KENYON MIDGETS AND OTHER RACING SERIES RACE RESULTS AND NEWS AND NOTESNEWS AND NOTES

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KENYON MIDGET SERIES CALIFOrNIA LIGHTNING SERIES RUSH SPRINT CAR SERIES  500 SPRINT CAR tour

CALIFOrNIA LIGHTNING SERIES 

   

www.racecls.com

 

 

CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SERIES OPENS IT’S 31ST SEASON THIS SATURDAY AT THE BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY

CLS

(Torrance, CA, April 7, 2025) The California Lightning Sprint Car Series Presented by Motor City Buick/GMC will open its 31st season this Saturday, April 12th, on the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.  The race will only be the second for the CLS at the Kern speed plant and the first since the track was reconfigured earlier this year. 


 

Saturday’s race will be the first of 16 in 2025 for the CLS.  Over the next seven months, the races will be spread between six different California racetracks.  Bakersfield and longtime series stop, the Ventura Raceway, will each host five events. The Merced and Santa Maria Raceways will hold two races each.  Plaza Park Raceway in Visalia and Lemoore Raceway will each host the CLS for one race during the 2025 campaign.

 

The top five drivers in last season’s championship chase are all expected to be on hand on Saturday.  Oak Hill’s star Bobby Michnowicz, the seven-time CLS champion, heads the list of entries.  However, he will have an unfamiliar look as he will be making his first appearance in the Mike Schweitzer #41 car. 

 

Last season,  Michnowicz captured the title by 112 points over Palmdale’s Eric Greco.  Each tied for the lead in main event wins with four apiece.  Michnowicz last win came at Ventura on June 8th.  One week later at the original Bakersfield Speedway, Greco notched his first win of the campaign.  Greco got hot late in the season, winning three of the last five races of the year, including the last three at Ventura.

 

Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley, a California Highway Patrol Officer, finished third in last season’s title chase.  He notched one victory at Santa Maria in July.  A week after his win, he was seriously injured in a grinding crash in the USAC/CRA Series at Perris Auto Speedway.  He came back faster than expected but was not at 100%.  After a rest over the winter, he comes into Saturday’s race fully recovered. 

 

Camarillo’s Cody Nigh was one of the most consistent drivers in the CLS in 2024.  He parlayed the consistency into a fourth-place finish in the final standings.  While he went winless in 11 starts, he finished in the top five eight times.  The San Diego State graduate scored two second-place finishes, four third-place results, and came home fourth two times.  Only three times during the season did he finish outside the top four, and only once outside the top 10.

 

Greco and one other driver had perfect attendance and made all 16 CLS races in 2024.  The other racer was “Rockstar” Jon Robertson of Torrance.  Robertson, who also serves as CLS President, finished in the top ten 13 times. Included were two top-five results.  The first came at Bakersfield in June when he went by the checkered flag in third place.  The other was a fourth at Ventura on October 26th.   

 

Saturday’s race will only be the second for the CLS on the Bakersfield Speedway, located at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.  For years, the club raced at the popular, original Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale.  However, longtime Bakersfield promoter Scott Schweitzer moved the operation from that track to the facility across town.  Located next to the gorgeous half-mile paved track and adjacent to Interstate 5, the existing dirt track underwent a massive makeover this year.   The exit of turn two and entrance into turn three on the 1/3-mile oval have been reshaped.  More than 2,000 additional seats have been added as well as a new press box.

 

The Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is located at 13500 Raceway Boulevard in Bakersfield, California.  Spectator gates for Saturday’s race will open at 4:00 p.m. with racing at 6:00.  For more information, including ticket prices, please visit the track website at https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ or call the track office at 661-835-1264.

 

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, Extreme Mufflers, RacingJunk.com, Rod End Supply, CSI Shocks, Hoosier Tires, RC Fuel Injection, Saldana Racing Products, Advanced Racing Suspension, Triple X Racing Components, The Joie of Seating, and Diablo Fabrication and Design. 

