Typical Teenager has Atypical Hobby

While Hannah Newhouse, who will turn 15 on February 4, is your average teenager who spends time focused on school, cheerleading, social activities with friends, and posting on Facebook, this Twin Falls High School Freshman spends her weekends doing something that most of her peers would never consider.She started racing go-karts at an early age and immediately fell in love with the sport. Her passion and dedication translated into strong performances on the track where she claimed countless wins and championships before she reached her teens.In 2010 she graduated to full-bodied racing making her first start in the Intermountain Pro Truck Series where she finished sixth in her first race just shy of 13-years old. She made five other starts that season and finished no worse than tenth in each outing.Last season she ran the entire Pro Truck schedule finishing fourth in the point standings and claiming rookie-of-the-year honors racing at three different tracks in the region. This season she will make the jump to more powerful Late Model type stock cars racing close to home on the 1/3-mile paved oval of Magic Valley Speedway.John Newhouse contemplated putting Hannah in his RMCS car but thought she needed a full season in a Late Model first. “There is no doubt Hannah has the talent to drive at a high level,” Newhouse said. “But when the opportunity came up to put Hannah in a first class car with a first class team, we jumped at the chance. I am just real excited for her and can’t thank Brett Thompson and Thompson Motorsports enough for the opportunity.”Hannah Newhouse will make her debut in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series on Saturday, April 14. For complete schedule details, log onto www.magicvalleyspeedway.com.

SPOKANE, Wash. (January 6, 2012)-Braeden Havens, the reigning Inland  Northwest Super Stock Association champion, has signed to drive in  selected NASCAR K&N Pro Series West events during the upcoming 2012  season.

Havens debut behind the wheel of the Thompson-owned Western Rail  sponsored Chevrolet will come April 14 at Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake  Havasu, AZ. This year’s schedule for Havens includes all of the NASCAR  K&N Pro Series short track races and a potential start at Phoenix  International Raceway in November.

It’s pretty exciting to know I’ll be competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro  Series this year, Havens said. I never thought I would get to this  point in my racing career where we’re out racing against the best of  the best on the West Coast. What a feeling to say I am a NASCAR driver.

Brett Thompson of Thompson Motorsports sees the addition of Havens as  a positive step for his race team.

I’ve seen what he’s capable of and I think he can do well on the  series, Thompson noted.

Having a teammate can be beneficial for both drivers, he added.

You look what Gene Price Motorsports did last season on the  short-tracks (including wins in Montana, Las Vegas, Irwindale,  Colorado and top-5 finishes in Las Vegas) and you can see there are  always benefits in numbers. It will be interesting to see what  (Braeden) likes in a car and what I like.

Havens is equally excited about the prospects of having a teammate in  his first season on the NASCAR series, he noted.

Brett is a great racer and has been in this division for some time so  with that experience he will be able to help me learn the cars and the  tracks. He’ll also be able to tell me what other drivers may do (on  the race track) since he has raced with them for so long.

Leading Havens team will be veteran NASCAR crew chief, Charlie Wilson.  Last season Wilson led Thompson’s team to a top-5 finish in the 2011  NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship standings.

Charlie has won championships on the West series and has crew chiefed  on the (NASCAR) Nationwide Series. We’re all still going to work as a  team here but Charlie is going to lead Braeden’s team in his races  this year, Thompson said.

With a strong team around him, Havens looks to be competitive in every  race he enters.

My goal this year (in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series) is to go out and win  races. Also, I want to show my abilities and hope to get my name out  in front of the right people to move my way up the racing ladder,  Havens said.

To reach those goals Havens began working with his new team informally  last fall, he added.

I went with the team to their last race in Phoenix and have been down  to the shop to see how they work together. I will also be going to  test before the season starts so I can show them my driving style and  we all learn to work together on the race track.

In addition to running selected events on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series,  Havens has an ambitious schedule behind the wheel of his No. 83  Western Rail Inc. late model. For a complete schedule log onto  www.killerb83.com or look for the team’s page on Facebook.

Phoenix International Raceway

34th Place Finish,

(125 Laps)

The 14^th race of the NASCAR K&N Pro Race Season took place at the Phoenix International Raceway on 11.12.2011.  The #61 car of Brett Thompson was unable to finish the race due to damage sustained in an accident: one he did not cause, but was inadvertently caught up in.  The TMS #61’s season ended with Brett Thompson 6^th in series points.  Although this certainly ranks as a good result it was less than hoped for, especially since it was mostly dictated by racing fortunes best described as horrid.

