RJ Marcotte came from low in the second row as the field exploded out of the starters’ box and got underneath front row competitiors Isaiah Newcomb and Devin Deshaies coming out of turn two of lap one. The three-wide surprised the polesitters and Marcotte broke into the lead down the backstretch to lead lap one . . . and he led laps two through fifteen for a tour-de-force all the way to the checkers and a trip to Victory Lane.
Devin Deshaies spent most of the race trying to wrest the lead away from Marcotte, but the wily leader was having nothing to do with that and fought him off to the finish. Much of the way, they were both dealing with Nickolas Hovey, but a lap eleven crash separated him from the field and ended his night.
Deshaies finished on Marcotte’s tail for a strong second, while Nathan Smith, Ryan Arieta and Riley Caron rounded out the top five.
After Marcotte surprised Deshaies and Newcomb with the three-wide, the second circuit saw Hovey drive in to surprise them again with a second-circuit three-wide. This gave Marcotte the opportunity to jet out to a ten-car lead on the third trip around the bullring. By then, Hovey and Deshaies were dueling door-to-door, Newcomb was fourth with Arieta and Caron in pursuit. By lap four, Hovey had gotten half his car past Deshaies, who fired up and drove back alongside.
Meanwhile, Newcomb spun out and Hovey spun to avoid him. They suffered a glancing blow, Hovey pushing his rear bumper against Newcomb’s front. Nickolas was able to rejoin the field (and retrieve his position since the caution had flown before his spin and contact with Newcomb.) Isaiah, however, took it to the pits for the evening.
Lap four restart had Marcotte and Hovey side-by-side with Deshaies and Arieta chafing at the bit behind them. Marcotte shot out of the box into the lead again and Deshaies followed under Hovey into turn two. Smith fell in behind Hovey with Arieta, Giovanni Reggiero and Caron in pursuit.
Smith dodged past Arieta but Arieta heated it up and came back alongside down the backstretch. Lap seven saw Arieta pull ahead of Smith and move four cars ahead on him. The field was now strung out with Marcotte leading Deshaies, Hovey, Smith and Arieta and working out to a seven-car lead over the next two laps.
But lap 11 saw Hovey slipping a wheel across the berm into the infield coming out of turn one. It threw his car sideways and a front wheel caught in the soft earth, tossing Hovey’s Bandolero into the air for a barrel roll. He came back down on all four wheels. Emergency crews converged, but Hovey was able to emerge from the car and walk to the obligatory ambulance ride back to the pits.
Meanwhile, a four-lap shootout was lining up with Marcotte and Deshaies preparing to have it out with each other once again. Arieta and Smith held row two with Reggiero and Caron behind them. Marcotte zoomed to the front again and Deshaies wasted no time dropping in ahead of Smith, who was followed by Arieta. The field immediately settled in behind them, single file: Caron, followed by Reggiero, Joel Newcomb and Hailey Vallerand.
They ran in order through the final three laps as Marcotte now found extra speed and moved out to a four-car lead.
Through the final lap, Arieta ducked under Smith for a shot at his position and they wound through the circuit door-to-door. But Smith was able to hold him off by .052 seconds and retain third.
Reggiero was sixth, followed by Newcomb and Vallerand, the final cars still running.