Bobby Michnowicz Becomes Sixth Different California Lightning Sprint Car Series Winner in First Six Races of 2026 Torrance, CA — June 2, 2026 — The California Lightning Sprint Car Series G.O.A.T., Bobby Michnowicz, became the sixth different winner in six races last Saturday night in a show presented by Motor City Buick/GMC at Ventura Raceway. Drivers in the tough, star-studded 16-car field had combined to win 14 different lightning sprint car championships over the years. Ventura winner Bobby Michnowicz center. Second-place AJ Bender is on the right and third-place finisher Cody Nigh is on the left. Wendy Michnowicz photo. Seven-time CLS Champion Michnowicz kicked the night off in style when he set the fastest time in Keizer Aluminum qualifying with a sizzling lap of 12.359. Two-time BCRA champion Dakota Albright of Waterford was second quickest at 12.383. Third best in time trials was Michnowicz’s nephew, Cody Nigh of Camarillo, with a lap of 12.415. Spring Valley’s Jarrett Kramer, a three-time CLS champion who had been out of the saddle for a few years, was fourth at 12.551, and Boise State college student Eric Greco Jr. of Palmdale rounded out the top five with a time of 12.559. 2025 SoCal Lightning Sprint Car Champion Peter Benker of Alpine captured Racing Junk Heat Race #1 over Nigh and defending CLS champ Aiden Lange of Lakewood. In Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2, 2023 POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car champ and current CLS point leader Jeff Dyer of Yucca Valley was first to the stripe in the Brian Fonseca/Samantha Sproull #3F. USAC/CRA star AJ Bender placed second, with “Rockstar” Jon Robertson of Torrance finishing third. For the 25-lap main event on the track affectionately known as “The Best Little Dirt Track In America,” Michnowicz, whose only other start of the year resulted in a second-place finish at Santa Maria in April, was on the pole. Nigh, who won the first Ventura CLS race of 2026 on March 21st, started alongside his uncle. Bender, driving Mike Schweitzer’s #41, was on the inside of row two and was joined by Greco. The third row was made up of Albright and Lange, while Peter Benker and Dyer occupied row four. Michnowicz, who first raced at Ventura 46 years ago in 1980, was the first to turn one when the green flag sent the field on its way in the 25-lapper. Nigh, Bender, Greco, and Lange gave chase. By the fourth lap, Michnowicz had opened nearly a half-straightaway advantage over the field. Dyer’s month of May misery continued early in the main event. After losing three of his own engines over the previous three weeks, the point leader drove through the turn-three pit gate on lap five. He reported afterward that an electrical problem that appeared on the opening lap finally forced him off the track, leaving him with a last-place finish. Dyer was not the only driver in the top five in points to have issues during the main. Robertson, who came into the night fourth overall after five races, had a big lead in his heat when the motor stumbled. He returned for the main event but only lasted three more laps than Dyer. Initially diagnosed as a couple of bad injectors, it turned out that something else had broken inside the engine, and it was D.O.A. Third-place Lange had issues as well and finished 12th. Meanwhile, back on the track, Michnowicz, in his Outlaw Wings/Super Shox/Inland Rigging/Bondio Fabrication/Fabozzi Metal Works/Fast Time Studios/Keizer/TJ Forged/Timeless T Shirts/Triple X Chassis/Kawasaki ZX10/21K, looked like Vincent van Gogh as he was putting together a masterpiece. His only issue was an overabundance of lapped traffic. Fortunately, he was able to navigate most of it without trouble. Around lap 15, he momentarily got caught behind a heavy pack, allowing Nigh and Bender to close the gap. However, before they could mount a challenge, he broke free from the traffic. His closest call came a few laps later when a lapped car slid sideways and momentarily parked in front of the oncoming leader. Michnowicz dodged the threat and went the remainder of the way unchallenged. Behind the CLS G.O.A.T., Bender placed second, with Nigh third. Kramer, who did not look like he had not raced in several years. He looked more like he had been racing every week, finished fourth and earned the Eibach Spring Forward and SpeedMart Hard Charger awards after starting 10th. Greco, who was making his first CLS start of the season, placed fifth. Dyer’s misfortune saw him pick up the Hyper Racing and