California Lightning Sprint Car Series Heads North to Merced for Round #1 of the Civil War Series Ventura, CA – May 12, 2025 — The California Lightning Sprint Car Series (CLS), presented by Motor City Buick/GMC, heads north this Saturday night, May 17th, to Merced Speedway for Round #1 of the Annual Civil War Series vs the Bay Cities Racing Association. This event marks the first of four Civil War Series races and the first of two scheduled visits to Merced for the CLS in 2025. Saturday’s race is a dual-points event, awarding points toward both the Civil War Series and the CLS regular season championships. After two exciting rounds, the CLS points battle is tight at the top. Palmdale’s Eric Greco, winner of the season opener at Bakersfield Speedway on April 12th, and Aiden Lange of Lakewood, who captured the win at Ventura two weeks ago, are tied for the lead with 162 points. Seven-time CLS champion and defending Civil War Series victor Bobby Michnowicz of Oak Hills sits third, just 28 points back. Ventura’s Bruce Douglass is fourth, only seven points behind Michnowicz. Camarillo’s Cody Nigh and rookie standout Drake Cardey of Riverside are tied for fifth, 10 points in back of Douglass. In 2024, the CLS was scheduled for two events at Merced, but the April 13th date fell victim to Mother Nature’s wrath. When the series made the trek north in October, BCRA standout Dakota Albright of Waterford took the win over Michnowicz and Modesto’s Josef Ferolito. CLS drivers dominated last year’s Civil War Series, claiming eight of the top 10 spots in the final standings. Michnowicz was at the head of the table when the series wrapped up. Connor Speir of Fillmore, who jumped up to full-size sprint cars for 2025, finished second, just 11 points behind the champion. Greco placed third. BCRA veteran Greg Dennett of Livermore and CLS youngster Zate Legend of Riverside were fourth and fifth, respectively. Saturday’s event will also feature Mini Stocks, Valley Sportsmen, Dwarf Cars, and IMCA Hobby Stocks. Merced Speedway is located at 100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Merced, CA. For event times and ticket information, please visit www.mercedspeedway.net or call (209) 600-8382. Following Merced, the CLS returns to the Ventura Raceway on May 31st for round three of the season. CLS Raffle Announcement: The CLS is happy to announce that Outlaw Wings has donated a free top wing to be raffled off on October 25th. Raffle tickets are $5 and will be available for purchase at all CLS events throughout the season. 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. 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