PLATTSBURGH — Josh Terry drove away from the field on a lap 80 restart and won the Aaron’s Renegade 100 convincingly on Dig Safe NY Night Saturday at Airborne Speedway.
Terry had been hot on leader Jason McClatchie’s tail for 20 laps while under attack himself from all angles by Rick Doner when the sixth caution of the night came out after a wreck in Turn 1.
When the green came back out, Terry’s Smithfield Liquor/Brookfield Excavating No. 43 was much the best. He opened up a big lead while McClatchie, Doner, Boutin and Lance Rabtoy went at it for second.
Boutin, the Renegade point leader and defending champion, was first to the line at the halfway mark when the race was halted by a competition yellow for adjustments. He chose to go for the additional $200 bonus offered for starting the second 50 laps at the rear of the field and nearly pulled it off.
Boutin was 22nd on lap 51, 12th on lap 61 and 5th on lap 75.
“I was worried about the restart,” Terry said. “I didn’t think the car had it in it, but it never went away.”
Doner, who started 22nd, caught McClatchie for second. Boutin was fourth, just ahead of Rabtoy. The second half of the top-10 went to Robert Gordon, Larry Underwood, Richie Turner, Ryan Boutin and Andrew Bordeau.
Patrick Dupree took command on a lap 12 restart and was never headed in the 30-lap DIRTcar Modified feature. It was the second win of the season for the former track champion, and it continued his advance up through the point standings (fourth).
“I knew the X (Adam Bartemy) was going good, and I had to take it on the high side,” he said.
Bartemy finished a career-best second by holding off George Foley (third) and Pat McGrail (fourth), who waged war for more than a dozen laps. Aaron Bartemy was fifth, point-leader Todd Stone sixth and Andy Heywood seventh. The Bartemy brothers and Craig Reyell won the Modified heats.
Travis Bruno won the Sportsman Modified feature for his first career Sportsman Modified victory. Bruno won an early battle at the point with Joe Daniels and improved from there. Nick Heywood got up for second with Daniels third, Lonnie Rivers fourth and Jimmy Introne fifth.
Rob Clark of Keeseville repeated as the top dog Mini Modified in the Bob’s Trucking No. 14. Jayson Criss was next in the Monster Energy No. 54, followed by point-leader Erick Sayles.
