The first road race of the season at Miller Motorsports Park back in April yielded a disappointing finish after the veteran competitor had worked his way into the lead late in the event. A broken panhard bar bracket sidelined his effort but not his optimism. "It is always tough to take when you have a great car and something breaks," Thompson said. "We fixed the issue and know we have a great shot this weekend."
Normally in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series qualifying is absolutely critical. Start up front and finish up front. At least that is the theory. In road racing, while qualifying is still important, where you start is not nearly as important. In his last visit to Infineon back in 2009, Thompson started 32nd and finished 13th.
"Charlie (Wilson, crew chief) has really been working long hours on the road course set ups and we know we have a really good race car," Thompson offered. "Qualifying is tough since you likely will not have others cars to gauge the speed as you enter corners. I have struggled in the past with turn one going up the hill. I brake to early and lose speed so that will be a focus for us during practice."
While a second Coors Pole Award would fit nicely on his mantel, it is a return trip to victory lane that has driven Thompson throughout his eleven year NASCAR K&N Pro Series career. "With all the really talented road course racers that compete in this event we know we are not just going to out run them," Thompson offered. "We kind of play it safe and ensure we don't over drive the car. You can pick up a lot of positions in the pits and the guys have worked tirelessly to ensure we are spot on."
"It is all about track position late in the race and we plan to be at or near the front. The road courses are a place where you can lose a lot of points in an instant or you can gain a lot of points. The big picture is the championship we can close the gap with a solid run."
Thompson currently sits fifth in the point standings after five of 14-races this season. He is just 15-points out of fourth, 29-points out of third, 33-points behind second, but 234-points behind point leader Greg Pursley.
"The way Greg (Pursley) and his team are running this season it will be difficult for anyone to catch him," Thompson said. "We can't worry about what others are doing or not doing; we simply focus on our program and scoring the best finish we can in each race and the points will take car of themselves."
In his NASCAR K&N Pro Series career, Thompson has started 104 NKNPS races since 2000 scoring one win, one Coors Light Pole Award, 22 top five and 59 top ten performances. His best points finish was fifth in 2009.
Thompson Motorsports is a premier motorsports organization based in Jerome, Idaho providing complete race car preparation and fabrication supporting the local grassroots racer and experienced professional driver. TMS prepares and fields race vehicles in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series, Intermountain Pro Truck Series, and entries at local area short tracks. TMS has corporate partnerships with Rich Thompson Trucking Inc. (RTTI), Jerome Truck Service Inc., Eibach Springs, Schroeder Torsion Bars, United Oil, Speedbear Fasteners, and Hagerman Valley Spring Water. For all the latest news and information about Brett Thompson and Thompson Motorsports, log onto www.brettthompsonracing.com or NASCAR Hometracks.
The Thunder Valley Casino Resort "200"
Place: Infineon Raceway
Date: Saturday, June 25
Time: 12:45 p.m. PT
TV Schedule: SPEED, July 7, 6 p.m. ET
Track Layout: 1.99-mile road course
2010 Winner: Andrew Ranger
2010 Polesitter: Jason Bowles
Event Schedule: Saturday: Practice 8:30-9:30 a.m., 10–11 a.m.; Qualifying 1:50 p.m.
Track PR Contact: John Cardinale / Diana Brennan (707) 938-8448 jcardinale@infineonraceway.com / dbrennan@infineonracway.com
Twitter: @InfineonRaceway
NASCAR IMC Contact: Kevin W. Green (661) 392-8543 kgreen@nascar.com
Fast Facts
Race: This event is the sixth of 14 events on the 2011 schedule for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
Procedure: The starting field is 40 cars, including provisionals. The first 36 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 64 laps (127.36 miles).
Track: Infineon Raceway is a winding 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course, with varying elevation. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West has visited the Sonoma track 30 times, since 1969. In addition to the track hosting 21 stand-alone events, drivers and teams competed in nine companion events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series between 1989 and 1997.
Records: Qualifying: David Gilliland, June 23, 2007, 91.979 mph, 77.887 seconds; Race: Brian Vickers, June 24, 2006, 67.595 mph, 1 hour 53 minutes 3 seconds.
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