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12/01/2014 |
THOMPSON
SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK
RELEASES INNOVATIVE 2015 SHORT TRACK SCHEDULE |
Officials
from Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP) – the
famed 5/8-mile speedway in Connecticut’s quiet
corner – released a creative and innovative seven
(7) event schedule today, featuring twelve different
touring series and sanctioning bodies, and boasting
over $500,000 in posted awards. Two weekend events,
and a five event Wednesday summer series – with four
rain dates – make up the calendar. The schedule is
highlighted by four NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
(NWMT) events, two new Triple Crown Series, and
significant enhancements to the Sunoco World Series
of Speedway Racing.
“A lot of effort went into taking a fresh look at
the schedule, and providing the best events we could
for our race teams and fans. We have some
traditional fan favorites that will return, and we
have made some valuable additions to complement that
core. We are very proud of the finished product and
are excited to announce our 2015 schedule of short
track events,” Josh Vanada, TSMP General Manager,
remarked.
For the 29th season, the track will operate under
the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner,
offering Sunoco Modified, Late Model, Limited
Sportsman, and Mini Stock competitors the benefits
of NASCAR membership, awards, as well as state and
national championship competition.
The season will begin with the 41st running of the
Icebreaker on Friday, April 10 through Sunday, April
12. Modified fans will be in for a treat, as not
only will the first race for the NWMT be part of the
program, but TSMP’s own Sunoco Modifieds will be
featured in a 75-lap main event to kick off the
facility’s 75th anniversary celebration. In addition
to the full-fendered Late Models, Limited Sportsman,
Mini Stocks, and Granite State Pro Stock Series, the
winged NEMA Lite cars will make their maiden voyage
to the historic Connecticut oval. The Vintage
Outlaws and New England Truck Series will also be
part of the action. Fans will have the opportunity
to meet the stars and cars of all nine divisions on
Sunday morning at the Fan Appreciation Party.
A new addition to the schedule, which was announced
in October, is the addition of another NWMT race.
Scheduled for June 10, this 125-lap event will mark
the first time since 2012 that the Tour will make
four stops at TSMP. The Mini Stock and Limited
Sportsman Divisions will be on stage for the summer
series opener, also, as they compete in the first
race of their Triple Crown Series. New in 2015, both
the Limited Sportsman and Mini Stock divisions will
participate in three events in which their finishing
positions will earn them both TSMP championship
points and Triple Crown Series points. The Triple
Crown will pay their own point fund and award the
top three. The Sunoco Modified, Late Model, and
Vintage Outlaws will all be part of an action-packed
night of stock car racing, too.
The second annual Late Model 20/20 Sprint will take
place on Wednesday night, July 8. The popular format
from the inaugural event will once again be used in
2015. An added bonus for the race winner, besides
the handsome purse, will be a guaranteed starting
position in the ACT Championship 100 at the Sunoco
World Series of Speedway Racing in October. The
second Triple Crown race for the Limited Sportsman,
as well as the Mini Stocks and ground-pounding
Sunoco Modifieds will all be in competition, as
well.
Slated for Wednesday, July 29, the Sunoco Modifieds
will once again compete in a 20/20 Sprint. As with
the Late Models, the same format from 2014 will be
used, but with a new twist. Following the completion
of the second segment, the overall leader will be
given the opportunity to take advantage of a bounty,
by forfeiting his/her starting position and starting
in the rear for a cash prize, should he or she
emerge the overall winner following the 10-lap
sprint. As part of this must-see event, the Mini
Stocks will compete in their second Triple Crown
race, and the Vintage Outlaws will make their third
of four stops to the Big T. Late Models and Limited
Sportsman will also do battle in championship point
races.
One of TSMP’s favorite summer traditions, a 150-lap
NWMT race, will once again be back on the docket for
August 12. An added bonus this year will be the
addition of the Northeastern Midget Association for
a 25-lap race, which is guaranteed to feature at
least two NWMT drivers in the field. The Sunoco
Modifieds, Late Models, Mini Stocks, and the final
Limited Sportsman Triple Crown race fill out a very
robust night of racing.
The last event of the five-race summer series will
feature a double points opportunity for the Sunoco
Modifieds. Twin 25-lap main events will be contested
for TSMP’s top-tier division. The Late Models,
Limited Sportsman, Vintage Outlaws, and the final
Triple Crown race for the Mini Stock division will
be part of a Back-to-School Bash night, giving
families one more opportunity to hit the race track
before school begins.
Dubbed one of the nation’s finest short track events
– the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing – will
be even finer in 2015. TSMP’s final event will
showcase fifteen divisions that will compete over
the course of three days. Culminating with the final
NWMT event of the season on Sunday afternoon,
NASCAR’s oldest touring division will be supported
by some of the region’s most popular touring series:
the International Supermodified Association, Valenti
Modified Racing Series, and Northeastern Midget
Association. The addition of the 100-lap
championship race for the American-Canadian Tour on
Saturday will feature New England’s most talented
full-fendered drivers, and adds to an already
star-studded lineup of events. TSMP’s own Sunoco
Modified, Late Model, Limited Sportsman, and Mini
Stock divisions will be joined by the New England
Truck Series, North East Mini Stock Tour, New
England Pro 4 Modifieds, and Lite Modifieds – who
will be back after a one-year hiatus. The North East
Street Stock Tour will end their inaugural season by
crowing their first champion on Saturday night. The
NEMA Lites, too, will be competing in their first
World Series event, hosting their final points race
on Sunday afternoon. When all is said and done,
nearly 600 laps of feature competition will be
contested, and fourteen new champions will have been
born.
“It’s hard to talk about ways to improve an event
like the World Series, but I know we’ve accomplished
that. The addition of the American-Canadian Tour,
coupled with some of the other invitations we
extended will make for some extremely competitive
racing across three full days. Fans and competitors
alike have a lot to look forward to – not only at
the World Series – but throughout 2015,” Vanada
concluded.
For more information about the 2015 schedule, or
about Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, please
visit
www.thompsonspeedway.com. You may also be
connected with us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.
For the complete 2015 TSMP oval schedule,
click here.
For an in-depth description of the events on the
2015 schedule,
click here. |
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Source: Theresa Condict / Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Posted:
December 1, 2014 |
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