Practice Day Complete at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
THOMPSON, CT – Drivers of the North East Street Stock Tour took advantage of extra track time, negotiating the 1.7-mile road course during the Stock Car Road Race Challenge, in preparation of Saturday’s A-1 Auto Center/Stebbins Discount Stump Grinding 15 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
Co-point leader Chris Douton made his presence felt early in the day, setting the fast lap time in the first practice session. Douton’s day was not all glamour, as the 2011 Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park oval champion suffered a crack in his oil pan, putting his team to work on his Ford Thunderbird.
Even with the troubles, Douton expressed his intentions at the event, saying “We didn’t come here to finish second or third. We came here to win.”
Joe Arena led the way in the second session, shaving time off his earlier laps. Larry Barnett took advantage of the extra seat time, besting his fastest time by over two seconds, before spinning on the infamous Turn 1.
The light-hearted Barnett commented “I just ran out of talent there. I was playing with my brake bias, and entered the corner a little hot, and around I went.”
Late-comer, and co-point leader Geoff Rollins quickly showed he would be a favorite for Saturday’s feature, posting the third fastest time in the second session.
The third and final session of the day was led by Rollins, before the two-time North East Street Stock Tour feature winner broke components in his rear end after four laps completed. Rollins’ time of 1:26.263 was good enough for the best time of the day, over a second and a half faster than the next competitor.
Also a former oval champ at the facility, Steve Kenneway posted a lap of 1:27.848, which put his Chevy Monte Carlo second on the speed charts. Douton would return to the final session of practice, and post the third-fastest time of the day, at 1:28.055. Jim Boyle’s time of 1:28.757 was the fourth-fastest lap of the day, with Arena’s lap of 1:29.014 being fifth-fastest.
Arena was happy with his car after the second practice, and did not participate in the third session. When asked about adding right turns to his arsenal, Arena exclaimed “It’s pretty awesome. I never thought I’d get the hang of it this fast.”
Arena said winning the Stock Car Road Race Challenge would be the biggest win of his career, continuing “I’ve won races here on the oval, at Riverside Park, and at Speedway 51 earlier this year, but I’m not a road course guy by any means, and to get a win here would be awesome.”
The A-1 Auto Center/Stebbins Discount Stump Grinding 15 will take place on Saturday, September 12, at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, as part of the Stock Car Road Race Challenge, presented by SHE Racing. Registration opens at 7AM, with practice beginning at 8:30AM, qualifying at10:30AM, and feature events scheduled to start at 1:35PM. Tickets for Saturday’s event are $30, and include full access to the paddock area for fans and drivers, alike. For more information, visitwww.nestreetstocktour.com.
Sources: Shawn Sicard/OTB Promotions, Inc.