THOMPSON SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK ANNOUNCES DIVISION RULES & PURSE STRUCTURES FOR 2019

THOMPSON SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK ANNOUNCES DIVISION RULES & PURSE STRUCTURES FOR 2019

ADDITION OF THE LITE MODIFIEDS ADDS NEW DIMENSION TO THOMPSON SPEEDWAY

Story By: Kyle Souza/Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

Photos By: Dave Dalesandro/RacersGUide.com

THOMPSON, Conn. – Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park announced division rules and purse structures for the 2019 NASCAR Whelen All American Series season on Tuesday.

With the Lite Modifieds adding to an already strong base of divisions at the Connecticut oval, Thompson Speedway is excited to welcome a new class – one that already has plenty of support from drivers and teams in the New England region. The weekly class will begin their season as part of the 45th annual Icebreaker weekend in April.

“By making the Lite Modifieds our Division III class, we wanted to send a signal that the division is very valuable to Thompson Speedway,” Terry Eames, Thompson’s General Manager, said.

With the addition of the Lite Modifieds as a weekly class, the purse for the Division III class has increased from what it was during their few select events last year. A 20-lap feature event will pay $500 to winner.

In the rules department, the addition of the Lite Modified class weekly required Thompson’s technical inspection staff to take a close look at the rules for 2018 and make a few slight changes in preparation for a 10-race schedule. There are also rules changes for the Sunoco Modifieds, Late Models, Limited Sportsman and Mini Stocks, but all are minimal. Teams can find the updated rules on the Thompson website, where any changes from the 2018 rules are outlined in red on each page.

“The Thompson Speedway technical staff takes great pride in making sure the rules packages for every division are scrutinized, not only in the offseason, but throughout the season,” Mark St. Hilaire, Thompson’s Chief Technical Inspector, said. “Tech officials are always available to the competitors and are welcoming of any and all suggestions that would help make racing more competitive.”

With the cost of racing seemingly rising each year, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park is committed to making sure all drivers have equal ground to race on. Rules changes often come with an added expense for race teams, something Thompson doesn’t want to happen.

“The officials are always looking to stay current with the technological advances in our field, which helps the competitors by keeping cost down,” Mark St. Hilaire said. “We realize that changes cost money and we look to make sure expensive parts or technology do not limit the times a competitor can race throughout the season. We also strive to make the complete field of cars as competitive with each other as possible so we can provide a great experience for our fans.”

Each division rulebook will be available on the Thompson website, and teams are encouraged to read through them and direct any questions to Thompson’s Technical Director Mark St. Hilaire prior to the start of the season.

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park officials are already hard at work preparing for the 2019 season, one that begins with the 45th running of the Icebreaker from April 5-7. Icebreaker weekend will include the openers for all five NASCAR Whelen All American Series divisions and the third race of the season for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The Pro All Star Series was recently announced as an addition to the Icebreaker schedule. The remainder of the divisions for the weekend will be announced in the near future.

Thompson’s 2019 10-race schedule includes the return of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, along with multiple other touring divisions that will join Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All American Series classes.

You can find all of this information at thompsonspeedway.com.