|
|
 |
|
Aiden Lange
Wins Emotional California Lightning Sprint Series
Main at Ventura
Ventura, CA – May 5,
2025 — In what will long be remembered as
one of the most poignant nights in California
Lightning Sprint Car Series Presented by Motor
City Buick/GMC history, Aiden Lange of Lakewood,
CA, returned to victory lane in triumphant fashion
at the Ventura Raceway last Saturday night. The
emotional win was his first since stepping away
from racing 14 months ago to support his father’s
battle with cancer.
Aiden Lange before his CLS win last Saturday night
at the Ventura Raceway. Wendy Michnowicz photo.
After a hot start to the 2024 season that
saw him take an early championship lead, he put
his racing career on hold following his father
Michael’s cancer diagnosis. Save for one symbolic
appearance late last year when Michael’s condition
improved, Lange’s focus remained with family.
Saturday night, he made a powerful return to the
sport’s most sentimental stage, victory lane.
The night’s action came together after Ventura
Raceway staff stepped up to host the CLS event
following the cancellation of the scheduled race
at the Bakersfield Speedway. What followed was a
compelling, green-to-checkered 25-lap main event
that showcased both emotion and excellence.
Lange (Langeford Farms/Kopp’s Custom
Guitars/Spirited By Brad/Vital Pack/Randallz
Warranty Service/H2O Fire Protection/JDR
Graphics/T-Shirts by Timeless/Jake Swanson Shock
Technology/Collie Ollie Designs/iza.ini/Sweets by
Tiffany/SRK Graphics/2015 Triple X Chassis/2017
Kawasaki ZX10) started on the pole alongside CLS
legend Bobby Michnowicz. Behind them sat the Dyer
Motorsports duo of Jeff Dyer and 16-year-old
rookie Drake Cardey. The third row featured Eric
Greco of Palmdale—winner of this season’s
Bakersfield opener in April—and Camarillo native
Cody Nigh.
At the drop of the green, Lange
and Michnowicz went door-to-door into turn one.
Michnowicz took the high line but started hopping
coming off turn two, allowing Lange to power into
the lead. Though Michnowicz briefly poked his nose
ahead after switching to the bottom near the end
of lap two, Lange quickly regained control and
never looked back.
Meanwhile, Nigh moved
past Dyer into fourth early on. Just in front of
them, a fierce battle emerged for second place.
Cardey, showing poise well beyond his years,
relentlessly pressured Michnowicz, running the
high line with fearless determination. Persistence
finally paid off and the teen raced around the
seven-time champion entering turn one on lap 10.
By that point, Lange had built a nearly
half-straightaway lead and had no problems with
the lapped traffic. While the battle for podium
positions raged behind him, Lange stayed cool,
calm, and unchallenged up front, ultimately taking
the checkered flag with a commanding full
straightaway advantage. The victory, which was his
first since the 2024 season opener at the Imperial
Valley Raceway, was greeted by an outpouring of
support from the Ventura crowd.
Cardey’s
runner-up finish was the best of his young career
and earned him both the Eibach Spring Forward and
Speedmart Hard Charger awards. Behind the lead
duo, Michnowicz held off his nephew, Nigh, to
claim third, with Greco rounding out the top five.
"Ya’ I guess I just wanna’ say I’m super
grateful to be back racing after taking last year
off,” the happy winner said. "My dad spent his
time away building an absolutely perfect car that
I am super lucky to drive. We’re still working out
some bugs and knocking the rust off, but I owe it
to him and my sister to give it my all, and I’m
happy that in this case I could deliver.”
Earlier in the evening, Greco set fast time in
qualifying with an 11.818 lap. It was the only sub
12 second lap in time trials. San Diego State
graduate Nigh was second fastest at 12.037.
California Highway Patrol Officer Dyer was third
after speeding to a 12.123. Cardey and Bruce
Douglass were fourth and fifth with laps of 12.249
and 12.425.
Heat race victories went to
Greco over Dyer and Michnowicz in Racing Junk Heat
#1. Lange started his winning ways in Extreme
Muffler Heat #2 when he beat Cardey and Nigh to
the checkers.
Lange and Greco are currently
tied atop the championship point standings.
Michnowicz is 28-points behind the co-leaders in
third. Douglass sits fourth, while Cardey and Nigh
are locked in a tie for fifth.
The club
takes a break this weekend before heading north to
Merced Speedway for Round #1 of the annual CLS vs.
