Portland Int'l on Tap For Thompson This Weekend

July 23, 2011 - PRLog -- Brett Thompson, driver of the RTTI/Jerome Truck Service Inc. Chevrolet, is excited to compete at Portland (OR) Int'l Raceway this weekend in the running of the Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops "125" for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-West on the 1.967-mile flat road course layout. The 63-lap race will certainly test driver and crew and will likely come down to fuel mileage as it has in the past.

Thompson has one previous start at Portland scoring a fourth place finish back in 2009 and hopes this race will bring the same kind of success. Boosting his chance of success this weekend is Dale Quarterly who joins the team as driver coach. "At Infineon, Dale followed me quite a bit and after the race we got to talking," Thompson said. "He was able to tell me what I was doing right and more importantly what I was doing wrong. I learned a lot from our conversation and so I called him and asked he could come out and work with us at Portland. He agreed."

Quarterly, a former motorcycle racing champion and proven winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-East, brings an impressive resume' and knowledge about road racing that few others possess. "Dale has won road races on bikes and in cars and he is a smooth and fast as they come," Thompson offered. "The chance to learn and work with someone of Dale's ability is a real bonus to me and our team."

The layout at PIR is challenging but a suits his driving style. "I like the course," Thompson said. It races like a short track in many places and is really fast like a speedway in others. I know Dale will be able to help me a lot on hitting my marks and I know the crew is up to the challenge as pit stops always seem to be pivotal in the outcome of these races."

The teams take to the track for practice today and then qualify and race tomorrow. "The two-day format helps in a way as we have time to make adjustments after practice and hopefully we make the right ones. I have grown to like road racing and feel we can be competitive at Portland. With Dale's help hopefully we can compete for a win."

Through eight races this season, Thompson has averaged a finish of 12.5 while completing 93% of all laps contested and has been running at the conclusion at seven of the eight races. He currently holds down the sixth position in the point standings on the strength of two top five and three top ten performances. In two road racing events this year he has completed 122 of 127 laps contested and finished an average of 18th place.  In his NASCAR K&N Pro Series career, Thompson has started 107 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 racing 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 http://www.brettthompsonracing.com or NASCAR Hometracks. For all the latest west coast racing action, log onto http://www.racingwest.com.

NASCAR Media Press Release click here.

Race: Bi-Mart Salute to the Troops 125
Place: Portland International Raceway
Date: Sunday, July 24 Time: 3:10 p.m. PT
TV Schedule: SPEED, Aug. 18, 6 p.m. ET
Track Layout: 1.967-mile road course
2010 Winner: Patrick Long
2010 Polesitter: David Mayhew
Event Schedule: Saturday: Practice 12:20-1:20 p.m., 2:30–3:30 p.m. Sunday: Qualifying 11:15 a.m.
Track PR Contact: Al McCutchan (503) 789-4826 albert@kupl.com
NASCAR IMC Contact: Kevin W. Green (661) 392-8543 kgreen@nascar.com
Fast Facts
Race: This event is the ninth of 14 events on the 2011 schedule for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

Procedure: The starting field is 28 cars, including provisionals. The first 24 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 63 laps (125 miles).

Track: Portland International Raceway is a 1.967-mile road course. The track hosted three NASCAR K&N Pro Series West events – 1986, 2009 and 1010. The 1986 race was won by Hershel McGriff, while Jim Inglebright took the win in 2009 and Patrick Long won last year.

Records: Qualifying: David Mayhew, July 18, 2010, 94.503 mph, 75.426 seconds; Race: Patrick Long, July 18, 2010, 66.531 mph, 1 hour 56 minutes 4 seconds.

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