In reporting on the Phoenix Race it must be noted that multiple sub-stories were integrated into the weekend’s events. The most obvious of these was the new contouring and resurfacing of the PIR track. In spite of great care on the part of the PIR management, these changes still produced a “green” racing surface.  When combined with the changes in track configuration, the observed speeds indicated that most drivers exhibited a measure of caution during their early practice laps.

Another story centers around the remarkable, and continuing, development of the K&N Pro Grand National cars. The track speeds at PIR placed the top K&N qualifier almost a full mph faster than the fastest Nationwide Car and, at 26.894 verses 29.936 seconds, ahead of Kyle Busch’s Sprint Cup qualifying effort! This reality is made even more impressive when it is remembered that the K&N Cars race on Bias Ply, not the considerably faster Radial Ply Race Tires used in the other NASCAR divisions.

Lastly, Goodyear brought a new tire to PIR.  It required that considerable adjustments had to be made to the car’s setup, and that reality became an important “loss of practice time” issue for the TMS Team.

Many of the changes made at PIR were safety related: this picture shows a wider front ‘straight’ as well as a SAFER Barrier newly installed along the pit wall.  It was field tested, and certainly appreciated, several times during the race weekend!

The new tire for the race ‘deflected’ sufficiently and thus, created an unsafe tire rub against the #61’s suspension. The car was then raised to provide additional tire clearance but that adjustment ruined the front end valence from ‘sealing’ with the track.

Brett Thompson is left watching the time for scheduled practice ‘tick’ away. The TMS crew worked feverishly to fix the Tire Rub and Nose Valence Seal issues … but it took a considerable amount of time to accomplish all of the necessary work.

To solve the tire rub problem almost all of the scheduled practice time was used up. It was a very big crew effort, but when it was finally completed, Brett only had enough time for a handful of practice laps. Obviously, that was a less than ideal situation for racing on a substantially changed track!

With the work finished, the TMS #61 was ready for practice; but only a few minutes remained in the session. Brett Thompson, clearly, would have to exercise considerable caution in Qualifying.

There was a huge field of cars for the PIR Event; many of the entries were from the “East” Series.

Looking at Turn #4 from #3: another new structure is part of PIR’s very expensive upgrade program. Right: A new full-time NASCAR driver named Danica is shown during Nationwide Practice.

Jane Thompson is shown with Bryan Sauer (L) and Tom Thompson (no relation). Bryan and Tom are managers in the Corporate Offices of Rich Thompson Trucking Inc. Tom was the lucky winner of an all expense paid trip to PIR; the lucky draw took place at the 2010 RTTI Office Christmas Party

An “everybody is invited” party, prior to race day, is a TMS Tradition at PIR. Following expectations, the children appreciate parties the most!

With the #61 car properly sealed against the track, and with the Tire Rub problem solved, Brett’s approach to qualifying was conservative. It had to be a conservative effort since mechanical issues had severely limited his on-track time. Brett qualified 31^st, but pronounced the car as being “very good”.

With qualifying complete and the cars impounded, there was roughly 7 hours until race time – and very little to do during that time.  Well, looking at tires qualified as something to do! So was mentally calculating their $15,000+ cost!

Seeing famous faces – and famous hats – was also something to do!

And, watching Ken Clapp (2^nd from Left) receiving yet another honor, was something special to do!

The crew gets ready to prep the car for the race.  Both the RTTI Company and the TMS Team use the superb line of products from MOTHERS.  Here the car gets its pre-race shine with the aptly named MOTHERS “Showtime”.

Jane Thompson and her cousin, Teri Tatum, pass the time enjoying “catch up” conversation and the warm afternoon Phoenix sun. The race began slightly after 5:00 PM.

With time to relax, the TMS photographer manages to talk Rich and Jane Thompson into allowing her to photograph them in a setting that might be defined as a “Natural Background Racing Portrait”.

Meanwhile, the Nationwide Race was won by a very popular first-time NASCAR victor, Sam Hornish Jr.

At PIR, Thompson Motorsports was joined by a very talented young driver from the Spokane WA area, Braeden Havens. Braeden has been extremely successful in winning multiple championships in several racing divisions.

