Fall Foliage 300 Returns to Airborne Speedway
Airborne Speedway Redesigned, Fall Foliage 300 Returns to ACT Schedule
Plattsburgh, NY — Airborne Speedway Promoter Mike Perrotte has announced plans for a major renovation of the historic Plattsburgh, NY stock car track, including a total reconfiguration of the racing surface and layout for the 2009 racing season. As a result, the track has added a second American-Canadian Tour Late Model Championship event, the storied Fall Foliage 300, to its 2009 schedule.
The addition of the race brings the ACT schedule to 13 championship events, and compliments the annual Spring Green 100 at Airborne on May 9. The 38th Annual Fall Foliage 300 will be held on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. The 300-lap distance will also be the first of its kind for the present-day ACT Late Model Tour.
Airborne Speedway’s 4/10-mile, D-shaped layout will be partially razed to allow construction of new, sweeping, progressively-banked corners, creating multiple racing grooves and closer competition. The present layout has been in use since 1990. Previously, Airborne Speedway had been a 5/8-mile track with both dirt and asphalt surfaces since 1954.
The Fall Foliage event has a grand history, beginning in 1972 as a 200-lap race at the former Catamount Stadium in Milton, VT. After Bobby Dragon won the inaugural event, the race distance was increased to 300 laps. Winners of the era included Canadians Don Beiderman and Jean-Paul Cabana, southern stars Butch Lindley, L.D. Ottinger, and Robbie Crouch, and New Englanders Stub Fadden and Dick McCabe. When Catamount closed its doors after 1987, the race moved to Maine’s Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for three seasons, won by Crouch, Buzzie Bezanson, and Dave Dion.
Crouch won the first two Fall Foliage 300s at Airborne Speedway in 1991-92, while the present-day Late Model division took over in 1996 with a 200-lap race. That year produced one of the most memorable finishes in ACT history, as Dave Whitcomb beat Ron Weston and Jean-Paul Cyr in a three-wide photo finish for the victory. For 2002 only, Vermont’s Thunder Road hosted the race, won by Maine rookie Ryan Moore. Cyr won as the Fall Foliage returned to Airborne in 2003, while Brent Dragon and Patrick Laperle won the race in 2004 and 2005, respectively, as a 150-lap event.
Open-wheel Modifieds took control of the race in 2006-08, each year won by future hall-of-famer Kenny Tremont, Jr. Tremont’s 2006 victory was in a 75-lap event, while 100-lap scores came in each of the last two years.
“The Fall Foliage 300 has certainly had a quirky history, but it’s a glorious one with a past winners list that reads like a who’s-who of short track racing,” said ACT President Tom Curley. “ACT’s Late Model division got its start at Airborne Speedway, and we know that the return of the Fall Foliage event there will be an important happening for many of our race teams and fans.”
The ACT Late Model Tour is expected to bring race teams from across New England, New York, and Canada to the Fall Foliage 300. The event now becomes the final qualifying race for the first-ever ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH on Sept. 18-20. For more information, call (802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com.
Fall Foliage 300 Past Winners, 1972-2008
Year Winner Hometown Track Laps
1972 Bobby Dragon Milton, Vt. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 200
1973 Don Beiderman Oakville, Ont. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1974 Bobby Dragon Milton, Vt. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1975 L.D. Ottinger Newport, Tenn. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1976 Claude Aubin Laval, Que. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1977 Butch Lindley Greenville, S.C. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1978 Butch Lindley Greenville, S.C. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1979 Robbie Crouch Tampa, Fla. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1980 Stub Fadden North Haverhill, N.H. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1981 Hector Leclair Fairfax, Vt. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1982 Dick McCabe Kennebunkport, Me. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1983 Robbie Crouch Tampa, Fla. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1984 Robbie Crouch Tampa, Fla. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1985 Robbie Crouch Tampa, Fla. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1986 Jamie Aube North Ferrisburg, Vt. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1987 Jean-Paul Cabana Sherrington, Que. Catamount Stadium (Vt.) 300
1988 Robbie Crouch Tampa, Fla. Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (Me.) 300
1989 Buzzie Bezanson Plaistow, N.H. Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (Me.) 300
1990 Dave Dion Hudson, N.H. Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (Me.) 300
1991 Robbie Crouch Tampa, Fla. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 300
1992 Robbie Crouch Tampa, Fla. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 300
1993 Junior Hanley Oakville, Ont. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 300
1994 Ralph Nason Unity, Me. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 300
1995 Brad Leighton Center Harbor, N.H. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 300
1996 Dave Whitcomb Essex Jct., Vt. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 200
1997 Brian Hoar Williston, Vt. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 200
1998 Phil Scott Montpelier, Vt. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 200
1999 Patrick Laperle St-Denis, Que. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 200
2000 Brian Hoar Williston, Vt. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 200
2001 Mark Lamberton Mooers Forks, N.Y. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 200
2002 Ryan Moore Scarborough, Me. Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl (Vt.) 200
2003 Jean-Paul Cyr Milton, Vt. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 200
2004 Brent Dragon Milton, Vt. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 150
2005 Patrick Laperle St-Denis, Que. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 150
2006 Kenny Tremont, Jr. West Sand Lake, N.Y. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 75
2007 Kenny Tremont, Jr. West Sand Lake, N.Y. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 100
2008 Kenny Tremont, Jr. West Sand Lake, N.Y. Airborne Speedway (N.Y.) 100
Total Victories: Robbie Crouch (7), Kenny Tremont, Jr. (3), Bobby Dragon (2), Brian Hoar (2), Patrick Laperle (2), Butch Lindley (2), Jamie Aube (1), Claude Aubin (1), Don Beiderman (1), Buzzie Bezanson (1), Jean-Paul Cabana (1), Jean-Paul Cyr (1), Dave Dion (1), Brent Dragon (1), Stub Fadden (1), Junior Hanley (1), Mark Lamberton (1), Hector Leclair (1), Dick McCabe (1), Ryan Moore (1), Ralph Nason (1), L.D. Ottinger (1), Phil Scott (1), Dave Whitcomb (1)
Sources: ACT Tour PR