Rookie Sullivan Runs to Second Airborne Park Speedway Modified Win
Duquette’s win creates three-way tie in Renegades; LaVair takes Mini-Mod “3×10” special
PLATTSBURGH, NY – Rookie open-wheel Modified stock car racer Danny Sullivan drove to a convincing victory at Airborne Park Speedway on Saturday, August 15 for his second triumph of the season. The Morrisonville, NY native topped the Vertigo Motorsports/Econo Lodge Night event that also saw Shawn Duquette and Chris LaVair in the winner’s circle for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere.
Sullivan started seventh in the 35-lap main event for the J&S Steel Modifieds and made a determined march to the front, taking the lead from fellow freshman Jim “Timex” Morgan of Plattsburgh, NY at lap 13. Sullivan then ran away from the pack for a conclusive win, backing up his career-first win three weeks earlier.
Veteran driver Leon Gonyo of Chazy, NY started ninth and fell back as far as 12th in the early laps before making his way to the runner-up finish. Greg Atkins crossed the finish line in third place but his car weighed in under the minimum total weight in post-race inspection and he was disqualified. Morgan, who originally finished fourth, inherited the final podium spot. Plattsburgh’s Nick Heywood and his uncle Andy Heywood of Morrisonville completed the official top five, followed by Jason Durgan, Jamy Begor, Speedy Bresette, Codie Aubin, and Jamie LaFountain.
Nick Heywood took a big leap toward an unprecedented fourth consecutive Airborne track championship, widening his point lead to 49 markers. Bucko Branham moved into second place in the standings (705-656), and has Durgan, Sullivan, Atkins, and Gonyo all within 32 points of him.
Shawn Duquette of Morrisonville finally broke into the win column in the 25-lap Key R-D Trailer Sales Renegade feature and became the division’s ninth different winner in 2015. Duquette started fifth and took the lead early at lap 5. He stretched out to a good advantage before being caught late by Brent Jarvis, but was never seriously challenged. Jarvis, a Peru, NY native, finished second with Josh Terry of Essex, NY third. Vermonters Dylan Rabtoy, Richie Turner, and Robert Gordon were next across the finish line.
The Renegade championship battle is white-hot; following Saturday’s event, Duquette, Turner, and Gordon are locked in a three-way tie for the point lead, each at 570 points. Terry is 41 points back in fourth place, with Jason McClatchie another 15 points behind. Duquette is chasing his first track title; Gordon is the defending champion, and Turner won the title in 2004.
Chris LaVair of Saranac Lake, NY annexed his fifth victory of the season in the Busch Beer Mini-Modified division, taking the special “3×10” event for the entry-level class. The race was run in three 10-lap sprint-type segments with a cumulative score, and LaVair’s three second-place finishes and race-low total tally of six points was good enough for the overall win. Kris Clark of Keeseville, NY took the overall runner-up position after segment finishes of fourth, first, and third for a score of eight. Harold LaVair, the winner’s father, took third place overall after two sixths and a win gave him 13 points. Eddie Bresette (15 points) and Tim LaFountain (22 points) completed the overall top five.
Chris LaVair holds a 45-point lead on Clark for the championship, as the pair have dominated the Mini-Mod class in winning 10 of 12 races thus far. Tyler Irwin ranks third in the standings, followed by Pete Blaney and LaFountain.
Airborne Park Speedway hosted the annual kids’ racecar rides program at intermission to the delight of young race fans, and Vertigo Motorsports presented an entertaining “Spectator Race” program in which race fans and a handful of current and former Airborne racers drove their street-legal vehicles in a series of one-on-one elimination match races. Several of the cars and pickup trucks in the event experienced handling issues, with a handful of spinouts and near-collisions that drew big responses from the grandstand crowd.
The final round came down to Renegade division drivers Richie Turner in his Ford Focus, and Jason McClatchie in his Volkswagen Golf, which Turner won handily.
