PIT BOX: Midweek show up next as Whelen Modified Tour returns to Thompson

The second of three visits to Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park awaits NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams and drivers on Wednesday, Aug. 14 (8 p.m. ET on FloRacing).

The Thompson 150 presented by FloSports will be the 154th race in the history of the Whelen Modified Tour at Thompson, the most frequently visited track in series history. Thompson has been a stalwart on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule since the modern series made its debut in 1985. During that season, Thompson hosted five series events. Four of them were won by Richie Evans, and George Kent Jr. captured the fifth event.

Mike Stefanik holds the record for most Whelen Modified Tour wins at Thompson with 15, though he is closely followed by Justin Bonsignore, a 13-time Thompson winner. Others who have enjoyed success at Thompson include Ted Christopher, Jeff Fuller, Rick Fuller, Tony Hirschman, Ron Silk, Doug Coby, Steve Park and Reggie Ruggiero.

Tickets for Wednesday’s Thompson 150 presented by FloSports are available at the track. Below is everything you need to know about the 10th race of the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

When things are going well for Ron Silk, he’s nearly unbeatable.

He’s won three times this year as he seeks to defend his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship. In three other starts, he’s finished second twice and third once. However, he also has three finishes of 10th, including two in the last three races.

That might not sound bad, but Justin Bonsignore hasn’t finished worse than seventh this year and is only one point behind Silk in the battle for the series championship. Both drivers should be considered among the contenders to win when the series returns to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Wednesday evening.

Another likely contender on Wednesday evening will be Doug Coby, who will pilot Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 7NY that will again carry a tribute scheme to honoring the late Bugsy Stevens. Chase Dowling, who finished third at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his first start of the year, will be back in the Tinio No. 44 for Thompson.

Austin Beers, fresh off a win at Lancaster Motorplex, will attempt to add a win at Thompson to his resume in the No. 64 Modified owned by KLM Motorsports. Other likely contenders include Matt Hirschman, Jake Johnson and Trevor Catalano, all of whom will be looking to secure their second wins of the season.

Other notable entrants include Woody Pitkat, who will again pilot the No. 82 for Danny Watts Jr., Patrick Emerling, Dave Sapienza, Matt Swanson, Kyle Bonsignore, Tommy Catalano, Craig Lutz, Andrew Krause and Eric Goodale, among others.

The full entry list for the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com is available here.

RACING REFERENCE

Schedule: Wednesday, August 14 … Final practice from 4 to 5 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 6:20 p.m. ET … Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com at 8 p.m. ET (FloRacing).

Qualifying: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com is limited to 30 starters including Provisional Positions.

Tire allotment: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eleven (11) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is two (2) tires per caution period.