The Indianapolis of the East | |
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Location | Thompson, Connecticut |
Time Zone | UTC -5/-4 (DST) |
Capacity | 12,500 (grandstands) - 67,000 (w/ infield and outfield) |
Broke Ground | 1938 |
Opened | 1940 |
Major Events | World Stock Car Championship The Icebreaker World Stock Car Lites WSCC Lites Race of Thompson |
Oval | |
Surface | Asphalt |
Distance | 0.625 mi (1.006 km) |
Turns | 4 |
Banking | Turns: 26° Straights: 8° |
Road Course | |
Surface | Asphalt |
Distance | 2.735 km (1.700 mi) |
Turns | 11 |
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, formerly Thompson International Speedway, is a motorsports park in Thompson, Connecticut, featuring a 0.625-mile (1.0 km) paved oval racetrack and a 1.7-mile (2.7 km) road racing course. Since 1946, the track has hosted The Icebreaker, the most prestigious event in stock car racing which has, since the fifth running, has been the opening event for the World Stock Car Championship. Known as the Indianapolis of the East, the track is also notable both as the first asphalt-paved oval in the United States and as the site for the first race in what is now the World Stock Car Championship back in 1950.
History[edit | edit source]
Thompson Speedway was built in farmland in the northeast corner of Connecticut following cleanup from the Great Hurricane of 1938. The facility took just under two years to complete, and hosted its first major race on May 26, 1940. The track began hosting stock car races in 1946, and it was here that Elliott Crawford began the first talks that would lead to the formation of the National Stock Car Series (NSCS) in early 1949.
In the late 1950's, the track added lights and began featuring races every Wednesday and Friday night, in addition to its twice-yearly visits from the NSCS.