Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Icebreaker At Thompson International Speedway
Daytona Beach, FL — The 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season will take the green flag in the Icebreaker at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on Sunday, April 11.
At Thompson International Speedway:
History
• Opened on May 26, 1940 as the first asphalt racing surface in the United States, and the largest track in New England at the time.
• Has one of the oldest NASCAR affiliations in the nation.
• Held NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 1951, 1969 and 1970.
• Has played host to 109 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races, the most of any facility in the NWMT’s first 25 years of competition.
• Features six NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions as part of the “Thursday Night Thompson Thunder.”
Notebook
• There have been 29 different race winners at TIS, led by Mike Stefanik’s 14 victories.
• There have been 36 different pole winners at TIS, led by Jeff Fuller’s 13.
• Ted Christopher earned the pole and the race win in the 2009 Icebreaker … He also won the 2009 World Series at TIS, and has gone to Victory Lane in three of the last four races at the track.
• The preliminary entry list for the Icebreaker features nine drivers who have won at TIS during their careers: Stefanik (14), Christopher (9), Ed Flemke Jr. (4), Ron Silk (3), Todd Szegedy (3), Eric Beers (1), James Civali (1), Chuck Hossfeld (1) and Bobby Santos (1).
Thompson International Speedway Data
Race: #1 of 14 overall, #1 of 3 at TIS | ENTRY LIST
Track Layout: .625-mile oval
Banking: 26 degrees in the turns
Race Length: 150 laps/93.75 miles
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 Pole Winner: Ted Christopher (120.890 mph, 18.612 seconds)
2009 Race Winner: Ted Christopher (76.625 mph, 1:15.22)
Qualifying Record: Eric Beers (122.080 mph, 18.429 seconds, 10-19-08)
NWMT Active Win Leaders at TIS
1. Mike Stefanik … 14
2. Ted Christopher … 9
3. Reggie Ruggiero … 6
4. Ed Flemke Jr. … 4
5. Ron Silk … 3
Todd Szegedy … 3
NWMT Active Pole Leaders at TIS
1. Mike Stefanik … 8
2. Ted Christopher … 5
Reggie Ruggiero … 5
4. Ed Flemke Jr. … 4
5. Todd Szegedy … 3
Up to Speed:
• Donny Lia captured the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title … He will not defend his championship as he has moved up to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with SS Green Light Racing … Bobby Santos will take over for Lia in the No. 4 “Mystic Missile.”
• The NWMT will have at least four new full-time teams for 2010 … Justin Bonsignore and Richie Pallai Jr. will compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors with their new teams while veteran Eric Beers and third-year driver Erick Rudolph will drive for newly-formed full-time teams.
• Chuck Hossfeld has returned full-time for 2010 after just two starts a year ago.
• The car driven by Ron Silk has changed from No. 12 to No. 6 for 2010, and Richard Savary will switch from No. 01 to No. 91.
• New to the NWMT schedule in 2010 will be the road course at Lime Rock Park and the Monadnock Speedway bullring … It will be the inaugural appearance for the NWMT at Lime Rock, and the first race at Monadnock since 1990.
• Nine of the 14 races on the 2010 schedule will be televised between SPEED and Versus.
Selected Driver Highlights:
Eric Beers (No. 76 Chevrolet)
• Has two wins and nine poles in 140 career starts … Has one win and one pole at Thompson International Speedway … Set the NWMT qualifying record at TIS at the 2008 World Series.
• Finished eighth in points in 2009 … Had an average finish of 12th in three races at TIS.
Jimmy Blewett (No. 14 Chevrolet)
• Has five wins, one pole and 23 top 10s in 70 career starts … Does not have a win at TIS, but his pole came there in 2006.
• Has earned at least one win in four straight seasons entering 2010.
• Was runner-up to Ted Christopher in the 2009 Icebreaker.
George Brunnhoelzl III (No. 46 Chevrolet)
• The 2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour champion.
• Earned six wins, seven poles and 27 top 10s in 39 career NWSMT starts.
• Made two NWMT starts (Richmond International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway) in 2002.
Ted Christopher (No. 36 Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWMT champion … Has 34 wins and 21 poles in 279 career starts … His 34 wins rank fourth all-time and his 21 poles rank ninth.
• Enters 2010 with at least one win in 11 consecutive seasons.
• Is the defending pole and race winner for the Icebreaker.
