NASCAR Modifieds, Local Divisions Ready To Restore The Thompson Roar


(Press Release from Thompson Speedway)



SK Modified division action returns to Thompson Speedway Sept 2 (Photo: Fran Lawlor/RaceDayCT)

The high banks of Connecticut’s historic Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park will roar once again this Wednesday, September 2. The Thompson 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the 81st season opener at North America’s original asphalt speedway as it finally gets the 2020 season underway. 

The biggest names in Modified racing will converge on the 5/8-mile track for the Tour’s 147th visit to Thompson, including point leader Justin Bonsignore, six-time Champion Doug Coby, and former track champion Woody Pitkat. Add in a full card of racing for the track’s fives local divisions, and it will be an action-packed midweek night after months of anticipation. 

A full field is expected for the Whelen Modified Tour’s sixth stop of the season. Already, the event has been given a jolt of star power in the form of Berlin, CT’s Ryan Preece. The NASCAR Cup Series competitor has announced he will return home for the Thompson 150 driving the TS Haulers Team car owned by Ed and Connie Partridge. 

Preece is no stranger to success at Thompson Speedway. He won the Sunoco Modified championship in 2012 and 2014 to go with three Whelen Modified Tour wins at the track. Still, with the caliber of competition on the Tour, it will be anything but an easy homecoming. 

In fact, Holtsville, NY’s Bonsignore is likely the man to beat. The 2018 NASCAR Modified champion has won seven of the last eight Tour events at Thompson. Bonsignore also won the first two features of 2020 and leads the standings by 10 points over Milford, CT’s Coby, who is the only driver to interrupt Bonsignore’s Thompson dominance over the past two years. 

Plenty of other racers on the entry list are worthy of fans’ attention come Wednesday, including former Thompson winner Timmy Solomito, recent Jennerstown Speedway winner Craig Lutz, 2015 Sunoco Modified champion Pitkat, and former International Supermodified Association champion Jon McKennedy. Other standouts expected to take the green include Anthony Nocella, Ron Silk, Matt Swanson, and David Sapienza. 

Meanwhile, the track’s local classes finally get their first taste of competition in 2020. The Sunoco Modifieds have a 30-lap, $1,500-to-win shootout that will surely draw some of the region’s top SK Modified racers. Eight-time Thompson Speedway champion Keith Rocco of Wallingford, CT never backs down from a challenge, and neither does Pitkat, who still wins regularly in both the Modifieds and Late Models. 

The Thompson Late Models also have a big show with $1,200 going to the winner of their 25-lap feature. Dartmouth, MA’s Derek Gluchacki and Warwick, RI’s Mark Jenison, along with Pitkat, are a few of the standouts known to be heading for Northeastern Connecticut. The 18-year-old Gluchacki is a rising Late Model star who currently leads the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) rookie standings. The veteran Jenison has three wins over the last two years. The Limited Sportsmen, SK Light Modifieds, and Mini Stocks will also bring their A-game for the long-awaited return of Thompson oval track racing. 

The Thompson 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is coming to Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Wednesday, September 2. Qualifying begins at 5:00pm with features starting at 6:00pm and the Thompson 150 expected to go green at 8:00pm. Admission is $44 for adults and $25 for kids ages 12 and under. Advance tickets are available now at https://happsnow.com/event/Thompson-Speedway-Motorsports-Park-YHPQ(link is external). General admission is limited to 25% of capacity per state health and safety guidelines. 

For more information, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, [email protected], or visit www.acttour.com/thompson-speedway(link is external) or www.thompsonspeedway.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour. For general Thompson Speedway inquires, call (860) 923-2280 or email [email protected]

For technical information concerning all PASS divisions, and for media or marketing questions, please contact [email protected] or visit www.proallstarsseries.com(link is external). Don’t forget to “Like” the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow on Twitter @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens. 




Do you enjoy what you’re reading and seeing here at RaceDayCT? Would you like to see continued coverage of New England short track racing? Your support can help ensure that professional coverage of short track racing can continue at RaceDayCT, and you can get some great rewards for that support. Patreon allows readers to make small monthly contributions to RaceDayCT that support the ongoing coverage of short track racing. Your pledge comes with exclusive tiered reward programs for offering that support. For just a $5 a month pledge fans can have access to the weekly Unmuffled podcast. For more information click the link here.


