John-Michael Shenette has long dreamed of competing in a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at his home track, Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
That dream becomes a reality on Wednesday, April 16, when Shenette makes the trip from his home in North Carolina back to his old stomping grounds to compete in the Thompson 150 presented by FloSports.com (live on FloRacing).
“I have done, through my time in high school and college, more business plans, more letters to sponsors, major sponsors already in the sport, just trying to find people to put a program together to go (race at Thompson),” the 38-year-old said. “All I ever thought about doing was racing on the Whelen Modified Tour (at Thompson).
“Never once did I actually think it would happen.”
Shenette, who is from Thompson, Connecticut, grew up attending races at the 0.625-mile oval. He can remember watching drivers like Donny Lia, Keith Rocco, Bo Gunning, Ted Christopher and more battle for supremacy at the track considered one of the series’ most traditional venues.
Shenette began his own driving career when he was 7 at Little T Speedway, a quarter midget track located on the same property. He later became an employee at the big track, where he ran the scoreboard during races.
“Russ Dowd (the former announcer and general manager at Thompson who passed away on Feb. 16) was the first person to hire me to do any job,” Shenette recalled. “Russ hired me to run the scoreboard for $150 a night. Some nights were short, and my God some nights were long.
“Walking in the pit gate to go up to the scoring tower or wherever we were going that day and seeing all those Modifieds lined up in the center row in that pit area, man, all I ever wanted was one of those damn race cars.”
Eventually, Shenette went from racing at Little T Speedway to competing at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. He got to race in a few different divisions at Thompson in his 20s, but he never got the chance to compete in a Modified Tour event.
For years, it appeared that dream would likely go unfulfilled.
“My last race at Thompson was the Icebreaker in 2016, and I just remember being so in my head and emotional about it,” Shenette said. “I was in a crate car, and I basically went out and almost won my heat race. I started fourth in the race and ended up having a guy tear a fender off the car because I went to the outside three-wide down in Turn 4 to pass two cars in fifth and sixth.
“I get excited about that place, but in 2016, that was the last time I thought I was ever going to be able to race at home. It was a big deal for me.”
After racing Late Models for several years and moving to North Carolina with his wife Nicole, Shenette gave up racing in 2019 to focus on building a business and spending time with his family.
It wasn’t until 2023 when Shenette rejoined the racing ranks. Thanks to his successful general contracting company Eighty-Two Services, Shenette was able to form his own team to pursue his racing dreams.
He made his first Modified Tour start at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia, that same season, finishing 12th.
Since then, Shenette has raced sporadically as his work and family schedule has allowed. He’s also begun working with 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, who has raced Shenette’s Modified to finishes of fifth and eighth in a pair of Modified Tour races at Martinsville Speedway and Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, respectively.
Now, after two years of work building his program, Shenette will finally be able to check off his goal of racing in a Modified Tour event at his home track.
“I quit corporate America in 2020 because I didn’t want to be in corporate America anymore,” Shenette said. “Never once when I started Eighty-Two Services did I think it would generate enough income to start a Modified Tour team.”
Shenette hopes his story of perseverance can help motivate others to chase their own dreams, be it in the racing industry or elsewhere.
After all, if you’re going to dream, you may as well make your dreams epic.
“I never once thought it would happen, man,” Shenette said. “I’m so grateful for it.”