2011-07-04

Dupree reels in Quenneville before record Airborne crowd

Bushey snaps Wood’s Sportsman win streak

South Plattsburgh, NY – Patrick Dupree chased down Vince Quenneville and Don Scarborough and made the winning pass on the backstretch on the next to last lap in the DIRTcar Modified 30-lap main event at Airborne Speedway.

 

Dupree’s third win of the season was witnessed by one of the largest crowds in Airborne’s 58-year history. More than 4,600 fans attended.

 

Thirty-one cars started the 30-lap event sponsored by High Peaks Dental, Pepsi and Trim’s Mobile Home Service, but a chain reaction crash on the backstretch brought out the red flag and whittled the field. Rodger Labreche, Cameron Grady, Daniel Brown, Chris Cayea, Pat McGrail and number two point-man George Foley all left on the hook and did not return.

 

When racing resumed, Quenneville, who started 3rd, took command with Adam Bartemy and Scarborough in close pursuit. At the halfway mark, Quenneville had opened up a six car-length lead. Dupree sat seventh and was working Martin Roy the high side for sixth.

His rally was assisted by a caution on lap 22. Two laps later he had passed Roy, Martin Hebert, Matt Woodruff and Bartemy and set sights on Scarborough.

 

“I think everybody got loose and we maintained,” Dupree said. “I thought after the restart I might have a shot. We pounded her in. It’s great to win before a crowd like this.”

 

“I made the decision to go with the right rear I’d been running instead of putting a new one on,” Quenneville said shaking his head. “I knew Scarborough wasn’t going to try me on the outside, but he (Dupree) came up on me out there in a hurry.”

 

Roy passed Woodruff on the final lap for fourth. Positions 6-10 went to Leon Gonyo, Bartemy, Hebert, Pierre Berthiaume and Andy Heywood.

 

Late-race yellows also influenced the outcome of the Sportsman and Renegade features. In the J&S Steel Sportsman 25-lap feature, three restarts were needed to complete the final three laps. Robin Wood, seeking his fifth win in a row, was the leader on the final restart with Bushey alongside. Wood got off turn two with a car-length advantage, but Bushey powered off the rim of turn four and won by two feet.

 

“Progressive banking – you gotta love it,” Bushey said in victory lane. “He tried to pinch me up high, but I had the bite I needed.” Danny Sullivan held off Wood at the point for several laps, yielded the lead and then regained it before contact with Travis Bruno, sitting third in the pocket while Wood raced outside, sent them spinning on lap 22. Jamy Begor wound up third.

 

Boutin, the defending Versatile Trailer Sales Renegade champion, stayed ahead of Gordon on two restarts with three laps to go, but a third yellow was a charm for Gordon’s H20 Well-Drilling machine. He led Boutin to the line by a wheel on the outside for his fourth win.

 

Josh Leclaire, 18, of Plattsburgh, dominated the NAPA Mini Modified feature for his first win. Kris Clark was second, Erick Sayles third. Travis Sherman won the Busch Bomber feature.

 

Airborne’s Saturday, July 9 card includes a make-up Mini Modified feature and a six-car, six lap dash for $600 for the top two cars from each Ernie’s Discount Tools Modified heat.

 

 

Modified Feature: 1) Patrick Dupree 2) Vince Quenneville 3) Don Scarborough 4) Martin Roy 5) Matt Woodruff 6) Leon Gonyo 7) Adam Bartemy 8) Martin Hebert  9) Pierre Berthiaume 10) Andy Heywood

11) Maxime Viens 12) Kris Vernold 13) Greg Atkins 14) Mike Phinney 15) Todd Ormsby 16) Craig Reyell 17) Aaron Bartemy 18) Mike Reyell 19) Mike Wells 20) Jason Bruno 21) Richard Tisseur

22) Rodger Lebreche 23) Cameron Grady 24) Chris Cayea 25) Pat McGrail 26) George Foley

27) Jimmy Ryan 28) Dan Brown 29) Jason Durgan 30) Ryan McLean 31) Kevin Fetterly

 

 

Contact: Tom Herzig

802-882-8131

 

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