You couldn’t keep Josh Hedges away from the front. They tried, especially Ed Gannon, who grabbed the lead right off his pole position. But Hedges jumped up from a third row start under Darryl Church, battled Randy Burr over the latter’s position in second, then took over to harry Gannon for the next eight laps before stealing the lead from him. The 30-lap feature was only 1/3 along when Hedges took control of the front, and he Held off Gannon, then Burr who overtook Ed, and then the points leader Bobby Tripp. He finished up wrestling with dangerous Rob Murphy over the final two laps but nobody was going to crash Hedges’ party and he rocked across the finish line with a half-second to spare over Murphy. Burr hung in for a podium finish with a third place, while Tripp and Mike Cavallaro rounded out the top five.
Gannon nosed into the lead ahead of outside pole Lenny Guy and Burr opportunized to get under Guy and then into second. Second lap saw Hedges coming under Lenny then working in under Burr while Barry Shaw and Mike Duarte were going head-to-head behind them. This was great for Gannon, who had a five car lead in lap three as Hedges was getting by Burr. Shaw conquered Duarte to grab fourth on Burr’s tail.
Once more around the 1/3 mile, however, and Hedges had closed in to 3 lengths back. Cavallaro ran fifth, now, behind Shaw. Tripp was on his bumper and Duarte followed with Murphy and Guy in pursuit.
Six laps in and Hedges was just a half-car behind Gannon while Cavallaro and Shaw were door-to-door over third place. He snugged up to Eddie’s bumper and they ran several hot laps while the players argued position behind them. Cavallaro kept Shaw on the outside as the field strung out single file. Barry couldn’t drop as Tripp slipped
underneath as Shaw moved ahead.
Lap 10 saw Hedges get his nose under Gannon and then pull alongside. Another time around and he had his nose in front as Gannon continued to battle from the second groove. Hedges pulled out to a two-car lead on lap 14 and they were beginning to lap stragglers at the midpoint of the feature. At this point, Dave Gargaro, trying out a truck courtesy of Anastasia LeBrun, elected to retire to the pits.
Herdges pushed his lead to eight cars as Cavallaro, running fourth, affixed himself to Burr’s tailgate. Tripp and Duarte continued their pursuit. The long, single file persisted another two laps before Nick Testone III took a spin in turn three.
His lead collapsed, Hedges sat under Gannon for the restart with Burr and Cavallaro in row two, followed by Tripp and Duarte. Hedges was right back into the lead as the green fell and Bur got under Gannon. Tripp slid below Cavallaro and Murphy leapt into the picture.
Hedges pushed to a three-car lead over Burr with a dozen circuits remaining while Tripp slid under Gannon and Murphy got side-by-side with Cavallaro. Bobby secured third the next time around and Murphy scooted in under Burr. But a Lenny Guy spin to the turn four grass on lap 24 called this lead back again. Now Hedges had Tripp up high and Murphy at his back under Burr. Cavallaro and Gannon followed. They went door-to-door all the way to turn four before Heges could pull ahead. Murphy jumped in under Tripp and they dueled for two laps until Andrew Kun spun at the stripe.
Four to go and Hedges and Tripp faced off again. Hedges nosed out but Tripp grabbed it back and they battled until Hedges pulled ahead with three to go and Murphy ducked in underneath. Once more around and Tripp suddenly fell off the pace and Burr claimed third before he could drop into fourth. The final lap saw Murphy all over Hedges’ back with Burr seeking an opportunity followed by Tripp and Cavallaro. It ran all the way to the checkers in that order..Sixth went to Duarte, followed by Darryl Dutchg, Guy, Gannon, Church, Shaw and Brittany Campbell.