THOMPSON, CT – The North East Street Stock Tour helped make history on April 25, taking part in a Test and Tune on the 1.7 mile road course at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
Drivers were able to take advantage of over three hours of scheduled practice time, which included a driver’s meeting, explaining the differences between oval racing and road course racing, as well as a lead follow session, showing the preferred racing lines around the track.
Jim Boyle was one driver who participated in the Test and Tune, and found the session to be extremely helpful, saying “It’s a very different feeling turning right in a Stock Car. Overall, it was really cool, and I can’t wait to get out there and turn some more laps. We will take all the information we gather here, and put it to good use back at the shop.”
“Leadfoot” Larry Barnett was another competitor who took part in the Test and Tune session. Barnett has a very successful career on Thompson’s 5/8 mile oval, including four (4) championships and the most wins in history in the Limited Sportsman division, at 56 victories.
The road course was a challenge at first for Barnett, saying “It’s kind of cool not knowing what I’m doing out there, it adds a little bit of excitement. It will be entertaining to watch (a full race), because there will be a lot of variations of speeds and driving styles.”
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Mini Stock driver Mike D. Viens jumped at the chance to turn laps on the 1.7 mile Road Course, as well. Viens stated “It was an absolute blast. It was a learning experience, and we were getting there. It was a lot of fun.”
Each of the drivers obtained a great deal of knowledge, as evident by the lap times throughout the day. Barnett and Boyle posted lap times over 1:42, but by the end of the session, Barnett had shaved his time to 1:32.167, while Boyle recorded a 1:34.483 circuit. Viens was quick out of the box, posting a sub-1:40, and eventually turned a 1:35.496, before missing a shift, and suffering motor issues.
The event marked the first time in history stock cars turned laps on the recently renovated course, which reopened in 2014.