Thompson Qualifies Eighth at Bakersfield
Bakersfield - (September 13, 2008) -- With the heat hovering around 95 degrees, and 17 cars trying to get into an tough eight car field, qualifying for the Bakersfield Division 7 race would be no easy task. Fortunately for Clint Thompson, he made the tight field with less than one hundredths of a second to spare. Thompson made it into the show with a fine 5.84 at 242 MPH. "The track was just a little tricky", said Thompson, " and I just never really found the right setup in qualifying"
As the number eight seed, Thompson faced number one qualifier Terry Ruckman, all the way from Grand Junction CO. At the light, Thompson had the advantage as he left first with a 0.060 to Ruckman’s 0.075. Ruckman however passed Thompson and was able to get to the stripe first with a 5.64at 254 MPH to Thompson’s off pace 6.05 at 227 MPH. "We raced in the heat of the day again on Saturday and once again didn't have the right setup for the track conditions. The car spun the tires hard about 200 feet out, I pedaled it and tried to chase Terry, but he was long gone on a straight and clean run. Even though we didn't get the outcome we were looking for, we had fun and didn't have any issues with the car, now we're off to Ennis, Texas for our second trip to the O'Reilly Nationals. We ran well there last year and got beat when the ignition system failed in the second round. I am really looking forward to racing at the Motorplex as it should be a good chance to show how we can really run."
After Dallas, it's back to his home track in Medford. Oregon where Thompson will dice it up with his Division Six rivals Brian Hough and Sean O'Bannon in a race that could determine the Division Championship. Thompson is currently in second place, 11 points behind Hough and O'Bannon who are tied for first. "I can't wait to get to Medford in front of all of our hometown family and friends" said Thompson. "This should really be a great race with all the marbles on the line!"
Bakersfield - (September 13, 2008) -- With the heat hovering around 95 degrees, and 17 cars trying to get into an tough eight car field, qualifying for the Bakersfield Division 7 race would be no easy task. Fortunately for Clint Thompson, he made the tight field with less than one hundredths of a second to spare. Thompson made it into the show with a fine 5.84 at 242 MPH. "The track was just a little tricky", said Thompson, " and I just never really found the right setup in qualifying"
As the number eight seed, Thompson faced number one qualifier Terry Ruckman, all the way from Grand Junction CO. At the light, Thompson had the advantage as he left first with a 0.060 to Ruckman’s 0.075. Ruckman however passed Thompson and was able to get to the stripe first with a 5.64at 254 MPH to Thompson’s off pace 6.05 at 227 MPH. "We raced in the heat of the day again on Saturday and once again didn't have the right setup for the track conditions. The car spun the tires hard about 200 feet out, I pedaled it and tried to chase Terry, but he was long gone on a straight and clean run. Even though we didn't get the outcome we were looking for, we had fun and didn't have any issues with the car, now we're off to Ennis, Texas for our second trip to the O'Reilly Nationals. We ran well there last year and got beat when the ignition system failed in the second round. I am really looking forward to racing at the Motorplex as it should be a good chance to show how we can really run."
After Dallas, it's back to his home track in Medford. Oregon where Thompson will dice it up with his Division Six rivals Brian Hough and Sean O'Bannon in a race that could determine the Division Championship. Thompson is currently in second place, 11 points behind Hough and O'Bannon who are tied for first. "I can't wait to get to Medford in front of all of our hometown family and friends" said Thompson. "This should really be a great race with all the marbles on the line!"
