California Lightning Sprints Race to Bakersfield for Explosive Round Five Battle Torrance, California — April 28, 2026 — The California Lightning Sprint Car Series roars back into Kern County this Saturday night, May 2nd, when Motor City Buick/GMC presents the first of two 2026 appearances on the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. The event marks round five of the CLS season, and if the first four races are any indication, fans are in for another wide-open battle. Through four races in 2026, the series has produced four different winners — Jeff Dyer, David Taft, Cody Nigh, and Grant Sexton — underscoring the depth of talent and parity throughout the field. Heading into Saturday’s showdown, Yucca Valley’s Jeff Dyer sits atop the Motor City Buick/GMC Championship Point Standings. The California Highway Patrol officer, who captured the season opener at Imperial on March 6th, carries a 34-point advantage over two-time CLS champion Brent Sexton of Lakeside. Alpine’s Tyler Warner, currently leading the Rookie of the Year standings, holds down the third spot. Veteran standout “Rockstar” Jon Robertson of Torrance ranks fourth, while defending CLS champion Aiden Lange of Lakewood and San Bernardino rookie Liam Coffey are tied for fifth. While Bakersfield has long been a staple on the CLS schedule, the series’ first appearance on the current Bakersfield Speedway — located adjacent to Interstate 5 — came on September 19, 2021. That night, Goleta rookie David Gasper scored the victory en route to earning Rookie of the Year honors and claiming the first of his two CLS championships. After a hiatus, the series returned in 2025 for four races, with wins going to Dyer, seven-time CLS champion Bobby Michnowicz of Oak Hills, Palmdale’s Eric Greco, and USAC/CRA Sprint Car standout AJ Bender of San Diego. The CLS will make its second Bakersfield Speedway appearance of the season on September 25th, joining the legendary World of Outlaws. Twenty-four hours later, both series will head south to the Ventura Raceway for another thrilling night of action. In addition to the CLS, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, American Stocks, and National Dwarf Cars will also be in action on Saturday. Spectator gates open at 4:30, and racing will begin at 6:00. General admission tickets for adults, seniors 65+, and military are $20.00. Kids 6-12 are $12.00, and children 5 and under are free. The track is located at 13500 Raceway Boulevard in Bakersfield. The track website is: http://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/  After Saturday’s show in Bakersfield, the CLS racers will be back for round #6 of the 2026 season at the Ventura Raceway on May 30th. 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 marketing partners in the 2026 season. Series sponsor Motor City GMC Associate sponsors Timeless Enterprises R&R Racing Quick Change Liquid Energy - The Official Energy Drink of CLS Contingency sponsors ARS BR Motorsports CSI Shocks Eibach Extreme Mufflers Keizer Wheels King Racing Optics Racing Junk Rod End Supply Smith Titanium Speedmart West Evans If you would like to join the CLS and be a marketing partner in 2026, 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. Jeff Dyer … 447 2. Brent Sexton … 413 3. Tyler Warner ® … 393 4. Jon Roberston … 376 5. Aiden Lange … 371 5. Liam Coffey ® … 371 7. Shane Sexton … 340 8. Braydin Collie … 332 9. Cody Nigh … 327 10. David Taft … 224 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 – Cody Nigh April 4 CLS & 305 Sprint Cars Santa Maria Speedway – Grant Sexton May 2 CLS Bakersfield Speedway/Kern May 30 CLS Ventura Raceway June 13 CLS Ventura Raceway June 27 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Race (None Points) Merced Speedway July 4 CLS & USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Santa Maria Speedway August 7 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Race (None Points) Plaza Park Visalia August 8 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Race (None Points) Lemoore Jet Bowl August 29 CLS/SCLS Clash Race #3 Perris Auto Speedway September 19 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Race (None Points 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