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– COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (Aug. 10, 2020) – Tyler Thompson is coming off the best weekend of his season.
Thompson posted his season-best 360ci sprint car result last Thursday at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash., where he led the first 21 laps of the 25-lap main event before he garnered his first feature triumph of the year on Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Wins are a confidence booster. We’re used to winning a couple of races a year. We don’t know how many races we’re going to get in this year. I don’t know how many races we have remaining. So it’s big to win any time we can.”
Thompson ventured to Skagit Speedway last Thursday. He qualified sixth quickest and placed fourth in a heat race to lock into the main event. The feature inversion put him on the pole for the A Main.
“That was our fifth race up there this year,” he said. “The first couple of races we ran we really weren’t any good. We struggled and couldn’t pass cars. Finally we figured out some setup stuff and got our car more balanced. Starting up front really helped a lot, too.
“The week before we started on the pole and I struggled on the start. I knew I needed to get the lead right away and that traffic would be a big deal. My focus was to get out front and run as hard of laps as we could.”
Thompson did just that as he quickly took the top spot, but he ran into trouble trying to put a driver a lap down in the closing laps.
“I got up to a car who was pinching the bottom so I had to move to the middle,” he said. “I didn’t know what it had. I missed it in turn three and got high in turn four. I hit the wall and the second-place guy got underneath me. We got out of rhythm and he got by the lapped car the next lap.
“It was tough not winning after starting on the pole, but it’s way better running up front. I felt like we had a car to win. It just didn’t play out right.”
Thompson’s second-place result was his best run of the season until Saturday’s performance at his home track of Cottage Grove Speedway, where he competed in the limited sprint division.
“We’ve really struggled with our limited program,” he said. “We haven’t been very fast. We tore through the car last week and felt like we have everything squared up. We got out in the lead and drove aggressive through traffic. It was nice to come out on top.”
Thompson, who set quick time during qualifying and finished second in a heat race, powered from his third starting position into the lead on the opening lap as he cruised to the victory.
Thompson will take this weekend off before returning to Skagit Speedway on Aug. 20.
QUICK RESULTS –
Aug. 6 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 6; Heat race: 4 (3); Feature: 2 (1).
Aug. 8 – Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 2 (4); Feature: 1 (3).
UP NEXT –
Aug. 20 at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash.
MEDIA LINKS –
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tylerthompsonracing/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TylerThompsonRacing/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – BC Motorsports
BC Motorsports is owned and operated by Brian Crockett, who is a veteran in the sport. Crockett amassed numerous wins and championships during his storied career. He has helped many young drivers rising through the ranks and has worked as a series director and in charge of track maintenance to name a few duties he’s held during his career.
“Brian has helped us so much from the beginning,” Thompson said. “He’s built us great engines and provides us with the best parts. We appreciate his support and friendship.”
Thompson would also like to thank J&K Auto Repair, Ed Glazier at Auto-Chlor Systems, Dorman Construction Inc., 3C Custom Commercial Concrete, Action Rent-All, IBEW 280, Northwest Solvents and Supply, Double R Powder Coating, James Gang Pizza, Bunce Equipment and Rocket Designs for their continued support.