Thomas Prychka Sets Sights on 602 Crate Victory Lane in 2023  

In 2022 Thomas Prychka made his move from small cars to big cars a successful one as he picked up three wins in the rookie division and the 2022 rookie championship at Bridgeport.  The former 2019 quarter midget national champion, Prychka had bigger aspirations for his first season then only the rookie points championship and was also looking to also get his first regular 602 crate win in his rookie season.   After leading 16 laps at a race in August; Thomas had a fan belt break and saw his first 602 crate win slip away with only 4 laps to go and he is now focused and determined to get that first crate win in 2023.

Thomas started racing quarter midgets for several years and then won a quarter midget national championship in 2019.  He moved on to Xcel modifieds for two years before moving to 602 crates in 2022.

Thomas reflected “We did a lot of traveling to other states with the Xcel modified and it started to get expensive very quickly, so dad and I decided to switch to big cars and start running a 602 crate at Bridgeport Motorsports Park.  Other than wiring and a few other specialties I have always worked on my own race cars even back to the quarter midget days.  I have even fabricated parts when needed and have already become self-sufficient in several areas when working on the car.  Back in the quarter midget days I started reading books on setups and how the car reacts to different adjustments.”

Thomas continued “In 2022 we won three rookie races and the rookie points championship at Bridgeport.  We had a regular 602 crate win in our grasp last year only to see it get away when we broke a fan belt with only four laps to go.   We missed a couple of regular crate points races and still finished 12^th in the 602 crate 2022 championship points at Bridgeport.  We had a good year in our first year in crates at Bridgeport, but still felt we left a lot on the table in 2022.  Our goal going in was to win the rookie championship which we did, but I knew we could do much more even though it was only our first year in a crate.”

“Last year we struggled with cooling issues on several nights, instead of pushing it and risk hurting our motor, we played it safe each time and pulled it in to race another day. We had the run of our season at our last race of August when we started the feature on the outside pole and managed to lead 16 laps, had the fastest lap times in the feature, and was driving away from the field when we broke a fan belt which ended our night.  Despite being disappointed by not getting the win, that was the moment I knew we had achieved our goal of showing we can run up front with the high level of competition at Bridgeport.”

“For the 2023 season my main goal is to continue to work on my on-track race craft and off track car setup while continuing to get more experience which will lead us to our main goal of getting our first win and more during the 2023 season.  I would also like to find and develop a solid baseline setup that we can take anywhere.  I’m ready for opening day at the Doug Hoffman Memorial and this winter in the shop we have been putting our entire focus on stepping up in 2023.”

“Our plans for 2023 is to continue to run Bridgeport weekly and venture to as many of the STSS South region races that we can get to this year.  

My experience last year in my first year of crate racing was great and my dad was my biggest contributor to my success.  In my first year of crate racing there were a bunch of teams at Bridgeport that helped me out during the season, and I am extremely grateful and would like to thank everyone that helped us last year – the Tramontana/Dallett family, the Martz’s, the Bill family, and many, many, more.

I also  would like to thank all our sponsors for their support:

David Izzi – business owner and racing enthusiast.

Napa Val U Auto Parts

South Jersey Speed Calibration

G & T Erectors

Fresh Carb

Ruby’s Handyman and Remodeling