Thompson Speedway Goes To 10-Race Schedule For ‘19; SK Light Mods Added As Regular Division

Upon his arrival as general manager of Thompson Speedway in September, Terry Eames had expressed a hope to increase the number of oval track events at the facility.

And that is exactly what fans and competitors will get for 2019.

Thompson Speedway will officially announce their 2019 oval track schedule on Tuesday with some big changes coming.

The schedule will see an increase from seven events overall to ten events for the 2019 season.

“I spent a lot of time talking to competitors about what they wanted to see,” Eames told RaceDayCT. “We got a lot of input about what worked best for them and ten races seemed to fit what everyone was looking for.”

The track will also add the SK Light Modifieds as a full-time division for the 2019 season. The SK Light Modified division will serve as the Whelen All-American Series Division III division at Thompson.

The Sunoco Modified division will continue as the track’s Division I division in the Whelen All-American Series and the Late Model division will remain the track’s Division II. The Limited Sportsman division will become the track’s Division IV under the Whelen All-American Series with the Mini Stock division being slotted as the Division V.

Thompson will once again host the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour four times. The division will anchor the season opening Icebreaker Weekend April 6-7. The Whelen Modified Tour will also have Wednesday night events at the track on June 5 and Aug. 14. As has become custom, the division will close out its season as part of the Sunoco World Series Weekend at Thompson (Oct. 11-13) with the Whelen Modifed season finale taking place on Oct. 13.

The SK Light Modified division will serve as the Whelen All-American Series Division III division at Thompson.

The track will host a special Saturday night event on June 15 which will feature a 100-lap feature for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and a 75-lap feature for the American-Canadian Tour.

The track will host an open test on Saturday March 23 and a special Icebreaker weekend test on Friday April 5.

Sunday May 19 will see the track’s Limited Sportsman take center stage with an extended distance event.

The Sunoco Modifieds will have their annual 20/20 Sprint event as part of the track’s For The Fans event on Sunday Sept. 8.

The track will also host three other Sunday Whelen All-American Series racing cards on June 30, July 21 and Aug. 4.

The Valenti Modified Racing Series will have events at the track as part of the Icebreaker and World Series weekends. The Northeastern Midget Association and International SuperModified Association will also be part of the 2019 schedule. For more information check the Thompson Speedway website Tuesday.

2019 Thompson Speedway Oval Track Schedule

  • Saturday March 23: Test & Tune (All Safe Race Cars Welcome)
  • Friday April 5: Icebreaker Test & Tune (Cars on track 2-5pm)
  • Sat-Sunday April 6-7: 45th annual Icebreaker weekend (Rain date April 13-14)
  • Sunday May 19: Limited Sportsman Long Distance & Active Military & Veterans Day
  • Wednesday June 5: NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Thompson 125 + NWAAS
  • Friday June 14: K&N Pro Series East & NWAAS Test & Tune
  • Saturday June 15: NASCAR K&N Pro East 100 & ACT Tour 75 + NWAAS
  • Sunday June 30: NWAAS Racing
  • Sunday July 21: NWAAS Racing
  • Sunday August 4: NWAAS Racing
  • Wednesday August 14: NASCAR Modified Tour Bud “King of Beers” 150 + NEMA & NWAAS
  • Sunday September 8: Sunoco Mod 20/20 & For The Fans Night
  • Fri-Sun October 11-13: 57th annual Sunoco World Series (Rain Date: October 18-20)

Comments

  1. Fast Eddie says

    I think the additional Sunday events are a great idea! Also great to see SK Lights as a regular division. Hopefully enough teams will support the category to help it succeed. Thanks to Terry Eames and the Thompson team!

  2. Awesome news!!! I think a 10 race schedule is perfect for competitors and fans alike. Thanks Terry!!!

  3. They are doing it for the money, not the fans. They now realize they are losing money by going down to a reduced schedule for oval racing.

  4. Really Kerri??? Every track is a business in case you haven’t noticed……..

  5. Spin it anyway you like. Adding events is counter to current trends, a risk for Thompson and is notable.
    SK Lights is kind of a seeing the hand writing on the wall deal. A no brainer. But Thompson isn’t the best configuration for competition in the division. That will remain Stafford I should think.

