PLATTSBURGH, NY – Jason McClatchie was electric at Airborne Park Speedway on Saturday, June 13, winning a wildly entertaining 100-lap Renegade division race on Plattsburgh Ford/Aaron’s Night. The hometown driver’s win highlighted a night that saw the inaugural Yandow Sales & Service/John Deere Spring Championship Series title winners crowned for all four divisions of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
McClatchie was the star of a hotly contested Renegade 100 that featured 12 lead changes, dramatic crashes, and a $1,000 winner’s purse. Zack Daniels led the opening 46 laps while McClatchie and former champion Richie Turner of Fairfax, VT fired up their race-long fight for position behind him. They entered the picture just before a scheduled refueling break near the halfway point; Turner led lap 47, McClatchie nosed ahead at lap 48, and Turner was back in front for lap 49.
The caution flag then flew for an on-track incident, which brought the field to pit road for the break. A random draw for inversion during the pause saw Turner pull the number-eight pill, leaving he and McClatchie to restart their battle in traffic in eighth and seventh places, respectfully. Dylan Rabtoy and Jim McKiernan took turns leading as the race resumed before the stars returned to the front at lap 63. From there, they traded the lead six more times in the final 37 laps. McClatchie held Turner off in a drag race out of the final corner by just three feet to win the biggest race of his career.
Ryan Boutin of Fairfax, VT rebounded from a broken wheel early in the race to finish third, with Keith O’Neil of Mooers, NY fourth and Scott FitzGerald of West Rutland, VT fifth. Rookies Michael Wright and Tony Salerno were next in line, followed by Curt Giventer, McKiernan, and Daniels.
The victory also allowed McClatchie to clinch a $300 bonus for the six-race Yandow/John Deere Spring Championship Series for the division. The Spring Championship Series encompassed three events at Airborne and three at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT. McClatchie beat Robert Gordon, Turner, FitzGerald, and Rabtoy for the crown.
The J&S Steel Modified division had a full 24-car field for its 35-lap main event, but got off to a rough start with two cautions on the first lap and another wreck on lap 17 that took out rookie Timex Morgan. Jamie LaFountain avoided the carnage to lead every lap for the apparent victory, but his car came up too light on the scales in post-race inspection. Jason Durgan of Morrisonville, NY – who survived the scrape with Morgan – inherited the win for his first of the year.
Leading Ernie’s Discount Tools Rookie of the Year candidate Danny Sullivan of Morrisonville, NY had an impressive drive for a career-best runner-up finish, with Plattsburgh drivers Bucko Branham and Nick Heywood next. Greg Atkins – from 23rd starting position – completed the top five, followed by Vince Quenneville Jr., Lebanon Valley Speedway regular Whitey Slavin, Mike Phinney, Eric Lauziere, and Ryan McLean; Slavin, Phinney, and McLean were each making their first appearances of the year at Airborne.
Quenneville, of Brandon, VT, edged Atkins by just six points (290-284) for the Spring Championship Series and a $1,000 bonus, with Branham, Durgan, and Gonyo in positions 3-5.
Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg, VT took his second win of the season in the 25-lap Ground Round Late Model feature. Josh Masterson of Bristol, VT led most of the race before Therrien passed him on a green-white-checker restart. Brandon Atkins was third ahead of Steve Miller and Billy Thwaits, and Masterson took the Spring Championship for the class.
Chris LaVair of Saranac Lake, NY dominated the 15-lap Busch Beer Mini-Modified feature for his first Airborne win of the season. Kris Clark of Keeseville, NY finished second in front of Dale O’Neil, Pete Blaney, and Dave Demore. O’Neil, of Mooers, NY, won the Spring Championship Series title.
The Competition Kart Series was also in action for an exhibition event; Tobias Mason won the unrestricted Open Lightweight race over Curtis Lamere and Brent Jarvis, while six year-old Connor Santa Maria carried checkers for the Junior 1 Rookie “purple plate” division.