With the Nationwide Race complete, The K&N cars are lined up for track entry

As race time approaches the cars are ready for the START Command and the Parade Laps.

Waiting for the “Green”: the start time is very near sunset. Brett Thompson is shown starting 31^st.

With the race underway, Brett Thompson began passing cars a rate of almost 1 car every 2 laps. The race development, indeed, looked very positive for TMS.

In an astonishing drive forward, Brett Thompson had driven the #61 car up to 14^th place after only 39 Green Flag racing laps (64 laps total). By lap 64 the mood in the TMS pits was buoyant… and then disaster struck!

Entering Turn #1: the two cars located directly in front of the #61 fought over the same bit of racetrack, and crashed. Unable to avoid them, Brett, too, became involved in the accident. It was a serious event; one which ruined the #61 and briefly set it on fire! For TMS a very good evening came to an abrupt end.

The TMS crew made a valiant attempt to get the car back out in the race. In the end, that was impossible as attested to by the amount of damaged material already cut away from the car.

{Note: Picture from track screen/YouTube}

A moment of high anxiety: Racing fortunes can change in a heartbeat.  This fiery scene, in the aftermath of Brett’s involvement in an accident, provided National TV with exciting and attention grabbing visual “Clips” of the event.  For family members, friends and, fans, the visual reality was far less exciting but far more worrisome.

With the 2011 NASCAR K&N season at a close, and Thanksgiving at hand, the picture above illustrates that giving thanks is not limited to Turkey Dinners.  Although Brett Thompson remained unfazed by this event, his family and friends were not. All of them are very thankful about the outcome of this accident – even if accidents remain an integral part of living life as a race car driver. Again, we are all reminded of, and thankful for, the invaluable safety design requirements mandated by our friends at NASCAR.

Brett Thompson began this race in 6^th place in series points – and he finished the season in 6^th place.  Obviously, that was a commendable result, but the TMS Team wanted more. With the exception of one track, TMS had very fast cars at every race. However, misfortunes – often referred to as bad luck – seemed to follow the team from track to track. The fact that every single employee worked hard and effectively throughout the season is what enabled TMS to finish in 6^th place.

For 2012 it is reasonable to expect “Lady Luck” to smile on TMS and the Team will respond in kind. This really was a good year for TMS – even if it was 5 positions away from the Team’s 2011 goal.

Be assured that, at TMS, the mood is very positive for the 2012 season.

***

We ask you, our friends and loyal fans, to follow us on this site during the off season. There are some exciting plans for next year and, as they are formulated, they will be posted on our website.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year – and offer a sincere Thank You to everyone.

-Thompson Motorsports

[View with PicLens]

12►

JEROME, IDAHO (November, 2011) Brett Thompson, driver of the RTTI/Jerome Truck Service Inc. Chevrolet, will make his 17th career NASCAR K&N Pro Series start at Phoenix Int’l Raceway this Saturday afternoon capping a challenging season for the eleven year series veteran. Since the point’s championship has already been decided; this race is all about winning.

Thompson started the 2011 campaign with a fifth place finish at Phoenix, his sixth top ten finish in 16 previous attempts at the one-mile newly paved oval. But this weekend will bring new challenges not only to Brett but the rest of the competitors as the track has been reconfigured and paved since their last visit.

“I know the track will be fast,’ Thompson offered. “It is going to be the same for everybody and since there is new pavement, tire wear will not be as big of concern like in years past.”

Add in the fact that the race format has also changed with a break added in during the 125-lap contest, negating any need for pit strategy.

“In the past teams would either pit early in order to get track position late, or they would pit late and have the best tires with about 30-laps to go,” Thompson offered. “The break pretty much means it will be an all out dash to the finish with everyone on the same strategy.”

While Jack Sellers leads all active drivers with more than 250 career series starts, Thompson has racked up 112 career starts making him one of the most experienced drivers in the field. Thompson will lean on every bit of that experience as the series finale at Phoenix always draws a stout field of cars.

“We are usually pretty good at Phoenix and if it were not for some luck, we might have picked up a couple of wins,” Thompson said. “I love racing at Phoenix. It is a great track and always a lot of fun. It will certainly be different this year but I know the fans will see a great race.”

Thompson has averaged a finish of 10.8 while completing 96% of all laps contested and has been running at the conclusion at twelve of the 13 races this season. Thompson is fighting for a top five finish in the point standings where he is currently in sixth place just 29-points out of fifth place heading into the Phoenix finale.  In his eleven year NASCAR K&N Pro Series career, Thompson has started 112 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.

