With the racing world paused amid the COVID-19 outbreak, SPEED SPORT is highlighting race tracks around the United States. This is part of that ongoing series.
Track of the Day: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
Address: 205 E. Thompson Rd., Thompson, CT 06277
Website: www.thompsonspeedway.com
History: Were it not for a devastating hurricane, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park may never have come into existence.
On Sept. 21, 1938, a hurricane struck farmland in Thompson, Conn., destroying homes and property in a way many in the area had never seen. In the aftermath of the storm, local resident John Hoenig decided to use the storm as an opportunity to fulfill a dream by building a race track.
On May 26, 1940, a little less than two years after the Great New England Hurricane, Thompson Speedway opened its doors for the first time. The five-eighths-mile asphalt oval was among the first of its kind in the United States. All these years later, the Hoenig family continues to operate the track.
Since then the track has continued to grow and evolve with the times. The NASCAR Cup Series raced at Thompson three times. The first of those races took place in 1951, with Neil Castles driving to victory. NASCAR returned two more times in 1969-70, with David Pearson and Bobby Isaac claiming victories.
NASCAR continues to be a major part of Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park today, sanctioning local events at the track. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR’s oldest touring division, visits the track multiple times each season.
The venue also features multiple track layouts. In addition to the five-eighths-mile banked oval, there are two road course layouts, a tenth-mile go-kart track and a 4.5-acre skid pad and autocross layout.
Some of the region’s top stars that have gone on to bigger and better things have raced at Thompson through the years, including Pete Hamilton, Steve Park, Jimmy Spencer, Mike McLaughlin, Richie Evans, Ted Christopher and Joey Logano.
