Crafton Wins Featherlite SW Series Race

Matt Crafton of Tulare needed a late caution flag, and when he got it, he knew what to do with it.

Crafton passed Auggie Vidovich Jr. to win the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series Food 4 Less 150 before a crowd of 5,540 at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night.

Crafton was in third place when the caution came out for a spin in Turn 2 on lap 115. After 10 laps of caution, the race was restarted. Craig Raudman, of Redding, led the first lap but lost it to Vidovich on lap 127. Two laps later, Crafton swooped low in Turn 4 to grab the lead from Vidovich, of Lakeside.

Raudman wrestled second away from Vidovich on lap 133 and then set his sights on Crafton. He caught him with less than five laps to go but was unable to make the pass.

Raudman made one last gasp on lap 148, but Crafton stayed in the middle of track, blocking Raudman’s attempt to get by him on the bottom of the track.

The win was Crafton’s second of the season and he took home $6,200 for the victory. Crafton, the series points leader, had put his Smart & Final Ford on the pole with a speed of 102.722 mph, his third pole of the season. He led the first 36 laps before giving up the lead to Vidovich.

Keith Spangler of Chatsworth finished fourth and Paul Banghart of Tucson, who won the qualifying race and started 29th, ended up in fifth.

Crafton’s winning speed was 71.390 mph. There were four lead changes among three drivers and three caution flags for 28 laps.