Thompson Speedway News

THOMPSON, CT   Thompson International Speedway race teams will now have an opportunity to drive under the new Thompson lighting system one week before the regular Thursday night Thunder series opens for the summer.

            Speedway owner, Don Hoenig, today announced that he felt it was important for the race drivers and their teams to be introduced to the new "bright lights" before the regular season begins. "This will give drivers a chance to get a good feel for just how racing under the new lights will be. To some drivers, this may be a significant change. We feel that by moving the hours of our open practice to later in the day, drivers will be afforded this opportunity before they race in competition under the new lights the very next week. As a result, the track will open at 3 PM on Thursday, May 15th and the open practice session will be held from 5 PM until 9 PM," Hoenig said.

            The installation of the new Musco lighting system began last fall and was completed just recently. Engineers from Musco Lighting will do the final adjustments on the lighting fixtures prior to the May 15th open practice.

            "This is a major improvement to our facility," said Hoenig. "It has involved many people, miles of new wiring and a lot of excavation all around the speedway grounds. This project also gave us the opportunity to repave the midway behind the grandstands. This is another improvement that fans will notice and appreciate. It has been a major undertaking and we are very happy to be able to offer our competitors and fans these improvements," Hoenig concluded.

            After the May 15th practice session, the next event on May 22nd will be opening night for Thompson's Thursday Night Thompson Thunder. The speedway will once again present it's 'Super Six" NASCAR Whelen All American Series divisions.

Three days later on May 25th at 6 PM, Thompson will present its annual holiday weekend spectacular, The Eve of Destruction. This fun-filled night out will feature a host of wild and wacky activities from school bus, full-size and four cylinder car demolition derbies, Chris Morena Stunt Show, Monster Truck Mania, the car eating mechanical monster, Transaurus, Brian Carson camper jump record attempt, car burn outs, the Trailer Trash "VI" event, fireworks and much more. The general admission gates will open at 2 PM on Sunday, May 25th to give families a chance to enjoy a host of free activities on the midway prior to the mayhem that begins at 6 PM.

            For more information on any of these activities, fans may visit the Thompson Speedway web page. www.thompsonspeedway.com