Kinney Goes From the Outhouse to the Penthouse in California Lightning Sprint Car Series Weekend Torrance, CA — August 27, 2025 — Twenty-four hours after nearly everything that could go wrong did, everything went right for Hunter Kinney, who scored the victory in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series (CLS), presented by Motor City Buick GMC, main event at Lemoore Jet Bowl Raceway last Saturday night. The Citrus Heights racer rebounded in spectacular fashion after Friday’s misfortune that saw him flip in time trials and break a chain in the main event. This Saturday, the CLS is headed to the Ventura Raceway. L-R: 2nd place Jeff Dyer, winner Hunter Kinney, 3rd place Aiden Lange. CLS photo. Diablo Fabrication qualifying was again topped by point leader Aiden Lange, who is in the midst of his best season with the CLS. He turned in a blistering lap of 10.182. Riverside’s Zate Legend (10.322) and fellow Riverside teenager Drake Cardey (10.350) were second and third. Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley (10.391) and Bakersfield’s Leland Day (10.432) rounded out the top five. Heat race action saw Kinney grab Racing Junk Heat #1 over John Robertson of Torrance and Day. El Cajon rookie Braydin Collie backed up his Friday night heat win in Visalia with a victory in the Extreme Muffler second heat. He was chased to the line by T.J. Smith of Fresno and Legend. When the green flag flew on the 25-lap main, Day started from the pole with Kinney alongside. Driving the Brian Fonseca & Samantha Sproul Savage Racing/Red Hawk Casino #13F, Kinney immediately surged to the lead over Smith and Robertson. Starting eighth, Cardey quickly moved forward, cracking the top four by lap three. After a brief shuffle with Robertson, he pressed on, getting by Smith and then passing Day for second on lap 10 and chasing the leader. Kinney hit lapped traffic on lap 14, but Cardey’s charge came to a halt when a broken chain sidelined him in the infield. It also likely cost him the Central California Shootout title. Earlier, contact between Smith and Day cut Smith’s right-front tire and bent a spindle, ending his run. A restart with 10 laps to go saw Kinney leading Day, Dyer, Smith, and Lange. Ninth-place starter Dyer quickly advanced to second and applied pressure. Another yellow on lap 19 gave him and Lange another shot, but Kinney held strong and pulled away over the final laps. At the checkers, Kinney became the fifth different winner in eight CLS races in 2025, with Dyer second despite a broken right-rear shock mount. Lange crossed the line third. Day and Robertson completed the top five. “I am tired, I am out of shape,” Kinney told the crowd after climbing from the car. “First, I want to thank the Land family. If it was not for them, I obviously would not be racing. Second, I would like to thank Brian Fonseca and Samantha. They gave me an awesome car that was super-fast. Also, Red Hawk Casino. We could not do it without them. This was a fun night and a great track. I like a looser car. Entering one and two, it was loose and wanted to spin. I had to slow it down on the bottom and hope they did not pass me on the outside.” Dyer collected the Eibach Spring Forward Award, the SpeedMart Hard Charger, and additional Hard Charger bonuses from Keys Brothers Racing and AG Sand Cars. In the Shootout standings, Lange‘s consistency allowed him to top Cardey by 17 points. Smith was just one point back of Cardey in third. Dyer and Day rounded out the top five. With Eric Greco absent due to competing in a 305 sprint car at Santa Maria, Lange took over the Motor City Buick/GMC CLS point lead. Greco, now attending Boise State University in Idaho, slipped to second and will miss this coming Saturday’s show at Ventura. Legend, Cardey, and Collie hold down the remaining top-five point positions. Cardey, meanwhile, padded his advantage in the Rookie of the Year chase, stretching his slim seven-point lead over Collie to 25. However, six races remain in the 2025 campaign and Collie still has time. Fans can catch the CLS this Saturday, August 30th, at Ventura Raceway, alongside Dwarf Cars, WMR Midgets, West Coast Sport Compacts, VRA Vintage Sprints, and Kids Classes. Spectator gates open at 3:00 p.m., with the first green flag at 5:30. Adult tickets are $18, seniors (65+) and military/students with ID are $15, and kids 12 and under are free with a paid adult. Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 W. Harbor Boulevard, Ventura, CA 93001. For more information, visit www.venturaraceway.com or call (805) 648-RACE. After Ventura, the CLS will take a weekend off before a Civil War doubleheader with the Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) — Friday, September 12th, at Bakersfield Speedway (as part of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car program, streamed live on DirtVision) and Saturday, September 13th, at Merced Speedway. Lemoore Jet Bowl, August 23, 2025 Results Diablo Fabrication Qualifying: 1. Aiden Lange, 10.819; 2. Zate Legend, 10.332; 3. Drake Cardey, 10.350; 4. Jeff Dyer, 10.391; 5. Leland Day, 10.432; 6. T.J. Smith, 10.514; 7. Hunter Kinney, 10.595; 8. Braydin Collie, 10.668; 9. Jon Robertson, 10.679 Racing Junk Heat #1: 1. Kinney; 2. Robertson; 3. Day; 4. Cardey; 5. Lange Extreme Muffler Heat #2: 1. Collie; 2. Smith; 3. Legend; 4. Dyer Main Event – 25 Laps (With Starting Positions) 1. Hunter Kinney, Citrus Heights, CA … 2nd 2. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … 9th 3. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA … 7th 4. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA … 1st 5. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA … 4th 6. Zate Legend, Riverside, CA … 5th 7. Braydin Collie, El Cajon, CA … 6th 8. Drake Cardey, Riverside, CA … 8th 9. T.J. Smith, Fresno, CA … 3rd 2025 CLS Contingency Awards 8/23/25 - Lemoore Heat Races Award Recipient Racing Junk Heat Race #1 winner Competition Suspension Inc. $50 product certificate - Hunter Kinney Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2 winner Extreme Muffler $50 product certificate - Brayden Collie ARS Heat Race #3 winner Advanced Racing Suspensions $50 product certificate Main Event Award Winner Hunter Kinney 2nd place BR Motorsports - $25 product certificate - Jeff dyer 3rd place Joie of Seating - $250 product certificate - Aiden Lange 4th place Saldana Racing Products - $50 product certificate - Leland Day 5th place King Racing Products $25 product certificate - Jon Robertson Highest finisher with Hoosier tires on all 4 corners. Hoosier – free tire Quick time Diablo Fabrication $50 product certificate - Aiden Lange Spring Forward (Hard Charger) Eibach - $100 product certificate SpeedMart - $50 product certificate - Jeff Dyer Hard Luck Award Hyper Racing - $50 product certificate SpeedMart - $50 product certificate - T.J. Smith Criteria Award CLS Member Extreme Mufflers 10% off purchase CLS Member EZ Up 30-40% off purchase CLS Member RC Fuel Injection 50% off products and services to all race series participants CLS Member Rod End Supply $30 off each $100 for CLS participants CLS Member Series Champion Triple X Race Components $500 off any chassis or chassis kit 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. Aiden Lange … 1019 2. Eric Greco … 990 3. Zate Legend … 951 4. Drake Cardey … 907 5. Braydin Collie … 882 6. Leland Day … 838 7. Jeff Dyer … 778 8. Bobby Michnowicz … 696 9. Jon Robertson … 693 10. Cody Nigh … 507 Central California Shootout Points 1. Aiden Lange …242 2. Drake Cardey … 225 3. T.J. Smith … 224 4. Jeff Dyer … 221 5. Leland Day … 213 6. Braydin Collie … 207 7. Hunter Kinney ... 206 8. Zate Legend … 199 9. Jon Robertson … 187 10. Eric Greco … 139 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Point Standings 1. Eric Greco, CLS … 260 2. Greg Dennett, BCRA … 210 3. Matt Land, BCRA … 200 4. Braydin Collie, CLS … 199 5. Hunter Kinney, BCRA … 198 5. Aiden Lange, CLS … 198 7. Zate Land, CLS … 197 8. Leland Day, CLS … 180 9. Drake Cardey, CLS … 174 10. David Gasper, CLS … 133 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 Aiden Lange July 26 Santa Maria Speedway CLS vs BCRA Civil War Aiden Lange August 22 Plaza Park Raceway Eric Greco August 23 Lemoore Jet Bowl Raceway Hunter Kinney 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