La version française ici : https://360nitro.tv/articles/2019/06/07/la-competition-est-tres-serree-en-pro-stock-a-airborne

With four races into the 2019 Pro Stock schedule at Plattsburgh Airborne Speedway, it is very clear that competition for the inaugural season at Airborne for this class is very tight.

After four races, there have been four different winners with no one team clearly dominating the field. I asked Robby Knowles his thoughts on the season so far for the Pro Stock division.

“I am happy with the progress of the Pro Stock division at this point. We have had 19 different Pro Stock teams race with us at some point this season, so we are getting some exposure. We realize that some teams have great distances to travel and that’s why we are running a part-time schedule.” Knowles went on to say: “We have had four different winners in four events! It shows how competitive this division is and anyone clearly has the chance to win.”

This is the first season for the Pro Stocks at Plattsburg but the response from teams so far is very positive as Knowles and his team has greatly improved on-track preparations by bringing on board Josh Laware and Laware Construction crew to maintain the track. With good track conditions this, in turn, has produced some very good racing, clearly a big win for fans and teams alike. The feedback so far from the Pro Stock ranks is very positive, praising both track staff and the facility as a whole.

Pascal Payeur, who travels quite a distance to the track, explains:

“I have worked very hard each week to find a good setup, but made a couple of mistakes during the last two feature on the evaluation of the track conditions. But the rest was very good. The crew and track are very good each week and it is a pleasure to race there. I hope as word gets out that the car count grows!”

For C. D. Beauchamp, he as well has had a great experience racing at Plattsburgh so far and explains:

“We had four different winners in four races! Track, facilities, and people are awesome! Robby does an amazing job, and it’s good to see him in the pits each night! I don’t remember seeing races this close for the win in a long time. With four cars battling for the win last week, and before that, two races with side by side racing for 5-10 laps for the win! Adding Plattsburgh, as our home track, is one of the best things we’ve done to add this division at Airborne was one of the best moves for the Pro Stock class since I’ve been racing.”

Ballston Spa, NY’s Jay Fitzgerald, has also had a positive outlook as the teams competing at the track have shown the professionalism in moving the class forward at Airborne with good clean racing. Jay explains:

“I think any week any car can win. The level of competition is very high with the field of cars that are there. I have committed to run the full season there to be able to run with some of the best in the entire Pro Stock division. Teams like the 88 and 48 are at a very high level and it is great running with guys who are the best in the class. These guys are not only fast but also race very respectful and the weekly door-to-door racing without cautions show the level of respect. I don’t mind driving two hours to run with these guys. We look forward to it and Albany-Saratoga is only five minutes from our shop. In a short time, I feel like we have gained friends and racing family with these guys and Saturdays in Plattsburgh are our favorite night of racing!”

Rock Aubin, who has come ever so close to the win last week who has had four top-five finishes, was busy changing his motor when talking to him. Rock explains:

“I’m pretty anxious to really get my chance at picking up a win and have come close a few times now. I really enjoy racing at Airborne and believe the car count will grow once everything gets settled. All I’m getting is positive feedback from the drivers that show up for a race. It’s perfect. We’ve had a different winner every week which shows that anyone has a good chance at the win.”

Marc Lalonde also agrees that Plattsburg Airborne Speedway took a chance bringing in the Pro Stocks as a division, but it has clearly paid off. Fans are getting some of the best racing along with some of the best Pro-Stock drivers in the Northeast. Marc explains:

“Everyone has a chance of winning. I really like the fact that the top three gets to go in front and be close to the fans. All in all, we love racing Airborne. The staff is nice, always happy to see us. We are done early, which is good for us since we have a long drive home and most of all the competition is really good.”

It’s definitely a positive when a track adds on a division and especially one that has had a long history in the DIRTcar ranks. It is also great to see some really good racing where anyone can win on a weekly basis. For instance, take last week’s winner — Pierre- Olivier Breault — who for the second time last week made the long haul down to Plattsburgh and came home with the win.

For Robby Knowles and the team at Plattsburgh Speedway, It was a leap of faith to bring the Pro Stock class on board and it clearly looks to be paying off as the fans are happy they are seeing some tight racing. The teams are also happy with what has unfolded so far and they are looking forward to this season.