Sprint to the Sunoco Modified Championship Continues on Whelen Night at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Thompson, CT- The Sunoco Modifieds reclaim center stage at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP) for their 20/20 Sprint event on Whelen Night, Wednesday, July 30th.
The unique format will feature a three segment race for the Sunoco Modifieds, with the lowest overall point total taking the victory. The first segment will be lined up from the results of the qualifiers, and will be 20 laps in distance. The second segment will be a complete inversion of lead lap cars setting the field, and will also consist of 20 laps. The third and final segment will be lined up by fastest lap times from the first segment, but will only be a 10 lap sprint for the win. “This format was used for the Late Models, and was a huge success,” states TSMP General Manager, Josh Vanada.
Ryan Preece enters the event as the point leader, fresh off a pair of victories May 29th. The Berlin, CT pilot placed third at the Icebreaker, and has since notched two victories. Preece holds a two point lead over Keith Rocco. Rocco has held every position on the podium in 2014 at TSMP, including a victory at the Icebreaker in April, keeping him on Preece’s back bumper in the standings. Woody Pitkat looks to close the gap between himself and Preece, sitting just 8 points back entering the July 30th event. Danny Cates and Todd Ceravolo sit fourth and fifth respectively.
The Late Models will also be on hand as they will battle for 25 laps. Glen Boss will look to pad his point lead, as the Danielson, CT enjoys a 42-point advantage over John Lowinski-Loh after three events. Boss, who is a six-time champion in the division, has already picked up two victories on the season. Marc Curtis, Jr. sits 52 points behind Boss in third place in the standings, with defending champion Rick Gentes in fourth, and Nick Ladyga fifth.
Scott Sundeen leads the Limited Sportsman into Whelen Night, with a 20-point advantage over three-time race winner in 2014, Shawn Monahan. Sundeen’s consistency has kept him at the top of the pack, with two second place finishes paired with two fourth place finishes. For Monahan, it’s been feast or famine. Monahan won both events on opening weekend at the Icebreaker, only to suffer a mechanical failure as his No. 51 machine part-way through the event on May 15th. Ryan Waterman sits third in the point standings, 30 points behind Sundeen. Steve Kenneway enters the event fourth, 32 points behind Sundeen, while William Wall finds himself in fifth.
The Mini Stock championship is the tightest division heading into Wednesday’s event, as the top six drivers are separated by just 20 points. Steve Michalski started the season red-hot, picking up a win at Saturday’s event at the Icebreaker, and a second on Sunday’s event, but has cooled off as of late, finishing the last two events outside the top 5. Michalski holds a slim 2 point advantage over Jeff Moffat, who has finished consistently in the top 7 in each of the four events. A pair of Viens hold the third and fourth place spots, with Michael in third, just 4 marks behind, and Mike D. in fourth. Leo Defevers sits fifth, 14 points behind the top dog, while Chad Baxter – who sits sixth in the standings – looks to make it three in a row.
The Vintage Outlaws, who have become a semi-regular division at TSMP, will do battle for 15 laps.
Whelen Engineering will be on hand, and raffling off two Whelen dash lights (one blue and one amber) for any First responders, EMS, Tow truck and snow plow operators. The theme for Whelen night is a Mid-Summer Beach Bash, so sport your favorite and loudest Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses. There will also be a Frozen T-Shirt Contest, games, music and more for Whelen Night.