PLATTSBURGH, NY – Airborne Park Speedway hosts a Canadian invasion on Saturday, May 16, for the 41st annual Bill McBride Chevrolet “Spring Green” presented by Interstate Batteries at 5:00 p.m. One of the American-Canadian Tour’s oldest Late Model stock car races returns to Plattsburgh with strong representation from both sides of the border. It is the fourth event of the season for the U.S.-based ACT Late Model Tour and also opens the Série ACT championship and the Québec Triple Crown – a three-race bonus series at Airborne.
Patrick Laperle is ACT’s most accomplished Québécois driver and is among the favorites to win the Spring Green. “Le Grand Laperle” was the 1998 Airborne Rookie of the Year and won the “ACT International” at Airborne last July. He is a three-time Série ACT champion and was the 2008 ACT U.S. Tour champ.
“We’re usually pretty fast at Plattsburgh, so I feel good about it,” Laperle said. His twin brother, Eric, long-time crew chief of the No. 91 car, will miss the Spring Green due to a prior commitment with a NASCAR team. “We won’t have Eric, but we have a good car and a good team. We’ll make it a good race.”
Others expected from “La Belle Province” include defending Série ACT champion Alex Labbé, who won the 2013 Airborne Fall Foliage 200, and Jonathan Bouvrette, a runner-up at Airborne last May. Jean-François Déry, the 2013 Série ACT champion, and 1990 Spring Green winner Claude Leclerc, 73, are also entered.
The Americans have plenty of drivers defending the home turf, including Rhode Island’s Ray Parent, whose No. 17 Amtrol car beat Bouvrette in a photo finish last year. Former ACT champions Brian Hoar, Wayne Helliwell Jr., and Joey Polewarczyk Jr. will compete, as will ACT race winners Brad Babb, Jimmy Hebert, Travis Stearns, Jeff White, and Kyle Welch. Local stars Bucko Branham, Brandon Atkins, Josh Masterson, and Airborne opening night winner Bobby Therrien are also expected.
The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Yandow Sales & Service and John Deere will also be in action. Plattsburgh’s Nick Heywood leads the J&S Steel Modified standings and will face Leon Gonyo, Jason Durgan, double-duty racer Branham, and many others. Robert Gordon leads the Key R-D Trailer Sales Renegades and young Tyler Irwin tops the Busch Beer Mini Modifieds.