Jeff Dyer Wins Third CLS Main of 2026 and Extends Championship Lead Torrance, CA — July 6, 2026 — Racing California Highway Patrol officer Jeff Dyer scored his third win of the season when Motor City Buick/GMC presented the California Lightning Sprint Car Series at the Doug Fort Memorial last Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway. The victory allowed Dyer to stretch his championship lead to 73 points over rookie Tyler Warner as the series reached the halfway point of its 2026 campaign. Winner Jeff Dyer (center), 2nd place Tyler Warner (left) 3rd place Leland Day (right). CLS Photo. Dyer, who resides in Yucca Valley, came out swinging by turning the fastest lap in Keizer Aluminum Wheels Qualifying with a 13.713 on the 1/3-mile banked oval. Camarillo’s Cody Nigh, who won the CLS main at Ventura on March 21, was second quick at 13.931. Defending CLS champion Aiden Lange of Lakewood was third at 14.037. El Cajon’s Braydin Collie and “Rockstar” Jon Robertson of Torrance rounded out the top five with laps of 14.043 and 14.344. After qualifying, Warner bested Lange and Robertson in Competition Suspension Incorporated Heat Race #1. In Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2, Bakersfield’s Leland Day captured the win over Nigh and Collie. For the ninth main event of the 18-race season, Collie, who finished fifth in the 2025 CLS championship standings, started on the pole with Nigh alongside. The second row featured Lange and Robertson, while three-time lightning sprint champion Brent Sexton of Lakeside and Dyer made up row three. At the start of the 20-lap main event, Sexton Gatlin Racing driver Collie, who also competed in the USAC Western Midget portion of the program, shot into the lead ahead of Nigh, Lange, Robertson, and Brent Sexton. By the end of the opening lap, Lange and Robertson had both slipped past Nigh for second and third. One lap later, Dyer, driving the Dyer Motorsports/Amsoil Oil Twins/Jobu Racing/Fonseca Racing/Specialty Fasteners #4, swept around Robertson to take over third. The battle between Collie and Lange began to heat up on lap four as the defending champion started inching closer to the leader. By the completion of lap seven, the lead duo had opened a half-straightaway advantage over third-place Dyer. 2021 POWRi Southwest champion Grant Sexton of Lakeside, who started ninth, had climbed to fourth, with Robertson rounding out the top five. Collie bobbled in turn four on lap seven, and Lange pounced. He closed to the leader’s rear bumper entering turn one, but within a lap, Collie had expanded the gap again. That pattern continued until lap 16, with Lange closing in and Collie repeatedly pulling away. The race-long leader had built nearly a third of a straightaway advantage over Lange when he came upon two lapped cars racing side by side. That allowed Lange to close dramatically. As Collie approached turn three, his car suddenly slowed, and Lange blasted by on the outside for the lead. When Collie exited turn four, he turned left into the infield and was done for the night with a burned-up clutch. The traffic, combined with Collie dropping out, allowed Dyer to move into second. As the field came off turn four on lap 17, Dyer used the wide line to pull alongside Lange and edged ahead by inches at the stripe. That tiny margin proved crucial. Before another lap could be completed, Brent Sexton rolled to a stop in turn four, bringing out the yellow flag. Because Dyer had led the previous lap by an inch or two, he inherited the lead for the restart. Lange lined up second, followed by Grant Sexton, Warner, and Day. On lap 19, Grant Sexton hit the turn one cushion and spun, bringing out the second yellow of the race. On what proved to be the final restart, Dyer was out front and took the white flag as the leader. However, he bobbled in turn one, allowing Lange to shoot to his inside and take the lead. Dyer answered with a do-or-die charge down the back straightaway, and the pair raced into turn three side by side. The track had been tricky all night, with a ledge about a lane up from the bottom entering turn one and exiting turn four. What appeared to be shaping up as a fight to the checkered flag ended when Lange tagged the ledge in turn four and flipped. With intermittent rain falling throughout the program, including during the CLS main, and with two more main events still to come, officials