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Thompson Raceway Park, located just a handful of miles away from Thompson, Ohio, has been a part of the central/northern Ohio dragstrip mecca for over 64 years. Throughout history, the ‘strip has gone through fluctuations of names, but with the hardcore racer has always simply been known as “Thompson.”
Photos thanks to Steve Stanley
An entirely new title for the track is recently announced with the purchase by area businesspeople, the Kuhnle brothers. They also operate a bulk load trucking firm across the United States and Canada. We spoke with Tony Trianfante, a representative for the new Kuhnle Motorsports Park.
“Right now, we are working through the roughest section of our north Ohio winter to demolish some grandstands as to make way for new aluminum stand sections that will seat over 5,000 spectators,” Trianfante says. “We won’t be waiting for spring to implement many other improvements going on at the track. We will be adding concrete guard walls beyond their current length and will considerably level the shutdown and return road area while also improving the surface.”
The return road will be considerably widened, and the related surface flattened. Trianfante says, "At Pro Modified and heads-up events, racers had a hard time pulling to the side of the return road due to the dropoffs; this is an immediate goal for us."
Additional track improvements immediately in the works include repairing and adding track lighting with a long-term goal of converting to an LED light system.
“We are installing a drainage trunkline from the start to beyond the shutdown area,” adds Trianfante. “Whether it drains rainwater or prevents moisture from seeping onto the track surface, that will be a huge improvement.”
“We have ordered the largest E.T. and MPH display boards that Daktronics constructs. Not only will improvements like this be a great first impression to racers and fans, but we are also structuring a guaranteed purse system that will make the racers extremely happy,” finishes Trianfante.
The history of this track is similar to many as it has had its ups and downs with heydays and disrepair. It appears that the track is going to enter a Cinderella era of vast improvements for the high population of drag racers and fans of Northern Ohio. Remembering the years of Funny Car and Pro Stock meets that once packed this track, the new owners have full intentions of resurrecting those days.
