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Chris Raabe picked up his first win of the season in the Be Cool Heating & Air Conditioning 358-Modified feature event. (Rick Young photo)
Mid-Atlantic

Raabe, Begor Win DIRTcar Features At Airborne

July 23, 2023

PLATTSBURGH — The 2017 Airborne Speedway 358-Modified champion Chris Raabe picked up his first win of the season in the 40-lap feature event on Saturday night.

Raabe led the entire way, but it was far from a walk in the park.

In the final 10 laps, lapped traffic made Raabe work for his win. Felix Roy closed to Raabe’s back bumper several times and even looked inside of him in turn three. Roy took a hail-mary shot in turns one and two with two laps to go, but it didn’t stick and Raabe pulled away to victory.

Roy held on for second and Steve Bernier drove from position 10 on the starting grid and finished third.

Lance Willix and Jordan McCreadie completed the top five. 

Jamy Begor’s success on a dry/slick race track continued in the J & S Steel Sportsman 40-lap feature event. 

Begor’s car was hooked up on the outside of turn three and four, where he was strong throughout the feature. A lap-34 restart saw Begor and Lonnie Rivers on the front row together. Rivers had a better run through turns one and two and had the lead exiting turn two, but a yellow flag erased the lead for Rivers as the field failed to complete a lap. 

In the closing laps, Begor was able to drive away to a comfortable margin of victory.

Rivers held on for second, while Fire Swamp completed the podium.

Bucko Branham and Tanner Forbes finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Hartson Total Opening Renegade division had a first time winner in the 40-lap feature event, courtesy of Josh Terry. 

Terry beat Billy Thwaits on a mid-race restart and checked out on the field en route to victory. Apparent second and third place finishers Thwaits and Shawn Duquette failed post race technical inspection. Zack Daniels and Richie Turner were placed second and third.

Tylor Terry and Nathaniel Guay rounded out the top five.

Jake Fountain collected his fourth Taylor Rental Street Stock feature of the season, making him the winningest driver at Airborne to this point in the season. John-Michael Bresette turned in his best finish of the season in second, while Greg Zindler Jr. finished third.

Mat Lavalley and Ryan Senecal finished fourth and fifth, respectively. 

Dale Gonyo Sr. won for the second time this season in the Northern Blacktopping Limited Sportsman division.

Charlotte Morin and Parker Dermody completed the podium.