checkered the race with Dyer declared the winner. Warner finished second, with Day, Lange, and Nigh completing the top five. Warner, who started seventh and finished second, earned the Eibach Spring Forward Award and the West Evans Hard Charger Award. Rookie Liam Coffey, who lost an engine at Merced the week before, borrowed Tatum Manu’s car but could not get it to run. As a result, he received the Rebel Gear Hard Luck Award. “Thanks to all the fans coming out on the fourth of July, this is an important race for all of us Americans to show our freedom out here racing,” the past Army Demolitions Expert told the crowd after his win. “The track was tricky with the rain. It got a little wet there for the last restart and I almost spun out. Sorry about Aiden. We got together once, but I can race that guy side by side. He runs me clean and I run him clean.” Dyer heads into the second half of the season with a 73-point lead over Warner in the Motor City Buick/GMC championship standings. Lange sits only 13 points behind Warner in third. Fourth through sixth — rookie Liam Coffey of San Bernardino, Robertson, and Nigh — are separated by just 10 points. Through the first nine races of the season, Dyer leads the series with three victories. He is the only driver with more than one win so far in what has been a highly competitive campaign. Nigh, Lange, David Taft, Grant Sexton, BCRA’s Greg Dennett, and seven-time CLS champion Bobby Michnowicz each have one win. The CLS now takes a five-week break before returning to action with a pair of Civil War races against the BCRA at Visalia and the Lemoore Jet Bowl on August 7 and 8. For updates and complete series information, follow the California Lightning Sprint Car Series on Facebook or visit the official website at racecls.com. Keizer Aluminum Wheels Qualifying: 1. Jeff Dyer, 13.713; 2. Cody Nigh, 13.931, 3. Aiden Lange, 14.037; 4. Braydon Collie, 14.043, 5. Jon Robertson, 14.344; 6. Brent Sexton, 14.618; 7. Tyler Warner, 14.687; 8. Leland Day, 15.115, Grant Sexton No Time; Zate Legend No Time, Liam Coffey No Time Extreme Muffler Heat #1: 1. Warner, 2. Lange, 3. Robertson, 4. Dyer, 5. Grant Sexton Advanced Racing Suspension Heat #2: 1. Day, 2. Nigh, 3. Collie, 4. Brent Sexton, 5. Legend Main Event (with starting positions) 1. Jeff Dyer, Yucca Valley, CA … 6th 2. Tyler Warner, Alpine, CA … 7th 3. Leland Day, Bakersfield, CA … 8th 4. Aiden Lange, Lakewood, CA … 3rd 5. Cody Nigh, Camarillo, CA … 2nd 6. Jon Robertson, Torrance, CA … 4th 7. Grant Sexton, Lakeside, CA … 9th 8. Brandon Collie, El Cajon, CA … 1st 9. Brent Sexton, Lakeside, CA … 5th 10. Zate Legend, Riverside, CA 10th Heat Races Award Recipient Racing Junk Heat Race #1 winner - Competition Suspension Inc. $50 product certificate Tyler Warner Extreme Muffler Heat Race #2 winner - Extreme Muffler $50 product certificate Leland Day ARS Heat Race #3 winner - Advanced Racing Suspensions $50 product certificate Main Event Award Winner 2nd place - BR Motorsports - $25 product certificate - Tyler Warner 3rd place - Saldana Racing Products - $50 product certificate - Leland Day 4th place - King Racing Products $25 product certificate - Aiden Lange 5th place - Smith titanium - Cody Nigh Quick time - Keizer Aluminum Wheels- $50 product certificate - Jeff Dyer Spring Forward (Hard Charger) - Eibach - $100 product certificate West Evans - $25 product certificate - Tyler Warner Hard Luck Award - Rebel Gear Liam Coffey 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 … 928 2. Tyler Warner ® … 855 3. Aiden Lange … 842 4. Liam Coffey ® … 691 5. Jon Robertson … 690 6. Cody Nigh … 681 7. Brent Sexton … 505 8. Lealand Day … 436 9. Braydin Collie … 432 10. Bobby Michnowicz … 364 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 CLS vs BCRA Civil War Points 1. Greg Dennett … 135 1. Bobby Michnowicz … 135 3. Aiden Lange … 130 4. Dakota Albright … 117 4. Liam Coffey … 117 6. Mike Nigh … 109 7. Justin Nortin … 101 8. Hunter Kinney … 93 8. Bryan Key … 93 10 Kyndal Barstow … 28 The CLS would like to thank the following companies for being marketing partners in the 2026 season. Series sponsor Motor City GMC Associate Sponsors American Racer 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 – Greg Dennett July 4 CLS & USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Santa Maria Speedway – Jeff Dyer 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