page_title: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Corey LaJoie's No. 07 Ford at Thompson Speedway before the NASCAR Camping World East Series race there on July 11, 2009.
context_page_description: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, formerly Thompson Speedway and Thompson International Speedway, is a motorsports park in Thompson, Connecticut, featuring a ⁵⁄₈-mile asphalt oval racetrack and a 1.7-mile road racing course. Once known as the "Indianapolis of the East", it was the first asphalt-paved racing oval track in the United States and is now under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner. Each year Thompson hosts one of the great fall variety events "The World Series of Auto Racing" highlighted by the International Supermodified Association and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. This event frequently draws over 350 race cars in 16 separate divisions over three days. Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park is the track that had hosted the most ever races in the modern era of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour with 146 races from 1985 to 2019.
  The speedway also had hosted 3 NASCAR Cup Series races, one in 1951 and two between 1969 and 1970. The facility also had hosted 5 NASCAR North Tour events from 1981 to 1985 and 29 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races, between 1988 and 2018.
context_section_description: Following cleanup from the hurricane of 1938, John Hoenig built a combined ⁵⁄₈-mile (1.0 km) paved oval and 1.7-mile (2.7 km) road racing course on his farmland in the northeast corner of Connecticut.
  In the 1960s and 1970s, Thompson's Sunday night program was a who's who of modified greats such as Carl "Bugs" Stevens, Fred DeSarro, Fred Schulz, Ron Bouchard, Ed Flemke, Leo Cleary, Smoky Boutwell, and Geoff Bodine.  During this period the track hosted memorable special events which drew legendary Southern drivers like Ray Hendrick in the famous "Fireball" #11 to battle the locals.  Other surprise stars included Long Island's Fred Harbach and Rene Charland from Massachusetts.
  In the late 1970s, the track drew 55 winged Super Modifieds to their World Series race.  By owner's choice, all 55 started.  During the energy crisis of the 1970s, Thompson hosted a unique division called the "Open Competitive" division which merged the Super Modifieds with the Modifieds.  Later, Thompson tried a lower-cost stock-cylinder-head modified division, which chased away some of the tracks regulars.  Until the 1980s the track had a unique barrier outside turns 1-2 and 3-4 made of dirt fill.
caption: An East Series car at Thompson in 2009
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