Champions to be Crowned this Week at Thompson
THOMPSON, CT — The final Thursday night of the 2013 racing season at Thompson Speedway could produce the most exciting racing of the season. The point standings in each of the divisions are the closest in memory with a total of 25 different drivers in a position to win one of the five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series division track championships.
In four of the five divisions, the point standings are so close that trying to determine the winners would be a dream come true for a Las Vegas odds maker. The one remaining division, the Lite Modifieds, boils down to a two-man race for the title.
The NASCAR Division 1 Sunoco Modifieds have the closest point race going into the final event of the regular season. Keith Rocco holds a mere 2 point lead over both Kerry Malone and Woody Pitkat. Todd Ceravolo is only 24 points off the pace with defending champion Ryan Preece just two points behind him. Each of these drives knows the thrill of a division championship and each will be looking to add another title to his driving resume. 2012 Rookie of the Year Dennis Perry can’t be counted out of the running, however, as he will enter the final event 36 markers off of Rocco’s total. With 50 points awarded to the winner, it is possible that any one of the six contenders could lay claim to the championship.
The situation in the Late Model division is almost identical with six drivers within striking distance of a crown. Glenn Boss has 354 points but his margin over Rick Gentes is only 4 points. Rookie John Lowinski-Loh sits only 6 points behind Gentes with Damon Tinio trailing the leader by just 24 points. Marc Curtis, JR and Chad LaBastie are also mathematically in the running and have proven to be very tough competitors in the Late Model division. Adding to the excitement of the race for the title will be the fact that the Late Model division will run its twice-delayed 40-lap feature event that will make it that much more demanding on championship contenders.
Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman competitors also have six drivers who could claim the top spot. Steve Kenneway has an advantage of 12 points over Jason Chicolas and a 30 point bulge between himself and defending champion Scott Sundeen. Corey Fanning finds himself just 32 points off the leader’s pace with both Jesse Gleason and Bill McNeil still in the game in spite of the fact that each is more than 40 points away from Kenneway’s total.
The exciting Monster Mini Stocks division boasts a total of five drivers who could walk away with the 2013 title. Former champ Eric Bourgeois leads defending champion Chad Baxter by 6 points. Only 14 points away from the leader is another former champion, Mike Viens. Dave Trudeau, 18 points behind the leader, and Joe Baxter, off the lead pace by 24, are seeking their first championship.
Thompson’s Lite Modified division is the only one that is down to a two-man race. Cam McDermott holds a somewhat comfortable margin of 24 points over John Studley. But a good performance by Studley and a bad night for McDermott could easily turn the tide. Other Lite Modified drivers in the top 5 in the standings are Dylan Menditto, Joseph Boivin and Nikki Ouellette. However, they are not within striking distance of a championship.
The tension will be high and the competition will be fierce. Fans will see some of the most competitive racing of the year just before the curtain comes down on the 2013 regular season and the division championships are settled.
Add to all of this the North East Mini Stock tour’s annual visit to Thompson and the evening becomes one that race fans will not want to miss. Gates will open at 4 PM with racing slated for a 6 PM start. The full schedule of events and complete point listings are available on the Thompson web site. www.thompsonspeedway.com . Fans can also join the social media chat about whom will win what on both Facebook and Twitter.
The next event on the schedule at Thompson is the amazing, three-day, 15-division World Series of Speedway Racing. This incredible event is slated to be run on the weekend of October 18th, 19th and 20th.
Sources: Russ Dowd/Thompson International Speedway PR