Mike Mahaney (35) celeberates his win in the Dirtcar 358 Modifieds over Adam Pierson and Thomas Cook. Airborne Park Speedway hosted Round Three of the 2026 campaign on Thursday night as the facility celebrated Hometown Heroes Night, recognizing Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement personnel for their service. A total of 105 competitors signed in across the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, J+S Steel Sportsman Modifieds, Rain Pro of Vermont Limited Sportsman Modifieds, Renegades, Mini Stocks, and Crown Vics, creating one of the most competitive fields of the season. The program opened with the Rain Pro of Vermont Limited Sportsman Modifieds. Sarah Ann Lauziere powered to the lead at the initial green flag and controlled the event from start to finish. Gary English applied pressure throughout the early and middle stages, but it was Kobe Hernandez who mounted the strongest late‑race charge, advancing to second and relegating English to third at the checkered flag. The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds took center stage next for their 30‑lap feature. Adam Pierson established himself as the early leader, holding off an initial bid from Thomas Cook. A mid‑race restart brought Mike Mahaney to Pierson’s outside, and Mahaney capitalized immediately—using the high lane through turn one to seize the top spot. From there, he drove away to secure his first Airborne victory of the 2026 season. The Renegades rolled out for their 20‑lap main event with 11 cars answering the call. Josh Terry led the opening circuits before Billy Thwaits and Shawn Duquette closed in. Duquette ultimately worked his way to the point and withstood a determined late‑race surge from Thwaits—who was seeking his third win of the year—to claim his first triumph of the season. In the J+S Steel Sportsman Modified division, the opening laps featured a tight side‑by‑side battle between Dylan Rabtoy and Michael Wright. Rabtoy eventually gained control, while Wright later retired with an apparent engine issue. The race then shifted into a three‑way contest among Rabtoy, Bruno, and a fast‑closing Nick Heywood. In the closing laps, Heywood completed his charge to the front, overtaking Bruno for the lead and driving on to the victory. Jason McClatchie also slipped past Bruno to secure the runner‑up position. The Crown Vics followed with their 15‑lap feature. Richie Turner wasted no time asserting himself at the front, taking command at the start and pulling away to a convincing win. Trevor Jaques and Scott Richner completed the podium. The evening concluded with the 15‑lap Mini Stock finale. Tyler Bell and Caleb Tourville set the early pace before Tourville began to fade. That opened the door for JP Corrow and Randy Martin, both of whom climbed steadily from mid‑pack to charge into contention as the race reached its final laps. Gallery

Glenn Engstrom (17) and Randy Martin battle for the win in closing lap of the Mini Stock feature. Gallery

Shawn Duquette (18) beats William Thwaits to the checkered flag as they came down the stretch for
the win. Plattsburgh, NY — Airborne Park Speedway launched the opening round of the Thursday Night Thunder Series on a cool spring evening, delivering a full program of competitive racing across five divisions. Presented by the New England Ford Dealers, the event marked the second race of the 2024 season and drew strong fields in every class. The 358 Modifieds opened the night’s feature events with a front‑row contest between Carey Terrance and Dany Gagné. Terrance gradually extended his advantage while holding off a late charge from Felix Roy, who advanced from the third row. Terrance secured the victory, followed by Roy and Mike Mahaney. The Mini Stock division experienced multiple cautions during its scheduled 15‑lap feature. After seven laps, officials elected to conclude the race. At the time of the stoppage, Jeremiah King held the lead and was awarded the win, with Joe Warren finishing second. The 25‑lap Sportsman Modified feature showcased a competitive battle between Shane Pecore and Joey Scarborough. Pecore utilized the high line to complete a decisive pass for the lead and maintained control through the remaining laps, earning his second consecutive win of the season. A 12‑car Renegade field took the green for a 20‑lap event highlighted by early competition between last season’s championship contenders, Shawn Duquette and Tylor Terry. As the race progressed, Terry fell back, allowing Bill Thwaits to close in during the final laps. Duquette held off the challenge to secure his first win of the year. The evening concluded with the 20‑lap Limited Sportsman Modified feature, which brought 15 competitors to the track. Gary English led the opening laps before facing pressure from David Johnson and Joshua Patterson. Johnson executed a late‑race pass to claim his second victory of the season. Airborne Park Speedway returns to action on May 14, featuring the DIRTcar 358 Modified and DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series as the headline divisions. Gallery

Jeremaih King (75) and Joe Warren (13w) battle for the lead of the Mini Stock feature that would see King get the win on the night. Gallery

Shane Pecore (0) and Brogan Roberts (50) battle for the lead as they dive into the corner of the JS Steel Sportsman Modified event that would see Pecore get the win that afternoon. After Mother Nature wouldn't cooperate the first couple of weeks, it would take three on the opening racing of the 2026 Season from the Airborne Park Speedway. It would be the third annual Leon Gonyo Memorial 40, with $4,000 going to the winner of the 358 Modified race, along with $1,000 going to the winner of the JS Steel Sportsman Modified. Other classes in action on the day were the Renegades Limited Sportsman Modified, Mini Stocks, and Crown Vics. After all the heat races were done the first main out of the box would be the Crown Vics for there 20 lap affair would see Richie Turner take the lead off the start of the race and would let up on lead and take it green to checkered for the win he would have a challenge though from Trevor Jaques but he would not be able to get around the former Renegade champion. Scott Richner would round out the top three. Then we would have the 30 JS Steel Sportsman Modified, with the cool $1,000 going to the race winner. It would see Travis Bruno get the lead off the start of the race, and he would be under fire early from Nick Heywood. Still, with a mid-race caution, it would rerake the deck to come down the stretch, and it would see Shane Pecore blast to the lead around Heywood and Bruno, and that would be enough to get the win and take the $1,000 back north of the broader, and Nick Heywood and Travis Bruno would round out the top three. Then it would be time for the main event of the evening with 358 Modifieds going 40 laps for $4,000 to the winner. It would see Tim Fuller get the lead off the start of the race, and for the early part of the race, Louie Jackson would challenge him for the win, but there would be some movers in the middle of the field with last year's champion, Mike Mahanney, and Billy Dunn coming up and throwing their hand into the mix. There would be a restart with about five laps to go, with Fuller, Roy, Mahaney, and Dunn in the front two rows as they go after the win. It would be Felix Roy who would get around them all and take it line for the win and collect the $4,000 check, as Billy Dunn and Mike Mahaney would round out the top three. Then it would be time for the Limited Sportsman Modified 20-lap event, and it would see an early duel between Brogan Roberts and Gary English for the lead. Roberts would start pulling away some, but a hard charger like David Johnson would come up to battle for the win, and in the closing laps, he would get around Roberts for the win. Then it would be the Mini Stocks for the 15-lap race, and the battle for the whole race would be between two racers in the likes of Jacob Fountain and Kenny Tourville that would see them swap the lead back and forth a few times, and in the end, Kenny Tourville would get to the line first for the win. Then it would be time for the final race of the opening night of racing. It would be the Renegades for 20 laps, as an opening-lap crash would see a couple of major players from last season get damaged, and then, off the restart, Tylor Terry would get the lead. Still, he would have a battle with Billy Thwaits, and Thwaits would get the lead and not give up for the first win of the season. The racetrack will come back to life on May 7th as they begin their Thursday-night portion of the season. Gallery

Kenny Tourville (42) and Jacob Fountain battle for the win in the Mini Stock event that would see Kenny Tourville start the season on top. Gallery