Thompson's Bid to Win Championship Falls Short in Vegas
Las Vegas - (November 8, 2008) Clint Thompson's bid to pull a rabbit out of the hat and win the NHRA Northwest Top Alcohol Funny Car Championship fell short when the car didn't qualify. Thompson shook the tires in the final qualifying attempt. Over 23 cars tried valiantly to make it into an eight car field. So as anyone can imagine a lot of good cars including Thompson's did not qualify. The team now heads to Pomona for the Auto Club NHRA Finals next weekend.

It All Comes Down to Winning in Vegas
Las Vegas - (November 2, 2008) Vegas, the city of high stakes where people defy the odds and put it all on the line to win big. We're not talking about the casinos. We're talking about the Strip; the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And one of the biggest gamblers at the strip for next weekend's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series race will be Clint Thompson as he has a lot to gain and little to lose.

So what's at stake? Just the NHRA Northwest Division Top Alcohol Funny Car Crown. It all comes down to the final NHRA Divisional event of the year and the only way for Thompson to win the crown is to win the event regardless of how well his closest competitors Brian Hough and Sean O'Bannon do. Both O'Bannon and Hough can not claim any more divisional points as they have claimed the maximum amount of races. "Hough and O'Bannon can't earn any more points so it is all up to us" said Thompson.

Even thought they can't claim the points, both Hough and O'Bannon are expected to be in Vegas trying to pullout all the stops to block Thompson's attempt to win the race. Still, Thompson is confident he can pull off a victory at the event which usually attracts more than two dozen cars trying to get into an eight car field. "Vegas is a track I really like racing at. We have qualified at each of the "Last Chance Divisional" races we have entered and scored a runner-up finish once" Thompson said.

With the success of the entire season riding on the Vegas race one must wonder how much pressure Thompson's Cascade Auto Group team is up against. "Our team seems to do well under pressure, and there can't be anymore pressure than having to win a dog fight like the Vegas Divisional to attain my lifelong dream of a Division Six championship. For me that would be my highest racing accomplishment and something I want more than anything. We are definitely ready for the fight". Thompson said..

After the Las Vegas Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event, the team heads straight to Pomona for the Auto Club NHRA Finals. " You can't ask for better drama than one event determining who will win the Championship. And then it's on to Pomona to go after a coveted Finals Wally. I can't wait! it's going to be an intense couple of weeks" Thompson said.

Thompson Competes for Championship at Home Track
Medford - (September 27, 2008) -- When the NHRA Lucas Oil Series comes to Clint Thompson's home track, Champion Raceway in Medford Oregon, it's a chance to spend some time with friends and family in his racing environment. It also serves as an incentive to do well in front of the home town friends who get to see him race there once a year. Thompson's Cascade Auto Group in near by Klamath Falls is also a sponsor at the track.

This year the pressure was even greater than normal as Thompson is battling Oregon rival Brian Hough for the Northwest Division Championship title. In qualifying, Thompson ended up in the middle of the pack with a 5.84 at 249 MPH to qualify his Monte Carlo in the 4th position.

This would set up a first round pairing with California racer Doug Gordon. At the hit Thompson reacted first with an 0.054 reaction time to Gordon's 0.075 but that's as far as Thompson got as he smoked the tires. Meanwhile, Gordon was long gone with a 5.82. "It was heartbreaking as the car just blew the tires right off the starting line" Thompson said.

Thompson then walked down to Brian Thiel's pit to see if he could assist Thiel in knocking out Hough in the semifinals. Unfortunately for Thompson, Thiel lost that round to Hough. Hough eventually lost in the final so Thompson will now have to go to either Noble OK or Las Vegas to have any chance in beating Hough for the Northwest Division Championship.

Thompson Returns to "Big D"
Dallas - (September 21, 2008) - Clint Thompson and the Cascade Chevrolet team returned to the great state of Texas for the 23rd annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals. After spinning the tires on the first two attempts Thompson qualified eighth with a fine 5.64 at 253.33 MPH.

That set Thompson up against number nine qualifier and Division six foe Sean O'Bannon in the first round of eliminations. O'Bannon ran a 5.65 in qualifying so it would be a very competitive race on paper. At the green O'Bannon got a good head start with a 0.064 reaction time to Thompson's 0.223. O'Bannon never looked back as he crossed the stripe first with a 5.68 at 254 MPH to get the hole shot win. Thompson recorded a 5.61 at 255 MPH. "I got distracted at the line when I staged," Thompson said, "the bottom bulb was flickering and at first I didn't even know what to do. I decided to pull in a little deeper and in the process got caught off guard when the tree flashed". "It's still no excuse though", he continued," as a driver you have to be able to focus even when weird things happen and I just didn't. I feel bad for the team. The car was fast enough to be a contender and I let them down, but now we just regroup and head for the next race. With the Division 6 championship on the line in Medford it will be really important for us to do our best. I am confident we can pull it off though, I can hardly wait"

This weekend Thompson returns to his home track at Champion Raceway near Medford for the final Division 6 event of the season. Thompson Racing invites all of their local fans and friends to come out to Champion this weekend. Qualifying is Friday Sept 26th at 1:00, 4:00, and 7:00 and eliminations begin at 1:00 on Saturday.

