VADO, N.M. — The first three starting positions did not produce a single feature winner Friday night at Vado Speedway Park.
Cale Riggs and Fito Gallardo each started 10th. Josh Cain began eighth. Aydan Saunders started fifth. Fourteen-year-old Luke Vargas launched from fourth.
Five feature winners. Thirty-two combined positions gained. Nobody started better than Row 2.
Night 1 of Vado’s Labor Day Weekend Double Header brought 88 posted starters across five divisions. The Gaerte Engines 360 Winged Sprint Series opened the program against the stopwatch before 13 heat races, a Wing Sprint top-eight redraw, an X-Mod B Feature, and five main events established the first set of weekend winners.
Riggs charged through the Legends field immediately after an early restart. Cain and Riggs turned the Stock Car feature into a heavyweight fight. Saunders used lap traffic to break open a three-car Sprint battle. Vargas survived the Late Model feature’s rapidly changing final laps. Gallardo used a three-lap sprint to complete a heat-and-feature sweep.
Riggs charges from the fifth row
Josh Jackson controlled the opening portion of the 20-lap Hulsey Racing INEX Legends feature before contact involving Arturo Ordonez and Edwin Garrett produced a caution with 17 laps remaining.
Riggs started 10th and used the restart to transform the race. The No. 96 surged into the lead battle during the first green circuit, moved to the higher lane, and cut beneath Jerod Candelaria as the leaders converged.
Riggs crossed into the lead with 14 laps remaining. From there, he stretched the advantage while Kyle Burnette and Candelaria fought for second.
A checkered-yellow ended the race on the last completed lap. Riggs secured his second consecutive Vado Legends feature victory, with Burnette advancing from ninth to second and Candelaria finishing third from sixth.
Hulsey Racing INEX Legends — Official Top 5
| Finish | Start | Driver | Car |
| 1 | 10 | Cale Riggs | 96 |
| 2 | 9 | Kyle Burnette | 32 |
| 3 | 6 | Jerod Candelaria | 33 |
| 4 | 8 | Brandon Williams | 82 |
| 5 | 2 | Chase Collins | 34 |
Cain withstands every reset
Damien Saenz led the opening lap of the 20-lap Extreme Landscaping USRA Stock Car feature. Cain needed little time to arrive from eighth.
The No. 3J drove into the lead during the opening exchange, but Riggs followed him through the field and repeatedly attacked from the higher lane. The two raced side by side while cautions with 17 and nine laps remaining kept returning the challengers to Cain’s rear bumper.
Another caution appeared with two laps remaining after Carlos Garcia fell from third. Riggs received one more opportunity, but the No. 777R developed trouble on the restart and was unable to finish.
Officials rebuilt the field again, the race reached its time limit, and Cain controlled the final restart to secure his second consecutive Vado Stock Car feature victory.
The official podium was a remarkable study in forward movement. Cain won from eighth. Israel Ortega charged from 13th to second. Herman Garcia drove from 18th to third. The three drivers gained 33 combined positions.
Extreme Landscaping USRA Stock Cars — Official Top 5
| Finish | Start | Driver | Car |
| 1 | 8 | Josh Cain | 3J |
| 2 | 13 | Israel Ortega | 38 |
| 3 | 18 | Herman Garcia | 96X |
| 4 | 3 | Dawnica Minks | 77 |
| 5 | 14 | Justin Garrett | 7J |
Saunders makes traffic the opportunity
Nick Parker started from the pole and led the opening portion of the 25-lap Gaerte Engines 360 Winged Sprint feature.
Saunders launched from fifth and reached second almost immediately. Peter Smith repeatedly answered, producing a series of sliders and crossovers behind Parker while the leader worked to preserve clean air.
The balance changed when the front three reached slower traffic. Parker’s available lanes narrowed. Smith lost momentum in the congestion. Saunders cleared the fight for second and attacked the leader through the same traffic.
The No. 8 completed the pass before a caution with 11 laps remaining. When the race resumed, Saunders rebuilt the advantage and drove through the final traffic to the checkered flag.
The victory made Saunders a perfect three-for-three in Vado Wing Sprint features during 2026. Parker finished second. Caleb Saiz advanced from ninth to third, and 13-year-old Jaxon Porter finished fourth in only his second 360 start.
