With summer right around the corner, the chase for the DIRTcar Sportsman Series East Region championship continues with a battle near the United States-Canada border.
The Series visits Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY, on Thursday, June 11, for the penultimate event on the East Region schedule – a 30-lap Feature paying $1,500-to-win.
Along with the DIRTcar Sportsman Series, fans visiting Airborne will see the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series, along with the track’s Renegade, Mini Stock, and Limited Sportsman divisions.
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Here’s a look at what to watch for at Airborne:
The Brandon Bandito: After the first two DIRTcar Sportsman Series East Region Features this year, Joey Scarborough has emerged as the points leader following his win at Bear Ridge Speedway last month.
The Brandon, VT, driver led every lap of that event to score his first career Series win and holds a 16-point lead over Taylor Wason.
Scarborough has plenty of experience at Airborne, earning four career wins. He also finished second at his lone start at the track in 2026. Along with his win at Bear Ridge, he’s added victories at Albany-Saratoga Speedway and Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
Chasing Scarborough: The two drivers within striking distance of Scarborough entering this weekend are Taylor Wason (-16) and Nick Brundige (-18).
Both drivers join Scarborough as the only three drivers to earn a top 10 at both Lebanon Valley Speedway and Bear Ridge. However, Wason and Brundige have yet to make a start at Airborne in a Series event.
In seven starts this year, Wason, from Middlegrove, NY, has four top 10s. Three of those are in DIRTcar Sportsman Series events, as he also earned a top 10 during a Central Region event at Weedsport Speedway in May.
Brundige, meanwhile, has a top five and eight top 10s in 12 starts this season. The Round Lake, NY driver earned his top five on opening night at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
Plattsburgh’s Best: Anyone who’s watched the Sportsman division over the last decade at Airborne won’t be surprised to see Nick Heywood, Travis Bruno, and Bucko Branham at the top of the track’s points standings.
Heywood, from Plattsburgh, NY, is a five-time track champion and the only driver among the three with a victory in 2026. His best finish in a Series event at Airborne came in 2018, when he crossed the line third.
Bruno, meanwhile, has won the track championship at Airborne in three of the last four seasons and is tied with Heywood for the points lead. The Morrisonville, NY driver joins Heywood as the only driver to finish in the top five in all five of the track’s Features this season. He’s searching for his second career Series victory after earning an East Region triumph in 2019, besting former Super DIRTcar Series star Adam Pierson and defending DIRTcar Sportsman Series champion Shane Pecore.
Branham has been close to earning a DIRTcar Sportsman Series win in the past, finishing second to Alex Lajoie in September of 2017. The veteran driver from Plattsburgh, NY, is searching for his first Airborne victory since May 15 of last season.
2026 DIRTcar Sportsman East Region Schedule
Saturday, April 18/Lebanon Valley Speedway/West Lebanon, NY- Tim Hartman Jr.
Saturday, May 23/Bear Ridge Speedway/Bradford, VT- Joey Scarborough
Thursday, June 11/Airborne Park Speedway/Plattsburgh, NY
Sunday, July 5/Glen Ridge Motorsports Park/Fultonville, NY
DIRTcar Sportsman Series East Region Standings
- Joey Scarborough 286
- Taylor Wason -16
- Nick Brundige -18
- Max Dolliver -22
- Jeremy Huntoon -28
- Bryan Preville -28
- Todd Buckwold -50
- Bodie Marks -56
- Katrine Leclaire -78
- Andrew Martell -82
For a complete look at the 2026 standings, CLICK HERE.
This article was republished with permission from the DIRTcar Sportsman Series. The original article can be found here: https://dirtcar.com/dirtcar-ne/sportsman-modifieds/dirtcar-sportsman-series/what-to-watch-for-title-fight-for-dirtcar-sportsman-series-east-region-continues-at-airborne/
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