Raabe, Phinney, Terry among winners at Airborne

PLATTSBURGH | Mother Nature finally cooperated Thursday, July 24, and "Thursday Night Thunder" made its long-awaited return to Airborne Park Speedway. Fans in attendance were treated to free T-shirts and a thrilling night of racing on Hulbert Supply Night, with the sponsor handing out swag to everyone at the gate. Four of the five feature events came down to the final laps. In the DIRTcar 358 Modified main event, Chris Raabe capitalized on Jordan Fornwalt's misfortune on lap 29 of the 30-lap race to claim his first victory of the season at "The Big A." Fornwalt jumped out to the lead at the drop of the green flag and controlled the race for the first 28 circuits. But a slide high into the berm allowed Raabe to slip underneath and take the lead. Tim Fuller also got by Fornwalt to finish second. Fornwalt held on for third, followed by David Hebert and Mike Mahaney. Similar drama nearly unfolded in the Sportsman Modified feature, but Mike Phinney shut the door on any late theatrics. Phinney, who entered the night 18th in points, scored his first win of 2025 by fending off defending track champion Donovan Lussier. Phinney's No. 38 machine won a drag race with Tanner Forbes on the opening lap and appeared to be cruising to an easy win until a caution on lap 19 erased his advantage. On the restart, Lussier passed Travis Bruno for second and applied pressure on the leader. Although Lussier briefly showed his front tires to Phinney, the veteran drove away to secure the victory. Lussier, Bruno, Nick Heywood, and Lonnie Rivers completed the top five. The Renegade feature came down to a two-car duel between Tylor Terry and Brad Bushey, with Terry picking up his fifth win of the season. Shawn Fountain led the opening lap before a lap 2 caution. Bushey took over the lead and held it until lap 10, when Terry made the pass. Bushey regained the advantage after Terry slid high in Turns 3 and 4 on lap 13, but Terry quickly rebounded to retake the lead on the next lap and never looked back. Billy Thwaits finished third, followed by Tyler Irwin and Roland Guay. In the Mini Stock division, Glenn Engstrom finally found victory lane after several near-misses this season at both Airborne Park and Devil's Bowl. Engstrom took the lead from Chad Provost on a late restart and scored an emotional first career win. Matthew Parker led early before Provost took control on lap 2 and looked poised for his first win. But a late caution gave Engstrom the opportunity he needed. After starting eighth, Engstrom charged forward and powered past Provost on the restart to seal the improbable win. Provost finished second, followed by Ryan Senecal, Cody Young, and J.P. Corrow. The night's final feature saw Lea-Jeanne Lauziere cruise to her second win of the season in the Limited Sportsman Modified division. Starting fourth, the St. Cyrille-de-Wendover, Quebec, native surged past her sister Sarah-Ann Lauziere, the pole-sitter, and edged Parker Dermody for the lead on lap 1. From there, she led every lap and drove to a dominant flag-to-flag win. Kobe Hernandez passed Dermody for second late in the race but couldn't close the gap. Rounding out the top five were Dermody, Sarah-Ann Lauziere, and Mike Block. Airborne will take a brief hiatus for summer break and return Saturday, Aug. 9, with the Make-A-Wish Saturday Night Special, featuring a bicycle giveaway. The Sprint Cars of New England return for their second visit of the season, along with the Pro Stocks, 500cc Mini Sprints, and Crown Vics. A 50-lap Enduro is also scheduled. Sportsman, Limited Sportsman, Renegades, and Mini Stocks round out the card. Grandstand admission is $20. Kids 12 and under are free. Pit admission is $35 for members and $45 for non-members. Racing begins at 6 p.m.

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Raabe, Phinney, Terry among winners at Airborne

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