Lange Leads Title Charge as CLS Invades Ventura’s “Commotion by the Ocean” Torrance, CA — March 16, 2026 — After a week off, the California Lightning Sprint Car Series, presented by Motor City Buick/GMC, returns to action this Saturday night, March 21, for round #3 of its 32nd season at its home track, Ventura Raceway. The famous track is located adjacent to the breaking waves of the Pacific Ocean on the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Who needs fair rides? Defending CLS Champion gets airborne at Imperial. Missy Benker photo. Coming into this week’s event, defending series champion Aiden Lange of Lakewood holds a 17-point lead over Jeff Dyer in the CLS championship standings. David Taft of Ramona sits third. 2025 SoCal Lightning Sprint Car Series champion and former CLS Rookie of the Year, Peter Benker of Alpine, and “Shugah’” Shane Sexton of Warner Springs round out the top five. When the 2026 season kicked off two weeks ago with a pair of races at Imperial Valley Raceway, California Highway Patrol Officer Dyer dominated the opener to record his first-ever win at the track. Twenty-four hours later, Taft led every lap in route to his first CLS victory. However, the biggest winner of the weekend was Lange, who parlayed a pair of third-place finishes into the championship point lead. Saturday’s “Commotion by the Ocean” will mark the first of six CLS appearances at Ventura Raceway in 2026. Last season, the series competed five times at the popular oval. Lange and Yucca Valley’s Dyer each captured two wins, while seven-time CLS champion Bobby Michnowicz of Oak Hills claimed one victory. One additional event was canceled due to construction on the fairgrounds. Ventura Raceway recently installed new pavement in the parking lot pit area. Any car parked on the pavement must have a tarp underneath—no exceptions. While the track may have a limited number of tarps available, teams are strongly encouraged to bring their own. High Tech Performance will have tires available at the track on Saturday. Teams are asked to notify American Racer in advance of their needs to ensure High Tech has a proper inventory. Teams can call American Racer at (661) 203-3300 or send an email to mailto:larrycollinssrl@gmail.com. In addition to the CLS, Saturday’s program will feature the VRA Sprint Cars, Senior Sprints, NMRA 3/4 Midgets, Mini Stocks, and Motorcycles. Spectator gates open at 3:00 p.m., with racing set to begin at 5:30. Adult tickets are $18.00. Seniors (60+), military with ID, and students with ID are $15.00. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. For more information, visit http://venturaraceway.com or call (805) 648-RACE. The Ventura Raceway is located at 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001, on the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Following Saturday’s race, the CLS will take one weekend off before returning to action at Santa Maria Speedway on April 4. For updates and complete series information, follow the California Lightning Sprint Car Series on Facebook or visit the official website at racecls.com. The CLS would like to thank the following companies for being partners in the 2026 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, 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, please contact Jon Robertson via email at jon.robertson@sbcglobal.net or by calling (310) 367-9050. Motor City Buick/GMC California Lightning Sprint Car Point Standings 1. Aiden Lange … 252 2. Jeff Dyer … 235 3. David Taft … 224 4. Peter Benker … 223 5. Shane Sexton … 216 6. Braydin Collie … 206 7. Cody Benker … 195 8. Brent Sexton … 189 8. Cody Nigh … 189 8. AJ Bender … 189 CLS vs SCLS California Clash Points 1. Aiden Lange … 252 2. Jeff Dyer … 235 3. David Taft … 224 4. Peter Benker … 223 5. Shane Sexton … 216 6. Braydin Collie … 206 7. Cody Benker … 195 8. Brent Sexton … 189 8. Cody Nigh … 189 9. AJ Bender … 189 2026 Motor City Buick/GMC California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule March 6 CLS/SCLS Clash #1 Imperial Valley Raceway - Jeff Dyer March 7 CLS/SCLS Clash #2 Imperial Valley Raceway – David Taft March 21 CLS Ventura Raceway April 4 CLS & 305 Sprint Cars Santa Maria Speedway April 18 CLS Bakersfield Speedway/Kern May 30 CLS Ventura Raceway June 13 CLS Ventura Raceway June 27 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Race Merced Speedway July 4 CLS & USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Santa Maria Speedway August 29 CLS/SCLS Clash Race #3 Perris Auto Speedway September 19 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Race Merced Speedway September 25 CLS with World of Outlaws CLS/SCLS Clash #4 Bakersfield Speedway September 26 CLS with World of Outlaws CLS/SCLS Clash #5 Ventura Raceway October 17 CLS Ventura Raceway October 24 CLS Ventura Raceway November 21 CLS/SCLS Clash Race #6 Barona Speedway 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, 2025 Aiden Lange Special Thanks to Wendy Michnowicz and Ed Haney Video. This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768 mailto:sdaloisiosports@gmail.com