Handful of Past Icebreaker Winners Hungry for More

The starting lineup for Sunday's Icebreaker at Thompson International Speedway is projected to include at least five former champions of the event.
 
Ted Christopher (2004, 2005), James Civali (2007), Rick Fuller (1991, 1997, 2001), Chuck Hossfeld (2003) and Mike Stefanik (1998, 2006) are all expected to be in the field when the green flag drops on Sunday.
 
Even though each of those five have reached victory lane in the season-opener before, don't expect them to be any less hungry for a return trip.
 
"The first race of the year is very important," Fuller said.  "We put a lot of emphasis on it [the Icebreaker] because it sets the tempo."
 
History has shown that winning the opener is not essential to earning a championship, however.  Of the 22 all-time winners of the Icebreaker since 1985, only four have gone on to capture the season title.
 
While the first race of the year rarely makes or breaks the season, success in the event undoubtedly gets a team headed in the right direction.
 
"If you have a problem, and don't finish, you feel like you're digging yourself out of a hole for probably about halfway through the season," Fuller said.
 
Regardless of whether Icebreaker success is a predictor of how the season will progress or not, one thing is for sure, a good finish will make the three-week layoff before the second race of the year less stressful.
 
"It's always nice to have a good showing at the first event," Fuller said.  "I've won it a few times and, boy, that really feels great."