 

FINAL 2024 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Points

1. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Gills, CA … 1882

2. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA … 1780

3. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA …1527

4. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA … 1465

4. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA … 1453

6. Zate Legend, Riverside, CA … 1400

7. Seth Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … 13532

8. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA … 1326

9. Clay Byers, Castaic, CA … 768

10. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA … 722

11. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA … 706

12. Broedy Graham, Bakerfield, CA … 626

13. Roland Smith … 432

14. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA … 402

15. Kelly  Weitzel, El Cajon, CA … 312

16. Jacob Magalannes, Pasadena, CA … 257

17. Bill Changus, Fillmore, CA … 169

18. Tate Manu … 156

19. Dale Gamer, Anaheim, CA … 70

 

 

 

SCHWIETZER AND MICHNOWICZ TEAM UP FOR APRIL 12TH CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINTS SEASON OPENER

 

(Torrance, CA, March 28, 2025) In a move that is going to raise a lot of eyebrows in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series Presented by Motor City GMC, longtime car owner Mike Schweitzer has announced that seven-time series champion Bobby Michnowicz will drive his car at the April 12th season opener on the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.  The move puts the driver, with over half a century of racing experience, together with a family team that has owned cars for over 70 years. 


 

 

The race will mark the beginning of the 31st season for the Southern California club. It will also mark the first time the Schweitzers and Michnowicz have teamed up to race together.  Going back to the beginning of their midget ownership days in the early 1950s, the Schweitzers have fielded cars for such stars as Bob Wente, Mel Kenyon, Roger Mears, George Snider, Gary Bettenhausen, Bubby Jones, Johnny Parsons Jr., Mike McGreevy, Don Edmunds, and more.  In addition, in recent years, Wink Schweitzer, AJ Bender, James Turnbull, “Shugah” Shane Sexton, Broedy Graham, and David Gasper have steered Schweitzer entries in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series.

 

“We were going to do it at the first race of the year at KCRP, but that race got canceled,” Schweitzer said.  “So we are going to do it April 12th.  At the beginning of the year, I was talking with Bobby about something with the rules.  He asked me if we had a driver lined up to drive the #41.  I jokingly said, ‘you, I don’t have anybody lined up.’  That is just how it came about.”

 

“Not really,” Schweitzer continued when asked if he was surprised when Michnowicz accepted his offer.  “We are good friends and have always gotten along really well.  I think it will be pretty good for both of us.  We will learn a lot from him.  It is two racing rivals coming together.  We will see what comes out of this.”

 

Schweitzer comes into the event after a very emotional victory to close the 2024 season.  His cousin, Scott Schweitzer, was the promoter of the old Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale and is now the shot-caller at the new Bakersfield Speedway at Kern.  In 2017, his daughter Bailey lost her life at the October 91 Harvest Music Festival tragedy in Las Vegas.  For the last half of the 2024 racing campaign, Mike Schweitzer redid his car as a tribute to Bailey.  On November 27th, David Gasper steered the car to an emotional win at the track.  What was unknown at the time and added more significance to the victory was the fact that it came on the last night of racing at the “Okie Bowl,” which first opened its doors in the 1940s. 

 

The car Michnowicz will be wheeling for Schweitzer is a 2000 Henchcraft with a 2000 ZX12 engine.  Despite its age, the car remains one of the fastest in the CLS.  Schweitzer is optimistic that Michnowicz is capable of putting the #41 into victory circle, but he reminds that lightning sprints are unpredictable.  

 

“In lightning sprint racing, nothing is a given,” the Bakersfield, California car owner stated.  “You have to have a lot of racing luck.  There is a lot more to it than just having the best car and the best driver.  I am looking for a good night and I am excited.  We have a lot of people excited about it.  My wife even said, ‘I am going, I have got to see this.’”

