Tommy Barrett Jr. at Thompson Speedway in April
After sitting out from racing locally since an April arrest, Tommy Barrett Jr. will reportedly return to competition in a big way.
The website Speed51 reported Tuesday that the 19-year old from Millis, Mass. will compete in Thursday’s $10,000 to win Tour Type Modified open show at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway.
Barrett won the event in 2014.
Barrett started the 2015 racing season as the full-time driver for Our Motorsports on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and was expected to run part-time during the 2015 season with the ARCA Racing Series for Our Motorsports.
Those plans for the season all changed though when it came to light that Barrett had been arrested early in the morning of April 17 in Willimantic for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Barrett was subsequently suspended form his ride with Our Motorsports and then later released by the team. Keith Rocco of Wallingford took over the Our Motorsports Whelen Modified Tour ride.
Barrett is currently not allowed to compete in NASCAR sanctioned events as part of an “indefinite probation” handed down by the sanctioning body after his arrest.
Barrett, a former regular with the Valenti Modified Racing Series, can’t currently compete with that division either. The Valenti Modified Racing Series instituted a new rule earlier this year banning drivers from competing with suspended driver’s licenses.
Thursday’s event at Seekonk is not sanctioned by either NASCAR or the Valenti Modified Racing Series.
“I’ve been wanting to race the last couple months more than anyone even knows,” Barrett told Speed51. “To get this opportunity to go there Thursday and go back-to-back, especially it being $10,000, I’m very excited.”
Before his arrest, Barrett was in his second season competing for Our Motorsports. He finished 19th in the season opening Whelen Modified Tour Icebreaker 150 at Thompson Speedway on April 12.
Barrett arrived on the local racing scene as a 15-year old in the SK Light division at Stafford Motor Speedway in 2010 and recorded 14 victories in two seasons at the track before moving on to the Valenti Modified Racing Series full-time in 2012.
He had three victories with the Valenti Modified Racing Series in 2012 and three wins, ten top-five’s and 15 top-10’s in 17 starts in 2013 with the division, to finish second in the series standings.
Barrett replaced seven-time Whelen Modified Tour champion Mike Stefanik in the Our Motorsports Whelen Modified Tour ride prior to the 2014 season. In 13 events in 2014 he had three top-fives and five top-10’s, including a win at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway during his rookie year. He finished 12th in the series standings in 2014.
This is awesome news, see you at seekonk
Nowhere do I see any signs of him having learned his lesson. He’s “fighting the charges”. So does that mean that the cops were wrong? Or does he just need to spend more money on a higher priced lawyer?
If he took responsibility for his actions Barrett might be halfway through his suspension by now.
Sharpie, There is a process in the legal system and defending yourself is part of that process.
Neither you or I know the circumstances of his incident and we should let the whole thing work itself
out in the mean time. Our Racing, NASCAR and the VMRS are free to do what they did but Tommy will
have his day in court. I’m glad I live in a country where the legal system works it’s magic , if not imperfectly, and we’re not judged in a trial by Internet.
46 entries for this race including Coby, Preece, Szegedy, Pennink, Rocco, Pitkat…I think I will go to this one.
It will be interesting to see what reactions, if any, fellow drivers and fans have.
That, and I hope Barrett does not have a reckless “What can they do to me, I’ve got nothing to lose, it’s a one race event. Go ahead, suspend me.” attitude. I say that because we have seen that from Barrett before (VMRS) as well as other racers that have been in what appears to be similar situations. (Tyler Walker, Shane Hmeil, etc.)
It appears Seekonk ownership and their insurance company have no concerns over Barrett getting behind the wheel with his charges still not resolved.
Let’s hope he’s not under the influence or has a bad attitude when the green flag falls, for everyone’s sake, including his own.
Who is the owner of the car TB is driving?
Let’s see how this goes.
I have nothing against Tommy Barrett,but a suspension should be for all tracks and series,divisions etc.Until the legal matter is straightened out.PERIOD.Should not matter who it is or who you know.Mario probably has his sticky little fingers in this deal.There will be a loop hole found in what the officer did or the court system.Watch and see.Bet the farm on it.
JR, I share your sentiment. As young as he is, there seems to be a complete disregard for law and rules. He seems to be enabled. Many have called it youthful transgressions. There appears to be a good dose of arrogance and belligerence. When you make a mistake, you do it once. From what I’ve seen, this is more than once, and very serious at that. Alcoholics/addicts have problems, and they do not care what these problems do to themselves or those around them. When alcoholics/addicts make their problems my problem, I can take measures to protect myself from these alcoholics/addicts. I know I do not like being around people with issues with alcohol and/or drugs, so let’s see how this goes. He has to make people want him around, he and his promoter/handlers can’t force acceptance.
