Icebreaker this Weekend at Thompson
Thompson, CT — The annual racing season opener, The Icebreaker, will be run this weekend at the Thompson International Speedway. The two-day event will feature the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Thompson’s own “Super 6” NASCAR Whelen All-American series divisions.
Racers will qualify their cars on Saturday with feature events for the Sunoco Modifieds and Super Late Models rounding out the day. Sunday’s racing activities will begin at 12 Noon with the WMT 150-lap main slated for a 3:15 PM start.
Thompson’s Icebreaker event is a New England tradition that signals the start of another great season of wheel-to-wheel racing competition at the famed, 70 year old racing oval. Thompson International Speedway opened in 1940 as the first asphalt race track in the country.
The Icebreaker is much more than a race weekend. It not only marks a new beginning for race fans, but it brings them out in droves for a two-day social event that is second to none in the northeast. Memories of another long New England winter fade quickly as fans renew old friendships and make new friends at both the speedway and at the Raceway Restaurant and Lounge which hosts a breakfast buffet on both Saturday and Sunday mornings along with a great dinner and dance Saturday night.
Highlighting the racing action will be the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. New drivers, new cars and new race teams will blend with the veterans of NASCAR’s oldest racing division. Of special interest for the Icebreaker is the expected appearance of one of the stars of the hit television show Madhouse. Burt Myers of Walnut Cove, NC, a regular competitor Bowman Gray Stadium and on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, is expected to make the trip north to compete against the very best Modified racers in the north. Myers told Thompson officials that he is coming to win in his first competitive appearance in New England. Race fans will also have the opportunity to meet and greet their favorite WMT drivers in an autograph session that is scheduled for 11:30 AM on Sunday.
The race for track and NASCAR division championships will begin at the Icebreaker. Drivers want to bring their “A” games to this event in hopes of getting off to a great start on a brand new season. All of the work during the off season on racing programs will be on the line when the green flags drop this weekend.
Tickets for the Icebreaker are available at the track office or by calling 860-923-2280. The complete weekend schedule may be found on the Thompson web page. www.thompsonspeedway.com.
Sources: Russ Dowd/Thompson International Speedway PR