 

Things are going to be quite different for Michnowicz.  He has been steering cars owned by his father and himself for nearly his entire career.  In fact, you could count the number of races he drove for someone else on one hand.  He recalls driving midgets for Ron Bach and Tony Fabozzi at the Chili Bowl, but he essentially served as both driver and crew chief.  When he ran his dad’s cars when he was younger, they did the cars together. Needless to say, he is looking forward to just showing up and only worrying about driving on April 12th. 

 

“When I take my car to the races, I am crew, crew chief, driver, tire changer, fueler, I do my tear-offs, I do everything,” the friendly Michnowicz stated.  “Wendy (his wife) is helping the CLS club at the track.  So, I basically do it all, and it’s a chore.  To be able to just show up, drive a quality car with a knowledgeable team, and all I have to do is hop on my pit bike, check out the track, and give my feedback on what the car feels like, and then just get to relax and drive.  It is going to be a really good night for me because usually I just work my tail off.”

 

“I honestly cannot remember when I showed up at the track and did not have to be the crew chief, driver, and everything,” the Oak Hills, California resident said.  “A lot of it is, when you have been around so long, you don’t trust people.  You just do it yourself.  With Wink and Mike, I trust these guys.   They have a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience, and a good piece of equipment.  I am really looking forward to it.”

 

Michnowicz noted that when competing against others, he tries to psych them out.  He has always respected the Schweitzer’s and the #41 car.  Now, they will join forces to try and psych out everybody else on a track he has never raced on. However, the CLS has only raced at the track one time.  In addition, the track was reshaped before this season began.  So, even though it is a new ride on a new track for him, Michnowicz feels the playing field is level for everyone. 

 

The veteran, who has raced traditional sprint cars with the original CRA and SCRA, winged sprints with the World of Outlaws and NARC, midgets, and stock cars, does not anticipate having a tough time getting acclimated to the new track on the 12th.  That is because, going back to his early days, he never really had a home track.  He raced everywhere, not just in one specific place. 

 

“I feel I adapt quicker to new situations and new tracks,” he said.  “I feel if I was in my own car, I would be a little above (the competition) going to the new track.  I am going to have to adapt to a new car and a new track.  So, I don’t know that I have an advantage.  And the car is going to be a ZX12 Henchcraft.  I haven’t driven a ZX12 Henchcraft in, I bet, 10 years.”

 

Going back to 2012, when Michnowicz won his first CLS title, he has captured the championship seven times.  That includes a four-year streak from 2014 through 2017 and the last two years on the trot.  However, he always says he is not a point racer.   

 

“We never really chase points,” he pointed out.  “We just try to do the best we can at every race.  So, I think if we do well in this race, the next race is also at Kern.  Maybe if they allow me, I will do it again.  When we get to like Merced, I will probably jump back in my car because I know they have their eyes on a couple drivers they will have at the small tracks.”   

 

The Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is located at 13500 Raceway Boulevard in Bakersfield, California.  Spectator gates for the April 12th race in Bakersfield will open at 4:00 p.m. with racing at 6:00.  For more information, including ticket prices, please visit the track website at https://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ or call the track office at 661-835-1264.

 

The Schweitzer #41 Michnowicz will drive at Bakersfield is sponsored by Abacus, TRB, Bill Mell & Associates Real Estate Services,  Circle 8 Services, Oil Well Service, 3n1 Motorsports, Elite Signs LLC, Quick Time Designs, M-P Environmental, Hot Rod Engineering, and Salinas Paint and Body.  Car owner Schweitzer wanted to send a special thanks to Motor City Buick GMC and American Racer Tires Southwest.

 

The CLS would like to thank the following companies for being partners in the 2025 season.  Motor City GMC, American Racer Tires, Extreme Mufflers, RacingJunk.com, Rod End Supply, BR Motorsports, King Racing Products, Saldana, Extreme Technology, Advanced Racing Suspension, West Evans, CSI Shocks, SpeedMart, Hyper, Rebel Gears, E-Z Up, Amith Titanium, Triple X Race Cars, RC Fuel Injection, Keizer Wheels, Racing Optics, Guhl Motors, Vahlco Wheels, Performance Electronics, The Joie of Seating, Hoosier Speed, Eibach, Outlaw Wings, and Diablo Fabrication.   

