Bobby Michnowicz sewed up his 7th CLS Championship at Bakersfield.  Scott Thomas/SC Motorsports Media Photo
 

Fifteen cars showed up for the final race of the California Lightning Sprints 30^th season.  Michnowicz, who has been racing at the “Okie Bowl” for decades, laid down the fastest lap in qualifying at 13.100.  Palmdale’s Eric Greco, who was the only driver with a mathematical chance of catching Michnowicz in the title chase,  was second fastest at 13.345.  Camarillo’s Cody Nigh was third quick with a 13.414.   Peter Benker of Alpine was fourth at 13.622 and Bakersfield local Leland Day rounded out the top five with a time of 13.722.

Torrance, California’s “Rockstar” Jon Robertson, who came into the night tied with Nigh for fourth in the standings,  captured the first six-lap heat race ahead of Michnowicz and Day.  The last CLS heat race of the season went to California Highway Patrol Officer Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley.  Fillmore’s Connor Speir came under the checkers in second, with Dyer’s 17-year-old son, Seth, third.

Speir captured the six-car, four-lap dash that would determine the starting position for the first three rows in the main event.  Thirteen-year-old Zate Legend of Riverside, Gasper, Greco, Michnowicz and Day placed second through sixth.

When the green flag kicked off the start of the final main event of the CLS season, Speir pushed his bright red 57 into the lead.  However, third-place starting Gasper rolled the bottom and inched ahead in turn two.  In an exciting opening lap, Speir, on the outside, inched ahead on the back chute.  They were even through turns three and four, with Gasper leading by a wheel as they closed the first go-around.  Greco was not far behind in third.

If lap one was a thriller, the second circuit was no slouch either.  Speir changed lines and went to the bottom off turn two.  Once again, the young drivers were side by side coming off turn four with Gasper again at the point when they completed the lap. 

Finally, Gasper put some distance between himself and Speir on lap three.  Greco was still running third. Wily veteran Michnowicz moved up to fourth on lap four when he passed Legend. At that point, things tamed down a bit and stayed status quo through lap nine before the exciting switch was again turned to full volume. 

Gasper caught the first lapped car and could not get past.  That allowed Speir and Greco to close in dramatically.  Gasper finally got past the lapper and opened up his lead once again, but Speir was not going to go down without a fight. Going into turn three on lap 14, he stayed on the throttle until deep in the corner and nearly pulled even with Gasper.  Going into turn one on the next go around, he took another peek at the inside, but Gasper held him at bay.

On lap 15, Speir again ran it in hard on the inside of turn three.  Simultaneously, Gasper slipped up the track and Speir took full advantage.  Coming off turn four, he moved up a lane and pilfered the lead.  However, he was dealt the same fate Gasper had been dealing with.  Another lapped car. Speir’s tenure at the point was short-lived as Gasper shot into the lead, leaving Speir behind the lapped car. 

Speir was staying within striking distance of Gasper, whose car was bunny-hopping through the corners.  The race went caution-free until Seth Dyer slowed and stopped on the back chute on lap 18.  That brought out the only caution of the race.  That was good news for the pace setters as it meant they would be free of lapped traffic the remainder of the way.

For the last restart of 2024, Gasper was in the lead with Speir on his push bar.  In the third spot was Greco, with Michnowicz and Legend making up the remainder of the top five.  Gasper got a tremendous restart and zoomed away from the pack. From that point on, he went unchallenged.  At the checkers, he had a 2.542 advantage over Speir.  Greco placed third, with Michnowicz, the champion again, coming home fourth.  Legend finished fifth. 

Nigh, who moved from 11^th to finish eighth, was the hard charger in the 25-lap race.

“I had to work for that one,” the happy winner told the big crowd on hand and fans worldwide who were watching on Flo Racing.  “That is the hardest I have worked in a long time.  The traffic was tough.  You have got to pick them off one at a time.  I heard and saw Connor down there a couple times.  I had to minimize the mistakes as it is easy to make mistakes on this track right now.  Hats off to the Bakersfield Speedway guys for getting this one in tonight.  It has been wet at every track the swing has gone to these two weeks.  Happy to park this Schweitzer #41 in victory lane.  This was the race where I started my circle track career.  So, it is cool to be able to come back and run it and have a little better luck this time.”

“It is really nice,” champion Michnowicz told infield announcer Drake York and the crowd when asked what it meant to add to his legacy with another championship.  “I am just really glad that the California Lightning Sprint Series has a winged series that old guys like me can come out and still race. It is the best bang you can get for your buck.  We have help from Super Shox, Outlaw Wings, Pflum & Wagner and Wendy (Michnowicz wife and crew chief).  She is the best.  Without her, I could not do anything.”

“This is by far the most memorable main event that we/I have ever won,”  car owner Mike Schweitzer said.  We wanted to win so bad with Bailey’s name on the side.  It literally brought tears to my eyes when we pulled off the win.  I cannot say enough about working with David Gasper.  Such a great attitude.  Just talking and asking him what he thinks we need and him telling us to just do what we do.”

Marketing partners on Schweitzer's #41 winning car are Abacus, TRB, Bil Mell Dot Com Real Estate Services, Scott & Crissy Schweitzer, 3n1 Motorsports, Five Eight Designs, M-P Environmental, Elite Signs LLC, Oil Well Service, Hot Tod Engineering, Salinas Paint & Body, Mike Allen with CR Rods, Jack and the crew at CSI Shocks, and Rod End Supply.

The CLS would like to thank Iron Alliance Engineering Inc. and the “Italian Stallion,” PJ Benedetti for sponsoring the heat races and Hard Charger awards on the night. 

Next up for the CLS will be the 2024 awards banquet.  Once again, it will be held at the popular Frantone’s Pizza and Spaghetti Villa in Cerritos at 6:00 p.m. on February 1^st.  Tickets for the banquet, which is open to everyone, will be on sale soon.  For more information on the festive night, call Jon Robertson at (310) 367-9050.

The CLS would like to thank the following companies for being partners in the 2024 season.  Extreme Mufflers, RacingJunk.com and Hoosier Tire.  

Western States Lightning Sprint Car Championship Results

Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. Robertson, 2. Day, 3. Michnowicz, 4. Cody Benker, 5. Legend, 6. Nigh, 7. Kelley