Tight Championship Chase as California Lightning Sprint Cars Return to Santa Maria This Saturday Torrance, CA – July 1, 2025 — The California Lightning Sprint Car Series, presented by Motor City Buick/GMC, makes its first of two appearances at Santa Maria Speedway this Saturday night, July 5th. With the season’s championship race tightening up, fans can expect high-stakes action on the historic 1/3-mile Santa Barbara County oval. Aiden Lange (center) after his second win of the season two weeks ago at Ventura. CLS Photo. Championship leader Eric Greco saw his points lead shrink dramatically following a DNF at the last race in Ventura on June 21st. Seven-time CLS champion Bobby Michnowicz finished second that night, cutting Greco’s 54-point lead to just 14 points heading into Santa Maria. Lakewood’s Aiden Lange enters Saturday’s event riding the momentum of a victory at Ventura. The newly turned 23-year-old is the only driver with multiple wins in 2025, also taking top honors at Ventura on May 3rd. However, a 17th-place finish at Merced and a DNS at Bakersfield have him fifth in the standings instead of among the top three. Other winners this season include Greco (Bakersfield opener), USAC/CRA regular David Gasper (Merced Civil War Series opener), and Jeff Dyer, who claimed the June 7th race at Bakersfield. The top five in the Motor City Buick/GMC standings—Greco, Michnowicz, Dyer (a California Highway Patrol officer), 16-year-old Zate Legend, and Lange—are separated by just 95 points with 10 races left in the season. The Rookie of the Year battle is also heating up. Teenagers Drake Cardey (Riverside) and Braydin Collie (El Cajon) sit sixth and seventh in points, respectively, just 18 apart. Cardey enters with 484 points to Collie’s 466, both just behind Lange’s 499. Saturday’s race marks the sixth CLS appearance at Santa Maria since racing resumed post-COVID. Five different drivers have claimed wins in the last five visits: Greco and A.J. Bender in 2021, Brent Sexton in 2022, and Connor Speir and Dyer in 2024. Also on Saturday’s card are the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, Racesaver Sprints, and SoCal Dwarf Cars. Ticket Information: Adults (25+): $25.00 Seniors 65+ & Military (active and retired): $23.00 Students (11-17): $10.00 Kids 10 & under: FREE Gates open at 4:00 p.m., with racing set to begin at 6:00. Santa Maria Speedway is located at 1800 Hutton Road, Santa Maria, CA. For those unable to attend in person, the race will be streamed live on Flo Racing. Track Phone: (805) 609-0478 Track Website: Santa Maria Speedway on MyRacePass The next stop for the CLS after Saturday’s race will also be at Santa Maria on July 26th. 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 CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT WINS SINCE THE START OF 2021 1. Bobby Michnowicz …16 2. Eric Greco … 13 3. David Gasper … 11 4. A.J. Bender … 9 5. Jeff Dyer … 5 6. Aiden Lange … 4 7. Brent Sexton … 3 7. Connor Speir … 3 7. Chris Crowder … 3 10. Logan Seavey … 2 11. James Turnbull … 1 11. Kevin Michnowicz … 1 11. Grant Sexton … 1 11. Braden Chiaramonte … 1 11. Brodey Grahame … 1 11. Hunter Kinney … 1 11. Dakota Albright … 1 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