 

FINAL 2024 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Points

1. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Gills, CA … 1882

2. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA … 1780

3. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA …1527

4. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA … 1465

4. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA … 1453

6. Zate Legend, Riverside, CA … 1400

7. Seth Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … 13532

8. Connor Speir, Fillmore, CA … 1326

9. Clay Byers, Castaic, CA … 768

10. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA … 722

11. Pat Kelley, Chino, CA … 706

12. Broedy Graham, Bakerfield, CA … 626

13. Roland Smith … 432

14. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA … 402

15. Kelly  Weitzel, El Cajon, CA … 312

16. Jacob Magalannes, Pasadena, CA … 257

17. Bill Changus, Fillmore, CA … 169

18. Tate Manu … 156

19. Dale Gamer, Anaheim, CA … 70

 

CLS vs BCRA Civil War Points

1. Bobby Michnowicz, CLS … 345

2. Connor Speir, CLS … 334

3. Eric Greco, CLS … 329

4. Greg Dennett BCRA … 309

5. Zate Legend, CLS … 276

6. Seth Dyer, CLS … 274

7. Leland Day, CLS … 263

8. Jon Robertson, CLS … 256

9. Matt Land, BCRA … 219

9. Jeff Dyer, CLS … 219

 

 500 SPRINT CAR SERIES

   

 the 500 Sprint Car Tour features non-wing pavement sprint cars. These unique open-wheel race cars with extreme horsepower produce high-speed, side-by-side racing.

www.500sprintcartour.com

 

25th Glen Niebel Classic Opens 2025 Season


 

The fourth season of competition for the 500 Sprint Car Tour begins this Thursday, April 17th with the 25th Running of the Glen Niebel Classic presented by CB Fabricating. It will be the third consecutive season that the Glen Niebel Classic at Anderson Speedway will be the scene of the first race of the season. Although this is the first points race of 2025, many teams will be using the event as a tune up race for the 77th Annual Little 500 on Saturday, May 24th.


 

In the 2024 edition of the Glen Niebel Classic, Kody Swanson was named the winner after Dakoda Armstrong failed post race inspection. The victory was Swanson’s first and only victory of 2024, but a strong season of top 5 and top 3 finishes propelled him into the Series Championship. Swanson claimed the 2024 500 Sprint Car Tour Championship in the final race of the season, becoming the first multi-time champion for the series. Swanson will return to the series full time in 2025 in search of a third championship.


 

A total of 25 teams have entered the season opening event, which will be viewed as a tune up event for the 77th Annual Little 500. Among those entered will be first time 500 Sprint Car Tour competitors Matt Dimit, Kyle Hamilton, Rylan Gray, and Chase Locke. A mixture of Series Champions and Little 500 Champions will also be in the mix with Kody Swanson and Tyler Roahrig representing both groups. Swanson is a three time Little 500 winner and a two time 500 Sprint Car Tour Champion, and Roahrig is a two time Little 500 winner along with being the 2023 500 Sprint Car Tour Champ. Bobby Santos III returns to the 500 Sprint Car Tour for his fourth full season of competition. Santos is a winner in the series and the 2020 Little 500 Champion. Kyle Hamilton makes his return to sprint car racing, and his 500 Sprint Car Tour debut. Hamilton, the 2017 Little 500 winner, will be returning to Anderson Speedway in the seat of a sprint car after taking a brief hiatus from the sport.


 

The 25th Running of the Glen Niebel Classic presented by CB Fabricating will not only open the season for the 500 Sprint Car Tour, but will also be the opening night for Anderson Speedway. The event will be held on Thursday, April 17th and the 500 Sprint Car Tour will be joined by the USSA Kenyon Midget Series and the Beaver Contracting Thunder Roadsters, an Anderson Speedway local division. Pit gates will open at 1:30pm, front gates will open at 3:30pm, and racing is set to begin at 6:00pm. The event will be streamed live on DIRTVision, and pre-sale tickets for the event can be purchased online by clicking HERE.


