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(Press Release from OTB Promotions)
Founded by long-time road racer, Lou Gingerella, and experienced motorsports professional, Josh Vanada, OTB Promotions has announced that they will host an event on Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s (CT) road course, featuring three of the region’s grassroots stock car divisions. Drivers from the North East Mini Stock Tour (NEMST), North East Street Stock Tour (NESST), and New England Truck Series (NETS) will join drivers from Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s (TSMP) Mini Stock Division for this historic event on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12.
“Given the rich history of road racing and stock car tradition at Thompson, it made sense to Lou and I to put this event together. We’re excited to showcase some of the Northeast’s finest grassroots stock car touring series, as well as our own Mini Stock Division” said Vanada, the Executive Vice President of OTB Promotions, and current TSMP General Manager.
The two-day event will mark the first competitive activity for stock cars on TSMP’s road course since its $5 million renovation, which was completed in 2014. The format for the two day event will be a practice day on Friday, followed by a final practice, qualifying and feature races on Saturday.
While it will be their first event on TSMP’s road course, NEMST has been competing on New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s road course since 2012. The Tour’s founder and promoter, Bob Guptill, believes that this foundation will be a bonus for fans. “We are excited to offer our drivers the experience of a brand new event on a brand new track. Building on our current road course events, this is sure to put on an amazing show for drivers and fans,” he predicted. The NEMST road race always boasts strong car counts, and given the 30+ car turnout at Thompson’s Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing last October, another robust entry list is likely.
In their inaugural season, NESST, features the ever-popular and ultra-competitive street stock race cars. Co-Series Director, Nick Ray, is enthusiastic about this stop on the Tour’s schedule. “We are very excited to have this extraordinary opportunity to showcase our street stock on the famed TSMP road course. Our competitors will be ready to put on a great show that will not soon be forgotten. We also would like to send a huge ‘thank you’ to Josh and his team for making this possible,” the rookie director remarked. In addition to bringing their own touring cars, the division’s rules package will also allow drivers from TSMP’s Limited Sportsman Division to compete in the ground-breaking event.
New England’s only regional truck division, NETS, competed at six different facilities in 2014, but none of them were road courses. Actually, the event will mark the first road course event NETS has contested in their history. Series Director, Lorraine Pard, says she and her race teams have had their eye on TSMP’s 11-turn road course since the facility’s renovations were announced. “As soon as Thompson was planning this prestigious road course, I wanted to bring the trucks to the challenge of this style of racing. This past season, teams would ask if trucks could race this course. Our 2015 schedule will be released with a road course date at Thompson. I’m pleased to announce this race to my teams.” With increasing interest in the truck division in the past 18 months, a deep and talented field can be expected.
Any Mini Stock conforming to TSMP’s Divisional rules will also be welcome to participate in a separate race.
Gingerella, President of OTB Promotions, believes that the innovative format is a great entry level event for grassroots teams. “We believe that this is going to be a fantastic event! Being a road racer, it will be great to give some of the grassroots touring series the opportunity to experience, and enjoy, a different style of racing. That’s what we are about at OTB – creativity, innovation, and fun.”
More information regarding the event, and OTB promotions will be available February 2, on OTB’s website, otbpromo.net.
LMAO……………………………YOU CAN TAKE THE BLEACHERS DOWN FOR THE WEEKEND DURING THIS EVENT, CAUSE THERE WILL BE NO ONE COMING TO WATCH THIS………..
delusional racer, speak for yourself. The place will be packed, the only one not there will be your over-critical self. There have been a large number of requests for an event like this and the fans, as well as us racers are more than excited and ready for this one. Expect large fields in all divisions competing.
If I am not mistaken, the race trucks started as an SCCA class. Then it got picked up by Ovals/Nascar. As for no one going…Doesn’t NASCAR race on some road courses like WGlen and Sonoma? It is OK for the top of the sport but not the bottom?
WherE do I sign up for this race
I think this will be a nice change of pace for these divisions
There is no place for fans to sit anyway concerned racer.
The sight of 8 or 9 trucks spread out around the road course should be compelling. And why is this a 2 day show? Is it possible for Thompson Speedway management to have any concept of the working class?
It sure doesn’t seem like it.
Our car will be their. It will be nice to do something different. Looking forward to this one.
Bring the modifieds too ..they put a hell of a show on at the glen….and limerick..they will put fans in the seats…..pay 5000.00 too win …could be a awesome weekend
Have to agree bring the Mods, maybe open show….If it pay decent I’m sure it will bring in the cars and the fans.
cool agree, run sk,tour or supers and then it will be a hell of a show. I know the set up will be a challenge but everything racing is a challenge and all will be at the same disadvantage..
Supers can’t run the road course, right turns would be a calamity.
Rumor has it that the Thompson management is already struggling with the $5 million debt taken on to build the road course….After trying to minimize if not eliminate the NASCAR classes they are now reaching out to them because the tea toddling SCCA crew isn’t giving them (Thompson) the return on investment they had hoped for…..Notice the extended schedule for 15’…Where were those races in 14′..? ..Watch and see the cheesy purses that Thompson puts up for these classes…Why wouldn’t they put the tour cars, SK’s, Late Models, or even the Lights (Oh they don’t run that class anymore, I forgot)…
A 2 day event doesn’t mean anything more then the same racers in the lower classes paying twice to get in each day….
Anyone ask themselves why the modifieds aren’t racing at Lime Rock or Watkins Glen anymore..?
I’m not so sure the touring divisions really thought this one though before committing to race on a road course. It is not as simple as just changing the set up in the cars/trucks to turn both left and right. In addition to changing your spring/shock package, in most cases you will need to change your oil pan, fuel cell pick up location, the float in the carb plus a few more things like moving/adding enough lead to make the vehicles turn right. Sounds like a lot of work but if the race purse makes it worth while it sounds like a lot of fun.
i can’t wait for this event!!!!!
LOL, I think I have laundry to do that day. Not exactly 300 weekend.
Concerned racer; 140+ events held on the road course last year, and last time I checked it didn’t open until mid June; I’m sure they did ok. As for more events on the Oval, maybe with no construction being done at the track this year, and a season under their belt running both tracks allowed for additional events on the oval.
Not sure about this one- not sure if you read the story, but the NE Mini Stock Tour has already run the road cross at NHIS.
concerned racer: yeah the 5 sk lites that that showed up at thompson would make a big difference, while your at it,lets gring back the thompson mods, those 4 cars are probably still around. And to Mark: hey give it a chance,at least management is trying,300 weekend = 280 parade laps and 20 racing laps! tha’ts why they don’t run it anymore, snoozefest.
Hey Seekonk………………..Ask yourself why there were only 7-8 Lights..(not 5) at the first 2 2014′ Thompson races…………….Was it because there are not enough Light teams in the area….Let’s see Stafford averaged over 20 and Waterford averaged 16 last year…….The Thompson management showed no suppport and a tremendous amount of disrespect to the class toward the end of 13′ and as i stated the first two races in 14′, that no car owners or driver sin the class wanted to run there anymore, hence the thin participation…
Management is not trying as you state, they are getting desperate….I’m hearing that there are problems within Thompson management, and that some of the older generation are 2nd guessing the road course investment.
Now they are looking back at the NASCAR group to up the cash flow…Fair weather friends……..
Friday and Saturday? Why? What’s wrong with Saturday and Sunday? Just another brilliant idea from Thompson.
Stafford SK light averaged 18.8 cars
Waterford SK light averaged 12.4 cars
Not “over 20 and 16”
Insert your head back to where you just pulled those numbers from.
Wow there No Name………….I was only off 1.2 cars at Stafford and 3.6 cars at Waterford…Which is magically the same amount of fans that will most likely show up at the Thompson Stock Car Road Race event ….Hey stats boy….,why your at it, check and see how many Lights are lined up at Stafford for the 15′ season….
Don’t they know Stafford races on Fridays?
That’s a good point modfan…Why not Sat. and Sunday, instead of Friday-Sat……At the very least there is no conflict at all on Sunday, but the way the Thompson management organizes it, there is a conflict with both Stafford on Friday and Waterford on Sat….but then again that is how the Thompson management rolls….
Sunday is golf day at Thompson
LOL….That’s there only money maker these days I’m hearing………