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With rumors swirling for months, Thompson Speedway oval competitors have been anxious to get their hands on the 2020 schedule for the facility.

On Friday competitors got that wish through an email announcement from track management spelling out some major changes coming for 2020 at the facility.

The track will have a six-event schedule for the 2020 season, down from 10 events in 2019.

Outside of the opening and closing events, the other four events will be held on Wednesdays.

The track will open with its traditional Icebreaker weekend April 3-5. The weekend will be anchored by the second event of the season for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Modified Tour, the Icebreaker 150, on April 5.

The track will close out its 2020 schedule with the Sunoco World Series Weekend Oct. 9-11. The closing weekend will also showcase the Whelen Modified Tour with the running of the division’s season ending World Series 150 on Oct. 11.

In between the Whelen Modified Tour will run a third time at the track for the Budweiser 150 on Wednesday Aug. 19.

The track will also host NASCAR Whelen All-American Series events on Wednesday June 3, Wednesday July 8 and Wednesday Aug. 5.

In the email announcing the schedule, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park CEO Jonathon Hoenig explained to competitors the issues being faced by track management in running the oval and announced that purses for NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions would be drastically reduced for 2020.

Below is the letter Thompson Speedway management distributed to competitors Friday:

Dear Competitor, I hope you are having a nice holiday season. Thompson Speedway and my family have been dedicated to motorsports, especially oval track racing, for 80 years as of this coming May. Throughout the generations we have endured many ups and downs, challenges and changes within the sport and the business. During the last decade we have experienced the most dramatic decline in interest in the sport. This was largely triggered by the decline in the economy in 2008 and was matched by a decline in national interest in NASCAR. Unfortunately, this negative trend continues today. I am sure this is not a shock to any of you when you look at the fan counts in our grandstands during a NASCAR Weekly Series (NWS) event or when turning on your television and seeing the absence of fans at most NASCAR Cup events. The business fundamentals and the interest in this category of motorsports is much different than they were 15-20 years ago. Low fan counts, increasing expenses, and continued losses on NWS events, have put us in a position where we need to make some significant changes in order to continue the legacy of oval track racing at Thompson into the next generation. Our decision to invest in renovations in 2012 put us in a position to attract a new type of motorsport customer with a new business model that has allowed us to continue to offset the decline and the losses being incurred from the NWS shows. If it was not for this move, the NWS program would have ceased to exist years ago due to the mounting losses. Additionally, as you all are aware, the oval track surface needs an upgrade within the next few years. As of right now, revenues from NWS events simply do not justify this major expense. The track condition will eventually not allow for safe racing conditions which will lead to the inevitable abandonment of portions of the track. We are dedicated to working hard to continue the legacy of oval track racing at Thompson, but with this will come some difficult changes in the fundamentals and financial structure of how we manage the NWS events. In 2020 we are introducing a six-event schedule (including the three major touring shows) and continuing our NASCAR sanction. These six NWS series events will be running under a reduced purse structure which you will see on the following page. In order to be able to continue hosting these events we will need full support from you, our valued competitors. We are asking for a response and commitment to this new structure before January 15, 2020. If we find that we are not getting the support and commitment in order to move forward with this new program, we will be forced to eliminate the NASCAR sanction and the NWS program entirely here at Thompson. This is a very difficult decision to make on our part and we understand that this will also be a challenging change for most of you. Let us remind you that we are passionate about the sport and this business and are trying to do what is best to preserve the future of oval racing here at Thompson Speedway above everything. We look forward to your response and feedback on these decisions. Sincerely, Jonathan Hoenig CEO Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

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