DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — A certain excitement and confidence is prevalent in his voice when Brett Thompson (No. 61 Rich Thompson Trucking Chevrolet) talks about his championship effort this year in the NASCAR Camping World Series West.
"We’re going to do a lot of testing out at Magic Valley Speedway to prepare for Madera."— Brett Thompson
“I probably have the best team I’ve ever had,” said Thompson. “I’ve got a group of guys that are really committed. There’s a lot of knowledge here. Everything as far as teamwork goes, everybody is meshing well. We’ve got a real solid effort for the championship this year.”
Since making his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Series West in 2000 – the 31-year-old Jerome, Idaho, competitor has alternated between running full seasons and partial schedules in the series. He finished as high as sixth in the championship standings in 2005 and expects to surpass that mark this year.
“This is probably one of the best shots we’ve ever had,” Thompson said. “I’ve made tries at championships before – but never had the equipment, never had the crew behind me. This year, I feel like for the first time in my career, I’ve got a real shot at it.”
Thompson and the rest of the NASCAR Camping World Series West head next to Madera (Calif.) Speedway for the NAPA Auto Parts/Toyota 150 presented by Exclusive Energy Drink on Saturday, April 25. The third-mile track, located on the fairgrounds facility along Highway 99 in California’s Central Valley, last hosted a series event in 2003.
Thompson is among a handful of active drivers who competed in that event. “I remember passing a lot of cars there,” he recalled of the race six years ago. “It’s a track that should allow some side-by-side racing and that’s what I look forward to most.”
Nonetheless, as with just about any short track, Thompson says qualifying up front will likely be the key to getting a good finish. “Time and time again, guys prove it,” he said. “They proved it at Thunderhill (Raceway) and they proved it at All American (Speedway). Qualifying is probably the most important thing you do all day.”
Although Thompson cut his teeth on a short track – Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho – he has often expressed a preference for racing bigger tracks.
“The reason I like the bigger tracks is because most of the bigger tracks we go to, there’s opportunity to pass,” he said. “I don’t get excited about going to single- groove race tracks. It’s not my cup of tea, because I’m never a really good qualifier. But I always have a good race car. It’s frustrating when you have a car better than the guy in front of you, but you can’t get around him.”
“So, going into Madera, I’m going to focus on qualifying,” Thompson said. “We’re going to go out and do some testing. We haven’t quite nailed the qualifying yet. We did decent at Thunderhill. Then we suffered at All American because of our qualifying effort. We’re going to do a lot of testing out at Magic Valley Speedway to prepare for Madera. The two tracks are real similar. So, we’re going to work on qualifying setup.”
As a veteran driver in the series, Thompson knows a championship battle can bring with it both highs and lows. He experienced both in the first two races this year.
“We came away from Thunderhill with a top five and that’s where I wanted to be,” Thompson said. “It’s one of those tracks that’s real easy to get crashed at. To come out of there with a top five, that was our goal.”
“At All American, we had a good night going for us, again one of the top five, and ended up cutting a right rear tire somewhere through the middle of the race and getting a slow leak,” he said. “The car just got worse and worse until the tire finally let go and put us into the fence. We thought we had a solid night going there until that happened. To come out of there 15th and fall all the way back to 10th in points was a real heartbreaker. It’s not where we wanted to be. But I know, looking forward, there’s a chance to make up some points. It definitely doesn’t put us out of the running for the championship.”
He and his family-owned Thompson Motorsports team remain upbeat. “Our hopes are still high,” he said. “Everybody’s still excited about going for the championship.”
Thompson moved to ninth in the points standings, following a ninth-place finish at Phoenix on April 16.
