By Lou Modestino
As the weather hits the first major cold snap of the winter months, the staff has been working diligently to put together a 50 event schedule for the 2013 calendar.
The racing season kicks into high gear on Sunday, May 5th with full slate of action, featuring the A.R.C. Pro Stocks, Late Models, Street Stocks and Sport Trucks. The Pure Stocks and Nick’s Pit Stop Legends will join the celebration as well on the 68th season opener.
The Fast Friday series waits a few weeks to jump into the mix, as the Legends and Pure Stocks are joined by the Sport4’s and the Seekonk Youth Racing Association on Friday, May 31.
From there, it’s no time to relax until the D.A.V Fall Classic on October 4th and 5th.
Highlighting the schedule is a Triple Crown Series that will give each division a chance to be showcased on just about every event throughout the season. A three race series will crown a series champion in each class, in addition to the overall season champion. Each event will give most of the competitors additional laps and additional points. Even as the teams compete for the series crown, those points will also go toward the season title.
2013 will also see the return of the Hometown Hero’s, allowing fans from all of the competitors towns in at no charge on a particular night. This has been a great way to introduce the action to new fans from all areas.
The Valenti Modified Racing Series returns to Seekonk for three events once again. They will appear on Saturday, June 8, August 17, and October 5, as part of the annual D.A.V Fall Classic. Each event will showcase the open wheel ground pounders in a 100 lap main event.
One of the richest and most competitive modified races in the North East returns for the 9th season, as the Open Wheel Wednesday will be held on July 17th. In 2012, Matt Hirschman became the only driver to win this prestigious event more than once, taking home the $10,000 prize for the second time. The NEMA Midgets will make their only appearance at the Bay State Oval on this night, along with the Legends Series.
The season kicks off with three open practices for all race cars on Saturday, April 6 and 20, with a third on May 4, in conjunction with the Providence Auto Body Show and Go for all Hot Rods and custom cars, trucks and motorcycles. In addition to the car show, the annual Burn Out Drags will once again be held on the 1/3 mile oval.
In addition to the Hometown Hero’s, there is a night honoring the men and women in the Military, the Scouts, a night for the annual Junior Tryke races, and the annual Fans on Parade.
When you think there is no more room for fun, don’t look past the fan favorite Thrill Shows, featuring Spectator Drags, Enduro racing, Figure8 racing and more. These events are being held on Sunday May 26, July 7, August 4 featuring the Monster Trucks, September 1 and October 13 with the Halloween Spooktacular. Fireworks are added to the July 7 and September 1 events.
The 2013 Thompson International Speedway racing schedule has been released. The track will host three NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races, three Valenti Modified Racing Series events, the Granite State Pro Stocks, the Northern Mini Stock Tour, the New England Truck Series and other touring series in addition to a weekly Thursday night racing schedule that will run from May 31st through August 29th.
The 2013 season will open with the traditional Icebreaker on the weekend of April 13 & 14 and will end with the World Series of Speedway Racing slated for October 18th -20th. The WMT will top the billing at each of these events and will also return for the annual 150-lap August race.
The Valenti Modified Racing Series will kick off the summer season with a special Sunday race set for May 19th. The VMRS will return on Thursday, July 25th and again for the World Series on Saturday, October 19th.
The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series weekly schedule will feature five different divisions on Thursday evenings beginning May 30th and will continue through Thursday, August 29th. Competing on a weekly basis will be the Sunoco Modified, Late Models, LKQ/ Keystone Lite Modifieds, Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman and the Monster Mini Stocks. The Super Late Models will once again run a limited schedule including the Icebreaker and World Series as part of the Granite State Pro Stocks tour. Two additional dates will be announced for Super Late Models. The popular New England Truck Series has secured an August 1st race date and the North East Mini Stock Tour will return on August 29th.
Missing from the 2013 lineup are the Thompson Modifieds. This division made its debut in 2005 and has been part of the weekly racing program ever since. However, diminishing participation and plans by several competitors to move to other divisions, forced the hand of track management to drop the division from the 2013 schedule.
Jonathan Hoenig, director of business development and marketing, personally contacted the competitors in the Thompson Modified division to inform them of the track’s decision and to thank them for their hard work and dedication to the track and their division.
During their years at Thompson, the Thompson Modified race teams entertained fans with countless races that were very competitive and exciting. The division, from the outset, attracted many very talented drivers and produced champions like Chad Gaudiosi, Roger Larson, Jr., Kurt Vigeant, Brian Sullivan, R. J. Marcotte, “Cam” McDermott and John Lowinski-Loh.
Other Thompson Traditions are on the schedule as well. The annual Memorial Day “Eve of Destruction” is scheduled for Sunday, May 26th, the Vintage Antique Extravaganza day will be held on Saturday, August 17th and open practice dates have been set for March 30th and April 6th. The amazingly popular Warrior Dash will return on the weekend of September 21st and 22nd and the incredible Thompson Swap Meet rounds out the year on the weekend of November 2nd and 3rd.
On tap this weekend is the New England Motorcycle Show on Saturday and Sunday at the World Trade Center in Boston going at 10 a.m. each day. Down at the Stafford Speedway in Connecticut there’s an SCCA New England Regional AutoX at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.