craigdailypress.com

It was race night again at the Hayden Speedway on Saturday, after being rained out July 8, with super stocks, street stocks, sport stocks and modifieds classes hitting the track.

Jaceson VanGrandt and H.D. Craig, both of Craig, took home victories in the main event races.

Craig, who runs in the modifieds class, took the lead with 10 laps to go on the sticky track, and was able to hold a steady lead through the rest of the race.

"It took us awhile to pack it in and it was a little rough but it was a fast track, as far as tire grip is concerned," Craig said about the track conditions on Saturday night.

With racing starting over an hour late due to the wet conditions, most of the drivers were eager to get going.

During the opening heat racing, modifieds favorite Phil Goodwin got tangled up with the No. 14 and No. 3 cars, driven by Matt Beckett and Craig, respectively, and was unable to continue.

"You never like to see another driver get knocked out," Craig said.

Craig, who was sitting third in the point standings, should move up with the win, while Goodwin, who is on top of the leader board, may drop a spot or two.

With only two cautions in the modifieds main event, the drivers had a chance to establish a rhythm and run a clean race from start to finish. The first caution came in the second lap, when Nicholas Craig's No. 23 car spun out after getting bumped from behind. The second caution flag, also caused by the No. 23 car, came when Craig collided with the No. 00 car, driven by Billy Bingham, around turn four.

Nicholas would not return to the race after the second caution, and Bingham exited the track after lap 10.

"Sometimes when there are a lot of cautions it takes you out of your rhythm," Craig said.

The Craig brothers are 5-6 at the Speedway this season, with H.D. winning three races and Nicholas winning two.

VanGrandt raced in the sport stock and street stock classes, and tried to push the limits of his competitive streak.

"I wanted to see how competitive I could be, racing in two classes," VanGrandt said. "It was harder to prepare to race two classes in one night, but I did alright."

Even with the difficulty of racing two cars, VanGrandt ran away with victories in each class.

The next races at Hayden Speedway will be held July 25. Racing starts at 6:30 p.m.

Melanie McDaniels can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 211, or mmcdaniels@craigdailypress.com.