Joey Doiron: PASS North Series
Thompson International Speedway Race Preview
Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, makes his big-track debut on the PASS North Series with the PASS 75 at Thompson International Speedway in Thompson, Conn., on Thursday, July 22. The event is a combination PASS North/PASS National Championship Series race on the oldest asphalt track in the nation and — at .625-miles — is the largest facility the series visits. Doiron, who leads the Rookie of the Year battle and is eighth in the overall PASS North standings, will debut a new car at Thompson. The 18-year-old driver hopes to rebound from a disappointing 18th-place finish at his home track — Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine — last weekend.
WHO: Joey Doiron, Berwick, Maine
TEAM: JBJ Machine/Rescue Welding/Dale Shaw Race Cars No. 73 Chevrolet
BEST CAREER THOMPSON SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT THOMPSON SPEEDWAY: N/A
WHAT: PASS North Series PASS 75
WHERE: Thompson International Speedway, Thompson, Conn. (.625-mile oval)
WHEN: 6 p.m., Thursday, July 22
PASS North Series
LAST RACE: July 17, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (18th-place)
NEXT RACE: July 31, PASS 150, Riverside Speedway, Groveton, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
POINTS POSITION: 8th
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JOEY, HOW MUCH ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO RACING AT THOMPSON?
When I decided we weren’t going to race the ACT Late Model Tour this year, I knew I couldn’t go to New Hampshire (Motor Speedway). I knew this was the only other New England big track I had a chance to race at, and I’ve been looking forward to it. Definitely.
It’s fast. It’s awesome. The biggest tracks I’ve been to are Loudon and Plattsburgh, N.Y. (Airborne Speedway), and Loudon is the closest thing to Thompson because its straightaways are long. But it feels like you’re going 10 times faster at Thompson.
I think you just have to go there with the same philosophy as if it’s a quarter mile or something like that, because otherwise you’ll get really timid about racing on a track that size.
WHY DID YOU WAIT TO DEBUT THE NEW CAR HERE AND NOT EARLIER THIS SEASON, AS TEMPTING AS IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
We couldn’t afford to buy another motor if we blew it up — that’s basically the main reason. We didn’t want to have to go (to Thompson) having a crate motor. We just thought it would be a huge advantage to have a built engine.
YOUR GOALS FOR THIS WEEK?
We’re going to try and stay out of the concrete and just finish the race. I want to get comfortable and get some more experience with the higher horsepower car. We haven’t raced it anywhere, and I’m thinking about taking it to Groveton next week.
With more horsepower going to a place like Groveton, I just want to make sure I get as much of a feel for the new car as possible.