index

1st Place - #14 Jarrett Kramer

2nd Place - Cory Ballard

Kramer takes Santa Maria CLS Feature!

Perris 2nd place: Brent "Fireball" Sexton

Perris Winner: #4 Bobby Bender

Perris 3rd Place: #21 A.J. Bender

Ventura 3rd Place: Peter Benker

Ventura winner: Bobby Bender

Ventura 2nd Place: AJ Bender

JARRETT KRAMER COMES FROM DEEP IN THE FIELD TO POST FIRST CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR WIN OF 2010!

(MAY 11, 2010, LAKESIDE, CA) Current California Lightning Sprint Car Series point leader Jarrett Kramer parlayed a late race pass into his first win of the 2010 season last Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway.

Eighteen cars took the green flag to start the 20 lap main event on the brightly lit Riverside County clay oval, but the yellow light blinked before the field got through turn one when a car spun on the original start. The second time they tried to start the race, several cars tangled on the back straightaway. Bobby Bender, who leads the series with three wins thus far in 2010, and Dan Hillberg flipped and Jim Squire tipped over on his side. Squire was able to continue, but Bender, Hillberg and Jacob Will were done for the night.

The third try to start the main event turned out to be the charm and Indiana native Chris Dickey raced from the pole into the lead over Dale Gamer. By the time the first lap was in the books, A.J. Bender and Kramer had advanced to second and third. Bender, who started outside the fourth row on the original start, had moved up to row three due to Will not making the restart. Likewise, Kramer advanced from the sixth row to the fourth on the restart due to cars not being able to make the start.

Dickey maintained his position at the head of the pack until the third circuit when Bender and Kramer got by. Johnny Bluntach, who has one win this season and who was ranked third in points, saw his night come to an end on lap seven with a broken left front shock tower.

At the midway point in the 20-lapper, it became clear that it was going to be a three-driver race for the lead between Bender, Kramer and Ventura winner Corey Ballard. Bender had a six-car length lead, but Kramer and Ballard were inching closer every lap.

Ballard was faster on the outside line and Kramer was quicker on the pole. On lap 12, Ballard raced around Kramer on the back straight for second. Four laps later, Kramer returned the favor with an inside pass in turn one. On lap 17, Kramer used the same line to try and relieve Bender of the lead coming off turn two, but the young Ramona driver managed to fend him off. By the conclusion of that lap Kramer was again trying to knife his way inside Bender for the lead while Ballard was trying to race around both of them on the outside. Kramer got a good run inside Bender coming off turn two on lap 18 and they raced wheel to wheel down the back straight with Kramer finally wrestling the lead away as they entered the third turn.

Once he took the lead, Kramer pulled away from the second place driver. Ballard, staying on the wide line, passed Bender for second at the white flag. At the checkered, Kramer had nearly a half straightaway lead over Ballard and Bender. Kramer’s brother Seth was fourth followed by defending series champion Stuart Hielscher Sr. in fifth. Darren Hillberg, Peter Benker, Guy Maresch, Jim Squire and Alex Bissett rounded out the top ten.

Attached to this release is a photo of Jarrett Kramer. Please feel free to use the photo in your publication or on your web site and please give photo credit to K.C. Rooney.

Bluntach, A.J. Bender and Bobby Bender won the three six lap heat races.

This California Lightning Sprint Cars have the next two Saturdays off before returning to action at the annual Salute to Indy along with the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, USAC Ford Focus and Jr. Focus on Memorial Day weekend at Perris Auto Speedway.

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).

3rd #21 A.J. Bender

1st #14 Jarrett Kramer

2nd #20 Cory Ballard

BALLARD WINS CALIFORNIA LIGHTNING SPRINT CAR MAIN AT VENTURA !

(APRIL 20, 2010, LAKESIDE , CA ) Corey Ballard became the third different California Lightning Sprint Car main event winner in four races in 2010 when he topped the field last Saturday night at the Ventura Raceway.

Ballard, the son of longtime First Division Speedway Motorcycle racer Jan Ballard, started on the pole and dominated the competition on the beach side 1/5 of a mile dirt oval for his second ever Lightning Sprint Car main event victory. The Orange , California drivers first win came last season at Chris Kearns’ Santa Maria Speedway. Karl Von Yolkes of Lakeview Terrace started third in the 15-car field and ended up with a Lightning Sprint Car career best second place finish behind Ballard. Third place went to series point leader Jarrett Kramer, of Spring Valley , who started 11th in the main. A.J. Bender or Ramona finished fourth with Dan Hillberg of Placentia , who has been racing open wheel cars for over 30 years, taking fifth. Impressive teenage rookie Jacob Will of Carlsbad came from 14th to finish sixth.

