Aiden Lange Takes a Nail-Biter for His First Motor City Buick/GMC California Lightning Sprint Car Series Win of 2026 Torrance, CA — June 15, 2026 — Aiden Lange, the defending Motor City Buick/GMC California Lightning Sprint Car Series Champion, scored his first win of the 2026 campaign when he held off current point leader Jeff Dyer last Saturday night at Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway. The fight for the lead produced one of the most exciting battles in the 32-year history of the CLS. Winner Aiden Lange, center, with second place Jeff Dyer and third place Brent Horn. Wendy Michnowicz photo. Keizer Aluminum Wheels Qualifying kicked off the night at the third 2026 CLS visit to the “Commotion By The Ocean.” Dyer topped the field when he stopped the clocks at 12.237. It was his second-fastest time of the season at Ventura and was just a tick quicker than his 12.266 effort on March 21st. Series-leading rookie Tyler Warner of Alpine recorded the second-fastest time with a 12.453. Seven-time champion Bobby Michnowicz was third quickest at 12.517. Fourth fastest was CLS debutant Blayden Graham of Bakersfield, who turned in a lap of 12.600. Lange, who lives in Lakewood, rounded out the top five at 12.619. Lange notched his first victory of the night when he captured the eight-lap Competition Suspension Heat Race #1 from the pole. San Bernardino’s Liam Coffey and Dyer, of Yucca Valley, placed second and third. In Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2, Camarillo’s Cody Nigh took the win ahead of El Cajon’s Brent Horn and Warner. When the cars rolled through the turn four pit gate for the seventh main event of the year, Coffey and Lange occupied the front row. Horn and Dyer made up row two, with Michnowicz and Warner in row three. Nigh and Day lined up in row four. As soon as the green lights flashed to begin the 20-lapper, Lange rocketed into the lead. Coffey, Dyer, and Horn gave chase in the early going. It did not take long for Dyer to move into second, as he drove around Coffey — who was wheeling a car he purchased from Dyer — at the end of the opening circuit. Nigh, who grew up at the Ventura races and won the March 21st CLS race on the famous oval, advanced to fourth on lap two. Out front, Lange built a four-car-length advantage over Dyer. However, the California Highway Patrol officer began steadily chipping away at Lange’s lead. By the end of the eighth lap, the two front-runners had pulled away from the remainder of the pack, and the show was about to begin. Lange was committed to the bottom groove, while Dyer searched for momentum about a lane higher. On lap nine, Dyer — the only CLS driver with two wins this season — launched his first serious challenge for the top spot. Lange fought off the attack and continued to lead. For the next 10 laps, the two front-runners dazzled the crowd with a thrilling duel. Lange hugged the bottom while Dyer relentlessly tried to make the outside work. Despite the intensity of the battle, the two veterans raced each other cleanly, without contact, throughout the entire war. On the penultimate lap, Lange and Dyer closed in on a lapped car. It appeared to present Dyer with his best opportunity to snatch the lead away. However, he bobbled slightly in turn two, and that was all Lange needed to secure the victory. He crossed the line a couple of car lengths ahead of Dyer. Horn, making his first CLS start of the season, placed third and was followed across the line by rookies Warner and Coffey. “I am pretty tired,” Lange said after doing his initial victory bows to the crowd. “Jeff was definitely quicker than me. I could hear him all over my ass the entire race. He did a great job. I got lucky with some track position and just tried to make my car really wide. Jeff is a great driver, and so is everyone in CLS. We are very lucky to have a field of pretty competitive drivers and teams.” “My dad did a really good job on setups,” Lange continued. “He does a lot of work to make this team function.” “I want to thank Langeford Farms, Spirited by Brad, Kopps Custom Guitars, Vital Pack, my sister IZE.INI, JR Graphics, Sweets by Tiffany, Collie Ollie, Jake Swanson Shock Technology, T Shirts by Timeless. My girlfriend Giselle is here tonight, and my mom and her boyfriend are also here.” The race went green to checkers uninterrupted. Combined with the 25 lapper a couple of weeks earlier, the CLS has run 45 straight laps without interruption at Ventura. Lange became the sixth different winner in the first seven races of what has been a highly competitive CLS season. Dyer won the Eibach Spring Forward and SpeedMart Hard Charger Awards, while Ventura’s Ted Krupa received the Hyper Racing and SpeedMart Hard Luck Awards. Dyer came into the night with a 53-point lead over Warner in the Motor City Buick/GMC Championship standings. By the time he left the oceanside track, he had stretched that advantage to 65 points. Lange’s triumph allowed him to close to within five points of second-place Warner. Coffey jumped one position to fourth, with “Rockstar” Jon Robertson, who scratched for the night after losing a clutch in hot laps, slipping back to fifth. The CLS takes this week off before heading north on June 27th to take on the Bay Cities Racing Association in the opening round of the annual Civil War Series at Merced Speedway. For updates and complete series information, follow the California Lightning Sprint Car Series on Facebook or visit the official website at racecls.com. After Saturday’s race, the CLS will have a week off before heading north to the Merced Speedway for the first of four 2026 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Races at the Merced Speedway on June 27th. Keizer Aluminum Wheels Qualifying: 1. Jeff Dyer, 12.237; 2. Tyler Warner, 12.453; 3. Bobby Michnowicz, 12.517; 4. Blayden Graham, 12.600; 5. Aiden Lange, 12.619; 6. Brent Horn, 12.654; 7. Liam Coffey, 12.671; 8. Cody Nigh, 12.718; 9. Jon Robertson 13.003; 10. Leland Day, 13.059; 11. Ted Krupa, 14.402; NT Ryan Greco Competition Suspension Heat Race #1 (8 Laps): 1. Lange, 2. Coffey, 3. Dyer, 4. Michnowicz, 5. Krupa Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2 (8 Laps): 1. Nigh, 2. Horn, 3. Warner, 4. Graham, 5. Day 20-Lap Ventura Main Events (With Starting positions and distance behind) 1. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA, (2nd) 2. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA, (4th) … +0.630 3. Brent Horn, El Cajon, CA, (3rd) … +4.317 4. Tyler Warner, Alpine, CA, (6th) … +5.019 5. Liam Coffey, San Bernardino, CA (1st) … +7.139 6. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA, (7th) … +8.299 7. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA, (8th) … +12.674 8. Bobby Michnowicz, Oak Hills, CA, (5th) DNS Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA DNS Ted Krupa, Ventura, CA DNS Blayden Graham, Bakersfield, CA DNS Ryan Greco, Palmdale, CA Heat Races Award Recipient Racing Junk Heat Race #1 winner Competition Suspension Inc. $50 product certificate Aiden Lange Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2 winner Extreme Muffler $50 product certificate Cody Nigh ARS Heat Race #3 winner Advanced Racing Suspensions $50 product certificate Main Event Award Winner 2nd place BR Motorsports - $25 product certificate Jeff Dyer 3rd place Saldana Racing Products - $50 product certificate Brent Horn 4th place King Racing Products $25 product certificate Tyler Warner 5th place Rod End Supply - Liam Coffey 6th place Smith titanium - Cody Nigh 7th place West Evans - Leland Day Quick time Keizer Aluminum Wheels- $50 product certificate Jeff Dyer 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 Ted Krupa 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 … 790 2. Tyler Warner ® … 725 3. Aiden Lange … 720 4. Liam Coffey … 671 5. Jon Robertson … 581 6. Cody Nigh … 563 7. Brent Sexton … 413 8. Bobby Michnowicz … 364 9. Shane Sexton … 340 10. Braydin Collie … 332 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 _ Aiden Lange 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