Leading the Way to the Checkered Flag

Saturday nights during summer will never be the same

Airborne Speedway, in Plattsburgh, has been attracting fans and racers from all over the northeast on Saturday nights. Fans crowd in the bleachers to experience the sounds of revving engines, the sights of cars swapping paint at high speeds, and the excitement of a crash. "Racing the way it used to be," is Airborne's slogan. This is exactly what one gets at an evening at the track.

The First Green Flag

Racing has been occuring in the Plattsburgh area since the 1950s. The track in its early years had a NASCAR sanction, was a member of the Champlain Valley Racing Association (CVRA), and the American-Canadian Tour (ACT), but the track fell into hard times. NASCAR names, such as Lee Petty, used to turn laps on the pavement of Airborne before making the big time.

It started as a dirt track and eventually switched to a paved surface to accommodate a wider racing variety. By the 1970s, the track's asphalt pavement was falling apart. "It was a post-race ritual to pull pieces of asphalt out from the bottom of the car," said Thomas Remming, who raced on the track in 1969. It eventually lost its sanction by NASCAR, CVRA, and the ACT.

At this time, the idea of turning to a dirt track was born once again. During the 1980s, the track raced dirt modifieds on a half-mile oval. This did not last long and the track was paved once again.

"The track has always been looking for its own identity."

In its current state, Airborne Speedway is a half-mile oval asphalt track. The name of the track came from the Plattsburgh Air Force Base that was located only a few miles away.

"The track has always been looking for its own identity," said Speedway Scene writer, John Grady. "As long as it keeps going and people are in the seats, it is all that matters."

The Owners

The current owners of the track are Steve and Denise Fuller, who own Steve Fuller Excavating in Plattsburgh. Track manager Mike Perrotte continues to bring Airborne Speedway into the future.

"Racing has turned into more of an entertainment business," Perrotte said. "There are not a lot of hardcore race fans anymore."

The Airborne's owners intend to make the track more fan friendly by accommodating fans with appreciation nights and offering kiddy rides on cars.

"Racers race- Promoters promote," Grady said. According to Grady, racers race better when people are watching. "There is a good fan base. If they are treated right, they will come back," Grady said.

In the past, owners had a hard time keeping racers in line, especially the locals who didn't appreciate outsiders coming to race at Airborne.

"In those days, they were racing under no supervision," Grady said.

Grady also said that a group referred as the "Wiggle-town Warriors" ran the track. These warriors got people mad and they didn't come back to race.

Current improvements to the track include a seven-year plan that will include new bleachers and increased visibility for fans. . Other improvements include repaving the track for the first time since 1991, paving the pit area to make room for more cars, building a tech garage to inspect cars, renovating the concessions, and fixing the turn-one fence.

"Perrotte is doing a great job, it is nice to race in your hometown."

"The goal is to keep the cost of competition down since insurance costs are high," Perrotte said.

The Cars

Airborne Speedway features five racing series every Saturday, they include: The Ernie Discount Tools Modified Racing Series, Versatile Sales Trailer Renegades Series, J&S Steel Tiger Sportsmen Series, U.S. Army Warriors Series, and the Adirondack Chevrolet Bombers Series.

Perrotte said that the modifieds are Airborne's premier division and has generated a lot of excitement for fans and drivers.

The modified's are an open wheel race car in the front with an enclosed roof. They are typically higher off the ground for dirt and lower to the ground for asphalt. They are similar to sprint cars because of their drafting ability and high horsepower engines. They have bigger tires, a higher center of gravity, and a straight front-axle suspension.

"Everyone is out there to win, but it is more of a hobby."

Leon Gonyo of Plattsburgh has been racing for over 30 years across New England. He currently races in the modified series. He owns two cars, one strictly for dirt and another for asphalt.

"Dirt cars have more rear percentage and different springs for the surface, while there is more front weight with asphalt modifieds, the cars are exactly the same besides the coil springs used," Gonyo said.

"I love driving as well as building motors and bodies. Everything is done in-house," he said. He considers himself old-school because he prepares for races and does all of his own work. "There are not too many left."

The Versatile Sales Trailer Renegade Series features cars with an 8-cylinder engine. The difference is that these cars have been stripped of all insides, roll bars, and also reinforcements have been added.

Dustin Criss, 25, of Peru has been racing at Airborne Speedway since he was 17 years old.

"Everyone is out there to win, but it is more of a hobby," Criss said.

The cost is not covered even with a win in the Renegade racing. Criss estimates that he spends $350 each time he races. Expenses include the price of a license, gas, and tires. For first place, Criss estimated that the Renegade Series bring him and his team $100, which doesn't go far after paying out the pit crew and supplies needed to come back from week to week.

The J&S Steel Tiger Sportsmen Series includes cars with a 6-cylinder engine. These cars have a 355-horsepower motor in them with cages to protect the drivers.

"No one has ever won three in a row," said Toby Eversall, the back-to-back defending champion at Airborne.

The k eys to success are trying to be consistent and laying it all on the line, said Eversall. He files his race team as a business, but does not generate income from it. "It is an expensive hobby," Eversall said.

The U.S. Army Warriors and the Adirondack Chevrolet Bombers are 4-cylinder engine cars. They are your every day cars that you find on the North Country roads. Roll bars are inserted to reinforce the car, but everything else remains the same. It is a beginner series for most that want to start racing. It is fairly inexpensive. All you need is a car.

Airborne will feature the ACT tour late model division, sprint cars and go-kart's on certain nights this season. The ACT tour races at tracks all across New England and Canada. Airborne is the first stop for the ACT tour. Mark Lamberton, from Moores Forks, New York, raced in the series, but now has agreed to race in the modified series at Airborne.

"Perrotte is doing a great job, it is nice to race in your hometown," Lamberton said.

The season begins May 12 at 4 p.m., with the Spring Green - Furniture World of VT ACT 100 Lap event and the regular Airborne Speedway series will be racing. The race will feature the ACT late model tour as they help jump start a summer of racing at Airborne Speedway.

What was your first experience of Airborne like?

This is a self-timing slide show, Pictures are from the 2007 Champlain Valley Car Show, March 31. Enjoy!

Getting to Airborne Speedway:

Take Exit 36 off of I-87. Go one mile south. Airborne Speedway will be on your 3rd right at Broderick Road.