The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will continue the 2017 season at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, Connecticut, on Sunday afternoon. Below is a statistical look at the Icebreaker 150, including selected driver notes:
Icebreaker 150 Setup:
• This marks the first of four appearances for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson this season.
• The track has held 134 Whelen Modified Tour races, the most of any track in series history.
• Timmy Solomito returns to Thompson as the defending winner of the Icebreaker 150 and the current points leader following his win in the season-opening event at Myrtle Beach Speedway.
At Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park:
• The historic .625-mile oval opened in 1940 and has held at least one NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race since the series started in 1985.
• The track held three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races in history, with the first being won by Neil Cole back in 1951.
• The track also has a non-NASCAR road course, where events are held throughout the year.
• The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Tour will return to Thompson for the first time since 2009 in July.
• Chevrolet drivers have won seven of the last eight Whelen Modified Tour races at the track.
Notebook:
• In its history, the track has held 134 Whelen Modified Tour races, the most of any other facility on the 2017 schedule.
• Seven-time series champion Mike Stefanik holds the lead with 15 career wins at the Connecticut oval, while Doug Coby, Bobby Santos and Justin Bonsignore lead all active drivers with five career wins.
• There have been 45 different pole winners at Thompson. Tony Hirschman leads the list with 13 career poles, while Doug Coby is the active leader with seven poles.
• This is just the second time since 1995 that the Icebreaker has not opened the NWMT season. In 1998, Reggie Ruggiero won at the now-closer Riverside Speedway on March 29 before Mike Stefanik won the Icebreaker on April 5. In 2001, Jerry Marquis won the season-opener at Virginia’s South Boston Speedway on March 11 and Rick Fuller won the Icebreaker on March 22.
• Jamie Tomaino is the only driver to compete in all 134 previous races at Thompson, but that streak will end this weekend.
Thompson Data:
Race: #2 of 17 overall
Race Date: Sunday, April 2 at 3:45 p.m. (approx.)
Track Layout: 0.625-mile banked asphalt oval
Race Length: 150 laps (93.8 miles)
Qualifying/Race Data:
2016 Winner: Timmy Solomito
2016 Polesitter: Doug Coby
1-Lap Qualifying Record: 123.376 mph (Bobby Santos — April 2011)
150-Lap Race Record: 96.429 mph (Mike Stefanik – August 2003)
Wins
Selected Driver Highlights:
Doug Coby (No. 2 Mayhew Tools Chevrolet)
Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet)
Timmy Solomito (No. 16 Starrett Tools Ford)
Ryan Preece (No. 6 TS Haulers Chevrolet)
Woody Pitkat (No. 46 Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet)
Ron Silk (No. 82 Horton. Ave Materials Chevrolet)
Rowan Pennink (No. 3 Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet)
Max Zachem (No. 20 MPZ Motorsports/Lu Mac’s Package Store Chevrolet)
Todd Szegedy (No. 85 Montanari Fuel/Stuarts Automotive/J&R Pre-Cast Chevrolet)
Andy Seuss (No. 11 LFR Chassis Chevrolet)
• Opened the season with a third-place finish at Myrtle Beach.
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