THOMPSON SPEEDWAY Tucked in the far northwest corner of Connecticut, CT, the track is still owned by the Hoenig family.  But it was George Weaver that was the force behind creating the road course in 1952.  Weaver held the first SCCA competition license issued and kept Thompson at the sharp end of NorthEast racing until the late 60's.

FROM DEVASTATION CAME GREATNESS Our story begins on a quiet September afternoon in the farming community of Thompson, CT.  The year was 1938 and the chores of the day had been completed. To the people in this beautiful, yet quiet section of the state, it was time to relax after a hard day’s work.  Little did they know that the landscape and their lives were about to change forever. With no advance warning, the skies turned black as huge storm clouds raced over the area. The “Long Island Express” was ready to bear down on New England. The affects were devastating as the famous 1938 hurricane roared through this quiet farming town. When the skies cleared, buildings, trees and just about anything in the storm’s path had been destroyed. Included was the farm of John Hoenig and his family. In the aftermath of the storm many chose to rebuild, some chose to move elsewhere. However, John Hoenig had a dream. If ever that dream were to become reality, now was the time. He began to remove the downed trees and clear the land. He brought in a rock crusher, built a sawmill, and moved thousands of cubic yards of gravel. All of these items were needed to create his dream. Before long, the nation’s first asphalt racetrack was beginning to take shape and John Hoenig’s dream was coming true. for the complete story to to http://www.thompsonspeedway.com/track_history.htm

Thompson was the first permanent road course in the US in 1951 with an addition built by Weaver to 1.5 miles in 1952.  The 2 mile course BARCboys attended started in 1957 and did not use the oval as the earlier editions did.  This course closed in 1967.  Today, Thompson still exists with a nicely renovated 5/8 mile oval.  The newer 1.7 mile road course is no longer in use except as a paddock area.

Years highlighted in blue have photos and content	Thompson -  1958     1959     1960     1961	Thompson Home       BARC home
	George Weavers Thompson click on his photo to see it then and now thanks to www.coldplugs.com
Chuck Daigh brings home the Scarab a winner in 1958.  The dents are left over from his battle at Montgomery a few weeks earlier		Sherm Decker leads Formula Vees and HP Sprite in Spankey Smith's car at Thompson 1964