Pit Box: NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Icebreaker 150 At Thompson Speedway

(Press Release from NASCAR Communications)

The Icebreaker 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park is the third race of the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. It is the 159th race held at Thompson since the series’ inception in 1985, which is the most of any track in series history.

– Sunday’s event is the first race of the 2026 FloRacing Connecticut Challenge, a four-race miniseries
exclusive to the four races taking places in Connecticut at Thompson and Stafford Speedway. The overall
purse for the program is $25,000, with the champion team earning $7,500. Any team that competes in all
four races is eligible for the bonus program. A $1,250 bonus is available to the first eligible team to win two of the four races.

– Tyler Rypkema leads the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings for the first time in his career following back-to-back top five finishes to start the 2026 season.

– This is the first time that a driver of the Boehler Racing Enterprises Ole Blue No. 3 has led the series standings since Rowan Pennink led the standings following the seventh race of the 2017 campaign at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

– Since August of 2023, only three drivers have won Modified Tour races at Thompson. They are Ron Silk (4), Justin Bonsignore (2) and Patrick Emerling (2).

– Justin Bonsignore has 14 Thompson wins, one shy of tying Mike Stefanik (15) for the most at Thompson in Modified Tour competition.

– Austin Beers’ top 10 streak has reached 32 races after a fifth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway. His top 10 streak started at the Icebreaker 150 in 2024.

– Doug Coby is returning to Modified Tour competition with Jett Motorsports beginning at Thompson. It’s the first of nine scheduled races Coby will be competing in this year aboard the No. 28 Modified. The car number is a tribute to late Modified Tour team owner and Coby’s friend, Don King.

– Only two drivers – Tyler Rypkema and Austin Beers – have finished in the top five in the first two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events this season.

– Five drivers have earned top 10 finishes in the first two events this year. They are Tyler Rypkema, Austin
Beers, Patrick Emerling, Eric Goodale and Ryan Newman. Newman is not entered in Sunday’s race.

– Five drivers – Joey Cipriano III, Chase Dowling, Ronnie Williams, Matt Swanson and Eric Berndt – will make their first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts of 2026 at Thompson.

– Ronnie Williams is scheduled to make his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start in more than two years on Sunday afternoon. In 48 previous starts, he has three top five and 14 top 10 finishes. He has also earned three American Racer Pole Awards, all at Thompson.

Next Race: Icebreaker 150
The Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
The Place: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Track Length: 0.625-mile asphalt oval
Location: Thompson, Connecticut
The Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $117,881
Broadcast: FloRacing
The Distance: 150 Laps (93.75 miles)