Airborne Park Speedway is back in action on Saturday, August 22 as Yando’s Big M Supermarket, Casella Waste Management, and the New York Army National Guard present the action. The Modified division will race double features, along with weekly action for the Renegades and Mini-Modifieds. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Airborne Park Speedway is located on Broderick Road in Plattsburgh, NY, one mile south of Exit 36 on the Interstate 87 Northway. Visit www.airborneparkspeedway.com for more information, or call (518) 647-4444. Airborne Park Speedway is on Facebook at Facebook.com/AirborneParkSpeedway and on Twitter at @AirborneSpeed.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – Vertigo Motorsports/Econo Lodge Night
Airborne Park Speedway, Plattsburgh, NY
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere
Saturday, August 15, 2015
J&S Steel Modified Feature (35 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
(7) # Danny Sullivan, Morrisonville, NY
(9) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, NY
(1) # Timex Morgan, Plattsburgh, NY
(8) Nick Heywood, Plattsburgh, NY
(14) Andy Heywood, Morrisonville, NY
(15) Jason Durgan, Morrisonville, NY
(2) # Jamy Begor, Mooers Forks, NY
(3) Speedy Bresette, Plattsburgh, NY
(4) Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, NY
(6) Jamie LaFountain, Keeseville, NY
(12) Rico Hernandez, Plattsburgh, NY
(10) Bucko Branham, Plattsburgh, NY
(11) Mike Wells, West Chazy, NY
(13) Jayson Criss, Plattsburgh, NY
Disqualified: (5) Greg Atkins, Clintonville, NY – minimum weight
Heat Winners: Bucko Branham; Codie Aubin; Nick Heywood
Semi-Feature Winner: Bucko Branham
Ernie’s Discount Tools Rookie of the Race: Danny Sullivan
Shiley Fabrication Hard Charger Award: Andy Heywood
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: Jayson Criss
Key R-D Trailer Sales Renegade Feature (25 laps)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
(# – denotes rookie)
(5) Shawn Duquette, Morrisonville, NY
(7) Brent Jarvis, Peru, NY
(14) Josh Terry, Essex, NY
(4) Dylan Rabtoy, Swanton, VT
(9) Richie Turner, Fairfax, VT
(10) Robert Gordon, Milton, VT
(2) Jimmy Bushey, Mooers Forks, NY
(15) Tylor Terry, Morrisonville, NY
(6) Jason McClatchie, Plattsburgh, NY
(3) Keith O’Neil, Mooers, NY
(1) # Michael Wright, Alburgh, VT
(11) Brandon Nolan, Au Sable Forks, NY
(12) Curt Giventer, Saranac, NY
(13) # Tony Salerno, Mineville, NY
(8) Zack Daniels, Plattsburgh, NY
Heat Winners: Jason McClatchie; Brent Jarvis
Ernie’s Discount Tools Rookie of the Race: Michael Wright
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Josh Terry
Busch Beer Mini-Modified Feature (10 laps x 3)
Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown-Segment Points
(# – denotes rookie)
(9) Chris LaVair, Saranac Lake, NY – 6 points
(16) Kris Clark, Keeseville, NY – 8 points
(6) Harold LaVair Jr., Gabriels, NY – 13 points
(7) Eddie Bresette, Plattsburgh, NY – 15 points
(5) Tim LaFountain, Keeseville, NY – 22 points
(13) Rob Clark Jr., Keeseville, NY – 23 points
(10) Dale O’Neil, Mooers, NY – 23 points
(8) Tyler Irwin, Peru, NY – 24 points
(1) Robert Foley, Saranac, NY – 24 points
(2) Pete Blaney, Jay, NY – 24 points
(14) Matt Brousseau, Peru, NY – 31 points
(4) Mike Bresette, Keeseville, NY – 37 points
(3) # Tanner Crary, Saranac Lake, NY – 37 points
(11) # Clement Bell Jr., Peru, NY – 37 points
(12) # Rick Welch, Champlain, NY – 40 points
(15) James Sayah, Plattsburgh, NY – 44 points
Segment Winners: Pete Blaney; Kris Clark; Harold LaVair Jr.
Ernie’s Discount Tools Rookie of the Race: Tanner Crary
Bond Auto Parts Hard Charger Award: Kris Clark