Comments

  1. Bill & Kathy Moniz are probably getting the COBWEBS off the # 31 for Ryan Preece to go after another Win in Sunoco Modifieds !!! I hope so , I will enjoy watching Rocco $ & Preece $ battle for the Lions Share of the Purse $ 1500.00 will help pay for the $ 700.00 tire bill and $ 130.00 gas bill at 13 Bucks a gallon. If you Win you may pocket a few Hundred or so with the other pit fees etc… If you don’t Win Your definitely losing money if you buy 4 to 6 tires and fuel… But the Big teams don’t seem to mind.. It was once said that most Racers would race for free.. As long as they got POINTS… LOL Well I am happy that the new Promoters are aware of the high costs and they Restored the Purse , Plus added more money to Win.. I believe it was $1200 to Win Sunoco Modified Feature at Thompson for quite awhile…
    Just Happy to see Thompson get some new Life , Racers getting a decent Purse compared to what they had posted earlier this Season , 400 to Win and pay only top ten. 1500 to Win sounds much better and 200 to take the green helps ..

  2. Suitcase Jake says

    Bill & Kathy Moniz are probably getting the COBWEBS off the # 31 for Ryan Preece to go after another Win in Sunoco Modifieds !!! I hope so , I will enjoy watching Rocco $ & Preece $ battle for the Lions Share of the Purse $ 1500.00 will help pay for the $ 700.00 tire bill and $ 130.00 gas bill at 13 Bucks a gallon. If you Win you may pocket a few Hundred or so with the other pit fees etc… If you don’t Win Your definitely losing money if you buy 4 to 6 tires and fuel… But the Big teams don’t seem to mind.. It was once said that most Racers would race for free.. As long as they got POINTS… LOL Well I am happy that the new Promoters are aware of the high costs and they Restored the Purse , Plus added more money to Win.. I believe it was $1200 to Win Sunoco Modified Feature at Thompson for quite awhile…
    Just Happy to see Thompson get some new Life , Racers getting a decent Purse compared to what they had posted earlier this Season , 400 to Win and pay only top ten. 1500 to Win sounds much better and 200 to take the green helps .. It will be interesting to see If Ryan Preece will run the #31 in the Sunoco Modifieds.. See what happens…

  3. Realist of 2020 says

    I wouldn’t go to a race at Thompson if they paid me to go and the food was free. They 100% will never get one thin dime from me ever again. And I’m most certainly not the only one that thinks that way. They can go kick rocks. And yes, I know someone else is running the show, tough break, not going.

  4. I really hope most people can support this new group running these two races at Thompson. The fate of the oval is probably riding on these shows being successful. The prior group is the ones that reduced the purses drastically and reduced the amount of positions paid. These guys are paying a better purse then what was announced for this year with a crowd capacity limit mandated by the state. The General Admission fee is lower than it was for Whelen shows last year. Without PASS and ACT stepping up there probably would not be any shows at the oval this year possibly no racing on the oval going forward. These guys should be applauded for their efforts. They should be supported by drivers and local racing fans. At a minimum they should be given a chance. I really wish them well.

  5. I Sure hope Preece is ok. A heck of a hard hit straight into the wall at Daytona.

  6. Fast Eddie says

    The two events this year will hopefully be successful enough to prompt future attempts at events at the Thompson oval. I am now much more of a fan of PASS and ACT due to their efforts to keep oval racing alive at Thompson. Maybe a couple of PASS & ACT double headers, 3 WMT events, and an Open event next year? I think that would be a good six race season!

  7. Really realist , Stay home ! Thompson speedway doesn’t need your negativity or the liability of you getting hit by a rock

  8. 🌈🦄2020 says

    He would’ve predicted that Thompson would be at the bottom of the barrel for our local short tracks? Me actually. You’re blind if you didn’t see this coming after they turned their focus to the road course. I’ll be there and hopefully not to witness history of one of the last ever oval events at the place.

  9. Here’s looking for a big turn out for all divisions on Wednesday September 2nd at Thompson. Regardless of personal feelings of the track owner’s or past management these two guys need all of our support. Attendance at these two events is critical to decisions being made for the 2021 season. To all the nay sayers… go ahead keep looking back…you won’t go forward with this or anything else for that matter…See you Wednesday…!

  10. David John says

    It appears the new group are willing to put the time, money, and effort into oval racing at Thompson. Rumor has it they have plans for a 6 race schedule in 2021. Condolences to the Negative Nancy’s out there. Positivity wins.

  11. 🌈🦄2020 says

    What’s the rain date?

Leave a Reply

Copyright 2018 E-Media Sports

Website Designed by Thirty Marketing