  6. crazy larry says

    Sounds great ! Now lower the ticket price and just maybe that will fill the stands, more food ,beer, an t shirts and not those Patriot hotdog $$plus the overnight parking > $25.00 NO DUI ,and no one getting hurt. good job Terri

  7. The SK Lights will put on a good race if there’s a decent sized field. Thompson tried to include them at least twice before but the only race with a respectable car count was the World Series. The previous 8-10 car counts won’t cut it. Also, previously I don’t think they were set up with a track championship points fund, which I’m guessing will now be in place. That should help the car count, along with the NASCAR Div. III designation.

  8. Phil Jacques says

    Great to see this move made. Thank You Terry for listening to us all.

    In regards to the SK Lights, this is interesting and I think you may see more cars for one reason… National Points. At Stafford the SK Light division is Div III under the NASCAR National Points system. This gives drivers competing in that division now 8 or 9 additional races (depending on when NASCAR ends their point season) available for acquiring points should they choose to do so. I think this point alone could bring a number of Stafford teams over at least for the Sunday Shows and the Icebreaker.

    Really excited to see what 2019 will bring. Disappointed I will not likely be racing unless I am able to find a ride for myself but I will be at every event to support the track regardless.

  9. “But Thompson isn’t the best configuration for competition in the division. That will remain Stafford I should think.” I realize you eat, breath and sleep Stafford and think they are the be all and end all of motorsports but please what are you basing that statement on?

    Now the division has finally been added full time for 2019 rewarding track and national points you will see the cars turn out and they put on a great show as they have in the past. Fast wide track should be fun!

    No novel required for your response, LOL……..

  10. Well said humphry and Phil !!!

  11. Al Coholic says

    I think this is huge news!!! Adding the SK lites as a division, total of 10 races and a lot of them on weekend days!!! I’m really psyched and with the NASCAR points I believe you’re going to see a huge field of lites!!!! I bet there’s a minimum of 20!!!
    Weekday races are really tough even Friday nights at Stafford you have to have a job that allows you to make a huge commitment. I think you’re going to see this entire schedule deal be really really big for Thompson Speedway and for all of us race fans.

  12. Sorry humphry. Didn’t mean to get your dander up………..again.
    My point was simply Thompson is banked more with longer straight aways, faster with the preferred high grove. Lights are momentum cars so they tend to get strung out a tad faster. As opposed to Stafford that’s flatter with two different cornering challenges, slowing the cars up resulting in tighter racing.
    At the world series the differential between the winner and 10th place was 5.05 and at the Fall Final 1.96. At the Ice Breaker it was 10.11 compared to 4.85 at the Sizzler. You get the idea.
    Anyone who was at one of the several shows at Stafford where the Lights stole the show and left the crowd standing may know what I mean.
    No offense meant to Thompson. Each track has it’s own strengths I’m sure they’ll be great there as well.

  13. Doug I kind of have to agree with you , the speeds will be higher but the racing will be better at Stafford, just my thoughts I’ll let you know if I was right next Oct. Or wrong

  14. old observer says

    Doug
    Not to disagree with you & your numbers but you need to provide more info to validate your statement. Lead lap cars running at the end, green flag laps after last caution, starting field,how many were involved in cautions & why. It could have been a 10 car pack race when with a few to go the second & third place cars crash & take out the rest of the top 10. Then the back markers are near the front & can’t keep up.
    Remember, anything can happen in racing & will!

  15. Great to see more races at Thompson Speedway. Although it is not the normal 18-20 race season seen at other tracks, you gotta start somewhere. Seeing the SK lites added is a great thing too. Keep up the good work Terry

  16. There will not be a point fund for the SK Lights. There is no point fun for any other division that races at Thompson. Hopefully Terry can implement that for the owners and drivers I’m sure that has driven a few teams away

  17. Unrelated question, but can explain why the Pro 4 Modified has never really been used as a starter division vs the SK Lite? I assume it’s easier to move from a SK Lite to a SK as the chassis I believe are similar; but cost wise wouldnt the Pro 4 be a cheaper entry class?

  18. Spot on old observer. Stats are not bulletproof. Just one arrow in the quiver.
    The SK Lights haven’t raced much at Thompson so the stats are limited. To support your observation the interval at the 2017 World Series between 1st and 10th was .445 that was clearly the result of a late race caution.
    Forget all that. Point is we all have our favorite track and divisions. I’m near Stafford so I go there and appreciate it’s strengths. The SK Lights there a major strength. But I’m not going to tell you the Late Models there can hold a candle to the ACT LM’s at Thompson. The Streets are coming on at Stafford but still have a way to go to match the Late Model Sportsman at Thompson that had 31 cars for the World Series.
    And truth be told my actual favorite track would be the Speedbowl for distance, track surface, banking and viewer perspective. I just don’t live near Waterford.