• Has nine wins and five poles in his career at TIS … Has won three of the last four NWMT races at TIS, and was runner-up in the one he didn’t win.
• Has earned three Sunoco Modified championships at TIS.
James Civali (No. 79 Pontiac)
• Has four wins and 25 top 10s in 47 career NWMT starts … Won the 2007 Icebreaker and earned the 2008 Icebreaker pole.
• Finished 25th in both of his starts at TIS in 2009.
• Is the NWSMT points leader after three races … Won at South Boston Speedway on April 3.
Ed Flemke Jr. (No. 10 Chevrolet)
• Has 17 wins and 16 poles in 381 career starts … Has made a record 324 consecutive starts … The last time he did not start a race was on July 22, 1992 at Riverside Park Speedway.
• Has four career wins at TIS, the last being the 2008 Icebreaker … Also has four poles at TIS.
• Finished 10th in points in 2010 … Had an average finish of 16th in three races at TIS.
Chuck Hossfeld (No. 59 Chevrolet)
• Has seven wins, eight poles and 66 top 10s in 113 career NWMT starts.
• Won the 2003 Icebreaker and earned the event’s pole in 2005.
• Has finished in the top four in points in four of the six full-time seasons he has run in his career.
Burt Myers (No. 7 Ford)
• Has six wins, a record 21 poles and 51 top 10s in 64 career NWSMT starts.
• Has competed in all but one of the 65 NWSMT races since it was formed in 2005 … Has finished in the top 10 in points each season with a best finish of second in 2005.
• Has three career NWMT starts, all at Martinsville (1999, 2000, 2002).
• Is one of the featured drivers in History Channel’s reality show “Madhouse.”
Chris Pasteryak (No. 52 Chevrolet)
• Has 10 top 10s in 27 career starts.
• Finished sixth in points in 2009 … Had an average finish of 18th in three races at TIS.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Chevrolet)
• Has 19 top 10s in 43 career starts.
• Finished fourth in points in 2009 … Had an average finish of sixth in three races at TIS.
Woody Pitkat (No. 28 Chevrolet)
• Has 13 top 10s in 30 career starts.
• Finished ninth in points in 2009 … Had an average finish of 17th in three races at TIS.
• Owns TIS track championships in Late Models (2002) and Sunoco Modifieds (2006).
Ryan Preece (No. 3 Chevrolet)
• Has four poles, three wins and 21 top 10s in 43 career starts.
• Was the 2009 championship runner-up … Finished 16 points behind Donny Lia for the fourth-closest championship margin of victory in NWMT history.
• Finished fourth, 18th and second in the three 2009 races at TIS.
Bobby Santos (No. 4 Dodge)
• Has one win and 12 top 10s in 29 career NWMT starts … The win came in the 2007 Word Series.
• Has an average finish of 18th in 14 career starts at TIS.
Andy Seuss (No. 70 Chevrolet)
• Has two top 10s in 15 career NWMT starts … Has an average finish of 20th in six career NWMT starts at TIS.
• Has seven wins and 25 top 10s in 36 career NWSMT starts.
• Was the NWMST championship runner-up in 2008 and 2009 … Is second after three 2010 races.
Ron Silk (No. 6 Chevrolet)
• Has four wins and 30 top 10s in 67 career NWMT starts … Three of four wins have come at TIS.
• Recorded finishes of sixth and ninth in two appearances at TIS in 2009.
Mike Stefanik (No. 16 Pontiac)
• The 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006 NWMT champion.
• Has 70 wins, 42 poles and 265 top 10s in 393 career starts … Holds NWMT records for most championships, wins, poles, top fives and top 10s.
• Has finished seventh in points in each of the three seasons since his last title in 2006.
• Has a record 14 wins with eight poles at TIS … Had an average finish of 20th there in 2009.
Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Ford)
• The 2003 NWMT champion … Has 13 wins, six poles and 78 top 10s in 123 career starts.
• Three wins and three poles have come at TIS … Had an average finish of 13th at TIS in 2009.
Jamie Tomaino (No. 99 Chevrolet)
• The 1990 NWMT champion … Has three wins, six poles and 236 top 10s in 511 career starts.
• Has missed only five of the 516 races in the history of the NWMT (1985-present) … Will become the only driver to record starts in each of the 26 years of the NWMT.
• Has one pole at TIS … Recorded an average finish of 16th at TIS in 2009.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR