Derek Gluchacki battled his way through a withering series of cautions, fending off both careening opponents and serious challenges for a big win on the late season. At the end, he had to battle past visitors Alex McCollum and Kevin Nowak, who has been competing at Seekonk since winning the National Legends qualifier earlier in season. The race finished under yellow/checkered following a single-file restart, necessitated by the high number of cautions (eight restarts). Race Director Tim Bolduc warned drivers over their radios on the single-file on lap 20 and that another stoppage would end the feature: “This is it!” When the caution waved again on lap 24, it was accompanied by the checkers, ending the event one lap short.
Gluchacki started tenth, outside the fifth row and dodged the debris enroute to the front. Eric Lebrun and Connor Holderbach held the front row. But before a lap could pass, a huge collection of cars came to grief between turns one and two, including Caleb Hoyt, Jessica O’Leary, Joshua Parsons, Scott Serydynski, Jr., Trent Goodrow, Brandon “Batman” Martinez, Shileigh Martinez, Jesse Jakubatys and Adam Avedisian. O’Leary had to be towed to the pits, while the remainder lined up for a full-race restart.
LeBrun and Holderbach then did some door-to-door running, whipsawing the lead, through turn three. Holderbach was ahead on the outside at the stripe, but LeBrun pushed past and led the next two laps until Batman spun down the front stretch, bringing a lap 3 restart.
LeBrun and Holderbach repeated their wheel-to-wheeling as Bobby DeSimone took a spin coming off the start, collected his car and was able to keep on going. But then Brandon and Pasquale Squillante spun together in turn two after a single circuit.
The lap 4 restart saw Jakubajtys around in turn one before a lap could be completed, making a second restart necessary.
LeBrun was called for a bad start and they tried a third time. Holderbach nosed out, but LeBrun battled back underneath and nosed ahead. Gluchacki had come to the front through the early chaos and now surged in under Holderback and onto LeBrun’s bumper. LeBrun left some room and Gluchacki seized the moment, shooting into the lead as Nowak hurtled through under Reagan Parent to second as Holderbach fell to fourth with then dodged in under Parent. Behind them, Joe Marfeo was moving up and came under Parent as he fell back. Squillante then spun in turn four.
Gluchacki grabbed the front and Nowak stayed outside at first, then dropped onto the leader’s bumper. He turned it to a cross under and Gluchacki had gone wide but Nowak wasn’t able to take advantage. Gluchacki surged back to the front with Nowak in pursuit and Marfeo working below Holderbach behind them. But Batman was around again, this time collecting Joshua Parsons and Jakubajtys.
Gluchacki and Nowak lined up again with Holderbach and Marfeo on their tails, followed by LeBrun and Parent
Gluchacki took a quick lead and Holderback got under Nowak. In a single circuit, Gluchacki jetted out to an eight-car lead over Nowak, Holderbach and Marfeo, who now had Shileigh trying to get around him. But this was cut short by debris on the track and the field relined yet again.
Gluchacki escaped again and Holderbach ran in underneath looking for second, but Nowak shot ahead. The speed got him wide in the turn. Alex McCollum had come up fast through the field over the immediately preceding events, and found the opportunity: he shot through into second on lap 16. Holderbach was trying to work outside on Nowak and Marfeo pursued. The inner lane pushed past Holderbach and he found himself outside Shileigh, competing for fifth.
Gluchacki continued to cruise and went to a half-straightaway lead over the already strung-out field. Shileigh passed Holderbach and went to work on Marfeo as Ryan Doucette pulled into seventh behind Holderbach, just before another caution flew for debris on the surface.
Race control called for a single-file restart on the lap 20 caution. Gluchacki hammered out to D Doucette were debating sixth place, which Holderback advantaged. By lap 23, Gluchacki owned a ten-car advantage over the field. On the next lap, however, Squillante suffered another spin and the race was called with a yellow-checkered finish, one lap short of completion.
Gluchacki claimed the checkers with McCollum second. Third went to Nowak while Marfeo and Shileigh rounded out the top five. Doucette was sixth, followed by Holderbach, Parsons, Parent, Richie Davidowitz and LeBrun.