The 3rd race of the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Race Season was contested at the huge and scenic Miller Motorsports Park road race venue. For TMS, the weekend started out on a positive note, but a series of highly unlikely racing events produced a rather negative result: Brett Thompson finished the race in 20^th place.

During practice Brett Thompson was driving well and the #61 car was very quick.  It was obvious that Brett’s rapid improvement as a road racer, as noted during the 2011 season, remained on an upward trajectory. At the completion of practice, the “TMS Pit” was very satisfied with the overall Team performance.

But, unfortunately, that satisfaction was short lived.  During Qualifying, the #61 car developed an engine misfire and the qualifying effort was terminated after only one full lap. After much hard work, the problem was diagnosed as a small air leak in the fuel line. However, working on the car after Qualifying relegated Brett to a last place start.  As it turned out, this was to be the least of the #61car’s problems.

After the Green Flag was waved, Brett Thompson’s driving was impressive. On the first lap the TMS Impala SS passed 5 cars and, by lap 14, Brett Thompson was fighting for 13^th place. But at that point in time, disaster struck.  Another car seemed to be unaware of the presence of the #61 next to him, and it accidentally turned into Brett, spinning the #61 and forcing it off the asphalt and onto the dirt. Brett was able to restart the car and rejoin the event, but the #61 Impala SS would have to race with the huge disadvantage of 4 badly flat spotted tires and left front body damage.

Although the body damage was of little consequence, that was certainly not the case for the tires. This race was designated by NASCAR as one to be run on just one set of tires.  Thus, unless a tire failed, no tire changes were allowed. This rule had very serious consequences for the #61 which, following the contact and spin, was racing on damaged tires – and those tires had a high probability of failure.

And fail they did!

After fighting his way forward from a last place restart up to 15^th place, the first of 4 tires failed and a costly pit stop was necessary. In spite of his superb driving, Brett continued to find himself repeating this “move forward/flat tire/pit stop” scenario until ALL 4 Tires were replaced!

The improbability of this situation, the failure of EVERY tire on the car, was summed up by another pit lane employee who later commented that “You deserve a Goodyear Award!” For other observers there was universal amazement that a race car actually experienced all 4 tires going flat during a race. But, for Brett Thompson, it was a disappointing 20^th place finish.  That disappointment was, however, tempered by what was a very good on track driving performance.

Brett Thompson will race the TMS #61 car again at the Iowa Speedway on May 19 and at the excellent Brainerd International Raceway, MN, on May 26.

The Haulers park at the race tracks prior to race days, but must wait (usually overnight) to enter the pit areas until an official ‘entry time’ designated by NASCAR

On Friday morning, the cars are unloaded from the haulers; though the weather was better than at the 2011 MMP race, it was unusually cold for this time of year.

With the car ready for practice, it is pushed over to NASCAR Tech for its initial inspection.

As the #61 waits for its NASCAR Inspection the Yokohama tent is representative of most of the weekends racing. In addition to NASCAR it was also a championship level event for sports car racing – with 14 scheduled races! The snow covered mountains tell their own story about the temperature at the track!

The #61 is next into the NASCAR Tech tent. It passed – and that was the end of the workday for the TMS Team. K&N practice, qualifying, and the race, was all scheduled for Saturday.

Before the end of the Friday workday the family of the new TMS Crew Chief, Will Harris, came to support him at the track. The Harris Family has strong roots in the Salt lake area.

Early Saturday morning, race day, practice for the NASCAR K&N Pro cars began. The image above shows the view of the track as seen from the MMP Media Room/Broadcast area.

Practice for the NASCAR K&N Pro cars began at 8:30 AM

Although the MMP track is void of large climbs and drops, there are a considerable number of undulations that can easily upset the balance of the race cars.

Entering a section of the track known as “The Attitudes” creates a need to round off the corners in order to maximize the speed through that section.

Exiting “The Attitudes” requires a 90 degree left turn as well as light compression during the turn. The #61 Rich Thompson Trucking Inc. {RTTI} Impala SS was set up very well as evidenced by the slight body roll necessary for proper weight transfer.

Bryan Sauer (L) & Tom Thompson, both dispatchers at RTTI, were the “Barbecue Specialists” at MMP. RTTI held a Hospitality/Guest afternoon affair for their friends and business associates from the Salt Lake Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) members.

