Busy Month of June at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
THOMPSON, Conn. – The month of June is going to be the busiest of the season for NASCAR racing at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
On Wednesday, June 5, the stars of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour return for their second of four visits this season in the Thompson 125. That will be followed by the return of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and American Canadian Tour on Saturday, June 15, a special event fans won’t want to miss. The month ends with the second of the Street Series for Lock City Drift and a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series throwdown on Sunday, June 30.
All of the racing will give fans a chance to watch open-wheel, full-fendered and drifting action all in one place over the course of just 25 days.
“June is a very busy month on all fronts here at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park,” Terry Eames, General Manager of Thompson Speedway, said. “We’re excited for it. This is the first time that the K&N Pro Series and the ACT Tour have been on the same track on the same day in some time. This continues to show our commitment to oval track racing.”
On Saturday, June 15, Late Model drivers will have their chance to showcase their talent against some touring series invaders. The normal 25-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature race will not take place that night – giving teams a chance to focus specifically on the extra distance ACT event.
William Wall is no stranger to Victory Lane in the ACT Tour at Thompson. Wall, a former Thompson Late Model champion and Millbury, Massachusetts native, picked up the victory in the Sunoco World Series 75 lap race last season. He finished second on the track, but a post-race technical inspection issue for the winner gave Wall the victory in front of his hometown crowd.
“Running with the ACT Tour is always tough, there is a lot of luck involved and running for 75 laps instead of our normal 25 laps is definitely different,” Wall said. “It’s really important to me. I always like to see the local guys bring it home. I’m really going to put my best put forward and hopefully stay in the top five or 10 in the early part of the race, and go at it the last 15 laps.”
This season, Wall already has put quite the impressive list of finishes together in the first two races. He finished second in the Icebreaker, and last time on the track, in the 40 lap extra distance main, Wall finished second once again.
“We definitely learned a lot in the 40 laps, we tried a new package thinking about running the ACT Tour race and learned a lot about the car,” Wall said. “We basically used the last race as a learning experience.”
Tom Carey III is also no stranger to the front of the pack in ACT Tour competition. Carey has already run a few races with the ACT drivers this season, when he took the No. 5 down to Richmond Raceway in Virginia and up to Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine, where he finished 12thin a competitive field.
“They are coming to our house, which is nice, the home field advantage is always a great thing,” Carey said. “After the ACT race at Thompson last year, I felt like I had a really good shot to win the race before it all came to a sharp halt on the backstretch. But, we still turned some heads and we know we have the speed to do it. We ran some of the fastest laps all day.”
Carey won the Icebreaker, but in the second Thompson race of the season, a crash in the heat race forced him to miss the feature event. He’s switched to a second car in the stable for the month of June, while his first car takes a trip to be repaired.
For now, his focus is on the next Whelen All-American Series event on June 5, as he looks to begin his climb back to the top. But shortly after the conclusion of that event, he’ll be taking the No. 5 to the track seeking hometown glory with the ACT stars.
“It definitely adds a little bit more excitement and it makes us more hungry. It’s nice to go out on the track you know and the people you always race in front of, and the ACT guys are the top dogs in our division, when they come to town, you want to defend the home turf,” Carey said. “It’s nice for the fans to be able to see that the competition they are watching on a regular show is strong enough to run with some of the best in ACT.”
Multiple other Thompson local competitors are also expected to compete in the ACT event – adding another dimension to a touring Late Model division that has a long list of storied veterans. In the Sunoco World Series event last year, local competitors inside the top 10 at the finish included Wall, Woody Pitkat, Ryan Morgan and Mark Jenison.
On the same night as the ACT return, one of the highlights of the month will certainly be when the Thompson 100 takes the green flag for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
Racing at Thompson continues on June 5, when the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour makes their second visit of the season. A full night of racing action begins with practice for the Whelen All-American Series divisions at 2:30 p.m., followed by a one-hour session for the Whelen Modified Tour from 4-5 p.m.
Qualifying action begins at 5:05 p.m. with the Sunoco Modifieds and feature events will follow. For the full schedule of events, and more information on the entire month of June, fans are encouraged to visit www.thompsonspeedway.com.
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Sources: Kyle Souza, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park