BCRA Civil War Series on May 17th.
The CLS
returns to Ventura Raceway on May 31st.
|
Heat Races
|
Award
|
Recipient
|
|
Racing Junk Heat Race #1 winner
|
Competition Suspension Inc.
$50 product certificate
|
Eric Greco
|
|
Extreme MufflerHeat Race #2 winner
|
Extreme Muffler
$50 product certificate
|
Aiden Lange
|
|
ARS Heat Race #3 winner
|
Advanced Racing Suspensions
$50 product certificate
|
|
|
Main Event
|
Award
|
|
|
Winner
|
|
Aiden Lange
|
|
2nd place
|
BR Motorsports -
$25 product certificate
|
Drake Cardey
|
|
3rd place
|
Joie of Seating
- $250 product certificate
|
Bobby Michnowicz
|
|
4th place
|
Saldana Racing Products -
$50 product certificate
|
Cody Nigh
|
|
5th place
|
King Racing Products
$25 product certificate
|
Eric Greco
|
|
Highest finisher with Hoosier tires on all
4 corners.
|
Hoosier –
free tire
|
Eric Greco
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quick time
|
Diablo Fabrication
$50 product certificate
|
Eric Greco
|
|
Spring Forward (Hard Charger)
|
Eibach -
$100 product certificate
SpeedMart
- $50 product certificate
|
Drake Cardey
|
|
Hard Luck Award
|
Hyper Racing
- $50 product certificate
SpeedMart
- $50 product certificate
|
Jon robertson
|
For more updates and series information, follow
the California Lightning Sprint Car Series on
social media and visit the official website at
racecls.com.
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, Advanced Racing Suspension, BR
Motorsports, Competition Suspension Incorporated,
Diablo Fabrication and Design, Eibach Springs,
Extreme Mufflers, EZ UP, Hoosier Tires, The Joie
of Seating, King Racing Products, Outlaw Wings,
RacingJunk.com, RC Fuel Injection, Rod End Supply,
Saldana Racing Products, SpeedMart, and Triple X
Race Components. If you would like to join the CLS
and be a marketing partner in 2025, please contact
Jon Robertson via email at
jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310)
367-9050.
May 3 Ventura Raceway Results
Qualifying: 1. Eric Greco, 11.818; 2. Cody
Nigh 12.037; 3. Jeff Dyer, 12.123; 4. Drake
Cardey, 12.249; 5. Bruce Douglass, 12.425; 6.
Aiden Lange, 12.462; 7. Jon Robertson, 12.503; 8.
Zate Legend, 12.759; 9. Brayden Collie, 12.928;
N.T. Bobby Michnowicz; N.T. Roland Smith
Racing Junk Heat #1: 1. Greco, 2. Dyer, 3.
Michnowicz, 4. Douglass, 5. Robertson, 6. Collie
Extreme Muffler Heat #2: 1. Lange, 2. Cardey,
3. Nigh, 4. Legend, 5. Smith
Main Event 25
Laps (with start position and time behind)
1.
Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA (1st)
2. Drake
Cardey, Riverside, CA (4th) … +2.910
3. Bobby
Michnowicz, Oak Hills, CA (2nd) … +4.569
4.
Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA (6th) … +6.169
5. Eric
Greco, Palmdale, CA (5th) … +6.752
6. Jeff
Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA (3rd) … 7.828
7. Bruce
Douglass, Ventura, CA (7th) … 8.718
8. Zate
Legend, Riverside, CA (9th) … 12.785
9. Brayden
Collie, El Cajon, CA (10th) … +1 Lap
10. Jon
Robertson, Torrance, CA (8th) … + 1 Lap
11.
Roland Smith, (11th) … +2 Laps
Motor City
Buick/GMC California Lightning Series Points
1.
Eric Greco … 262
1. Aiden Lange … 262
3.
Bobby Michnowicz … 234
4. Bruce Douglass … 227
5. Drake Cardey … 217
5. Cody Nigh … 217
7.
Zate Legend … 200
8. Brayden Collie … 168
9.
Jeff Dyer … 148
10. Leland Day … 118
2025 California Lightning Sprint Car Series
Schedule
April 12 Bakersfield Speedway
Eric Greco
May 3 Ventura Raceway Aiden
Lange
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 CLS vs BCRA Civil War 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
Special Thanks to
Wendy Michnowicz
This press
release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports
(909) 226-7768
mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
