PHOTO: Aaron Bartemy became the fourth different Modified winner in four races this season at Airborne Speedway Saturday night. (Ricky St. Clair/VMM photo)

–by Ricky St. Clair

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Aaron Bartemy became the fourth different driver to pick up a checkered flag in the DIRTcar Modifieds at Airborne Speedway Saturday night.

The Champlain, N.Y., resident inherited the point after race leader Dan Brown ducked pit side following a lap 17 caution period.

The TDI Repair and Towing No. 3 of Bartemy was forced to fend off two-time track champion Patrick Dupree on the ensuing single-file restart en route to his fourth career victory at the Plattsburgh half-mile.

“When I was in second, I was just riding to see what I got from the car on a long run,” Bartemy said. “We finished one spot better than Patrick Dupree, who’s one of the top guys in the Northeast, and we race clean every time we go up against each other.”

Bartemy credited the work of his crew throughout the entire duration of the week as his motivation to grab the win.

“I gave it all I had,” Bartemy said. “The boys worked on the car until 2 o’clock in the morning all week long and I didn’t want to give up on them. All of that work on the racecar paid off and put us in victory lane.”

Dupree, who typically drives the Saranac Country Store No. 24 every Saturday night, elected to compete with a backup car in his racing stable. The Saranac Lake, N.Y., driver finished in the runner-up spot after starting 15th in the 28-car field.

A trio of fellow Québécois in Candiac, Que., racer Patrice McGrail, Maxime Viens of St-Cesaire, and Roger LaBreche of St-Leonard, Que ., earned top-five honors. Positions six through ten went to Greg Atkins, Leon Gonyo, Todd Stone, Andy Heywood, and Pierre Berthiaume.

McGrail and Stone will unofficially enter the fifth weekend of racing action at Airborne tied atop the point standings in the headline division at 112 markers.

Tylor Terry of Morrisonville, N.Y., got the better of Andrew Bordeau in the remaining six-laps of Saturday’s 25-lap Renegade feature.

Bordeau made an upset bid to garner his first ever win by overtaking Curtis Seymour for the lead on lap nine. However, Bordeau slipped up the racetrack off of turn two on lap 19, which allowed Terry to solidify himself in the top spot.

Terry was ecstatic following his win after starting 10th in a field of 20-cars.

“I wasn’t letting off for nothing,” Terry said. “This thing’s not pretty, but it really flies. We were a little bit loose, but there was a lot of side-by-side racing inside the top-10. That’s why we dropped down to a Renegade.”

Bordeau held on for second with Rick Doner of Clintonville, N.Y., third. Kevin Boutin of Swanton, Vt., and Peru, N.Y., competitor Robbie Favreau rounded out the top-five.

Nick Heywood passed Sebastien Fournier on lap 23 in the 25-lap Sportsman Modified feature to earn his third win in four starts in 2012. Travis Bruno, who made his first appearance of the season in the new support division, was second, and two-time Renegade track champion Lonnie Rivers was third.

Josh LeClaire of Plattsburgh patiently worked his way through the 25-car Mini-Modified field following a red flag for a six-car wreck on the frontstretch after just one-lap was completed. LeClaire wrestled the race lead away from Jayson Criss on lap 13 and successfully fended off the third-place point man. Erick Sayles of Gabriels, N.Y., was the final podium finisher.

The Limited Late Models were absent from competition as they were in St-Eustache for event number two of six on the USA/Canada Masters Series.

Airborne Speedway continues its weekly racing program next Saturday when Culligan Water Technologies sponsors a special 50-lap event for the ultra-competitive Renegade division.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS — X-Plo E-Z Store Night
Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Saturday, May 12, 2012

Pos.-Driver-Hometown

Ernie’s Discount Tools Modifieds (30 laps)
1. Aaron Bartemy, Champlain, N.Y.
2. Patrick Dupree, Saranac Lake, N.Y.
3. Patrice McGrail, Candiac, Que.
4. Maxime Viens, St-Cesaire, Que.
5. Roger LaBreche, St-Leonard, Que.
6. Greg Atkins, Clintonville, N.Y.
7. Leon Gonyo, Chazy, N.Y.
8. Todd Stone Middlebury, Vt.
9. Andy Heywood, Morrisonville, N.Y.
10. Pierre Berthiaume, Joliette, Que.

Sportsman Modifieds (25 laps)
1. Nick Heywood, Morrisonville, N.Y.
2. Travis Bruno, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
3. Lonnie Rivers, Cadyville, N.Y.
4. Speedy Bresette, Clintonville, N.Y.
5. Jake Branham, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
6. Chris Sousie, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
7. JohnMichael Bresette, Keeseville, N.Y.
8. Brandon Atkins, Clintonville, N.Y.
9. Colleen Salisbury, Glens Falls, N.Y.
10. Sebastien Fournier, St-Leonard, Que.

Renegades (25 laps)
1. Tylor Terry, Morrisonville, N.Y.
2. Andrew Bordeau, Dannemora, N.Y.
3. Rick Doner, Clintonville, N.Y.
4. Kevin Boutin, Swanton, Vt.
5. Robbie Favreau, Peru, N.Y.
6. Robert Gordon, Milton, Vt.
7. Jason McClatchie, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
8. Lance Rabtoy, Swanton, Vt.
9. Curtis Seymour, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
10. Don Franklin, Milton, Vt.

Mini-Modifieds (15 laps)
1. Josh LeClaire, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
2. Jayson Criss, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
3. Erick Sayles, Lake Clear, N.Y.
4. Mike Whalen, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
5. Chris LaVair, Plattsburgh, N.Y.