|
|
|
04/08/2013 |
|
|
ICEBREAKER
THIS WEEKEND AT THOMPSON |
 The
Thompson Speedway Icebreaker is set for this
weekend. The two-day season opener will be run this
Saturday and Sunday at the historic speedway. The
Icebreaker is the most anticipated race of year and
will feature seven divisions of exciting short track
racing action.
Headlining the Icebreaker will be the NASCAR Whelen
Modified Tour. Defending WMT champ Doug Coby will
lead a star-studded field of ground pounding
Modifieds to their 150-lap main event on Sunday,
April 14th. Practice and time trials for the
Modified Tour are slated for Saturday, April 13th.
Coby will face some very tough competition as
pervious Icebreaker winners will be looking to
repeat. Last year, it was Ron Silk who made his way
to victory lane in a controversial finish that had
officials calling Rowan Pennink for jumping the
restart in the closing stages of the 150-lap event.
The 2011 edition was won by Ted Christopher in spite
of the fact that at one point in the race he was
scored two laps down to the leaders. It was
Christopher’s third Icebreaker victory. Bobby Santos
claimed the 2010 Icebreaker and Christopher took
home the laurels in 2009. Ed Flemke, Jr. celebrated
a win in the 2008 rendition and it was James Civali
edging Chuck Hossfeld at the finish line when the
race was run in 2007. It was Hossfeld’s second
consecutive finish in the runner up spot as he was
edged by Mike Stefanik in 2006.
Icebreaker fans will also get to see the first ever
appearance of the Granite State Pro Stocks. This
very popular touring series will make its Thompson
debut at the Icebreaker. The series promises a full
field of competitors with many veterans of the
Thompson Pro Stock and Super Late Model wars that
have been such a large part of the racing action at
Thompson for years. Looking to begin his defense of
the 2012 GSPS crown will be Bobby Cabral.
Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
divisions will also play a major role in the 2013
edition of the Icebreaker. Ryan Preece is the
defending champion in the Sunoco Modified division
and he will begin his title defense this weekend.
Preece faces stiff competition from many of the best
Sunoco Modified drivers in the northeast. Their
Thompson season will open with a 30-lap main event
on Sunday afternoon.
An impressive field of Late Models is expected.
During the off-season, more than 30 teams registered
for this year’s racing action. There will not be a
tile defense by the 2012 champ Tommy O’Sullivan. He
has decided to move up to the Pro Stock division
thus leaving the door wide open for a brand new
title holder at season’s end.
Thompson’s Lite Modified division grew over the
winter with more than fifteen race teams registering
for the new race season’s competition. Cam
McDermott, the 2012 Lite Modified king, was one of
the first to register his car for this year and he
is expected to put up a spirited defense of his
title.
Icebreaker weekend will be extra special for the
Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman and the Monster Mini
Stock divisions. Not only will each of these
extremely popular divisions be in feature race
competition on Sunday, but many of these race teams
will be given the chance to compete in “The Best of
the Rest” races on Saturday night. These Saturday
night races are specifically designed for drivers
who did not finish in the top 10 in track points
last year. These two non-points events will offer
eligible competitors a chance to be in the spotlight
as Fast Track Concessions will present the Xtra Mart
Limited Sportsman race of 20 laps and New England
Race Fuels will sponsor the Monster Minis for a
distance of 15 laps. The defending champs in these
divisions are Scott Sundeen in the Xtra Mart Limited
Sportsman and Chad Baxter holds the title in the
Monster Minis.
Grandstands will open at 11 am on both Saturday and
Sunday. All divisions will practice on Saturday
beginning at 10 am and qualifying is slated for a 3
pm start. The “Best of the Rest” races will follow
qualifying.
Sunday’s schedule has the grandstand opening at 11
am and the Granite State Pro Stock drivers will hold
an autograph session at 11:30. Pre-race ceremonies
get underway at 11:45 with the first feature event
of the day scheduled to roll off at 12:15 pm. The
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers will also hold
an autograph session beginning at 1 pm.
The Raceway Restaurant and Lounge will once again
play host to the social activities of Icebreaker
weekend with their famous breakfast buffet served
both Saturday and Sunday mornings beginning at 7.
The annual Icebreaker dinner and dance will be held
at the “Club House” Saturday evening.
Thompson’s web site is filled with information about
the Icebreaker weekend and fans are urged to consult
the site for more information.
www.thompsonspeedway.com. |
|
Source: Russ Dowd / Thompson International Speedway
Posted: April
8, 2013 |
|
|