Phoenix Facts:
-Six of the last 14 races have been extended finishing with a green, white, and checkered.
-Six of 27 previous race have been won from the pole.
-Only three previous winners have started outside the top ten.

JEROME, IDAHO (October 21, 2011) Brett Thompson, driver of the RTTI/Jerome Truck Service Inc. Chevrolet, left the NASCAR K&N Pro Series Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts “150″ at All American Speedway (Roseville, CA) this past weekend thinking what could have been. After clawing his way back through the field to the fifth position after an earlier race incident, his top five hopes were dashed on the final lap.

Thompson would start the 150-lap event from the 16th position making the task of a solid finish difficult as the furthest back any previous winner has come from was the 15th position. Within the first ten laps his task was made all the more difficult after he was tapped from behind and sent spinning.

The resulting spin left Thompson at the tail of the field, and on a tight and tricky 1/3-mile oval it can be difficult to stay on the lead lap when the leaders are clicking off 14-second laps times. Thompson made his way back to just outside the top ten before he was lapped by the leader just past lap 100.

A couple of laps later the caution came out allowing Thompson to get back on the lead where he climbed up to the sixth position, but his ascent was short lived as one of the rookies in the field spun right in front of his Chevrolet leaving no where for Thompson to guide his car. The result left the front of his RTTI sponsored car heavily damaged but the radiator was intact. That was the good news.

The bad news was the contact closed up the grill opening and blocked the air from cooling his engine. Over the final 40 laps, Thompson watched the water temperature climb, but his power plant held strong. As the field made its way to the final couple of laps, Thompson had great optimism that he could salvage a top ten and quite possibly a top five finish after battling with Chad Boat for the spot.

His hopes quickly turned to disappointment after a caution slowed the field and set up a green/white/checkered finish. The additional three laps was the boiling point as he lost power on the white flag lap and limped across the finish line in the 12th position.

“”I think we were lucky to finish 12th,” Thompson said after the race. “I don’t know how that thing stayed together that long but the finish kind of sealed the deal. These short tracks are tough and not qualifying well kind of hurt but we were able to battle back and looked to have a solid finish in our sights. Oh well, on to Phoenix.”

Thompson will attempt to close out the season just like he started and that would be a top five finish at Phoenix Int’l Raceway November 12. Thompson’s best Phoenix finish in 16 previous starts is a pair of fourth place finishes (04, 08) to go along with his fifth place effort to open the 2011 season. “Racing at Phoenix is great for the series,” Thompson stated. “Phoenix is a very popular track for fans and to be part of a big racing weekend to close out the year will be great. The K&N Pro Series continues to get better and I know the fans will see a great show.”

Thompson also plans to compete in the big Fall Classic Open Comp Late Model Show at the Bullring at Las Vegas next month. “I really like driving in the Late Model’s and if we get our motor back in time we plan to be there.”

Thompson has averaged a finish of 10.8 while completing 96% of all laps contested and has been running at the conclusion at twelve of the 13 races this season. Thompson is fighting for a top five finish in the point standings where he is currently in sixth place just 29-points out of fifth place heading into the final race of the season at Phoenix next month.  In his eleven year NASCAR K&N Pro Series career, Thompson has started 112 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.

All American Raceway: 12th Place Finish,

(152 Laps)

The 13th race of the NASCAR K&N Pro Race Season took place at the All American Speedway (Roseville CA). The Thompson Motorsports #61 Impala SS practiced a disappointing 19th quick. Although the car was excellent during an earlier test session, it became very lazy during the race day practice sessions. Unfortunately, after changing electrical components and going over the fuel system, it was determined that the engine was “laying down’. Lacking time to change engines, the #61 RTTI Impala would be forced to race with a meaningful horsepower handicap.
In spite of the power disadvantage, Brett Thompson Qualified a reasonable 16th. More importantly, he was only .3 seconds off the pole. It was expected that later in the race, as tire wear became a factor, the #61 would become more competitive, even with its horsepower disadvantage. That, indeed, turned out to be the case. However, the failing engine finally did ‘fail’ and it did so in a somewhat spectacular manner – and, on the very last lap! Unfortunately, during the last ½ lap, 4 positions were lost as Brett Thompson coasted across the finish line in 12th place. In a brief moment of levity at the race end, the TMS spotter asked Brett, “will the engine still run?” Brett replied, “I don’t know … I can’t even get it to shut off.”
For Thompson Motorsports 12th was something of a miracle finish. Shortly after the start, the #61 moved up to 12th place. At that point it was hit from behind, spun, and had to restart last – and with flat spotted tires! Brett then moved up the 12th place and this time a crash occurred directly in front of him: the result was damage to the front of the 61’s body and cooling system. The car drove back up to 8th position when the engine finally “gave up”. It was a “12-12-12 barrier” created by so much race adversity that another competitor summed up Brett Thompson’s night with the comment, “at least he wasn’t hit by a meteor.” In the final analysis, the extra effort put forth by the entire TMS Team was worthwhile: with a 12th place finish at AAS, Brett Thompson moved up to 6th position in the NASCAR K&N Pro season points.

