Thompson’s Sunoco World Series reformatted to big Saturday program

Today may be New England’s biggest race day of the year.

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park’s 63rd Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing received a schedule revamp Wednesday afternoon, combining two days of on-track action into one massive Saturday itinerary.

With ten feature races on tap for Saturday, racers are in for a long day.

The Connecticut oval’s season-ending spectacular draws together its own year-long championship program with a litany of regional touring series, many of an open-wheel persuasion. The focus of the World Series, of course, is the Tour-type Modified, perhaps the Nutmeg State’s favorite race car under a variety of trade names and sanctioning organizations.

This year’s World Series schedule retained an anchor Modified race for each day: Thompson’s own Outlaw Open Modified Series on Friday evening, the Thompson inaugural of the 75th Annual Race of Champions on Saturday, and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour capping off the weekend on Sunday afternoon.

But a questionable forecast for Sunday afternoon, coupled with dwindling options in the case of a postponement, forced Thompson co-promoters Cris Michaud and Tom Mayberry to take drastic action.

Saturday’s seven-feature program, originally slated to begin at 2pm, will kick off an hour and a half earlier, with heat races now starting at 12:30pm. The NASCAR portion of the show will roll in afterwards, with an 8:30pm green flag for the NWMT World Series 150.

Since assuming control of Thompson’s oval-track operations in 2020, Michaud and Mayberry have been battling Mother Nature constantly. The season-opening Icebreaker has been affected by weather every season since 2021, with that year’s lidlifter condensed into a single-day program like this year’s World Series.

Even last year’s World Series did not go unscathed, as last-minute rearrangements made sure that the NWMT feature went off as planned. Rain late in the day, coupled with cool temperatures that made track-drying unlikely, resulted in officials calling the event one feature short.

But those past hardships all amount to experience for Michaud, who co-owns the American-Canadian Tour, and Pro All Stars Series founder Mayberry. The promotional and organizational tandem is devastatingly efficient in running multi-division programs, ensuring that fans see a tight and tidy show from the stands.

Oddly, neither of the promoters’ flagship series are racing this weekend. Modified ace Jake Johnson clinched a championship for Thompson’s Late Model division Friday evening, but neither the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour nor the PASS Super Late Models were planned as part of the World Series. The number of major fall race weekends for both touring groups, coupled with the risk of losing a car in a big crash at Thompson, are likely reasons for depressed car counts in recent years.

The PASS-backed New England Supermodified Series, however, will be on the track Saturday, with Jeffrey Battle looking to claim his first big-block Supermodified crown over 2023 titlist Dan Bowes. Other touring series on Saturday’s itinerary include the New England Pro-4 Modifieds, the ProTruck Challenge, and the Northeastern Midget Association’s NEMA Lites.

Even with the absence of touring stock cars, there is something for everyone on Saturday’s schedule.

Hopefully excluding those who enjoy an autumn storm.

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