JEROME, IDAHO (AUGUST 30, 2012)- Brett Thompson will return the
CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series this weekend for a 125-lap event at Rocky Mountain Raceways outside Salt Lake City, UT for round ten of the 11-race championship series. Thompson has not competed in the series in two years and feels RMR is a track that owes him a race. In his last RMCS outing in July 2010, he left RMR with a damaged race car ending his season.
Thompson has a dozen starts in the series with half of his finishes in the top five. He also has one win in the series and knows the team has prepared a car that can win on Saturday. "We totally rebuilt our RMCS car from the ground up and it is like brand new," Thompson said.
The 3/8-mile banked oval of RMR suits Thompson's driving style. The series race format also demands a great chassis setup. The series inverts up to 20-cars to start each race and Thompson knows he will be starting close to the tail of the field. "We have always qualified fast in the series but that means you start at the back," Thompson explained. "But that is not much a problem at RMR since the track is wide and fast producing some great side-by-side racing. You just have to save tires until late in the race and have a setup that allows you to make passes both low and high."
With only two races left in the series, a tough championship battle is in play. "We are not going to get in the middle of that battle," Thompson said. "We are focused on winning the race and feel we have a great car for the event."
15-year old
Hannah "Hurricane" Newhouse, will make her debut in the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series this weekend taking over the seat previously occupied be her RMCS championship winning father John Newhouse. The younger Newhouse tested the RMCS car two weeks ago and ran laps times within one-tenth of a second off her father's best, on worn tires to boot.
"I guess the writing is on the wall," stated John Newhouse. "Hannah has a lot of talent and I am looking forward to see what she can do in the RMCS car. It is going to be a lot of fun and a little nerve wracking for all of us this weekend."
Newhouse could be the youngest ever female NASCAR Whelen All American Series champion in the 30-year history of the national weekly series. She had previously claimed the title of youngest female winner in the series earlier in the year. That mark was recently eclipsed by a competitor in Nevada.
Through 18 races in the Commercial Tire Super Stock division, the feature NASCAR Whelen All American Series class at the Magic Valley Speedway, Newhouse has 14 top five and 18 top ten finishes including six victories. She has also notched seven fast time qualifying awards and is second in the point standings heading into the final two events of the season.
"I am so excited to race in the RMCS," Hannah Newhouse said. "I got really comfortable with the car testing and I am confident we can race well. It is a whole different experience. The longer race, more horsepower, better tires, tougher competition. It is going to be a blast."
Newhouse will be back in weekly action next weekend Magic Valley as she tries to close in on the track championship. For the latest news and to follow Hannah Newhouse, log onto her website at
www.hannahnewhouse.com or her
Facebook page.
Race Rewind
Brett Thompson is coming off an 11th place finish on the road course at Portland International Raceway last weekend in NASCAR K&N Pro Series competition. The finish was not indicative of how well he ran. "I think that was the best car I have ever had and the best I have felt in a road course event," Thompson said.
Hannah Newhouse scored her sixth win of the season last Saturday night at Magic Valley Speedway to climb back in the championship race with two races left on the schedule. Newhouse trails championship leader Kris McKean by just 20-points.
18-year old
Braeden Havens has made five starts for the Thompson Motorsports team this season in the NASCAR K&N Pro series and continues to prove that he is a capable young driver. Havens has been running at the conclusion of each race with a career best finish of 8th.
Last Saturday evening, Havens posted a 7th place finish in the Spokane 200 at Spokane County Raceway. Havens will be back in the Thompson Motorsports #61 NASCAR K&N Pro Series machine in September when the series makes its inaugural visit to the 4/10-mile paved oval of NAPA Speedway in Albuquerque, NM.