Lomita, California’s Bobby Michnowicz left no doubt in anyone’s mind as to who should be the 2014 California Lightning Sprint Car Series champion when he scored the season ending main event victory in last Friday night’s 19th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals Presented by All Coast Construction at Perris Auto Speedway. The win was the seventh of the season for the 50-year-old racer.
Heading into the night of championship racing, three drivers had a chance at winning the title. Michnowicz was the leader, but was only 15 points ahead of San Diego’s Damon Arnett in the battle for the championship trophy. Jeff Dyer of Fort Irwin was third and was 36-points behind the leader.
Saturday’s culmination of the 2014 season was comprised of qualifying, heat races and a 20-lap main event. The only blip on Michnowicz racing resume for the night came when his qualifying time of 18:133 was second to his son Kevin who out qualified the 18-car field with a lap of 18:030. However, the elder Michnowicz and San Diego’s Damon Arnett won the two heat races.
Arnett had a slight advantage over Michnowicz for the start of the main as he was starting on the inside of the second row while Michnowicz started on the outside of the third.
A pair of rookies, Corey Hoover of Corona and Torrance’s Jeremy Queener, started on the front row and Queener was the first to turn one with Hoover in hot pursuit. Veteran Guy Maresch of Anaheim Hills, who would make his debut in a full size sprint car the following night, was third on the start.
Queener set a nice early pace as Michnowicz and 2013 Oval Nationals winner Doug Nunes were coming towards the front of the pack. By the end of the third lap, Michnowicz raced past Hoover for second. A few seconds later, Nunes also went by Hoover for the third place spot.
Queener, who was looking for his first ever CLS win, built up a good sized lead, but when he and Michnowicz caught up to lapped traffic, the fight was on. That battle almost ended when a lapped car had a problem right in front of the lead duo as they scrapped for the top spot. Fortunately they both missed the lapper, but the yellow came out when he did not clear the track.
That yellow flag was Queener’s downfall as veteran Michnowicz made quick work of him on the restart. Once out front, Michnowicz pulled away. Nunes and Kevin Michnowicz also got by Queener on the same lap, but by that time the leader, in his TshirtsBy Timeless/Pflum and Wagner/Fabozi Metal Works /Kawasaki #12m, was gone. The veteran stretched his lead to nearly a half straight at the Kevin Winters’ checkered flag. Nunes and Kevin Michnowicz placed second and third. After a long time at the point, Queener was forced to settle for fourth with Maresch fifth at the finish.
Michnowicz ended up winning the title by 61-points over Arnett. Dyer, who led the standings longer than anyone else in 2014, ended up third. Hoover was fourth in the final standings with Murrieta’s Zach Zauss fifth.
Hoover ended up winning “Rookie of the Year” by 17-points over Queener. Murrieta’s Cori Andrews, the only rookie to win a main event in 2014, was 9-points behind Queener.
Michnowicz became only the third driver in the 21-season history of the CLS to win more than one championship. He is now tied with Brent Sexton who has two titles (1999 and 2008) and is one behind Greg Bragg who won three straight CLS titles from 2000 through 2002.
California Lightning Sprint Car Series Point Standings
1. Bobby Michnowicz – Lomita – 2285
2. Damon Arnett – San Diego – 2224
3. Jeff Dyer – Upland – 2189
4. Corey Hoover – Corona – 2027
5. Zach Zauss – Murrieta – 2026
6. Jeremy Queener – Torrance – 2010
7. Cori Andrews – Murrieta – 2009
8. Dale Gamer – Anaheim – 1848
9. Dan Hillberg – Placentia – 1778
10. Robert Wilhelm – El Cajon – 1302
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.
Plans are underway for the 22nd California Lightning Sprint Car Series season in 2015.
If you or your company would like to become part of the California Lightning Series, please call Bobby Michnowicz at: (310) 320-5569.
To keep up with the CLS on line, please visit the web site at: California Lightning Sprint Cars
You can also follow on Facebook at: California Lightning Sprint Cars on Facebook
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) – Dan Hillberg
September 27: *Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA – Bobby Michnowicz
October 18: *Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA – Doug Nunes
November 7: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals) – Bobby Michnowicz
* = Co-Sanctioned Event With BCRA Midget Lites.
This schedule is subject to change.
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