  19. Chris – Have you ever seen the Pro 4’s at Stafford or Thompson? Last time at Stafford I believe 20 cars showed up and 7 finished after many engine / drivetrain failures. They run VERY inconsistent times from front to back of the field, and it typically isn’t a very competitive show when I’ve seen them. I do not mean this derogatorily as they put on a much better show at smaller tracks from what I’ve heard.

  20. That’s great news! Now if they can just be “Racer Friendly” like Stafford is!

  21. Please be more specific, Paul. And I mean this in a positive way.

  22. Great news. Nice to see the schedule expanded to 10 shows. Adding the SK lights as a regular division is a welcome change. The SK lights have proven they are an entertaining entry level feeder division for the SK’s.

    My only complaint is one of personal preference, they brought back the K&N series which I really don’t care for and added the ACT series to the show. I would have liked to go to the ACT race but the K&N series will probably keep me away.

    With schedules now out for Stafford, Seekonk, Thompson, and Star it doesn’t appear the new AMT series has any shows outside of Waterford. Perhaps they get some dates at LEE, and or Monadnock which I haven’t seen schedules yet.

  23. Cg, just sit out the K&N race. I don’t watch the Nema midgets or the Supers at Thompson cuz they really don’t race well IMHO. I take a walk and get a beer !!!

  24. Bob, i did not intend to make the comment in a disrespectful way. What my experiance has been at Thompson with the previous management was like the racers don’t matter, we would get screwed on our practices, put twenty cars in one heat instead of having two, not even talk to you when you have an issue, charge you for camping, not return your calls… I could go on!
    At Stafford 95% of the racers have Marks cell number. If you have an issue he will listen, he returns your calls, lets you camp for free, his fees are better then Thompson and i think he just cares more about the racers.
    This is all just my opinion from what ive observed.

  25. You want to know the value of this forum. The anonymous forum that guys like Mike Serluca seems to think is populated solely of ignorant cowards seeking only to say bad things about good people with no consequences.
    Insights like the ones Paul just provided. Not only insightful but respectful.

  26. Thanks Doug,
    I am trying to be respectful. I should also stress my experiances at Thompson were with “previous management”, not Mr Eames who i do not know.
    I hope this hugelly positive new 10 race schedule with the lites added full time is a big step in the right direction. I am trully going to be open minded and look at these changes in a hopefull “glass is half full” attitude moving forward.

  27. wmass01013 says

    Well Terry Eames must have a nice salary as I see the 2 WMT Wednesday night races are Now UP TO $50 to enter, I love Thompson but this might make me think twice for 1 night race and I am sure Food and drink prices went up as well, GOOD LUCK THOMPSON

  28. Doug,

    As far as you comment on the value of this forum??? Its awesome!!! We are all very lucky to have it sir!! Thanks Shawn!!! Its almost as inportant to me as FOX news!!! Lol

  29. Yeah, looks like they raised the prices for everything but the World Series. Even the weekly events went from $12 last season back up to $18. So not only are the Modifed races at Loudon(which are paired with other top divisions)now cheaper than the ones at Thompson, there are also some Cup series tickets at Loudon cheaper than the Modifieds at Loudon. I wen to Mr Dirt Track USA at Lebanon Valley last year which paid over $25,000 win and general admission was only $24. Also, my pit pass for the Oxford 250 costs the same as a grandstand seat for the Thompson Mod races or the K&N race.

  30. The tracks just don’t care about the front gate anymore- obviously the back gate makes enough to make a profit. That’s why they have so many divisions….Have to blame it on the competitors that show up to race for zero chance to break even for the night… its pretty much pay to race now, where before it used to be race for money.

  31. Paul T. I am probably going to skip the K&N race. I just don’t think it is worth the cost to get in. K&N has no local drivers and I don’t think they get a good field these days. The few races I have seen on tv where not entertaining enough to convince me to go at that price.

    I am kind of surprised with this years pricing. The Weekly shows went up 50% from last year. The tour races went up about 13% from prior year. I think 50 dollars for a one day mid week 125 lap mod tour race may be tough to swallow for some fans. I believe you can get into cup at NHMS for less than that.

    Looking at the schedule, I will probably only make a few shows. The world series and a regular Sunday show or two. Overall, I am happy Thompson expanded the schedule to 10 events. Hopefully they have a successful season.

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