May 21---A brand new season of Thursday Night Thompson Thunder (TNTT) gets underway this week on May 24 at the Thompson (CT) International Speedway. The popular weekly race program will present six divisions of NASCAR Whelen All American Series racing Thursday nights well into the month of September.
 
         Thursday Night Thompson Thunder has become a fan favorite due to the large fields of racecars and the extremely fast paced program. Fans are usually headed home by about 9:30 p.m. after enjoying a full card of racing from all six exciting divisions.
 
         The Sunoco Modifieds are the featured NASCAR Whelen All American Series division. Just about everyone who is anyone in this division heads to Thompson for Thursday night competition. Leading that list of outstanding drives is the defending NASCAR Division IV Champion and defending Thompson International Speedway Champion, Woody Pitkat. Joining Pitkat are exciting drivers like Todd Ceravolo, Jimmy Blewett, John Blewett, III, Keith Rocco, Tom Cravenho of Raynham, Kerry Malone of Needham, Bert Marvin and many more. These drivers have fans on the edge of their seats week in and week out at the high banked, super fast Thompson Speedway.
 
         Thompson’s Pro Stock division also boasts an impressive roster. Jeff Connors, Les Rose of Wareham, George Bessette, Mike O’Sullivan and Jeff Zuidema are only some of the incredible Pro Stock drivers that make Thompson their Thursday night home.
 
            The Late Model division is one of the best in the country. Veteran Rick Gentes has become the driver to beat in the early part of the season. But, with competition coming from the likes of Corey Hutchings, Conrad Cote, Steve Landry and many others,  the run for the 2007 Thompson title should be exciting all season long.
 
            Keith DeSanctis, Ed Puleo, Ernie LaRose and Larry Barnett lead the charge in the Limited Sportsman ranks. The Thompson Modifieds and Mini Stocks are also talent-filled divisions. Fans find that racing in these divisions is both highly competitive and exciting.
 
            Pit gates open at 3 p.m. for Thursday night racing. Practice begins at 4 p.m.  with grandstands opening at 4:30 p.m.  Qualifying gets underway at 5:30 PM with the first feature slated for just about 6:30 PM. Once the racing hits the speedway, it’s virtually non-stop action for the next three hours. Fans love Thompson Speedway’s dedication to provide a very fast-paced race program and the family prices and free parking that go with it.
 
          When the True Value Modified Racing Series returns to action this weekend to the Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH; the 100 lap green flag race there will be the first event in a six race qualifying series for the 2007 “Modified Mania 400” program at the Thompson, CT, Speedway in September. The winner of this Saturday’s race will be an automatic qualifier. The TVMRS races at Waterford, CT; in June, Lee, NH; and Oxford, ME; in July, Scarborough, ME; and Canaan, NH; in August, will also serve as qualifying rounds for the special two day event scheduled for Sept 8, 9.at the historic Connecticut speedway.
 
       The May 26 race will be the third consecutive season the Route 10 oval has ushered in the Memorial Day holiday weekend with the traveling modified series.  Last years event was won by defending tour champion Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, VT ; with two time champion Kirk Alexander, W.Swanzey, NH; taking down the honors in 2005. Heading into Monadnock, Alexander is the early point leader.
 
      Just three weeks ago 38 race teams from throughout the northeast converged on the high banked quarter mile speedway forcing tour officials to debut a first ever “B” feature race to fill out the 26 car starting field. Another strong field of entries is expected for this weekend’s event.
 
     In addition to Jarvis and Alexander, expected racers include recent winner Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, CT; NH racers Jack Bateman, Canaan, Sean Bodreau, Claremont, W. Swanzey’s Todd Patnode and Rob Goodenough, Andy Seuss, Hampstead; Bay Staters Gary Casella, Saugus, Chris Wenzel, Holyoke, Vinnie Annarummo, Swansea, Jimmy Kuhn of W. Bridgewater, Long Island, NY; hot shoes Johnny Bush, David Roys, Tony Anello, Vermonter Peter Jarvis, Ascutney, and CT standouts Ed Dachenhausen, Danbury, and Dave Berube, Bristol.
 
     Qualifying races get the green flag at 6 p.m. Saturday night. TVMRS heat races are 12 laps in distance. The 20 lap “B” Feature will also serve as a last chance race. On May 5, an 18 car lineup battled for the last 6 positions to gain entry into the 100 lap feature race much to the delight of the crowd.
 
     The Monadnock race Saturday kicks off a stretch of five weeks of modified racing action for the fourth year series. The month of June will find the TVMRS making stops at Canaan, NH; Waterford, CT; Lee, NH; and Seekonk, MA; before taking a one week break prior to a very busy summer stretch. The series will make it’s first ever visit to the Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, ME; July 21, as part of their famed “Oxford 250” weekend. A record 70 race teams have registered to compete with the TVMRS to date.
 
      At the NASCAR Busch East/West combination race held at Elko, MN last week Sean Caisse of NH won the event while Bristol, CT driver Michelle Theriault cracked the top ten. Matt Kobyluck of Uncasville, CT came in 12th, Jeff Anton of Russell was 14th and Jon Smith of Beacon Falls, CT ended up 22nd.
 
       The historic Springfield Mile, located at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, will host the opening round of the AMA GNC Twins Championship on May 26-27. The Memorial Day Doubleheader Weekend will also feature the third round of the AMA GNC Singles Championship on the TT course, all part of the 2007 AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship.
 
       Ken Coolbeth, the 30-year-old third-generation racer from Morris, CT, who is sponsored by Bettencourt Honda/Suzuki in W. Bridgewater, returns to Springfield as the defending champion of the AMA GNC Twins class. The factory Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson rider knocked off Chris Carr, who’d won the AMA Grand National title the previous five years. “Getting the ride with Harley-Davidson and then winning the championship last year was awesome,” Coolbeth said. “Pulling that off was a dream come true. I want to do whatever it takes to defend our title and win another championship. I've been climbing the ladder and have been working toward that goal since I started racing full time. I finished fourth in 2003, third in 2004 and second in 2005 and it was amazing to finally reach the top spot in 2006. I don't think my team wants to do anything else but win races and go after another championship." Coolbeth, the AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year in 1994, is still looking for his first win on the historic Springfield Mile.
 
      "This is what I love doing," Coolbeth continued. "I love the rush you get from racing, I love the people, the fans, everything about this sport. I think it's just going to get better in 2007 because this Harley-Davidson factory team has a year of experience working together and we have a big goal that we can all focus on."
 
      The Memorial Day weekend will find lots of racing activity going on in just about every facet of the sport in southern New England.   With a major three day washout last weekend the track operators hope for warm, clear weather to make up for the deficit.  On Friday night it's a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at the Stafford (CT) Motor Speedway. On  Saturday Seekonk Speedway offers a five division card while Whip City out in Westfield adds the Granite State Mini Sprints to their dirt track card.   Sunday night offers Demo Derbies and other motorized mayhem at both the Seekonk and Thompson (CT) ovals.  For the bikers the Capeway Rovers in Middleboro will have action on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The draggers can head to New England Dragway with Street Night going Friday while it's drag racing for cars, bikes and dragsters for the rest of the weekend. NHIS in Loudon, NH offers SCCA roadracing on Saturday and Sunday starting at 9 a.m. each day for the sports car crowd.

    Lou Modestino is a long-time columnist and Public Relations person, working for numerous tracks in the northeast, and now writes for The Enterprise in Brockton, MA.  He may be reached at lmodestino@hotmail.com.

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