Some of the RTTI friends and guests at MMP

Later in the day the RTTI guests helped support the #61 car from what seemed to be its own grandstand cheering section.

Brett Thompson also enjoyed the presence of his “family cheering section!”

Brett Thompson is shown during his Qualifying attempt. A bad engine misfire halted his on track effort early in the “timed” session.

After Qualifying the cars are impounded by NASCAR. However, the #61 had to return to the garage area to find the cause of the engine misfire. By rule, any work done after Qualifying relegates the car to the back of the pack and Brett would now have to start the race in last place.

The cars are lined up for the start of the race.

Crew Chief Will Harris gives Brett a good luck ‘fist bump’ prior to the race. Shane Prince (L) waits to set Brett up in the driver’s cockpit.

After pre-race ceremonies, the cars are lined up and ready for the “Start Engines” command.

The early laps of the race saw the #61 car move up quickly toward the front group of cars.  Shortly thereafter, Brett was accidentally run into by another car and, subsequently, the #61 car suffered from 4 badly damaged tires. For TMS those damaged tires actually became the story of their race.

Early action; entering the Turn named “Release”

Later in the race the nose damage to the front end of the #61 was clearly visible. However, it was the tire damage that was so devastating: as each tire went flat, time was lost to yet another costly pit stop. Under these circumstances, finishing as high as 20^th seemed to be a victory in itself!!!

With the race complete, Rich Thompson gets to say goodbye to his DFA friends and guests.

Meanwhile, the TMS Team gets to take home 4 flat-spotted, and flat, race tires. But they also get to take home the knowledge that Brett Thompson is adapting to road racing very well! The misfortunes of this race will fade away; but the TMS driver’s improved road race performance will be permanent.

[View with PicLens]

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JEROME, IDAHO (May 9, 2012)- 18-year old Braeden Havens , driver of the #61 NASCAR K&N Pro

Series machine, learned that tight quarter racing and full-size stock cars don’t always mix. And while his run this past Saturday was impressive, he and the team left Stockton 99 Speedway disappointed.

Havens qualified ninth at a track where starting positions are a premium and throughout the 150-lap race he held his own making his way up to the fifth position in the closing laps of the race.

What was jubilation quickly turned to frustration when lapped traffic changed his outcome. While making a pass on slower cars, one of those lapped cars got into Havens dropping him from the running order causing him to pit to replace a flat tire.

Havens rebounded to finish 13th at the tail of the lead lap. “Braeden is a heck of good young driver,” stated Brett Thompson, team manager. “He listens and learns quickly and knows how to close. He was right there in the top five when it counted but it did not end like we wanted. We are really impressed with what he has been able to do behind the wheel and look forward to better results as the season goes on.”

For 15-year old Hannah Newhouse, her racing odyssey continues in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series at Magic Valley Speedway outside Twin Falls, Idaho. Newhouse’ maturity behind the wheel is remarkable considering her lack of experience in full-size stock cars. This past Saturday she brought her ESPN The Fan/Coca Cola sponsored Chevrolet Camaro home in the third position after the 40-lap feature event.

The result was her second consecutive third place performance after winning the season opening race. The NWAAS will contest 21-races over 17 race dates at Magic Valley Speedway and the consistency that Newhouse has shown early will keep her in the championship hunt all season.

Thompson remarked on her intelligence behind the wheel. “Hannah knows how to race,” Thompson said. “She does not let others run her rough. She knows how to hold her own and get the most out of the car. It is a long season and she will only get better and you can be certain you will see her in victory lane a lot this season.”

While the youngsters in the Thompson Motorsports stables are growing in their roles, Brett Thompson is focused and will lead the NASCAR K&N Pro Series team for the next two consecutive weekends. The team heads to Iowa Speedway for the annual East/West Shootout on May 19th, then the team heads for an inaugural event in Brainerd, MN May 26. The teams then travel back to the west with an event June 2 at The Bullring at LVMS in Las Vegas, NV where Havens will jump back in the driver’s seat.

“This is a tough stretch but we need to move up in the owners points,” Thompson said. “I love racing at Iowa as it is one of the finest tracks in the country.”

