as we were trying to get all of the
planets to align. This year is going to be
fantastic. I cannot wait until the season openers
at Imperial. The racing history on the fairgrounds
there is incredible. It is cool for all of our
guys to get to compete there.”
Before the 2024 season kicks off, the 2023
CLS banquet will take place on February 3rd at
Frantone’s Pizza and Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos.
Tickets are $40.00 and the public is welcome. The
food is fantastic and the atmosphere is fun. For
more information call or email Jon Robertson at
(310) 367-9050 – jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net.
To keep up with the CLS online, please visit
the website at http://racecls.com/ and follow on
the club’s Facebook page.
2023 California
Lightning Sprint Car Series Final Point Standings
1. Bobby Michnowicz, Lomita, CA … 2026 2.
Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA … 1883 3. Aiden Lange,
Lakewood, CA … 1509 4. Jon Robertson, Torrance,
CA … 1434 5. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA … 1383
6. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … 1349 7. Seth
Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … 1440 8. Cody Nigh,
Camarillo, CA … 959 9. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA …
927 10. Brent Sexton, Lakeside, CA … 817
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
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, 2023 Bobby Michnowicz
This press
release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports
(909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
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