Derek Gluchacki came back from a week where he was moved out of a win on a Race Control decision to a big Legends win over persistent Shileigh Martinez. Gluchacki took the lead on lap eight following a lap 7 restart. He battled pole position Trent Goodrow on the restart, gaining the lead while crossing the stripe into lap 8. From there, he held off all comers to the checkers, including restarts on laps 13, 18 and 21.
Shileigh collected second, while Jesse Jakubajtys took third with Joe Marfeo and Matthew Carpenter rounding out the top five.
Derek came from inside the fifth row and by lap five was working his way under Brandon Hammann into third. Ahead were leader Goodrow and second place holder Mike Marfeo. Reagan Parent and Mason Levesque were side-by-side behind him.
There was contact and Hammann went uptrack but continued, averting caution. Goodrow went to a four-car lead over the following lap as Gluchacki grabbed second. But Scott Serydynski, Jr. and Pasquale Squillante were together in turn four. Both remained in action.
Goodrow was quick out of the box but Gluchacki came right back to run wheel-to-wheel with Goodrow down the backstetch. Derek grabbed the lead down the front and Joe Marfeo grabbed second in turn three. Goodrow continued in third with Parent at his back. Reagan then got underneath and into third. Jakubajtys now ducked under Goodrow into fourth, but had acquired Brandon Martinez on his bumper.
Mike Marfeo’s engine sputtered out on the frontstretch, got going again and quit once more bringing out the caution. He was able to get it serviceable and rejoined the field. They lined up for the lap 13 restart at the race’s midpoint and Gluchacki came out of the box with the lead over Joe Marfeo. One more lap and suddenly Martinez’ Batmobile was in Gluchacki’s mirror. Brandon had moved up from fifth on the restart, passing Jakubajtys, Parent and Marfeo. Jakubajtys got to third with Marfeo at his back, but now Shileigh came past Parent into fifth.
Gluchacki ran out to an eight-car lead as Shileigh worked past Marfeo. Brandon cut his deficit down to six cars as Joey Parker spun in turn three.
The lap eighteen restart featured Gluchacki and Brandon Martinez on the front and they ran wheel-to-wheel on the green until the backstretch where Gluchacki resumed the lead. Martinez dropped into second right ahead of a charging Jakubajtys. Shileigh was on his bumper and on lap 19, Brandon suddenly lost power, rising up to the outside and out of action. As he limped toward the pit exit, Levesque spun in turn one.
Gluchacki was able to grab the front out of the box and she went to second with Jakubajtys in pursuit. Marfeo held fourth ahead of Carpenter and Adam Avedisian. Gluchacki took a three-car lead which Shileigh cut to two on lap 23. The final two laps showed now change at the front and they carried under the checkers in order.
Sixth went to Goodrow, followed by Joshua Parsons, Avedisian, Jake Mattheson, Luke LeBrun, Parent and Parker.