 

The 2025 500 Sprint Car Tour season will see nine points earning events across a ten race schedule from early April to mid October. The 77th Annual Little 500 will once again be a non-points earning event for the series, filling out the ten race schedule in its traditional Memorial Day Weekend slot. All races, including the 77th Annual Little 500, will be streamed LIVE on DIRTVision. For more information on the 500 Sprint Car Tour visit: 500sprintcartour.com and be sure to follow on social media (Facebook: 500 Sprint Car Tour | Twitter (X): @500SprintTour | Instagram: @500sprintcartour).


 

2025 500 Sprint Car Tour Schedule: 

April 17 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 25th Running of the Glen Niebel Classic

May 21-24 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 77th Annual Little 500 (Non-Points)

June 7 - Toledo Speedway | Toledo, Ohio

June 29 - Winchester Speedway | Winchester, IN | Tom Bigelow Showdown

July 12 - Salem Speedway | Salem, Indiana | 66th Running of the Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial 

July 19 - Berlin Raceway | Marne, Michigan

August 1 - Kalamazoo Speedway | Kalamazoo, Michigan 

August 2 - Owosso Speedway | Ovid, Michigan

October 4 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 10th Annual Tony Elliott Classic

October 18 - Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Brownsburg, IN | Halloween Fest

 

 KENYON MIDGET SERIES 

 

 

Kenyon Midget Series - Sportsdrome Speedway - 4/11/2025

  

 

RUSH SPRINT CAR SERIES 

 

www.rushsprintcars.com

The RUSH Racing Series is brought to you by Hovis Auto & Truck Supply together with Born2Run Lubricants along with the support of Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Holley Performance Products, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Jones Racing Products, TBM Brakes, Performance Bodies & Parts, Racing Electronics, Wieland Metal Services, Frankland Racing Supply, Landrum Performance Spring, Ontime Body & Graphic, Sherwood Wheels, Precise Racing Products, Velocita-USA, Novus Home Mortgage Hermitage, Wedge Motorsports, 3C Graphix, D&V Jewelers, DrumPreserve, CrateInsider.com, Marthinsen & Salvitti Insurance Group and Terry Bowser Excavating. 

 

 

KENYON MIDGET SERIES CALIFOrNIA LIGHTNING SERIES RUSH SPRINT CAR SERIES  500  SPRINT CAR tour

2025 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule

March 21             Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’ Kern Raceway     CLS vs BCRA Civil War With the High Limit Sprint Cars Series on Flo                      

April 12                Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’ Kern Raceway     With the Ultimate Sprint Car Series                       

May 3                   Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’ Kern Raceway             

May 17                Merced Speedway                                                                CLS vs BCRA Civil War

May 31                Ventura Raceway

June 7                 Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’ Kern Raceway     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                                                         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 at Kevin Harvick’ Kern Raceway     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 at Kevin Harvick’ Kern Raceway     Western Lightning Sprint Car Championship with USAC National Midgets on Flo    

 

2025 500 Sprint Car Tour Schedule: 

 

April 5 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 25th Running of the Glen Niebel Classic

 

May 21-24 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 77th Annual Little 500

 

June 7 - Toledo Speedway | Toledo, Ohio

 

June 29 - Winchester Speedway | Winchester, Indiana | Tom Bigelow Showdown

 

July 12 - Salem Speedway | Salem, Indiana | Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial

 

July 19 - Berlin Raceway | Marne, Michigan 

 

August 1 - Kalamazoo Speedway | Kalamazoo, Michigan

 

August 2 - Owosso Speedway | Ovid, Michigan

 

October 4 - Anderson Speedway | Anderson, Indiana | 10th Annual Tony Elliott Classic

 

October 18 - Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Brownsburg, Indiana | Championship Night

2025 RUSH Sprint Car Series schedule

 

       

 

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