Gaerte Engines 360 Winged Sprint Series — Official Top 5
| Finish | Start | Driver | Car |
| 1 | 5 | Aydan Saunders | 8 |
| 2 | 1 | Nick Parker | 01 |
| 3 | 9 | Caleb Saiz | 42 |
| 4 | 6 | Jaxon Porter | 2 |
| 5 | 2 | Rick Ziehl | 20Z |
Vargas controls four corners for $1,000
Oscar Perez led most of the 20-lap Anthony Sosa Roofing Late Model feature while Vargas worked forward from fourth.
The race changed repeatedly during the closing laps. Cautions reduced the contest for the increased purse to shorter sprints, and the order shifted as Perez, Vargas, Arturo Ordonez, and Jonathon Ortega fought for the lead.
One final caution left a single lap.
Vargas controlled the last restart and drove the No. 777X through four clean corners to collect the $1,000 Night 1 victory. Walton Kyle Jr. charged from ninth to second. Mercedes Abercrombie advanced from fifth to third.
Vargas was 14 years old on the night he converted a heat victory, a fourth-place feature start, and one final pressure restart into a four-figure Late Model win.
Special thanks to Grindell & Romero Insurance and Pit Pros for the additional Late Model purse support: $1,000 to win, $450 for second, and $300 for third on both nights.
The table below reflects the final official MyRacePass classification. Any separate penalty communication remains subject to track approval.
Anthony Sosa Roofing Late Models — Official Top 5
| Finish | Start | Driver | Car |
| 1 | 4 | Luke Vargas | 777X |
| 2 | 9 | Walton Kyle Jr. | 5M |
| 3 | 5 | Mercedes Abercrombie | 29 |
| 4 | 10 | Don Parra | 8 |
| 5 | 2 | Oscar Perez | 51 |
Gallardo takes the final three-lap opportunity
Twenty-seven Hacienda Carpet and Tile X-Mods entered Night 1. Sixteen transferred directly from four heat races, and eight more advanced through the B Feature won by Chris Hooper.
Dickie Gorham led the opening portion of the 25-lap feature before Rick Ortega and Devon Jobin became part of the fight for control.
Gallardo started 10th after winning his heat. The No. 07X steadily advanced as the surface changed, using the upper lane to reach second behind Jobin in the closing laps.
A caution with three laps remaining removed Jobin’s advantage and gave Gallardo one final opportunity. He converted it, completed the Heat 2 and feature sweep, and captured the final checkered flag of Night 1.
Rob Moseley drove from 12th to second. Christy Barnett charged from 11th to third. The entire podium started 10th or deeper and gained 27 combined positions.
Hacienda Carpet and Tile X-Mods — Official Top 5
| Finish | Start | Driver | Car |
| 1 | 10 | Fito Gallardo | 07X |
| 2 | 12 | Rob Moseley | M17 |
| 3 | 11 | Christy Barnett | 44 |
| 4 | 3 | Devon Jobin | 81 |
| 5 | 9 | Shane McNutt | 5M |
Heat and B Feature winners
– Hulsey Racing INEX Legends: Arturo Ordonez and Jerod Candelaria
– Extreme Landscaping USRA Stock Cars: Israel Ortega, Carlos Garcia, and Josh Cain
– Gaerte Engines 360 Winged Sprint Series: Peter Smith, Jesse Baker, and Spencer Hill
– Anthony Sosa Roofing Late Models: Luke Vargas and Mercedes Abercrombie
– Hacienda Carpet and Tile X-Mods: Christy Barnett, Fito Gallardo, Justin Allen, and Dickie Gorham
– Hacienda Carpet and Tile X-Mod B Feature: Chris Hooper
Thirty-two positions forward
Riggs attacked immediately. Cain outlasted the resets. Saunders turned traffic into opportunity. Vargas controlled the final four corners. Gallardo converted the final three laps.
Their routes were different, but the starting sheet connected them. The five winners began 10th, eighth, fifth, fourth, and 10th. Together, they erased 32 positions.
Nobody started inside the top three.
Everybody finished in Rio Grande Waste Services Victory Lane.
Night 2 at Vado Speedway Park
Labor Day Weekend Night 2 begins Saturday, September 5, with another complete program for:
– Gaerte Engines 360 Winged Sprint Series
– Hulsey Racing INEX Legends
– Extreme Landscaping Stock Cars
– Anthony Sosa Roofing Late Models
– Hacienda Carpet and Tile X-Mods
Front gates open at 5:00 p.m. Racing begins at 7:30 p.m. Parking is free.
Saturday is a separate ticket and a fresh race night. Tickets are available at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/vadospeedwaypark/5988/event/1461499.
Official Night 1 results are available at https://www.myracepass.com/events/647508/races.
