PHOTO: Thunder Road Tiger Sportsman racer Bobby Therrien made a substitute appearance at Airborne Speedway in the Sportsman Modified division and picked up a second place finish in his first career open wheel start. (Ricky St. Clair/VMM photo)

–by Ricky St. Clair
VMM Correspondent

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Bobby Therrien entered the garage area at Airborne Speedway with competitive juices flowing, not as a crew member, but a driver for the first time since last October.

The Hinesburg, Vt., native, who competes weekly in his family-owned Tiger Sportsmen car at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl, was given an opportunity by Jamie LaFountain to drive his Sportsman Modified when the pilot behind the Marsha Homes sponsored No. 20 was unable to return from a concert downstate for 6 o’clock post time.

LaFountain’s decision to elect Therrien as his “substitute” driver was a good one. The fourth-place point man at Thunder Road ran the first 15-laps of Saturday’s feature event in the runner-up spot and was in the thick of a three-car battle for the win.

“When I closed-up (on Eric Lauzier) for the lead, I moved up top to set him up for a pass and Nick Heywood slipped underneath me for second,” Therrien said. “I was sitting behind them when they were battling for the lead and (Lauziere) blew a tire with just a few laps to go. After halfway, DIRTcar rules permit a single-file restart, so I tried to stay with him on the start, but he’s obviously really good here.”

Therrien’s changeover from a full-fendered stock car to an open-wheel Modified made everything a bit more challenging. When asked what some of the major differences were between the two types of cars, the response was almost comical.

“Don’t touch anybody or anything,” Therrien chuckled. “I didn’t have a mirror like I’m accustomed to, so it was hard making that transition. What’s different about these cars is that you have to not only make sure what you’re doing is right, but keeping track of everyone else in case you have steer your car from danger.”

After making his first-time appearance in an open-wheel car and finishing second in the 14-car field, Therrien was anything but disappointed.

“My goal coming into this was to show these guys respect and hopefully get some in return,” Therrien said. “I knew Nick Heywood and Lonnie Rivers were somewhere in a points battle, and the last thing I wanted to do was make a mistake and cost them a shot at a championship.”

With his racing future uncertain for next summer, Therrien stated that the possibility of driving a Sportsman Modified in the near future could be a realistic.

“With these cars running a 602 crate motor, it keeps the cost down, and the spec program Airborne has going for them is great,” Therrien said. “The cars are interchangeable between asphalt and dirt, and it’s definitely an option we could look forward to. We’re not sure as far as what our plans are for 2013, so this is another card we can throw into the deck and see how it falls out.”

LaFountain returned to the Plattsburgh, N.Y., half-mile just in time to catch the closing stages of the 20-lap feature that showcased his car finishing in victory lane.

“I think he did great,” an awestruck LaFountain said. “I just can’t thank him enough for racing this car for me, and for him to get a second-place finish is just awesome.”