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ICEBREAKER TO
BEGIN 75th SEASON AT
THOMPSON SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK |
The 41st Annual Icebreaker on April 11th and 12th
will mark the beginning of Thompson Speedway
Motorsports Park’s 75th season. Originally opened in
1940, the track has remained under the ownership of
the Hoenig family throughout its operation. To
commemorate this significant anniversary, this
year’s Icebreaker will feature some special
activities and events for fans throughout the
weekend. The event will be headlined by the NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT), which is celebrating
its 30th season this year.
Defending
NWMT champion, Doug Coby and the No. 2 Mike
Smeriglio III Racing Team, will face stiff
competition at the first points event of the season
this weekend, as they go up against a 37-car field.
The roster includes Justin Bonsignore, who scored
two wins last season out of the three NWMT races
held at Thompson, including the Icebreaker 150. Ryan
Preece, the 2013 NWMT Champion, will challenge Coby
with a new team, driving for TS Haulers racing in
the No. 6 Chevrolet. The team has already found
success, with a win in the NASCAR Whelen Southern
Modified Tour (NWSMT) at South Boston. Eric Goodale,
who currently sits atop the points standings in the
NWSMT, will also be competing at the Icebreaker 150.
The New Hampshire-based Granite State Pro Stock
Series (GSPSS) will hold a 40 lap race for its first
of twelve races this season on Sunday. Going into
their fourth season, the GSPSS has had four
different winners at their four races they’ve held
here since 2013 - George Bessette, Larry Gelinas,
Mike O’Sullivan, and Derek Ramstrom. “Magic Mike”
O’Sullivan claimed the victory at least year’s
Icebreaker weekend, followed by two 2nd place
finishes in four starts. He only ran part-time last
season, as he chose to spend time with family after
welcoming third son, Cameron. Last year’s champion,
Dillon Moltz, also picked up Rookie of the Year
honors, driving for car owner Mark Bracket. He
finished 5th at last year’s Icebreaker.
Thompson’s four NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS)
divisions will also be participating during the
two-day race weekend. The track’s premier division,
the Sunoco Modifieds, will be running a special
75-lap feature with $2,000 paid to the race winner.
Defending champion, Ryan Preece, will be looking to
hold off runner-up Keith Rocco. Six-time Thompson
champion, Rick Gentes, is making a strong push to
add a seventh notch to his belt in the Late Model
division. It was a tight battle in the division last
year, between Gentes and Glenn Boss, who will be
driving for the Lillie family race team this season.
The Limited Sportsman division will run two events
at the opening weekend. In the division last year,
Scott Sundeen came away with his third championship,
without scoring a win. This year, he has his eyes on
Victory Lane at the Icebreaker. The Mini Stocks will
also run a double feature this weekend, and will see
Nick Anderson, the World Series winner, look to
follow up on his strong finish last season.
The NEMA Lites, Lite Modifieds, New England Truck
Series, and Vintage Outlaws will all be in
competition as well. The weekend event begins on
Friday, April 10, with an optional practice day for
race teams. Practice and qualifying will take place
prior to six feature events on Saturday night. Six
feature events headline the race program on Sunday
with all of the on-track activity beginning at
12:30PM.
Fans are also invited to attend the annual Pit Party
on the Sunday morning from 10:30AM - 11:30AM. This
is a great chance to get up close to the cars and
drivers that will be racing at the event! There will
also be driver autographs, a live concert featuring
American Idol contestant, Timmy Brown, and a pit
crew competition. For more information about the
Icebreaker, or about TSMP, please visit our website
–
www.thompsonspeedway.com, or connect with us
on Facebook, Twitter or Youtube.
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Source:
Theresa Condict /
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Posted:
April 10, 2015 |
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