Veteran NASCAR official Richard Brooks appointed Chief Steward
Thompson, CT — Donald Hoenig, owner of the Thompson International Speedway, announced today that veteran NASCAR official Richard Brooks has been appointed Chief Steward for the speedway’s 2000 racing season. Brooks will operate under the direction of Operations Consultant Ben Dodge, Jr., assisted by Russ Dowd. Brooks’ first race will be the BUDWEISER KICK-OFF 2000 for the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series and six other NASCAR weekly divisions. This event is scheduled for the weekend of May 20th and 21st.
Brooks, of Waterford, CT, is the owner of Connecticut Auto Radiator. He started his racing career as a racecar owner in the 1960s. By the mid seventies, “Brooksie” had become involved in officiating races and served as a flagman at Thompson and many other speedways throughout the northeast. He remained in his position as Chief Starter at Thompson until 1997. In 1982, Ben Dodge, Jr., brought Brooks to Riverside Park Speedway as the Chief Starter. He was soon promoted to the post of Chief Steward during Riverside’s most successful years under the direction of Dodge. Brooks also serves as Director of Racing at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida during Speed Weeks each February. He also serves as an official for the NASCAR Featherlite Modified and Busch North series. “Brooksie is well liked by the competitors and has an understanding of the NASCAR program, stated Dodge. Besides this, he understands Thompson and how we need things done. I have always enjoyed working with him,” Dodge concluded.
Thompson is gearing up for its NASCAR 2000 season with a host of changes. On Saturday, May 6th, a special ‘open house practice’ session will be held for competitors. The event, which will run from 9AM until 4 PM, will also feature free food. This will serve as a warm up session for racers looking forward to the BUDWEISER KICK-OFF only two weeks later.
The following weekend is a big Memorial Day race and family fun night, which will be highlighted by demolition derbies and fireworks. Once the first two events have been run, Thompson will move to its Thursday Night Thompson Thunder (TNTT) series beginning Thursday, June 8th.
The complete 2000 event schedule is available in a multi-color brochure by calling the speedway office at (860)-923-2280. In addition, all speedway information is available at: www.thompsonspeedway.com.