Longtime open wheel racer Dan Hillberg, of Placentia, California, scored the first A main win of his career in the California Lightning Sprint Car feature last Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway.
Hillberg began racing with the USRC Midgets in Southern California in the late 1970s and has also raced 410 Sprint Cars in the SCRA and USAC/CRA Series’. Saturday, when the CLS cars made their first 2010 appearance on the PAS quarter-mile and were racing without wings, he found himself on the inside of the third row for the start of the 20-lap main event.
When lontgime starter Eddie Ramirez signaled the start of the main event with his green flag, Oklahoma native Tobey Sampson charged into the lead from the pole position. Sampson, who ironically also raced 410 Sprint Cars and was driving a car owned by Hillberg, was chased on the start by Peter Benker, Tim Moody and Jacob Will.
The first yellow of the main flew on lap three when second year driver Alexander Bissett got batted around in turn three on the third circuit and suffered a flat tire. During the yellow flag for Bissett, Robert Wilhelm and another car got together on the back straight with Wilhelm tipping over and out of action for the night.
Once the green flag started the race again, Sampson continued on in the lead while Moody moved up to second and began the chase of the “Smokin’ Okie.” As Sampson and Moody moved out from the rest of the pack, the action was hot and heavy in the middle of the field. By the end of the eighth lap, Hillberg was ip to third.
Things went smooth until the 13th lap when Moody tried to go inside Sampson, going down the back straight and they got together. Contact was made with the wheels and Simpson’s orange #82 car began to violently flip high into the night air setting a new PAS altitude record for a Lightning Sprint Car. The car crashed to the ground with a heavy thud. The safety crew was immediately on the scene of the crash and after a few anxious moments, Sampson climbed from his destroyed racer under his own power. While he refused a trip to the hospital at the time, Sampson did go the hospital the next day where it was revealed he had a heavy concussion and deep bruising.
Once the wreckage was cleared from the track, racing began once again with Moody at the point and Hillberg in tow. Bobby Bender, who leads the CLS series with three wins in 2010, and Hillberg got into a fierce battle for second on lap 15, but before the lap was over, a five-car tangle in turn three brought out a yellow flag. That one eliminated A.J. Bender, Karl Von Yokes, Will and Benker for the night.
Due to the time constraints and the fact that there was still a USAC Ford Focus Midget main to run after the Lightning Sprint Cars, PAS officials determined that the race would go green, then white and checkered making it a 16 lapper. Moody was in the lead when the green came back out and two laps later he was first across the finish line followed by Hillberg and Bobby Bender. However, Moody did not go straight to tech after the race and was disqualified. That gave Hillberg the win with Bobby Bender second. Point leader Jarrett Kramer and his brother Seth finished third and fourth with Corey Ballard in fifth.
Earlier in the night Moody, Benker and Johnny Bluntach won the three heat races.
Jarrett Kramer continues to lead the championship standings and carries a 144 point advatage into the next race at the Ventura Raceway this Saturday, June 5th. However, the battle for second through eighth continues to go back and forth from race to race. Bobby Bender finds himself back in the second place in the standings with Bluntach 17 points behind him in third. Seth Kramer is 10 points behind Bender with Hillberg advancing to fifth after Saturday’s win
The wings will be back on for this Saturday’s race at Ventura. It will be the second appearance of the season for the CLS at the beach side oval. At their last appearance on April 17th, Corey Ballard won his second ever CLS main event.
DVD’s from Saturday’s race will be available form Raceway Video. You can visit their website at: www.racewayvideo.com. You can also call: (818) 618-9764
California Lightning Sprint Car Series would like to acknowledge the following sponsors for making the 2010 campaign possible. The Christian Stover Foundation, Performance by Rosson Racing, BK Wings, Circle Track Performance and Hoosier Tires. Anyone wishing to come on board as a series sponsor can call Brent Sexton at: (619) 454-6945.
For more information on this Saturday’s race or the 2010 California Lightning Sprint Car Series, contact Brent Sexton ((619) 454-6945 or sextonfire@cox.net) or Scott Daloisio (909 226-7768 or sdaloisiosports@aol.com).
MAIN EVENT FINISH (with starting positions)
1. Dan Hillberg (5th)
2. Bobby Bender (10th)
3. Jarrett Kramer (13th)
4. Seth Kramer (7th)
5. Corey Ballard (12th)
6. Johnny Bluntach (9th)
7. Darren Hillberg (17th)
8. Guy Maresch (16th)
9. Dale Gamer (15th)
10. Mike Hawke (18th)
11. Karl Von Yokes (11th)
12. Peter Benker (2nd)
13. Jacob Will (6th)
14. Tobey Sampson (1st)
15. Robert Wilhelm (14th)
16. Alexander Bissett (3rd)
17. A.J. Bender (8th)
18. Tim Moody (4th)
POINT STANDINGS
1. Jarrett Kramer – Spring Valley, CA – 910
2. Bobby Bender – Ramona, CA – 766
3. Johnny Bluntach – Rowland Heights, CA – 749
4. Seth Kramer – Lakeside, CA – 739
5. Dan Hillberg – Placentia, CA – 681
6. A.J. Bender – Lakeside, CA – 658
7. Corey Ballard – Orange, CA – 623
7. Guy Maresch – Anaheim Hills, – 623
9. Dale Gamer – Anaheim, CA – 580
10. Robert Wilhelm – El Cajon, CA – 570
2010 CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SRPINT CAR MAIN EVENT WINNERS
Bobby Bender … 3
Johnny Bluntach … 1
Cory Ballard … 1
Jarrett Kramer … 1
Dan Hillberg … 1
2010 CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
June 5th … Ventura Raceway
June 12th … Perris Auto Speedway
June 19th … Santa Maria Speedway
July 3rd … Perris Auto Speedway
July 24th … Perris Auto Speedway (1st Annual Christian Stover Memorial
July 31st … Bakersfield Speedway
August 14th … Perris Auto Speedway
August 28th … Perris Auto Speedway
September 11th … Ventura Raceway
September 25th … Bakersfield
October 2nd … Perris Auto Speedway
October 9th … Perris Auto Speedway (Southern California Fair)
November 5th & 6th … Perris Auto Speedway (Oval Nationals)
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 Ganson
2007 Shane Rosson
2008 Brent Sexton
2009 Stuart Hielshier Sr.
2010 Jarrett Kramer