Twenty-four hours after Brent Sexton won the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car main event at the Imperial Valley Raceway, the defending series champion raced to a third-place finish on the same fairgrounds-based oval. In addition to Brent, his youngest son Grant placed fifth in the Southern California Open Competition Sprint Car main event.
Brent, a 50-year-old Tennessee native, parlayed his weekend finishes into a bonafide chance of winning his fourth overall lightning sprint car title. His first two championships came in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series in 1999 and 2008. Last year he won his third title when he replaced 2021 SWLS title holder Grant. If he succeeds in taking the honor this season, it will give Lakeside, California-based Sexton Gatlin Racing the championships in the first three years of the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series.
Saturday at Imperial, the wily veteran driver started the main on the inside of row two in third. On a track that was one lane on the bottom by main event time, he was initially in fourth place. On the sixth lap, he moved up to third and stayed there for the duration.
In eight SWLS starts this year, Brent has only finished out of the top four once. That was a sixth place at Arizona’s Mohave Valley Raceway on October 14th. In the other seven starts, he has two wins, three second-place finishes, a third, and a fourth.
Nineteen-year-old Grant, who is going to be crowned USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year at the club’s annual banquet after the new year, finished in the top five all night long in the So Cal Open Comp Sprints. To start the last night of racing at Imperial in 2023, he was the fifth-fastest qualifier. Not long thereafter, he started third and finished fourth in his heat. In the 20-lap main where passing was at a premium, he started in seventh and moved up two spots to finish fifth.
This week, Grant heads to Friday and Saturday’s Western World Championships at Arizona’s Cocopah Speedway. Brent gets next week off but will continue his pursuit of the SWLS champion’s crown at Perris Auto Speedway on November 11th. Going into that race, he is only 49 points out of first.
If you or your company are interested in becoming a partner with Sexton Gatlin Racing in 2023, please call (619) 454-6945 or E-mail mailto:[email protected] or mail to.
Sexton Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2022 season possible. Keys Brothers, East County Electric Works, Maxima Oil, Automated Interiors, Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Troy Dirt, Victory Graphix, and Swift Powdercoat.
SGR PR
