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THOMPSON — Mikey Flynn is chasing his first checkered flag in Thompson’s SK Light Modified® division, and he is getting closer each time he hits the track.
The Hampden, Mass., driver is just 17-years-old, and started his racing career behind the wheel of a snowmobile before moving into auto racing. Since then, running in the open-wheel modifieds might have been his ultimate goal, but he spent his time in multiple different divisions before getting to this point.
“With Stafford (Motor Speedway) only 15 minutes away from home, I bought a Wild Kart and won a lot of races in the karting and championships. We even ran at Pomfret (Speedway), before running Legends Cars, Late Models and Sportsman Modifieds at Monadnock Speedway.”
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park teams have a chance to tune on their rides during a short break from NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action. Racing returns to the NASCAR oval July 28, where all five of the NWAAS divisions will compete, along with the second round of the Street Series for Lock City Drift on the road course outside of the frontstretch grandstands.
Flynn is one of the drivers in Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions who doesn’t have a family with a background behind the wheel. “No one in my family actually raced before me, but my mom was a race fan who went to Riverside Park Speedway and Stafford a lot,” Flynn said. “My grandparents would take her to the track every week.”
Fast-forward to where he is sitting now, all his success in multiple divisions is paying off for him this season at Thompson. Flynn sits second in Thompson’s championship standings, 47 points from the top with four top-10 finishes in the first four races of the season. His worst finish is sixth (twice), and last time on the track, Flynn was up to second, before having to take his car to the rear of the field. But charging back up through the pack and finishing sixth showed the speed under the hood.
Flynn competes in a SPAFCO chassis, a chassis builder that has been successful at Thompson’s high-banked oval for many years.
For now, Flynn has a couple of things he would like to accomplish in the final six Whelen All-American Series races of the season. He would like to capture his first win, contend for the Thompson championship, and stay in the mix in the battle for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division III national championship. While running both tracks, Flynn is currently third in the national standings, 17 points back.
“I was curious and when I looked at those standings it definitely took me by surprise,” Flynn said. “We are going to go for it. My parents are a huge help in supporting me and helping me whenever I need it, and I can’t thank my sponsors enough.”
For those fans who have been keeping a close eye on Flynn, the team is also building a modified they hope to run in the SK Modified division at Stafford, and hopefully the Sunoco Modified division at Thompson in the future.
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