PHOTO: Todd Stone scored his second consecutive 358 Modified victory on the Airborne asphalt Wednesday night in the DIRTcar Asphalt 358 Modified Series race. (Ricky St. Clair/VMM photo)

–by Ricky St. Clair
VMM Correspondent

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Todd Stone showed no signs of playing the conservative card after going wire-to-wire en route to his second DIRTcar Modified win of the season in Wednesday’s Della Motorsports 75 at Airborne Speedway.

The Middlebury native started second in the 26-car field after a 12-car redraw following qualifying action. Stone, who picked up his first win of the season Saturday night, was forced to fend off a hard charging Patrice McGrail on two restarts in the last 15-laps of the event.

“Every time I seem to be conservative, I screw something up,” Stone said. “So, I wanted to get right out to an early lead and go. I know (McGrail) has a very fast car and week after week he’s probably got the best equipment here. I saw that he was in second and I just wanted to run my own race and hit my marks.”

There were, unofficially, six occurrences where drivers cut a right rear tire throughout the entire duration of the extra-distance event. Stone had no concerns about wear on his G. Stone Motors No. 1x automobile.

“My tire was the same tire I won with in the 30-lap feature on Saturday night,” Stone admitted. “I think the track was very good. It had a lot of grip to it tonight. I had no idea I’d lead all 75 laps. I’m not a big fan of starting on the pole.”

The 43-year-old hotshoe and former American-Canadian Tour front-runner has competed on short tracks in New York and the surrounding New England region in multiple types of cars on various racing surfaces.

“Asphalt racing is a lot different than dirt racing,” Stone explained. “If you get up front and have a fast car, it makes the job difficult for the guy behind you to make the pass. In a dirt car, you can throw it in and try different lanes. Track position is very crucial in asphalt racing.”

McGrail, who rebounded for a second-place finish after breaking a rib and suffering a concussion in a hard crash two weeks ago, was unable to maneuver around Stone in the closing stages of the event following a lap 62 caution period.

“(Stone) was hard on tires,” McGrail, of Candiac, Que., said. “I saw him coming out of the exit of the corners sideways, and I figured he wouldn’t have anything toward the end of the race. Todd ended up not making a mistake and had a very fast car. I was saving for the first 50-laps and then decided it was go time with about 20 remaining. I’m pretty satisfied with second-place.”

Lebanon Valley Speedway regular Keith Flach of Ravena, N.Y., took advantage of his fifth-place starting position and raced within the top-five all race.

“Running Saturday night’s definitely helped (Stone and McGrail) a little bit,” Flach said. “Our crew was playing it safe on the setup because we were unsure of how much the track conditions would change after our heat race. We’re always fortunate enough to race decent up here. We’ll write down some notes and try again next time.”

Former Fonda Speedway track champion Matt DeLorenzo unofficially finished fourth after making his second career appearance on the asphalt. Airborne regular Greg Atkins of Clintonville, N.Y., rounded out the top-five after starting tenth on the grid.

Positions six through ten went to Leon Gonyo, Adam Bartemy, Maxime Viens, Aaron Bartemy, and Vince Quennville.

Twenty-six Modifieds started the 75-lapper after 32 attempted to qualify. The race was slowed by six caution periods. Flach, Aaron Bartemy, and McGrail were victorious in the three respective heat races.

Kris Clark of Keeseville, N.Y., scored his first win of the season in the 15-lap Mini-Modified feature. Jayson Sayles of Plattsburgh, N.Y., continued his streak of consecutive podium finishes with the runner-up spot and Erick Sayles of Lake Clear, N.Y., grabbed third.

Weekly racing continues next Saturday at Airborne Speedway with a card highlighted by a 25-lap Mini-Modified feature event. Post time is slated for 6 p.m.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS — “Della Motorsports 75”
DIRTcar Asphalt 358 Modified Series — Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1. (2) Todd Stone, Middlebury
2. (6) Patrice McGrail, Candiac, Que.
3. (5) Keith Flach, Ravena, N.Y.
4. (1) Matt DeLorenzo, Cropseyville, N.Y.
5. (10) Greg Atkins, Clintonville, N.Y.
6. (13) Leon Gonyo, Chazy, N.Y.
7. (12) Adam Bartemy, Swanton
8. (3) Maxime Viens, St-Cesaire, Que.
9. (11) Aaron Bartemy, Champlain, N.Y.
10. (22) Vince Quennville, Brandon
11. (19) Tony Steiner, Syracuse, N.Y.
12. (18) Andy Heywood, Morrisonville, N.Y.
13. (17) Kris Vernold, Kingsbury, N.Y.
14. (16) Matt Woodruff, Bloomingdale, N.Y.
15. (21) Mike Reyell, West Chazy, N.Y.
16. (26) Andy Powell, Hannibal, N.Y.
17. (4) Jessey Mueller, Olmstedville, N.Y.
18. (15) Pierre Berthiaume, Joliette, Que.
19. (9) Jason Durgan, Morrisonville, N.Y.
20. (23) Kenny Tremont, West Sand Lake, N.Y.
21. (8) Patrick Dupree, Saranac Lake, N.Y.
22. (24) Andy Lindeman, Poestenkill, N.Y.
23. (20) Michael Viens, St-Cesaire, Que.
24. (7) Frank Cozze, Wind Gap, Pa.
25. (25) Craig Reyell, West Chazy, N.Y.
26. (14) Chris Cayea, Mooers Forks, N.Y.

Mini-Modifieds (15-laps)
1. Kris Clark, Keeseville, N.Y.
2. Jayson Criss, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
3. Erick Sayles, Lake Clear,