Cugini Claims First Thompson Win on Chilly First Night for Icebreaker Weekend
THOMPSON, CT — Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park kicked off its 2016 season in style on April 9th with its first series of races as part of the 42nd Annual Icebreaker weekend. In addition to setting the field for Sunday’s events, including the season opener for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, day one of racing was highlighted by a 20-lap feature for the NEMA Lites which offered plenty of competitive racing action to kick off their 2016 season.
The event started smooth for front row starter Ryan Bigelow, who engaged in an intense battle with Jim Chambers through the first five laps of the event before their battle for the lead resulted in contact on turn four. The incident forced an early retirement for both drivers and Anthony Nocella who was also collected in the wreck and changed the complexion of an already competitive race by taking out the two strongest cars in the early going.
Their misfortune worked to the benefit of Dan Cugini who, after experiencing mechanical issues in the heat races worked his way to the front and took the lead on lap 12. Cugini would dominate the rest of the race and claim his first ever win at Thompson Speedway and what he considers one of the biggest trophies of his career so far.
“This is the Thompson Icebreaker. This is special to anyone. It’s one of those events that everyone wants to win. I’ve got mine, I love it and I want to do it again,” Cugini told reporters after his win. “We’ve been in the top three a bunch of times and we finally got one. It’s tough to win here. You have to have a good setup. If you can’t drive it in deep you’re not going to win.”
Adding to Cugini’s impressive win was the fact that he had to hold off early leader PJ Stergios and last year’s champion and runner-up respectively, Anthony Payne and Randy Cabrel, to get to victory lane. Avery Stoehr rounded out the top five.
Another highlight event of the night was the season debut of the Lite Modified series, which saw a repeat winner in Tony Membrino, Jr. who defended his win at the end of last season during World Series weekend. Membrino was one of many drivers that followed up victories in the season finale last fall with strong runs in the 2016 Icebreaker, but it was not an easy road to victory lane. Membrino had to endure a hard charging Corey Barry and Matt Rzewmicki throughout the early running of the event and then defend his lead in a three-lap dash after Rzewmicki lost an engine and created an extended caution. Membrino never let up and took home the checkered flag, starting 2016 the same way he left 2015. Membrino took time in victory lane to pay tribute to a driver the racing world lost in December of last year, Ronald “Ron” Bouchard. “He was a real close member of this community,” Membrino said. “Without (Ron) modified racing wouldn’t be what it is today.”
Kicking off the first night of the 2016 Icebreaker feature events was the Vintage Outlaws series. The first event of the series third season saw a pair of drivers dominated the field as Jim Lowrey and Darrel Dutch traded the lead throughout the fifteen lap feature. Despite an impressive early lead by Dutch, it was Lowrey who came out on top after making an impressive lap-three pass and never looking back.
Lowrey said he got off to a slow start but it didn’t take long for him to find his groove and take the first trophy of the season. “I was just going easy. We were told at the driver’s meeting that everybody was fresh this year on new tires. We just wanted to be careful. Once I got heat in the tires and it hooked up it was really going good,” Lowrey said.
The North East Street Stock Tour (NESST) opened their second season with a 20-lap feature on the Big T, presented by RAD Auto Machine. Defending champion Joe Arena started the race strong, taking a comfortable early lead after starting on the pole and holding that lead for the first half of the event until the race’s first caution came out on lap ten.
Arena maintained the lead on the restart, endured a second restart after a caution on lap 13 and held off a hard charging Steve Kenneway and Corey Hutchings to claim the first win of the NESST season in dominant fashion. “The track is really slick and I learned in the World Series don’t take the bottom groove when it’s this cold,” Arena said commenting on the chilly temperatures that dominated the first day of Icebreaker weekend. “I learned that the hard way last year. I was pretty calm about that first restart, but then the second one I thought about Steve Kenneway, he’s a tough competitor like me. I want to thank Corey (Hutchings) for giving me a little push there of two on the restart. That really bolted us to the front there.”
The New England Pro Four Modified Tour, which brought together two divisions for one big 20-lap feature, saw Norm Wrenn, III claim a victory while Allen Rieser’s fourth place finish made him the first member of Pro Four Lite Division to cross the stripe.
The New England Truck Series closed out the night with a victory for Bert Ouellette, III.
The action continues for the 2016 Icebreaker event at Thompson Speedway on Sunday, April 10th with a special Fan Appreciation Party at 11 AM, featuring a performance by American Idol contestant Timmy Brown. In addition to the season debut of the Sunoco Modified series, Limited Sportsman, Late Models and Mini Stocks the evening will also include the first race of the 2016 Whelen Modified Tour season with defending champion Doug Coby taking the pole on Saturday, his 4th in a row at Thompson, as he begins his journey to defend his title once again. He will be flanked by veteran Modified Tour driver Ryan Preece who returns to his short track roots after running in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Texas Friday night.
NEW ENGLAND PRO FOUR MODIFIEDS: 1. Norm Wrenn, III (Amherst, NH); 2. Robin Berghman (East Providence, RI); 3. Randy Clark, Jr. (West Yarmouth, MA); 4. Allen Rieser; 5. Mark Charette (Wolcott, CT); 6. Bill Lucchesi, Jr. (Patterson, NY); 7. Mark Giordano (Dudley, MA); 8. Tom Royer (Swanzey, NH); 9. J.R. Gorman; 10. Dion Doyle (Preston, CT)
NORTHEAST STREET STORCK TOUR: 1. Joe Arena (Bristol, CT); 2. Corey Hutchings (Salem, CT); 3. Steve Kenneway (Lowell, MA); 4. Ryan Lineham (Coventry, RI); 5. Moose Douton (Waterford, CT) 6. NO NAME, TWO #36s ON ROSTER; 7. Frank L’Etoile, Jr. (Weathersfield, CT); 8. Jim Boyle Waterford, CT); 9. Jim Silva; 10. NO NAME #77s
NEMA LITES: 1. Dan Cugini (Marshfield, MA); 2. PJ Stergios (Candia, NH); 3. Anthony Payne (Fairlawn, NJ); 4. Randy Cabral (Plymouth, MA) 5. Avery Stoehr (Lakeville, MA); 6. Paul Scally (Raynham, MA); 7. Jim Cataldo (Sterling, MA); 8. Alan Chambers (Atkinson, NH); 9. Jeff Locke (Chester, NH)10. Scott Bigelow (East Hampton, CT)
VINTAGE OUTLAW: 1. Jim Lowrey (Tilton, NH); 2. Darrel Dutch (Greenville, RI); 3. Gary Byington, 4.Joe Laliberte (Quebec, Canada); 5. NO NAME #23, 6. NO NAME #17, 7. Ron St. Germaine (Rochdale, MA); 8. Tom Bouregard; 9. Tom Cerroni (Smithfield, RI); 10. Ed Mulligan
NEW ENGLAND TRUCK SERIES: 1. Bert Ouellette, III (Ellington, CT); 2. Robert McCormick (Ridge, NY); 3. Pete Cayer, (Bristol, CT)
LITE MODIFIEDS: 1. Tomy Membrino, JR (Berlin, CT); 2. Corey Barry (Plainfield, CT); 3. Marcello Rufrano (North Haven, CT); 4. Wesley Prucker (Stafford, CT); 5. Damon Tinio (Mendon, MA); 6. Andrew Molleur (Shelton, CT); 7. Carlos Gray (East Hartford, CT); 8. Matt Rzewnicki (Chicopee, MA); DNS: Cam Sontag (Sterling, MA)
Sources: Jason Bleau/Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park PR