Darealgoodfella,
Family owned car it looks like.
I’m surprised NASCAR hasn’t said anything with Seekonk now a sanctioned track. Will RaceDayCT be covering this event? I still view this event as a stand alone open event even though they have somewhat aligned with Tri Series tour.
NH Mark,
Despite NASCAR sanctioning weekly racing at the facility, NASCAR has nothing to do with this event so they can’t really stop anyone from participating based on any penalties they’ve put in place. And no, RaceDayCT will not be covering the event.
There are now 52 entries for Seekonk but T. Barrett is not one of them (on the Tri Track Series website).
“I have nothing against Tommy Barrett,but a suspension should be for all tracks and series,divisions etc.Until the legal matter is straightened out.PERIOD.Should not matter who it is or who you know.”
Each sanctioning body and/or race promoter is a privately operated business and is free to make independent decisions. Racing organizations, promoters, and/or tracks don’t report to any sort of master commissioner or overseer.
It is amazing what a decent purse does to bring out the cars, eh?
Notice the correlation between car count and purse?
NASCAR, are you paying attention? Your SPEC motor hasn’t done a thing to affect car counts, but cost the Tour field a couple million dollars so far. NASCAR, you have to promote and sell your product.
Show postponed until 7/2.
what a bunch of hypocrites.. we watch race car drivers use their cars as weapons ramming other drivers after the flag.. etc.. run a couple names on the ct court website from any ct track driver roster if you have the time.. innocent til proven guilty. I guess no one has had their relative arrested???. Police are infallible right ?? go race ..cant wait to see what occurs when all the dust settles at the track.. more controversy for a decent driver at best who won a couple races.so he won Bristol big deal !! cant believe all the attention on both sides of an issue with everything else that going on.. what a disgrace!!!
KevinT has him guilty but getting off on a loop hole. (nice)
darealgoodfella thinks TB is a “danger” to society and he’s going to protect himself
How? by staying away from Seekonk cause Tommy might drive there drunk? (real nice)
Like I said, trial by Internet wouldn’t be a good thing. These two “prosecutors” show you why.
btw..Tommy will be in the family owned familiar VLB&G #9. ( reported)
We don’t need Shawn either to report on it. They will have plenty of coverage from other outlets
and MAVTV is including it in it’s Boston Louie coverage. Just go and enjoy yourself.
I know plenty, make that too many, people that are alcoholics/addicts, and it was not my place to intervene, but I was so very glad when these people were picked up by the legal system. It definitely has prolonged their lives, and perhaps saved innocent lives. Their immediate family said things like, “he’s just a kid”, “he’ll grow out of it”, “it a childhood mistake”, etc., etc., etc. Just like many of you are saying. Well, these “kids” are in their 30’s now, never grew out of it and are into worse things. But the legal system is onto them. They go in and out of court and rehab once in a while. Alcoholism runs in the family, several generations. We all know people like this, make believe they don’t exist. Then when you are one of their victims, you will complain that the government isn’t doing enough to help them.
Hey Duhrealgoodfella this is not your place to intervene either. From what you are saying to us it seems once anyone spends any sort of time around you they turn to drugs and alcohol. Lol. See the correlation?
Congratulations to the TTOMS for a great car count.
People have been saying for years the purses need to get better to get more cars out, and TTOMS proves that.
Direct, conclusive and irrefutable proof that bigger purses result in bigger car counts.
Great job!!!!
If Tommy wants to race again in any weekly series, he will mind his P’s and Q’s. If he doesn’t….. I guess some of the negative comments about him would be true. If he has any sense of what he had and what it will take to make it back, he will race clean and hard. Tommy has a lot of cleaning up to do after tarnishing his good standing.
42 cars showed, including T.B.
Interesting, Rocco in the 22, Preece in the 6, Renee’ in the 59, no Pennink or Szegedy.
Heat winners…Preece, Civali, Hossfeld, Coby.
Consi’s won by Rocco and Zeiner.
Ya know, seeing a certain 60 something year old former mod car owner constantly taking pictures of a certain young contraversial mod driver is kinda creepy IMHO.
B main winner Nocella.
Meservey leads at halfway.
Chris D.,
You mean Savary ?
Correction, Savary leading. My bad.
Barrett causes wreck on lap 72
Savary, Civali, Woody top 3