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 5.64 at 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!"

Thompson Takes Pole in Montana
The NHRA made it's annual appearance in Montana and attracted some of the best alcohol cars in the west in both of the Top Alcohol categories. In the funny car class, Clint Thompson ruled qualifying with his '06 Monte Carlo by taking the pole.

Thompson, hot off a good showing in Brainerd topped the funny car field with a 5.73 at 247 MPH. The 5.73 run also stands as a track record for Yellowstone Dragstrip. Thompson has been running there every year since they have contested the Lucas Oil Drag Racing event and won the inaugural race in 2004. Yellowstone is also the track that Thompson got his first NHRA Wally.

Thompson's no. 1 qualifying position would set up a showdown with the no. 8 qualifier, Robert Kanenwisher, of Conifer Colorado. Kanenwisher made the show with a 6.34 at 200 MPH. At the hit, Thompson got off of the line first but both drivers went up in smoke. However, Thompson was able to recover sooner than Kanenwisher. At the finish line it was all Thompson with a 6.60 at 240 MPH to Kanenwisher's 8.68 at 129 MPH.

In the semifinal round, the stakes were high as Thompson faced Sean O'Bannon as both of these popular drivers are in the Northwest Division points chase. Thompson needed this win in order to make it to the final while blocking O'Bannon from advancing any farther. Unfortunately for Thompson, his car would not fire and all he could do is watch as O'Bannon automatically advanced into the final round. The reason the car wouldn't fire was a malfunction in the mandatory safety ignition kill switch.

Thompson was disappointed that the problem occurred but is pleased with the car's recent performance. 'The car has been running flawlessly the past three events. We were number four at Sonoma, number three at Brainerd and number one in Montana. We are currently third in points and eleven points behind O'Bannon and Hough who are tied. Three divisional points races are left with one being at our "home track" in Medford" Thompson said. In addition to being ranked third in Division Six, Thompson is in eighth place nationally.

Thompson Has Good Outing at Brainerd
Brainerd - (August 10, 2008) -- Brainerd, the track that is surrounded by beautiful lakes and has a lively night time atmosphere like no other. This was Clint Thompson's first trip to the Lucas Oil Nationals held at Brainerd International Raceway and it appeared that Thompson would make the best of it by qualifying third with a blistering 5.66 at 254 MPH.

In the first round Thompson faced Bob Alberty, all the way from Muskogee OK. Alberty qualified twelfth for the short field with a 6.27 at 191 MPH. At the green it was all Thompson with an incredible 5.65 ET at 256 MPH. Alberty, meanwhile had problems on the run and recorded a 9.03 at 103 MPH.

In the second round Thompson drew Paul Anderson, who beat McVey in the first round. At hit, Thompson automatically handed the win to Anderson as he went red. To add insult to injury, Thompson ran low ET of the event on the run with a 5.57 at 259 MPH to Anderson's close 5.64 at 256 MPH.

Nobody will ever know whether or not Thompson would have gone on to win the event but chances are good that he might have. Regardless of the red light, Thompson had a good first time showing at Brainerd and he should be able to pick up where he left off at the next NHRA event being held at Yellowstone Dragstrip in Acton Montana.

Cascade Auto Group Team Picks up the Pace in Sonoma
Sonoma - After a close first round exit in Seattle, Clint Thompson was able to pick up the pace with a stellar outing in Sonoma at the Fram - Autolite NHRA Nationals where he missed going to the final round by just 0.0357 seconds.

Thompson began the weekend by qualifying the Cascade Auto Group Monte Carlo in the number four spot with 5.60 at 253 MPH. In the first stanza Thompson took on Brett Williamson. At the hit Williamson got out of shape and nearly came in contact with the wall. Thompson on the other hand never looked back and recorded a fine 5.66 at 255 MPH.

On to the second round where Thompson faced Seattle winner and fellow Oregon racer Brian Hough. Thompson got off the line first while Hough shook so hard that the chutes came out. Meanwhile Thompson secured the win with a 5.61 at 258 MPH.

In the Semifinal round Thompson went up against Jay Payne in the Valvoline Ford Mustang. Payne got of the line first with a 0.060 to Thompson's 0.170. At the other end it was Payne with a close 5.68 at 221 hole shot win over Thompson's quicker 5.61 at 257 MPH. Payne's margin of victory was just about thirteen feet.

Testing Almost Pays Off in Seattle
Kent WA - As the defending champion of the Schucks Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Clint Thompson, has fond memories of the near washed out 2007 race that barely got in the books. Thompson was able to hang on and win his third national event under dark Seattle skies. The following week the team continued the Western Swing to Sonoma, only to lose in the early rounds where he was the defending champion.

Fast forward to this year where Thompson hoped to defend his championship in Seattle, and while the weather was perfect his Cascade Auto Group funny car was having problems hooking up. Even so, Thompson was still able to get in the show with an off pace 9.36 at 93.18 MPH. "We are trying some new things and the actual race is the only place I have to do my testing. Obviously, the things we tried in qualifying didn't work but we had to try them" Thompson explained. Fortunately, with all the problems Thompson's team was still able to get in the show as there were just 16 cars entered in the field.