Ballard, Hillberg and Guy Maresch (Anaheim Hills) won the three heat races.

Jarrett Kramer, who has not finished farther back than fourth this far in 2010, continues to set the pace in the championship point standings and now has a 68-point advantage over second place A.J. Bender. Johnny Bluntach of Rowland Heights is third in the title chase. Bobby Bender, who has two wins in four races in 2010 and who became a victim of the two-spin rule at Ventura , is fourth. Spring Valley’s Seth Kramer sits fifth in points after a frustrating time at Ventura . Coming into Saturday’s Ventura race, Seth was second in points behind brother Jarrett, but engine problems put him on the trailer before the start of the main event.

The California Lightning Sprint Cars take this Saturday off before returning to the Bakersfield Speedway on May 1st. They head back to their home track, Perris Auto Speedway, two times in May. The first time will be May 8th and the second will be at the Annual Salute to Indy on May 29th. The series will make its second of three appearances at Ventura on June 5th.

The 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.

3rd place #14 Jarrett Kramer

2nd place # 00 Karl Von Yokes

#20 Cory Ballard wins on a tough Ventura Raceway track!

Johnny Bluntach 2nd place!

Seth Kramer 3rd place!

Bobby Bender wins his 2nd CLS feature of the 2010 season!

(MARCH 27, 2010, Bakersfield, CA) Johnny Bluntach wins big at Bakersfield Speedway 3/27/10 after blowing 2 motors in the season opener! Jarrett Kramer and Seth Kramer Brothers finish 2nd and 3rd on the slick ¼ mile.

More results to follow!

(MARCH 13, 2010, RIVERSIDE, CA) Brothers Bobby and Alex Bender scored a convincing one - two finish in the season opening 20 lap California Lightning Sprint Car season main event at before an enthusiastic crowd at Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday night.

Nineteen cars showed up for the first race of the new campaign and all but one of them, rookie Gabby Robles, took the green flag to start the main event on the Riverside County clay oval. The initial attempt to start the 20 lapper made it as far as turn one before Tim Moody, who started 13th, got upside and brought out the first red flag of the year. Moody was uninjured and walked away from the crash.

Once the race was restarted, longtime Southern California Division One Speedway Motorcycle racer Jan Ballard jumped into the lead from the outside of the front row. Ballard, who was only in the driver seat because his son Cory was crewing for an off road team in San Felipe, Mexico, quickly built up a commanding lead. While many in the grandstands were focused on Ballard and his widening advantage, attention began to shift to the dramatic charge through the field of Bobby Bender. The young driver started 16th and by the time a yellow waved on lap seven, he was up to second and chasing down Ballard.

That yellow flag started the downfall for Ballard. Soon after starter Kevin Neighbors threw the green flag to restart the race, Bender blew past Ballard and immediately built a huge lead.

Ballard maintained the second place spot and was fighting to hold off the younger Bender brother. However, on lap 13 he got into the right rear tire of a slower car he was trying to lap in turn one and slid to a stop on the lip of the cushion. That put Alex Bender on his brothers rear bumper for the restart. Ballard was soon out the affair after an impressive early run and ended up 15th.

Once again when the green flag waved, Bobby Bender, who lead the California Lightning Series with four main event wins in 2009, drove away from the field and scored a very impressive win. Alex Bender maintained second to his older sibling. Third year CLS driver Tim Brown made his first ever podium finish in third. Jarrett Kramer, all the way from a 17th place starting spot, came home fourth with his brother Seth rounding out the top five.

Like Ballard, Chris Dickey, fresh back from a tour of duty in the Arabian Gulf, and youngster Johnny Bluntach, had their nights cut short when problems forced them to the sidelines while they were running in the top five.

Bobby Bender, Jarrett Kramer and Bakersfield based Wink Schweitzer won the three six lap heat races.

The California Lightning Sprint Cars have this Saturday night off, but they will return to action on Saturday, March 27th, at the ¼ mile Bakersfield Speedway.

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

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