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MICHNOWICZ DOMINATES WESTERN STATES LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR
CHAMPIONSHIP
(Torrance, CA, December 2, 2019) Five-time POWRi Lucas Oil
California Lightning Sprint Car Series champion Bobby Michnowicz capped off
a frustrating season when he led every inch of the way to capture the “3rd
Annual Western States Lightning Sprint Car Championship” at the Bakersfield
Speedway. The victory was the third of the season for the veteran driver
and his second at the “Okie Bowl” this year.
Bobby Michnowicz closed the CLS season with the win in the 3rd Annual
Western States Lightning Sprint Car Championship. Pit Princess Photo.
Paired with the USAC National and Western States Midgets and
the Hobby Stocks, the CLS performed before its biggest crowd of the 2019
campaign. With the huge throng looking on, 22 CLS cars took time trials.
When all was said and done, Lakewood teenager Aiden Lang turned the fastest
lap with a time of 13.735. Fellow teen Grant Sexton of Lakeside was second
quickest when he stopped the clocks at 13.938. Series champion Jarrett
Kramer of Spring Valley, who announced that he was stepping away from
racing, was third fast at 14.027.
The CLS contested three eight-lap heat races on “The West’s
Fastest 1/3 Mile High Banked Clay Oval.” Two-time series champion Brent
Sexton of Lakeside won the first eight lapper. Middleton, Ohio’s Rod
Henning captured the second heat and Eric Greco of Palmdale copped the last
CLS heat of the year.
Brent Sexton won the trophy dash over Michnowicz, Colorado’s
Chris Crowder and fast-rising Indio teen James Turnbull.
The win in the dash put Brent Sexton on the pole with his
archrival Michnowicz alongside. The second row featured Crowder and
Turnbull followed by Lange and Grant Sexton in the third set of two.
The first attempt to start the finale saw Brent Sexton not
get a good start and Michnowicz powering away to a huge advantage. However,
a yellow came out as CLS officials ruled that the start was unsatisfactory.
The second attempt to start the main event was an instant
replay of the first try. Brent Sexton again did not fire off while
Michnowicz roared off turn four. Another yellow flew and another complete
restart was ordered.
Thankfully, as the old saying goes, “the third time was the
charm.” The two antagonists came across the start-finish line side by side.
But, by the time they came off turn two on lap one, the battle for the main
event lead an eventual win was essentially over. Michnowicz powered off
that corner while Sexton bobbled. That miscue allowed Michnowicz to open a
quarter straightaway advantage before they hit turn three the first time.
From that point on the wily veteran led every lap.
While Michnowicz had his T Shirts by Timeless/Super
Shox/Outlaw Wings/Guhl /Pflum Wagner Engines/ Fabozzi Metal Works/DLX by
Circle Track Performance Chassis/ZX10 in front for the duration, the battles
behind him kept the fans on the edge of their seats. Sexton was initially
challenged by Indio’s James Turnbull on the start. That changed in a hurry
when Turnbull slid off the bottom groove in turn three on the first circuit
opening the door for San Diego’s A.J. Bender who raced into third. About
the time Kramer put himself in fourth at the end of the second lap, chaos
broke out in turn three. Palmdale’s Eric Greco, Chino’s Pat Kelley and Robb
Pelmear of Ventura had hard contact. All three were okay, but they were out
for the night. That proved especially costly for Greco who came into the
night fourth in the championship standings. The 19th-place finish he was
credited with essentially handed fourth to Lakewood’s Aiden Lange providing
he could record a decent finish.
After the delay for the crash, Michnowicz assumed his
position at the front for the restart with Sexton, Bender, Turnbull and
Crowder rounding out the top five. Sexton immediately got to the inside of
Michnowicz in turn two and took the lead when his adversary momentarily
bobbled. The five-time champ was back on the throttle in a hurry, but the
starter had to be hard on the yellow as both Kramer and Kevin Michnowicz
slowed and came to a stop in turn four. They were both done for the night
and for the year as well.
As the yellow waved before a lap was completed, the field
went back to its previous order for the restart and Michnowicz was back on
the point. On this restart, Michnowicz did not have any problems and by the
time they reached turn three, he was five lengths ahead of Sexton.
While the top three pulled away from the pack, the crowd
shifted its attention to fourth threw seventh where slide jobs prevailed
between Turnbull and Crowder for fourth and Lange and Grant Sexton for
sixth. The crowd watched with bated breath as they were throwing hay-makers
at each other in every corner.
California Highway Patrol officer Jeff “Ponch” Dyer of Yucca
Valley, finally got bored watching Grant Sexton and Lange having to much
fun, so he passed both on the eighth circuit for fourth.
Michnowicz was into lapped traffic on the ninth go around and
he started bobbing and weaving his way thru the lappers like Muhammad Ali
bobbing and weaving in the ring.
Lange, who scored his only win of the year in October at
Ventura, got to the inside of Dyer in turn one on lap 12 and relegated the
CHP officer back to fifth.