JEROME, IDAHO (May 3, 2012)- TheThompson Motorsports team will be in action this weekend with 18-year old Braeden Havensreturning to the #61 NASCAR K&N Pro Series machine at Stockton (CA) 99 Speedway whileHannah Newhouse welcomes new sponsors to her NASCAR Whelen All American Series Camaro this Saturday at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Meanwhile, 15-year old Hannah Newhouse welcomes two new sponsors to the team as 102.9FM ESPN Radio The Zone comes on-board for the remainder of the season as well as Coca Cola.

In two races so far this season, Newhouse won in her debut then backed that up with a third place performance two weeks ago. Last weekend she returned the the ASA Intermountain Truck Series and posted a fourth place run.

Thompson was able to return to action but three subsequent flat tires on three consecutive laps dropped him from contention.

Miller Motorsports Park

20th Place Finish

(50 Laps)

Newhouse drives a Thompson Motorsports built and prepared Chevrolet Camaro that she pilots in the Commercial Tire Super Stock division at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, ID.

Meanwhile, 18-year old Braeden Havens from Spokane, WA will drive the familiar Thompson Motorsports #61 in select NASCAR K&N Pro Series events this season. He finished 8th in his debut with the team on April 14 at Lake Havasu, AZ. Havens will also compete in a variety of Late Model races close to home.

JEROME, IDAHO (April 26, 2012)- Brett Thompson returns to the drivers seat this weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT in Grand Prix of Utah for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Last season, Thompson was one of the fastest cars on track and running at the front of the field until a broken suspension bracket forced him to pit for repairs.

Brett Thompson at MMP 2011

A 12th place outing at Phoenix to start the season and an 8th place performance by Braden Havens has the #61 team in the 7th position in the current owners standings. The goal this weekend is to climb in the owners standings and a top five finish would go a long way in doing just that.

Thompson, a twelve year veteran of the series, has made 114 career starts making him one of the most experienced active drivers among his peers. And while road course racing challenges even the most savvy of veterans, Thompson enjoys the challenge. “I have had a few top ten runs on road courses,” Thompson offered. “There are a lot of things that can happen and variables out of your control. Pit strategy seems to play a big part in the outcomes as you really need to be up front late in the race. It is just really hard to make up track position.”

The 2.2-mile East layout at MMP offers a challenging circuit to navigate but a challenge Thompson is excited about. “Road racing is about you and the track,” Thompson said. “If you get too caught up racing the other guys then that’s when things can happen. Miller is an awesome facility and since it is close to home a lot of family and friend will be able to attend.”

In his twelve year NASCAR K&N Pro Series career, Thompson has started 114 NKNPS races since 2000 scoring one win, one Coors Light Pole Award, 23 top five and 63 top ten performances. His best points finish was fifth in 2009. His best road course performance was a 3rd place effort at Portland (OR) Int’l Raceway.

The victory was also a milestone in the history of the 1/3-mile paved oval as Newhouse became the youngest racer to win in the feature division as well as being the youngest female feature winner.

Newhouse, who was the fast qualifier, and Steve Eden battled all race long with Eden slamming the door every time Newhouse stuck her nose inside attempting to make the pass. The fans saw one of the best feature events on opening night in years.

“I figured with one lap to go I’d try anything,” Newhouse, driver of the No. 61 Thompson Motorsports prepared car said. “I drove it so hard in the corner on the high side but I had an awesome car and it worked out perfectly. I couldn’t have had it happen any better. This will certainly be a night to remember.” The margin of victory was .001 of a second.

Newhouse was also honored as the Star Corporation Athlete of the week. Watch the video here.http://www.kmvt.com/sports/Athlete-of-the-Week-Hannah-Newhouse-147537115.html
Follow Hannah Newhouse all season long on her website www.hannahnewhouse.com.

JEROME, IDAHO (April 14, 2012)- Tonight,Hannah Newhouse of Twin Falls, Idaho will make her NASCAR Whelen All American Series debut at the Magic Valley Speedway. The 15-year old high school freshman is your typical teenager who hangs out with friends, participates in cheerleading, is focused on school, and oh yes, she drives a stock car on Saturday nights.

“I am so excited I cannot wait for the race tonight,” Newhouse offered. “We have been working towards this day for several months and for this day to finally be here is incredible.”

For more on Braeden Havens read the feature story in his hometown newspaper or check out his website at www.killerb83.com.