The 250SX East duo showed strength straight away at the Camping World Stadium, with Craig taking the fastest qualifier honors and his teammate right behind in second. When it came time to race, Nichols fired the first shot with a dominant win in his heat race. Craig looked to follow suit in the second heat but unfortunately had a big crash on the second lap that took him out of the race. Although not feeling 100%, the Californian went out and won the LCQ.
In the Main Event, the pair both got a good start, with Nichols in second and Craig moving into third. They ran a good pace and maintained their positions throughout the race. With less than two minutes to go, the Oklahoman made one last push to get within striking distance of the leader but ultimately had to settle for second. Although he wanted to leave Orlando with a win, the runner-up finish expanded Nichols’ points lead to eight. Behind him, Craig toughed it out for the 15-minute-plus-one-lap race to cross the line in a solid third-place finish. After seven races in five weeks, the pair get a break before the season finale in Salt Lake City on May 1.
Next Saturday, the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s 250SX West team makes their 2021 debut at the second Monster Energy AMA Supercross round at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, February 20.