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CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CARS
22126 South Vermont, Unit A
Torrance, CA 90502
(310) 320-5569
http://www.calightningsprints.com/
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bobby Michnowicz (310) 320-5569
For Immediate Release
KEVIN MICHNOWICZ PASSES HIS DAD TO WIN PERRIS CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR MAIN!
(Torrance, CA, August 20, 2014) Kevin Michnowicz had little respect for his elders including his father Bobby who he passed to win the California Lightning Sprint Car Series main event before a large crowd at the “California’s Racer’s Hall of Fame Night” last Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway. The victory was the first of the season for the part-time Lomita, California racer.
The younger Michnowicz, in the T-Shirts by Timeless/Fabozi Metal Works /Pflum Wagner Honda, started the night off by outqualifying the 19-car field and beating his dad by nearly a half of a second with a lap of 17:002 on The PAS hybrid track. The senior Michnowicz was second with a time of 17:058 and series leading rookie Corey Hoover of Corona was third quick with a lap of 17:141.
Bobby Michnowicz, also of Lomita and also of the same street address as his fast kid, and Murrieta’s Zach Zauss won the two six lap heat races on the night.
Rookie Cori Andrews of Murrieta, who won her first ever CLS race on the same track in May, jumped from her outside front row starting spot and into the lead when longtime PAS starter Kevin Winters waved the green flag to start the 20-lapper. El Cajon’s Robert Wilhelm was second on the start with Placentia’s Dan Hillberg, sporting a flashy new yellow paint job, in third by the end of the first circuit.
An early yellow flag saw the elder Michnowicz, who started seventh, blast from fourth all the way to second to begin his pursuit of the leader. Less than a lap later Upland’s Alex Grigoreas, who has a nightmarish season plagued by bad luck, broke into the top three.
Andrews built a good sized lead and maintained her lofty position at the head of the pack through the 5th lap. However, a yellow flag bunched up the field for a restart and Bobby Michnowicz, Grigoreas and Kevin Michnowicz all got by her within a lap to occupy the top three spots. Once out front, Bobby Michnowicz motored away and had a half straightaway lead at the midway point of the race.
Hillberg’s night ended up not being as good looking as his racecar when he retired from the race while running in the top five just past the hallway point.
Fort Irwin’s Jeff Dyer, who has led the points for a majority of the season, planted himself firmly in fifth in a team car to Grigoreas. With a preview of what was going to come, Kevin Michnowicz passed Grigoreas for second on lap 11, just about the same time his father hit lapped traffic. The youngster immediately cut a large chunk from his dad’s lead and begin closing in.
It was evident that the kid was faster and he caught his father on lap 13. However, rather than take it all at once, the younger generation of the Michnowicz clan seemed to be biding his time. He stayed in second within striking distance of his dad until they exited turn four with two laps to go. He pounced to the inside and raced by and off to a comfortable lead.
Some lapped traffic slowed the kid down on the final two circuits, but not enough to allow his dad to catch and he beat “Pops” to the line with four car lengths to spare. Grigoreas maintained third with Dyer and Andrews rounding out the top five.
How fast was the kid in the main? His best lap was a 16:953 which was even quicker than his fast qualifying time on the night. He was also the race “Hard Charger” picking up seven spots.
Dyer extended his point lead over San Diego’s Damon Arnett, who took seventh in the main after getting upside down in his heat race. The elder Michnowicz, who won the 2012 CLS championship, continues to gain ground on both and is now only 72-points off the top spot. Zauss, who finished sixth in the main, continues his impressive climb up the standings and now ranks fourth with Hoover in fifth.
The incredible battle for “Rookie of the Year” remains tight with Hoover, Andrews and Jeremy Queener of Torrance ranked fifth, sixth and seventh in the overall standings. Hoover leads the R.O.Y., but by only three points over Andrews. Third place Queener, who began his career in stock cars, is only 30 behind Hoover.
There are only six races remaining in the 2014 CLS season. The next race will be the Glenn Howard Memorial at Perris along with the USAC/CRA, PAS Young Gun and Senior Sprint Cars on September 13th.
The California Lightning Sprint Car Series would like to thank series sponsors Performance by Rosson Racing, T Shirts by Timeless, Cold Fire West, Circle Track Performance, Extreme Mufflers, Racing Optics, Saldana Race Products, Keizer Wheels, Sander Engineering, Christian Stover Foundation, Hoosier Racing Tires, Drake Incorporated and DK Machine. If you or your company would like to become part of the California Lightning Series for the 2014 season, please call Bobby Michnowicz at: (310) 320-5569.
To keep up with the CLS on line, please visit the web site at: http://www.calightningsprints.com/index.html
You can also follow on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/calightning.sprints?fref=ts
Perris Main Event Finish (with starting positions) 1. Kevin Michnowicz (8th), 2. Bobby Michnowicz (7th), 3. Alex Grigoreas (6th), 4. Jeff Dyer (9th), 5. Cori Andrews (2nd), 6. Zach Zauss (5th), 7. Damon Arnett (12th), 8. Jeremy Queener (13th), 9. Guy Maresch (14th), 10. Corey Hoover (11th), 11. Dale Gamer (10th), 12. James Heling (15th), 13. Jon Squire (16th), 14. James Squire III (3rd), 15. Robert Wilhelm (1st), 16. Mike Kotlinski (18th), 17. Dan Hillberg (4th)
California Lightning Sprint Car Series Pont Standings
1. Jeff Dyer - Fort Irwin - 1694
2. Damon Arnett - San Diego - 1658
3. Bobby Michnowicz - Lomita - 1622
4. Zach Zauss - Murrieta - 1489
5. Corey Hoover - Corona - 1482
6 Cori Andrews - Murrieta - 1479
7. Jeremy Queener - Torrance - 1452
8. Dale Gamer - Anaheim - 1351
9. Stephen Limon - Corona - 1293
10. Dan Hillberg - Placentia - 1183
2014 California Lightning Sprint Car Series Schedule
March 8: Imperial Fairgrounds Raceway - El Centro, CA - Bobby Michnowicz
March 15: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Sokola Shootout) - Jeff Dyer
March 29: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA - Dakota Albright
April 5: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA - Stephen Limon
April 19: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA - Dan Hillberg
May 3: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA - Bobby Michnowicz
May 10: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA - Bobby Michnowicz
May 24: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Salute To Indy) - Cori Andrews
June 14: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA - Bobby Michnowicz
July 4: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Firecracker) - Bobby Michnowicz
August 16: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night) - Kevin Michnowicz
September 13: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
September 27: *Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA
October 18: *Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
November 7: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 8: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 15: Imperial Fairgrounds Raceway - El Centro, CA
* = Co-Sanctioned Event With BCRA Midget Lites.
This schedule is subject to change.
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
This press release was produced by Scott Daloisio Sports (909) 226-7768
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