–by Ricky St. Clair (@Ricky_StClair)
VMM Correspondent

(As seen in the Sunday, June 19 edition of the Press-Republican)

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Jamy Begor saved his most daring move for the second-to-last lap Saturday at Airborne Park Speedway.

Begor, who stalked Jamie Lafountain during the closing stages of the Ernie’s Discount Tools Sportsman Modified feature, executed his race-winning pass in turn three on lap 28 of 30.

Begor completed the race’s final circuit with Danny Sullivan and Lafountain behind him to capture his first Sportsman Modified win at Airborne and the 26th Airborne victory of his career.

“I kept getting closer and closer, and I knew we had a couple laps to make a move, and I just wanted to make a nice, clean move,” Begor said. “Jamie’s a very professional racer, and I would get the same treatment from him. I was able to put my right-front tire up so he could see it, and that’s how we made the pass.”

A lap-15 yellow, which soon changed to red for track maintenance in turns one and two, halted the event.

The caution period played to Lafountain’s advantage as the Keeseville driver maneuvered around Begor to take over the top spot on lap 17.

As the feature progressed, Sullivan tossed his hat in the ring by chasing down the early-race leaders and applying pressure late. The Morrisonville native laid down some of the race’s quickest lap times inside the final 10 circuits.

But Begor took the initiative, and his role of the dice to overtake a fading Lafountain paid off.

“I could tell we were gaining on him,” Begor said. “The car seemed to take five, six, seven, eight laps to get going. As we got more heat in the tires…the more we went, the better the tires got.”

Sullivan maintained his first-place position in the point standings with a runner-up finish, while Lafountain completed the podium after leading laps 17 to 28.

Bucko Branham and Nick Heywood rounded out the unofficial top-five finishers.

Shawn Duquette, driving Brandon Nolan’s 44N, led the final 22 laps of the Jeffords Steel Renegade feature to score the checkered flag.

After the completion of the second Renegade practice earlier in the day, Duquette lost the transmission in his primary car, and he figured his night was done.

“Brandon came over and said, ‘You’re in the points; it’s your car,’” Duquette said. “I said, ‘Perfect.’ We made a couple of adjustments and ran the feature a little later, and the thing was just on a rail.

“This car is maybe 10 times the car as mine.”

Duquette, who started fourth in the 13-car field, maneuvered around Tylor Terry on the fourth circuit to solidify his position in the top spot.

From there, it was smooth sailing for the Morrisonville driver as the event went caution free.

“I looked up (at the rear-view mirror) maybe once,” Duquette said. “Sometimes, you look up too much and you get out of your rhythm. I just wanted to stay in my rhythm and make it to the end.”

Zach Rabtoy staved off a gaggle of cars to preserve a second-place result, and Terry’s impressive showing ended with a third-place finish. Robert Gordon and Dylan Rabtoy finished fourth and fifth, unofficially, respectively.

Dale O’Neil swept the first and second 10-lap segments for the Busch Beer Mini Modifieds to finish with a low score of two points and come home victorious.

In the final segment, O’Neil raced from his fifth-place starting position to the top spot in the span of two laps, and he held on from there.

JohnMichael Bresette (5), Pete Blaney (7), Ed Bresette (8) and Josh LaPorte (8) finished second through fifth, unofficially, respectively.

Racing resumes with Whelen Engineering Volunteer Fire and EMS Night Saturday. Post time is 6 p.m.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS — Cumberland 12 Cinemas Night
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series — Airborne Park Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Saturday, June 18, 2016

Pos.-Driver-Hometown

Ernie’s Discount Tools Sportsman Modifieds (30 laps)
1. Jamy Begor, Mooers Forks, N.Y.
2. Danny Sullivan, Morrisonville, N.Y.
3. Jamie LaFountain, Keeseville, N.Y.
4. Bucko Branham, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
5. Nick Heywood, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
6. Chris Cayea, Mooers, N.Y.
7. Codie Aubin, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
8. Roger Labreche, St-Remi, Que.
9. Timex Morgan, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
10. Mike Wells, West Chazy, N.Y.

Jeffords Steel Renegades (25 laps)
1. Shawn Duquette,
2. Zach Rabtoy, Fairfax, Vt.
3. Tylor Terry, Morrisonville, N.Y.
4. Robert Gordon, Milton, Vt.
5. Dylan Rabtoy, Swanton, Vt.
6. Josh Terry, Essex, N.Y.
7. Richie Turner, Fairfax, Vt.
8. Brent Jarvis, Peru, N.Y.
9. Michael Wright, Alburgh, Vt.
10. Jason McClatchie, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Busch Beer Mini Modifieds (2 x 10 laps)
1. Dale O’Neil, Mooers, N.Y.
2. JohnMichael Bresette, Keeseville, N.Y.
3. Pete Blaney, Jay, N.Y.
4. Ed Bresette, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
5. Josh LaPorte, Peru, N.Y.