Just before the race reached the halfway point, Bender took
Brent Sexton for second, but he was more than two seconds behind the
leader. Sexton then nearly slid back to fourth one lap later as Crowder
tried to race around him on the back chute. Sexton slid it up and Crowder
backed off before contact was made. The same scenario played out on the
back chute the next lap before Crowder used a lapped car as a pick and
slipped into third at the completion of lap 18.
That Crowder/Sexton debate raged on when they split a lapped
car going into one on lap 19. Sexton, on the bottom line, banged wheels
with the lapper in turn one as he tried to take third back. That allowed
Crowder to hold onto the spot going down the back straight. Then another
lapped car got involved in the action in three in four on the same lap
slowing Crowder enough to let the hard-charging Sexton steam by on the
inside.
While the Crowder/Sexton war continued to seethe, Michnowicz
was nearly a full straight ahead of second-place Bender. However, heavy
lapped traffic, with some of it choosing to race side-by-side in front of
the leader, allowed Bender to close in, but time was not on his side and
when the final checkered flag of the 26th CLS season flew, its all-time
victory leader had racked up another win. Bender finished second with Brent
Sexton third, Lange fourth and Grant Sexton fifth. Crowder, who was third
late in the race, ended up fading to seventh.
San Bernardino’s James Helling started 20th and finished 15th
to be the main event “Hard Charger.”
“You never know how close everybody is, so you just run as
fast as you can,” a happy Michnowicz told the crowd from victory circle. “I
slowed down a bunch. I got stuck behind the orange #13 and he was racing
like he was going to win the thing. I was afraid someone was going to get
me at that point. Luckily, he missed a corner and I was able to get by
him. I felt like I just won it when I passed that guy.”
Kramer’s third CLS title came with room to spare as he ended
his championship campaign 157-points ahead of second-place finisher Bender.
Nigh ended up third with Lange and Greco rounding out the first five.
San Diego’s Jason Arnolde was crowned 2019 CLS “Rookie of the
Year.”
The next event for the CLS will be the 2019 awards banquet on
February 1st. The gathering will be from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. at Frantone’s
Pizza & Spaghetti Villa at 10808 Alondra Boulevard in Cerritos (90703).
Banquet tickets are $30.00 per person and will feature an all you can eat
Italian buffet, beverages and dessert (wine and beer available for
additional cost). You can order tickets by sending a check to: CLS, 22126
Vermont Boulevard, Unit A, Torrance, CA 90502
3rd Annual Western States Lightning Sprint Car Championship
(with starting positions)
1. Bobby Michnowicz – Lomita, CA – 2nd
2. A.J. Bender – San Diego, CA – 6th
3. Brent Sexton – Lakeside, CA – 1st
4. Aiden Lange – Lakewood, CA – 7th
5. Grant Sexton – Lakeside, CA – 8th
6. Jeff Dyer – Yucca Valley, CA – 10th
7. Chris Crowder – Colorado Springs, CA – 3rd
8. James Turnbull – Indio, CA – 4th
9. Rod Henning – Middletown, OH – 12th
10. Cody Nigh – Camarillo, CA – 13th
11. Jon Robertson – Torrance, CA – 11th
12. Danica Parker – Oakdale, CA – 14th
13. Dale Gamer – Anaheim, CA – 16th
14. Dominic Del Monte – Gardena, CA – 17th
15. James Helling – San Bernardino, CA – 20th
16. Greg Sandling – Anza, CA – 21st
17. Jason Arnolde – San Diego, CA – 15th
18. Jarrett Kramer – Spring Valley, CA – 5th
19. Eric Greco – Palmdale, CA – 9th
20. Pat Kelley – Chino, CA – 18th
21. Kevin Michnowicz – Lomita, CA – 22nd
22. Robb Pelmear – Ventura, CA – 19th
POWRi Lucas Oil California Lightning Sprint Car Standings
1. Jarrett Kramer – Spring Valley, CA – 2046
2. A.J. Bender – San Diego, CA – 1889
3. Cody Nigh - Camarillo, CA - 1831
4. Aiden Lange - Lakewood, CA – 1736
5. Eric Greco - Palmdale, CA – 1675
6. Dominic Del Monte – Gardena, CA – 1639
7. Doug Nunes -Kingsburg, CA – 1539
8. Jeff Dyer – Yucca Valley, CA – 1475
9. Bobby Michnowicz - Lomita, CA – 1428
10. Jon Robertson - Torrance, CA – 1274
The POWRi Lucas Oil California Lightning Sprint Car Series
would like to thank the following sponsors for helping make the 2019 season
possible: Lucas Oil, All Coast Construction, Christian Stover Foundation,
Circle Track Performance, Cold Fire West, Fast Undercar, Hoosier Tire,
Keizer Wheels, Outlaw Wings, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Speed Partz,
Super Shocks, T Shirts by Timeless and Woodland Auto Display.
If you or your company would like to become part of the
series for its 26th season in 2019, please call Bobby Michnowicz at (310)
320-5569.
To keep up with the CLS online, please visit the website at
http://racecls.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/californialightningsprints/
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