Save The Purse & Thompson Speedway Announce Late Model Mid-Summer Challenge For 2020


(Press Release from Thompson Speedway)

THREE RACES TO PAYING $2,000 TO THE WINNER SET FOR DIVISION II CLASS

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and Save The Purse jointly announced on Thursday that competitors in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Late Model division will have three, 50-lap feature races in 2020 as part of a new Late Model Mid-Summer Challenge.

A group of competitors joined together over the offseason to form Save The Purse, a group that has come up with additional purse money through sponsors and have put it towards these special events. The group is run by recognized racing crew member Brad Martel. 

Each of the three events will pay $2,000 to the winner, $1,000 for second and $750 for third. A full purse will be distributed to the top 25 competitors. The races will take place as part of the three standalone NASCAR Weekly Racing Series events scheduled for June 3, July 8 and August 5. 

Thompson Speedway is committed to the future of oval track racing and in 2020 has planned a six-race NASCAR schedule. With the addition of a night of double features for all five NASCAR divisions, competitors will have the chance to run seven feature races. 

These Late Model special events are going to be a must-watch for all race fans. 

“Watching a group of racers come together and come up with funds to increase the purse is something special, and we are happy to work with them,” Terry Eames, the General Manager of Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, said. “We’re looking forward to watching competitors race for this extra purse money while running some extra laps. Fans won’t want to miss these special events.”  

“We were determined to come up with the best possible solution to increase the purse value at Thompson in 2020,” Brad Martel, the Director of Save The Purse, said. “We’re looking forward to watching a competitive division competed in double their normal distance for some extra cash.” 

Sponsors included in the Mid-Summer Classic will be announced later. As part of these special night events, the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Sunoco Modifieds, SK Light Modifieds, Limited Sportsman and Mini Stocks will join the action. 

Thompson Speedway also runs in the Late Model program under American Canadian Tour rules, and in 2020, will also be part of the New England Late Model Challenge Cup. Thompson is one of five tracks in the program – one that will have all scheduled weekly Late Model events eligible to receive points towards winning the Cup. ACT will take the 10 best finishes for each registered driver across all five tracks and count it towards the drivers totals, with a special points system in place based on a driver’s feature finishes and event car counts, with bonus points for wins and cars passed. With the three events paying additional purse, these could be races that drivers across New England elect to attend to earn crucial points.  

With COVID-19 sweeping through the United States, Thompson officials have been forced to update the 2020 schedule. Currently, the 46th annual Icebreaker presented by Liquid Death is tentatively scheduled for May 15-16. A full schedule of postponed events will be released later.

For more information on Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, visit thompsonpeedway.com and follow the track on social media. 




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Comments

  1. AWESOME!!! Best news I’ve heard in a long time. Thanks Brad Martel and Save the Purse.

  2. Great job by the people behind “Save the purse”. Hopefully this virus will be behind us by then. But, thanks to all the people involved with “save the purse”

  3. Good job Thompson. Oh wait, they didn’t do anything. Disregard.

  4. Awesome work by the people involved. I would think the admission would not increase for these 3 races as Thompson has nothing to do with the extra purse

  5. Fast Eddie says

    Great job by Brad Martel and “Save the Purse”!! It just goes to show you there is some sponsorship money out there. Hopefully the Thompson marketing people will follow the racers example and find some as well.

  6. Well that sure is a shot of adrenaline for the the Late Models. If Stafford is paying $2500 to win for one special Open LM event and three at Thompson pay $2000 then all of a sudden Thompson is a player for Late Models anyway.
    What about the headliners the SK’s? Where’s their money as well as the rest of the field? What sponsor comes on board and is announced at a later date in a track press release? The issue in the past was butts in the seats. Does this change the bigger picture at all or is the new reality at Thompson to get back to what didn’t work but at least looked more normal.
    “Thompson Speedway is committed to the future of oval track racing and in 2020 has planned a six-race NASCAR schedule”. Sure you are. The teams are coming up with a notable purse and you’re just committed as heck aren’t you Thompson.
    This article is about an impressive group that is going above and beyond to prevent the end of the 5 division format at Thompson. They’re in a bunker, surrounded by the forces of apathy and changing trends that will eventually overtake their position but they bravely fight on. They are magnificent.

  7. Pretty sad that the competitors have to do all the work and the speedway will reap all the benefits. What’s wrong with that picture?

  8. wmass01013 says

    Maybe some of the Longtime fans can VOLUNTEER to sell Beer and Popcorn for the track, maybe some of the golfers can be ticket takers at the front gate, maybe the STATE police will do security for free and help Park CARS, yes the Oval track future is bright when the Track DOES NOTHING.

  9. Longtime paying customer says

    The downward spiral for the oval at Big T……Sad.

  10. sour grapes standing ground says

    why give Thompson any attention ?? ..spit in the face of racers who supported them for years .. disgusting ….never again will step foot on that property..

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