Ryan Arieta used great patience after falling back from third to fifth at the start of the Bandolero Bandit feature and worked his way back into contention behind three-time winner Nickolas Hovey and his challenger, RJ Marcotte. But the two tangled and spun, setting Arieta up on the pole for the restart, facing a green-white-checkered finish. He dived out of the box into the lead, leaving Hailey Vallerand and Devin Deshaies in a side-by-side duel. Arieta held the lead through the two final laps for the win, while Vallerand edged past for the second. DeShaies claimed third. Isaiah Newcomb and Marcotte rounded out the top five.
Hovey, by virtue of his three straight wins to start the season, started fifth, behind Marcotte (fourth) and Arieta (third). On the green, they both charged past Arieta with Deshaies grabbing the lead from polesitter Nathan Smith. Marcotte settled into second with Hovey on his taile and Smith keeping pace.
Marcotte and Hovey battled for position into lap 5, when Smith spun out on lap six. Hovey had stuck his nose past Marcotte entering the previous lap and was on the pole for the restart with Marcotte on his shoulder. Hovey grabbed the front and Arieta got underneath Marcotte to battle for second. Deshaies was fourth, followed by Newcomb.
Hovey went to a four-car lead and Marcotte took second back from Arieta on and went to Hovey’s bumper. Nickolas put a carlength between them, but Marcotte would not go away and Arieta made it three cars running nose-to-tail. Deshaies continued in fourth, followed by Joel Newcomb and then Isaiah Newcomb.
By lap 12, Hovey and Marcotte continued the close infighting. Next time around, Joel Newcomb was getting very loose and running extremely wide through the corners.
Marcotte tried to dodge underneath for the lead, but Hovey slammed the door and they came together and spun, bringing caution and the green-white-checker for the finish.
Giovanni Reggiero was sixth and Hovey was seventh, the last car running.