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CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES OPENS IT’S 31ST SEASON THIS SATURDAY AT THE BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY
(Torrance, CA, April 7, 2025)
The California Lightning Sprint Car Series Presented by Motor City Buick/GMC will open its 31st season this Saturday, April 12th, on the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. The race will only be the second for the CLS at the Kern speed plant and the first since the track was reconfigured earlier this year.


CLS action at the old Bakersfield Speedway. CLS photo.

Saturday’s race will be the first of 16 in 2025 for the CLS. Over the next seven months, the races will be spread between six different California racetracks. Bakersfield and longtime series stop, the Ventura Raceway, will each host five events. The Merced and Santa Maria Raceways will hold two races each. Plaza Park Raceway in Visalia and Lemoore Raceway will each host the CLS for one race during the 2025 campaign.

The top five drivers in last season’s championship chase are all expected to be on hand on Saturday. Oak Hill’s star Bobby Michnowicz, the seven-time CLS champion, heads the list of entries. However, he will have an unfamiliar look as he will be making his first appearance in the Mike Schweitzer #41 car.

Last season, Michnowicz captured the title by 112 points over Palmdale’s Eric Greco. Each tied for the lead in main event wins with four apiece. Michnowicz last win came at Ventura on June 8th. One week later at the original Bakersfield Speedway, Greco notched his first win of the campaign. Greco got hot late in the season, winning three of the last five races of the year, including the last three at Ventura.

Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley, a California Highway Patrol Officer, finished third in last season’s title chase. He notched one victory at Santa Maria in July. A week after his win, he was seriously injured in a grinding crash in the USAC/CRA Series at Perris Auto Speedway. He came back faster than expected but was not at 100%. After a rest over the winter, he comes into Saturday’s race fully recovered.

Camarillo’s Cody Nigh was one of the most consistent drivers in the CLS in 2024. He parlayed the consistency into a fourth-place finish in the final standings. While he went winless in 11 starts, he finished in the top five eight times. The San Diego State graduate scored two second-place finishes, four third-place results, and came home fourth two times. Only three times during the season did he finish outside the top four, and only once outside the top 10.

Greco and one other driver had perfect attendance and made all 16 CLS races in 2024. The other racer was “Rockstar” Jon Robertson of Torrance. Robertson, who also serves as CLS President, finished in the top ten 13 times. Included were two top-five results. The first came at Bakersfield in June when he went by the checkered flag in third place. The other was a fourth at Ventura on October 26th.

Saturday’s race will only be the second for the CLS on the Bakersfield Speedway, located at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. For years, the club raced at the popular, original Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale. However, longtime Bakersfield promoter Scott Schweitzer moved the operation from that track to the facility across town. Located next to the gorgeous half-mile paved track and adjacent to Interstate 5, the existing dirt track underwent a massive makeover this year. The exit of turn two and entrance into turn three on the 1/3-mile oval have been reshaped. More than 2,000 additional seats have been added as well as a new press box.

The Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is located at 13500 Raceway Boulevard in Bakersfield, California. Spectator gates for Saturday’s race will open at 4:00 p.m. with racing at 6:00. For more information, including ticket prices, please visit the track website at https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ or call the track office at 661-835-1264.

The CLS would like to thank the following companies for being partners in the 2025 season. Motor City Buick/GMC, American Racer Tires, T Shirts By Timeless, Extreme Mufflers, RacingJunk.com, Rod End Supply, CSI Shocks, Hoosier Tires, RC Fuel Injection, Saldana Racing Products, Advanced Racing Suspension, Triple X Racing Components, The Joie of Seating, and Diablo Fabrication and Design.

FINAL 2024 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Points
1. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Gills, CA … 1882
2. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA … 1780
3. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA …1527
4. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA … 1465
4. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA … 1453
6. Zate Legend, Riverside, CA … 1400
7. Seth Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … 13532
8. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA … 1326
9. Clay Byers, Castaic, CA … 768
10. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA … 722
11. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA … 706
12. Broedy Graham, Bakerfield, CA … 626
13. Roland Smith … 432
14. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA … 402
15. Kelly Weitzel, El Cajon, CA … 312
16. Jacob Magalannes, Pasadena, CA … 257
17. Bill Changus, Fillmore, CA … 169
18. Tate Manu … 156
19. Dale Gamer, Anaheim, CA … 70

2025 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule

April 12 Bakersfield Speedway With the Ultimate Sprint Car Series

May 3 Bakersfield Speedway

May 17 Merced Speedway CLS vs BCRA Civil War

May 31 Ventura Raceway

June 7 Bakersfield Speedway With the Ultimate Sprint Car Series

June 21 Ventura Raceway

July 5 Santa Maria Speedway With USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series on Flo

July 26 Santa Maria Speedway With NARC Sprint Car Series on Flo

August 22 Plaza Park Raceway

August 23 Lemoore Jet Bowl Raceway

August 30 Ventura Raceway

September 12 Bakersfield Speedway CLS vs BCRA Civil War With World of Outlaws on Dirt Vision

September 13 Merced Speedway CLS vs BCRA Civil War Albright Memorial

October 4 Ventura Raceway

October 25 Ventura Raceway

November 25 Bakersfield Speedway Western Lightning Sprint Car Championship with USAC National Midgets on Flo

To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at http://racecls.com/ and follow on the club’s Facebook page 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, 2022 David Gasper, 2023 Bobby Michnowicz, 2024 Bobby Michnowicz

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