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(Torrance, CA, August 15, 2019) Jarrett Kramer took another step towards his third POWRi Lucas Oil California Lightning Sprint Car Series championship when he won his fifth main event of 2019 last Saturday night at the Barona Speedway. The win allowed the Spring Valley resident to extend his lead in the standings with only six races to go in the season.

(Attached photo of Jarrett Kramer courtesy of Pit Princess Photography)

Nineteen cars showed up for the third and final CLS appearance at the San Diego County oval in 2019. Local Brent Sexton from Lakeside out-qualified the competition with a lap of 15.339. Kingsburg’s Doug Nunes, who came into the night second in points, was second fast at 15.401. Lakewood’s Aiden Lange was third fastest when he toured the track in 15.481.

Sexton, San Diego’s A.J. Bender and series leading rookie Jason Arnolde, who also resides in San Diego, won the three, eight-lap heat races.

When the lineup for the main event was posted, it cast a dark cloud over most of the competition as Kramer, in his Malicious Liquids/Anarchist Manufacturing/AK Hardparts/Reber Reber Inc./Finest City Dog Training/BK Wings/Guhl Motors/Victory Graphix/Kramer Brothers Racing/DLX/Kawasaki ZX10R #1, was starting on the outside of the front row. Camarillo’s Cody Nigh started inside of the defending series champ. Row two saw teenager Dominic Del Monte OF Gardena on the inside with Bermuda Dunes CHP officer Jeff Dyer, who won the last CLS race at Santa Maria two weeks earlier, outside of him. Row three saw seven CLS championships represented. Lomita’s Bobby Michnowicz, who has five titles, was paired with Sexton, who has two. Palmdale’s Eric Greco and Gage Cheek of Santa Clarita made up row four. `

Kramer, 36, blew into the lead with Nigh and Dyer giving chase on the start. Sexton and Michnowicz sandwiched Del Monte in turn three on the first lap to race into fourth and fifth.

Things did not proceed for long as Michnowicz went to the inside of Sexton as they came off turn four on the second circuit. The two came together and the result was Michnowicz slamming hard into the crash wall with the left side of his car. The red came out and Michnowicz momentarily laid on the track. He ended up with a concussion, an injured knee and a DNF for the night.

For the restart with 24-laps to go, Kramer was at the point and was followed by Dyer, Nigh, Sexton and Del Monte. All of two laps got completed when 2018 Rookie of the Year Grant Sexton, who was debuting a gorgeous new wrap, barrel-rolled down the front chute necessitating another red flag. It was the area where the then 14-year-old tumbled in April. Like before, he was uninjured, but his car was done for the night and he watched the remainder of the race from the sidelines.

With only three laps in the books, the restart lineup was the same as the previous effort. Kramer had built up a comfortable lead over Dyer once the action got going again. On a track that was making passing anything but easy, the top five was the same at the end of lap 10 as it was on the lap two restart.
The best battle on the track was for third where Sexton was staying glued to the rear end of Nigh. Sexton finally got the job done and took third on lap 12. However, he had a long way to go to catch up to second-place Dyer.

Surprisingly, three-laps after securing third, Sexton had chased Dyer down and was breathing down his neck as they worked their way through lapped traffic. A few laps later Dyer gave himself some breathing room again and seemed destined for a runner up finish. While most eyes in the crowd were on the battle for second, Kramer had pulled away and it was going to take a mechanical issue or problems with a lapper to stop his march to win number five.

When it seemed like all was done, Greco spun in turn four and brought out a yellow flag. That kissed Kramer’s huge lead good-bye as with less than five laps to go, all the lappers are sent to the back. It was Kramer with Dyer, Sexton, Nigh and Del Monte looking like they were attached by a string for the restart with only three laps left.

The race went one more lap when a car slowed going into three, forcing a yellow. Seconds after the yellow waved, Dyer mysteriously spun in turn four while still in second. The culprit of the pirouette was a broken panhard bar.

Due to time constraints, the checkered flag came out and the race deemed complete at 23-laps. That gave Kramer his series-leading fifth CLS winner’s trophy of the year. Sexton ended up one spot short of sweeping the show in second with Del Monte third. USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series regular Bender, who was driving Pat Kelley’s #03 for the first time, finished fourth with Nigh fifth.

Sexton now leads the championship standings by 123-points, his widest margin of the year. Nunes is second. Nigh has moved past Michnowicz for the third spot with Greco fifth. Only 40 points separates third from fifth.

If things are not already bright enough for Kramer, the CLS returns to action at the Ventura Raceway on August 24th. In the first four races at the series home track in 2019, Kramer has finished first every time.

Barona Speedway Main Event

1. Jarrett Kramer – Spring Valley, CA
2. Brent Sexton – Lakeside, CA
3. Dominic Del Monte – Gardena, CA
4. A.J. Bender – San Diego, CA
5. Cody Nigh – Camarillo, CA
6. Gage Cheek – Santa Clarita, CA
7. Dalton Sexton – Lakeside, CA
8. Eric Greco – Palmdale, CA
9. Jeff Dyer – Bermuda Dunes, CA
10. Doug Nunes – Kingsburg, CA
11. Ken Coulston – Bermuda Dunes, CA
12. Jon Robertson – Torrance, CA
13. James Squire III – Lakeside, CA
14. Jason Arnolde – San Diego, CA
15. Shane Sexton – San Diego, CA
16. Grant Sexton – Lakeside, CA
17. Bobby Michnowicz – Lomita, CA
18. Aiden Lange – Lakewood, CA
19. James Turnbull Jr. – Indio, CA

POWRi Lucas Oil California Lightning Sprint Car Standings

1. Jarrett Kramer – Spring Valley, CA – 1369
2. Doug Nunes – Kingsburg, CA – 1246
3. Cody Nigh - Camarillo, CA – 1159
4. Bobby Michnowicz – Lomita, CA – 1143
5. Eric Greco – Palmdale, CA – 1119
6. A.J, Bender – San Diego, CA – 1086
7. Jeff Dyer – Bermuda Dunes, CA – 1078
8. Dominic Del Monte – Gardena, CA – 1057
9. Aiden Lange - Lakewood, CA – 1019
10. Gage Cheek – Santa Clarita, CA - 852