Coming Back From a Blown Engine, Aiden Lange Wins California Lightning Sprint Main at Ventura Torrance, CA – June 24, 2025 — Just one race after suffering a blown engine at Bakersfield Speedway, Aiden Lange bounced back in dominant fashion by leading every inch of the way and scoring his second California Lightning Sprint Car Series main event win of the season last Saturday at Ventura Raceway. The victory made Lange the first repeat winner in the CLS for 2025 and gave him the victory in the first two races at Ventura this year. Winner Aiden Lange emerging from his car after winning at Ventura. Connor Paulos photo. A strong 15-car field gathered at the picturesque beachside oval for round five of the season. Local favorite Cody Nigh of Camarillo opened the night by setting fast time in Diablo Fabrication qualifying with a lap of 12.291 seconds. Seven-time CLS champion Bobby Michnowicz of Oak Hills was second quick at 12.406, while Lange was third at 12.520. Rounding out the top five in time trials were Yucca Valley’s Jeff Dyer (12.525) and Riverside rookie Drake Cardey (12.693). In heat race action, Ventura's own Bruce Douglass scored the win in Racing Junk heat race #1 ahead of Lange and Cardey. The winner of Extreme Muffler heat race #2 was Palmdale’s Eric Greco, the series points leader entering the night, over “Shugah” Shane Sexton of Warner Springs and Dyer. Lange, who entered the night ranked seventh in points, earned the pole position for the main event. Douglass, a former Senior Sprint Car champion at Perris Auto Speedway, lined up alongside. Row two featured Nigh and Michnowicz, with teammates Cardey and Dyer in row three. Greco and Sexton filled row four. When the green flag waved, Lange immediately surged into the lead, but the race was quickly halted when Robb Palmear — making his first start since 2022 — stopped on the back straight. During the yellow, Jon Robertson pulled off into the infield and out of the race. The second attempt was déjà vu — Lange shot to the front again, and Palmear once more came to a stop in the same spot, bringing out another caution. The third try saw some progress, with Lange taking command followed by Douglass, Michnowicz, and Nigh. Michnowicz moved into second by the end of lap one. However, the caution lights flashed again on lap three after Nigh got sideways in turn one and was collected, ending his night. Another brief green saw Greco move into fifth before Cardey’s engine expired in turn one on lap five, prompting yet another yellow. Greco then pulled off on the ensuing green flag opening the door for young Zate Legend of Riverside to move into the top five. With racing finally settled in, Lange found clear sailing ahead of him and opened a lead. By lap eight, he had pulled out to an eight-car-length advantage over Michnowicz, stretching it to a half-straightaway by lap 13. But traffic loomed. Struggling to pass the first lapper, Lange’s lead dwindled as Michnowicz and Douglass closed in. Lange finally cleared the slower car and temporarily regained breathing room. Still, Michnowicz wasn’t done — applying heavy pressure using the high line as Lange stuck low. With just four laps remaining, another lapped car threatened to change the outcome. Michnowicz closed in again, but Lange slipped past the back marker just in time and drove on to take the checkered flag by seven car lengths. Michnowicz's second-place finish was his best result of the year. Douglass finished third, equaling his top run of the season, while Dyer and Legend completed the top five. “I am very fortunate,” the humble driver said. “We had a good car count tonight. Even when we don’t, the cars we do have are very competitive. We are very lucky to race in a series with some of the best drivers. I really appreciate all of the other teams for putting on a good show with us.” “I kind of heard him,” Lange continued when he asked if he knew Michnowicz was close. “I figured the top was coming in. I wasn’t sure when I was going to make the move (to the top), but I felt very comfortable on the bottom. I figured if I could just keep doing those restarts – it felt like we had a lot of them – we would be alright. The car was really great tonight.” After getting upside down in his heat, San Diego’s Chase Wilson went from 15th to seventh in the main and picked up the Eibach Spring Forward and SpeedMart Hard Charger awards. Palmear was awarded the Hyper Racing and Speedwart Hard Luck Awards. The win propelled Lange from seventh to fifth in the standings. Michnowicz cut Greco’s championship lead from 54 to just 14 points. Dyer climbed to third, with Legend in fourth. The California Lightning Sprint Car Series will return to action on Saturay, July 5, joining the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Cars at Santa Maria Speedway. Diablo Fabrication Qualifying: 1. Cody Nigh, 12.291, 2. Bobby Michnowicz, 12.406, 3. Aiden Lange, 12.502, 4. Jeff Dyer, 12.525, 5. Drake Cardey, 12.683; 6. Braydin Collie, 12.275, 7. Bruce Douglass, 12.774, 8. Shane Sexton, 12.815, 9. Zate Legend, 12.903, 10. Leland Day, 12.928, 11. Chase Wilson, 12.928, 12. Eric Greco, 13. Jon Robertson, 12.999, 14. Robb Palmear, 13.919, NT Roland Smith Racing Junk Heat #1 (8 Laps): 1. Douglass; 2. Lange; 3. Cardey; 4. Nigh; 5. Legend; 6. Robertson, 7. Wilson; 8. Smith Extreme Muffler Heat #2 (8 Laps): 1. Greco; 2. Sexton; 3. Dyer; 4. Michnowicz; 5. Day; 6. Collie; 7. Palmear Main Event (20-Laps) With Starting Position and Distance Behind 1. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA … (1st) 2. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Hills, CA … (4th) +0.746 3. Bruce Douglass, Ventura, CA … (2nd) +2.721 4. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … (6th) +3.241 5. Zate Legend, Riverside, CA … (9th) +7.193 6. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA … (10th) +10.976 7. Chase Wilson, San Diego, CA … (15th) +1 Lap 8. Roland Smith, (14th) +1 Lap 9. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA … (7th) +20 Laps 10. Braydin Collie, El Cajon, CA … (11th) +20 Laps 11. Drake Cardey, Riverside, CA … (5th) +21 Laps 12. Shane Sexton, Warner Springs, CA … (8th) + 22 Laps 13. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA … (3rd) +23 Laps 14. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA (12th) +25 Laps 15. Robb Palmear, Ventura, CA (13th) +25 Laps 2025 CLS Contingency Awards 6/21/25 - Ventura Heat Races Award Recipient Racing Junk Heat Race #1 winner - Competition Suspension Inc. $50 product certificate Bruce Douglas Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2 winner - Extreme Muffler $50 product certificate Eric Greco ARS Heat Race #3 winner - Advanced Racing Suspensions $50 product certificate Main Event Award Winner Aiden Lange 2nd place - BR Motorsports - $25 product certificate Bobby Michnowicz 3rd place Joie of Seating - $250 product certificate Bruce Douglas 4th place - Saldana Racing Products - $50 product certificate Jeff Dyer 5th place - King Racing Products $25 product certificate Zate Legend 6th place - Rebel Gear – 35% off product purchase Leland Day Highest finisher with Hoosier tires on all 4 corners. - Hoosier – free tire Bruce Douglas Quick time - Diablo Fabrication $50 product certificate Cody Nigh Spring Forward (Hard Charger) - Eibach - $100 product certificate SpeedMart - $50 product certificate Chase Wilson Hard Luck Award Hyper Racing - $50 product certificate SpeedMart - $50 product certificate Rob Pelmear 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. Motor City Buick/GMC California Lightning Series Points 1. Eric Greco … 594 2. Bobby Michnowicz … 580 3. Jeff Dyer … 525 4. Zate Legend … 521 5. Aiden Lange … 499 6. Drake Cardey … 484 7. Braydin Collie … 466 8. Leland Day … 405 9. Cody Nigh … 400 10. Bruce Douglass … 352 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 Aiden Lange 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