Outlaw Open Entry Lists Loading Up for Icebreaker, Thompson 300
Waterbury, VT — The Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park oval is shaping up as the place to watch the biggest stars of Tour-Type Modified Racing in 2021. Entry lists for both the Icebreaker 125 on April 10/11 and the return of the Thompson 300 on October 9/10 are already loaded with local, regional, and even national open-wheel racing headliners.
As the first and last events of the season at the historic Connecticut track, both the Icebreaker and the Thompson 300 are expected to be the year’s two greatest shows. The early entries back up these expectations with a mix of touring series champions, track champions, and big-time winners in the Modified ranks. With so many top drivers ready for action, the buzz that has surrounded the events for months will only get louder.
Leading the roll call is six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby of Milford, CT. The modern Modified legend has filed entries for both the $10,000-to-win Icebreaker 125 and the $20,000-to-win Thompson 300. Coby will compete at the Icebreaker in the #20CT Modified Rick Czarnecki. For the Thompson 300, he will be behind the wheel of his own Doug Coby Racing #10CT car that debuted in 2020.
Coby is one of multiple drivers planning to do double-duty with the Icebreaker and the NASCAR Modified Tour event at Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway on April 8. Another is multi-time NASCAR Modified and Modified Racing Series (MRS) winner Eric Goodale of Riverhead, NY. Goodale, who is currently competing in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, is looking forward to keeping the Thompson Modified tradition alive.
“I love racing at Thompson,” Goodale said. “It’s one of my favorite tracks. I’m excited to do it. The thought to go into a Modified season and not have a Modified race at Thompson would be a bit disturbing. This is the stuff I grew up on, and I’m finally getting to live it everyday. I’ll be leaving Martinsville, heading home, switching the car over and heading right to Thompson for a double-header weekend.”
Several other notable names have already joined Coby in committing early to both the Icebreaker 125 and Thompson 300. Multi-time Thompson Speedway champion and former NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national champion Keith Rocco of Berlin, CT will be gunning for the two five-figure first prizes in his familiar #57CT. So will former Modified Racing Series (MRS) and International Supermodified Association (ISMA) champion Jonathan McKennedy of Chelmsford, MA. Others who beat the crowd with their entries include 2011 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ron Silk, two-time MRS champion Chris Pasteryak, and recent MRS winner Ronnie Williams.
The Icebreaker entry list alone, meanwhile, is nearing two dozen names with two months still to go before the event. One driver that everyone will have their eyes on is Franklin, MA’s Bobby Santos III. Santos has become the dean of big-money open-wheel events in recent years, winning everything from the Musket 250 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to the Little 500 at Indiana’s Anderson Speedway. At the Icebreaker 125, Santos will be in the cockpit of the #44MA Tinio Racing car he has piloted to 11 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victories.
Other high-profile names preparing for the Icebreaker 125 are MRS champion Anthony Nocella, recent World Series Modified Open winner Mike Christopher Jr., many-time Modified winner Richard Savary, and former Pro-4 Modified standout Derek Robbie. While their Thompson plans remain to be seen beyond the Icebreaker, a good start could certainly spur them to attend more of the planned big-money events.
The Icebreaker 125 is the opener of the new Thompson Outlaw Open Modified Series for 2021. The six-race series includes the annual Icebreaker, the Thompson 300 as part of the World Series of Speedway Racing, and four Wednesday night events held between June and September. The Wednesday events will pay a minimum of $5,000 to win; meanwhile, the Icebreaker and Thompson 300 have guaranteed top prizes of $10,000 and $20,000, respectively. All told, more than $250,000 in purse money will be posted at these six races.
The Icebreaker 125 and Thompson 300 entry forms, along with the rules for the Outlaw Open Modified Series, have been posted at www.acttour.com/outlaw-open-modifieds(link is external). The early-entry deadlines are March 15 for the Icebreaker 125 and April 15 for the Thompson 300. More information about the series will be released throughout the season.
Thompson Speedway opens its 82nd season with the 46th Icebreaker on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. The Icebreaker 125 is part of a nine-division that also includes all of Thompson’s local divisions plus the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models, NEMA Lites, and EXIT Realty Pro Truck Challenge.
The full event schedule and ticketing info will be announced in the coming weeks. All local and state health and safety guidelines are in effect.
For more information about the American-Canadian Tour, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, [email protected], or visit www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.
For technical information concerning all PASS divisions, and for media or marketing questions, please contact [email protected] or visit www.proallstarsseries.com. Don’t forget to “Like” the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow on Twitter @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.
For general Thompson Speedway inquires, call (860) 923-2280, email [email protected], or visit www.thompsonspeedway.com. You can follow Thompson Speedway on Facebook and Instagram at @ThompsonSpeedway or on Twitter at @ThompsonSpdwy.