Race Day Morning and the Teams line up for Pre-practice “Tech.”

This race featured a measure of ‘sartorial splendor’ in favor of the excellent series sponsor, K&N. Many Officials dressed in K&N colors but Larry (seated) had invited the most comment about his pant color!

There is significant logistics associated with the Tech inspection process

The RTTI Impala SS passes Tech

The NASAR Hauler: K&N “orange” was certainly the order of the day –

- over and over and over!

The NASCAR K&N Pro cars are made ready for the 12:45 practice session

Jimmy Z and his wife: Jimmy is the owner of the #21 & #31 cars as well as Golden Gate Meats. At this race Jimmy cooked lunch and dinner for all. Off-track friendship is the norm within the K&N series.

With perhaps ~ 40 horsepower lost to an underperforming engine, practice was a very frustrating experience.  Brett Thompson was a disappointing 19^th quick at the end.

This expert observer, a fixture at Roseville, said the #61’s engine was making the car a real “DOG”

After Practice Brett Thompson reflects the frustrations of a driver faced with having to drive a race with a considerable power disadvantage. Cars and races are a group effort – but drivers drive alone!

The #61 car is pushed into “Qualifying” Inspection

The car passed NASCAR Inspection.  However, Brett Thompson tries to release some frustration by smiling at his symbolic efforts to wake up some sleeping horses! And yes, he is using a K&N hammer!

Jane Thompson talks with a friend, and overall good guy, Ken Clapp, a true giant of NASCAR and its history. On the right is George Silberman, a member of NASCAR’s upper management team.

Rich Thompson, the #61 Spotter, gets ready for the Qualification Session. Brett Thompson surprised his team with a 16^th place starting position and a time that was only ~ .3 seconds off the pole.

Pre-race autograph session

The Roseville Race is well promoted and well attended. The fairgrounds impart a clear sense of Carnival to the racing event.

Driver Introductions

The pre-race presentation was excellent. The TMS team could not be faulted for wondering if these were a few of Brett’s missing horses. They were not – but they responded VERY quickly when a fireworks display was launched right next to them!!

The NASCAR K&N Pro flagman, Andy, gets ready to display the Green Flag.

Early in the race, the #61 was accidently forced into two crashes that were the fault of others. Although the car still ran well, severe nose damage was causing a cooling problem for an already anemic engine.

Astonishing! By the last 2 laps Brett Thompson was fighting for 8^th place. However, the engine was clearly ‘finished’. With ½ lap to go, it “blew” and the 61 coasted across the finish line. It was 12^th.

Back in the Pits after the race and the #61’s engine finally stopped running on its own! The smoke had dissipated but now it would not run at all! The good news was that it waited to the last lap to fail and, therefore, Brett’s finish was enough to move up one position in season points.

It was definitely a strange night of 12’s for Thompson Motorsports.

The TMS car drove up to 12^th place before being hit, and spun, early in the race.  The car was then raced from last place back to 12^th when it was again the victim of a crash.  It then, somehow, raced back to 8^th place, when the engine finally failed, and the car then coasted to a 12^th place finish. It is worth noting that this damaged and lower powered race car accomplished 29 passes by the end of the race!

On the bright side, while the 12-12-12 coincidence was worth a little amusement, the hard reality was that, given the circumstances, this was a good result for the team. 12^th place was good, while the other reasonable alternatives would have been far more negative.

TMS will next compete at the Phoenix International Raceway on  November 12^th.

We thank our fans and friends for their support.