Jeff Dyer Leads Green to Checkers in California Lightning Sprint Main at Bakersfield Torrance, CA – June 10, 2025 — Veteran racer Jeff Dyer became the fourth different winner in the 2025 California Lightning Sprint Car Series season presented by Motor City Buick/GMC, when he led every lap of last Saturday night’s main event on the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. The race was part of The Salute to Bob Vermeer and Narcie Ferreria, and Dyer also collected the lion’s share of an extra $500 purse bonus donated by Johnny Vermeer. Bakersfield CLS winner Jeff Dyer. P1 Race Images Photo. The night began with recently turned 23-year-old Aiden Lange setting fast time in Diablo Fabrication Qualifying with a lap of 15.496. He was followed by seven-time series champion Bobby Michnowicz (15.508) of Oak Hills and Yucca Valley-based Dyer (15.558). Current point leader Eric Greco of Palmdale (15.910) and leading rookie Drake Cardey of Riverside (15.992) rounded out the top five. A pair of eight-lap heat races set the stage for the main. El Cajon’s Braydin Collie won Racing Junk Heat #1 over Dyer and Cardey. Fellow Riverside teen Zate Legend won Extreme Muffler Heat #2, holding off Greco and Michnowicz. In the 20-lap main event, Greco started on the pole with Dyer alongside. Teens Legend and Cardey filled row two. Michnowicz and Collie occupied row three, and were followed by San Diego’s AJ Bender and “Rockstar” Jon Robertson of Torrance in row four. Bakersfield local Leland Day started alone in row five. Missing from the grid was fast qualifier Lange, whose engine expired in a dramatic fireworks display at the conclusion of his heat race. When the green flag dropped, Dyer surged into the lead, with sparks trailing from Cardey’s car as he moved into second ahead of Greco. Collie followed closely and moved into third before the first lap ended. Dyer quickly built a 1.3-second lead by lap three. Michnowicz’s night ended early with mechanical trouble on lap seven, and one lap later, Cardey rolled to a stop due to a disconnected Jacob’s ladder, ending a strong run. After the caution, the race resumed with Dyer leading Collie, Greco, Legend, and Bender. In a bold move, Collie threw a slider in turn two and briefly took the lead from Dyer on lap nine, only for Dyer to counter and regain the top spot. Collie attempted another slider on lap 11 but couldn’t make it stick as Dyer pulled away. Meanwhile, Legend was charging through the field. He passed Greco for third on lap 13, just before Greco retired to the infield. Legend then overtook Collie for second on lap 15 and rapidly closed in on the leader. On lap 18, Legend dove low going into turn one and attempted to slide Dyer for the lead. However, a slight bobble as he slid up the track cost him momentum and Dyer maintained his race long advantage. Legend made one final attempt in the same spot on the final lap, but Dyer held firm to secure the win. Legend, Collie, Bender, and Day completed the top five. “This makes up for the atrocious night we had in the sprint car,” Dyer told announcer John Candy after the race. “This car was fast. I was a little worried about the track rework, as I did not do anything to the car. It was a little slick, but I knew if I got the jump to the top, I would be okay. Man, that #8 was throwing some sliders at the end. That is the benefit of running second. You get to search around a little bit.” Moving from ninth to fifth, Leland Day earned both the Eibach Spring Forward Award and the SpeedMart Hard Charger Award. Lange’s misfortune received recognition with the SpeedMart and Hyper Racing Hard Luck Awards. Despite their misfortunes in the main, Greco and Michnowicz remain first and second in the Motor City Buick/GMC Championship standings. Legend moved up to third, Dyer climbed to fourth, and Cardey held onto fifth. The CLS will take a break this week before returning to action on June 21st at the always-popular Ventura Raceway, affectionately known as “The Best Little Dirt Track in America.” CLS Raffle News: The CLS is excited to announce that Outlaw Wings has donated a free top wing to be raffled off on October 25th. Raffle tickets are just $5 and will be available 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. June 7 Bakersfield Speedway Results Qualifying: 1. Aiden Lange, 15.496; 2. Bobby Michnowicz, 15.508; 3. Jeff Dyer, 15.558; 4. Eric Greco, 15.910; 5. Drake Cardey, 15.992; 6. AJ Bender, 16.035; 7. Braydin Collie, 16.060; 8. Zate Legend, 16.586; 9. Jon Robertson, 16.636; 10. Leland Day, 16.932 Racing Junk 8-Lap Heat #1: 1. Collie, 2. Dyer, 3. Cardey, 4. Lange, 5. Robertson Extreme Muffler 8-Lap Heat #2: 1. Legend, 2. Greco, 3. Michnowicz, 4. Bender 5. Day Main Event 20-Laps (With starting positions and Distance Behind) 1. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA (2nd) 2. Zate Legend, Riverside, CA (3rd) … +.037 3. Braydin Collie, El Cajon, CA (6th) … +1.523 4. AJ Bender, San Diego, CA (7th) … +3.278 5. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA (9th) … +8.701 6. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA (1st) … 7 Laps 7. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA (8th) … 11 Laps 8. Drake Cardey, Riverside, CA (5th) … 14 Laps DNS Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA 2025 CLS Contingency Awards 6/7/25 - Bakersfield Heat Races - Award Recipient Racing Junk Heat Race #1 winner: Competition Suspension Inc. $50 product certificate Brayden Collie Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2 winner: Extreme Muffler $50 product certificate Zate Legend ARS Heat Race #3 winner: Advanced Racing Suspensions $50 product certificate Main Event Award Winner: WEM (West Evans Motorsports) - $25 product certificate Jeff Dyer 2nd place: BR Motorsports - $25 product certificate Zate Legend 3rd place: Joie of Seating - $250 product certificate Brayden Collie 4th place: Saldana Racing Products - $50 product certificate AJ Bender 5th place: King Racing Products $25 product certificate Leland Day 6th place: Rebel Gear – 35% off product purchase Eric Greco Highest finisher with Hoosier tires on all 4 corners. Hoosier – free tire Quick time: Diablo Fabrication $50 product certificate Aiden Lange Spring Forward (Hard Charger) Eibach - $100 product certificate SpeedMart - $50 product certificate Leland Day Hard Luck Award Hyper Racing - $50 product certificate SpeedMart - $50 product certificate Aiden Lange Motor City Buick/GMC California Lightning Series Points 1. Eric Greco … 503 2. Bobby Michnowicz … 449 3. Zate Legend … 413 4. Jeff Dyer … 405 5. Drake Cardey … 399 6. Braydin Collie … 381 7. Aiden Lange … 362 8. Cody Nigh … 319 9. Leland Day … 303 10. Jon Robertson … 272 CLS vs BCRA Point Standings 1. David Gasper, CLS … 133 2. Eric Greco, CLS … 130 3. Hunter Kinney, BCRA … 124 4. Jeff Dyer, CLS … 122 5. Bobby Michnowicz, CLS … 118 6. Cody Nigh, CLS … 102 7. Greg Dennett, BCRA … 95 8. Dakota Albright, BCRA … 94 9. Braydin Collie, CLS … 88 10. Zate Legend, CLS … 84 2025 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule April 12 Bakersfield Speedway Eric Greco May 3 Ventura Raceway Aiden Lange May 17 Merced Speedway David Gasper (CLS vs BCRA Civil War) May 31 Ventura Raceway Postponed June 7 Bakersfield Speedway Jeff Dyer 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