SpeedMart Hard Luck awards. “This one is for my mom, obviously,” Michnowicz said in dedicating the victory to his mom Belita, who passed away in March. “I’m worn out. These cars are real race cars, and they get up and go. Twelve-second laps with no yellow flags, they wear your ass out. Thanks to my wife, Wendy. It is just her and I when we go to the races.” “I have to thank Jim Naylor for everything he does here,” Michnowicz continued paying tribute to the long-time Ventura promoter. “He does a great job. We would not be racing here if it were not for Jim Naylor. Forty-some years, who the hell does this for so long? He is just a glutton for punishment to put up with all of us racers all of these years.” The top five in the championship standings remained the same after the race. Dyer still leads, but his advantage over second-place driver and leading rookie Tyler Warner slipped from 69 to 53 points. Lange remains third, with Robertson fourth and rookie Liam Coffey of San Bernardino fifth. The CLS is off until June 13th, when it returns to Ventura Raceway. For updates and complete series information, follow the California Lightning Sprint Car Series on Facebook or visit the official website at racecls.com. Qualifying: 1. Bobby Michnowicz, 12.359; 2. Dakota Albright, 12.383; 3. Cody Nigh, 12.415; 4. Jarrett Kramer, 12.551; 5. Eric Greco, 12.559; 6. Jeff Dyer, 12.640; 7. Aiden Lange, 12.641, 8. Jon Robertson, 12.724; 9. Peter Benker, 12.953, 10. Pat Kelley, 13.590; 11. Ted Krupa, 13.849; DNQ AJ Bender; DNQ Cody Benker; DNQ Liam Coffey; DNQ Leland Day; DNq Tyler Warner Racing Junk Heat Race #1 (8 Laps): 1. Peter Benker, 2. Nigh, 3. Lange, 4. Michnowicz, 5. Coffey, 6. Kramer, 7. Cody Benker, 8. Krupa Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2 (8 Laps): 1. Dyer, 2. Bender, 3. Robertson, 4. Greco, 5. Albright, 6. Warner, 7. Day, DNS Kelley Main Event 25-Laps (With Starting Positions and Distance Behind) 1. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Hills, CA (1st) 2. AJ Bender, San Diego, CA, (5th) … +7.046 3. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA, (2nd) … +7.523 4. Jarrett Kramer, Spring Valley, CA, (10th) … +7.738 5. Eric Greco, Palmdale, CA, (4th) … +8.330 6. Peter Benker, Alpine, CA, (7th) … +10.851 7. Dakota Albright, Waterford, CA, (5th) … +11.322 8. Cody Benker, Alpine, CA, (12th) … +1 Lap 9. Tyler Warner, Alpine, CA, (14th) … +1 Lap 10.Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA (11th) … +1 Lap 11. Liam Coffey, San Bernardino, CA, (9th) … +1 Lap 12. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA, (6th) … +2 Laps 13. Ted Kruppa, Ventura, CA, (15th) … +3 Laps 14. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA, (14th) … +18 Laps 15. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, (8th) … +21 Laps DNS Pat Kelley, Chino, CA Heat Races Award Recipient Racing Junk Heat Race #1 winner Competition Suspension Inc. $50 product certificate Peter Benker Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2 winner Extreme Muffler $50 product certificate Jeff Dyer ARS Heat Race #3 winner Advanced Racing Suspensions $50 product certificate Main Event Award Winner 2nd place BR Motorsports - $25 product certificate AJ Bender 3rd place Saldana Racing Products - $50 product certificate Cody Nigh 4th place King Racing Products $25 product certificate Jarrett Kramer 5th place Rod End Supply - Eric Greco 6th place Smith titanium - Peter Benker 7th place West Evans - Dakota Albright Quick time Keizer Aluminum Wheels- $50 product certificate Bobby Michnowicz Spring Forward (Hard Charger) Eibach - $100 product certificate SpeedMart - $50 product certificate Jarrett Kramer Hard Luck Award Hyper Racing - $50 product certificate SpeedMart - $50 product certificate Jeff Dyer 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 Series Champion Triple X Race Components $500 off any chassis or chassis kit Motor City Buick/GMC California Lightning Sprint Car Point Standings 1. Jeff Dyer … 656 2. Tyler Warner ® … 603 3. Aiden Lange … 583 4. Jon Robertson… 559 5. Liam Coffey ® … 558 6. Cody Nigh … 454 7. Brent Sexton … 413 8. Shane Sexton … 340 9. Braydin Collie … 332 10. Peter Benker … 327 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 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 Rebel Gears 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. 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 – Jeff Dyer May 30 CLS Ventura Raceway – Bobby Michnowicz 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