In the first round of eliminations, Thompson faced California rival Sean O'Bannon. Unlike qualifying, Thompson's testing nearly paid off as he just about pulled the rabbit out of a hat and improved to a 5.67 at 251 MPH. However, a slower reaction time for Thompson lost him the race as O'Bannon had a 0.102 reaction time to Thompson's 0.116. O'Bannon was able to post a close 5.68 at 256 MPH for the hole shot win.

Thompson hopes that his pattern of losing one race and winning the other on the swing holds up this year. And with the new found combination, Thompson is optimistic he's back on track. "We're on tour now so we still have quite a few races left where we can make up the points including a first time trip to Brainard" Thompson said.

Thompson Experiences Difficult First Round Loss in Woodburn
Woodburn OR - Prior to the first round of qualifying at the Les Schwab Challenge, stop number three of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Clint Thompson stated that a victory in Woodburn would be a major win for his team. "We have never won a divisional here (the Les Schwab Challenge) and for me it would be like winning a national event" Thompson said.

With eleven very good cars trying to get into an eight car field, qualifying in the 95 degree heat would be challenging for any team in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class. Fortunately, Thompson was able to qualify his Cascade Auto Group Monte Carlo in middle of the field with a 5.95 at 246 MPH. This set up a first round match up with Northwest rival Brian Hough, of Junction City Oregon. Such a first round pairing between the two powerhouse teams usually comes towards the final round.

At the green, Thompson smoked the tires and got out of shape forcing him to click it off early. Meanwhile, Hough sailed down track for the win with a 5.90 ET. Thompson was disappointed for the early round loss and blamed it on the driver error of not engaging the clutch and the throttle peddle in the correct sequence. "It was driver error and a missed opportunity. We had a good chance to catch up in the points with Sean (O'Bannon) and Brian (Hough) as we were all on the same side of the ladder. The good news is they have run more races than we have so we can catch up by entering another event and doing well." Thompson said.

Thompson won't have to wait long to get over his first round blues as he will be racing this coming weekend at the NHRA Schuck's Auto Supply Nationals in Seattle.

Thompson Falls Short of Seattle Win
Kent WA - After scoring a "threepeat" victory in Mission and then a runner-up finish at a Woodburn match race, Clint Thompson was on a roll and confident he would still be a contestant in the final round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series held at Pacific Raceways, June 21-23.

In qualifying Thompson hung on to the number three position with a promising 5.67 at 254 MPH. This would set up a first round match up with Jason Rupert who qualified 6th. At the hit, Thompson was out first with a 0.095 reaction time to Rupert's close 0.096. At the stripe it was Thompson with a 5.71 at 248 MPH to take the win over Rupert's valiant 5.79 at 248 MPH effort.

In the semifinals, Thompson faced none other than Dennis Taylor who was out for some revenge after Thompson defeated him at last year's Schucks Auto Supply Nationals. At the light, Taylor got out of the hole first with a 0.043 reaction time to Thompson's 0.071. At the same time, Thompson's dream of another win went up in smoke as Taylor got his revenge with a decent 5.69 to Thompson's tire smoking 6.99.

Thompson now heads back to his home state of Oregon where he hopes for better luck at the Les Schwab Challenge being held at Woodburn Dragstrip, July 10-13.

Nitro vs. Alcohol at Woodburn
Woodburn - At Woodburn Dragstrip's Fire and Thunder race they tried something new by taking the average speeds of the funny cars and then taking the average speeds of the dragsters and pit the two quickest cars for a dragster vs. funny car final, just like in the old days of Pro Comp! The idea was a big hit! On the dragster side, A/Fuel Winternationals Champ Branden Johnson had the quickest average time took for the rails, and Clint Thompson who ran a 5.89 in the first stanza against Ashwell Racing and a 5.91 in the second round against Harder Racing. Clint's 5.89 was the low ET for the floppers and he had the quickest ET's.

In the final against Johnson's nitro burning A/Fuel Dragster, Thompson got a bit of an advantage at the starting line and was well ahead of Johnson when the blower belt came off. "the car shook at about 150 feet and then made it's move to the center line. The car coasted after the belt came off and then all the sudden the dragster blew right past me. It was kind of cool! All I needed was a 6.30 to get past the finish line. If only that belt would have stayed on just a little longer" Thompson said. Johnson's ET was a 5.69 to Thompson's 6.83.

And how did he like racing an A/Fuel dragster? "This was the first time in many moons I got to race a dragster and it was a kick" Thompson said.

It's a Threepeat in Canada!
Mission Canada - Clint Thompson, pulled off a "threepeat" victory by winning the Lordco Auto Parts BC Nationals at Mission Raceway convincingly over a tough top alcohol funny car field. Thompson beat Sean O'Bannon to take his third straight title in Mission Canada. The win gave Thompson four final round appearances in four tries as the team did not compete at the race in 2005. Thompson won the event utilizing an engine built by Bob Minor. Joey Severence who races in the Top Alcohol class also won the event using a Bob Minor engine.

Besides winning the event for the third consecutive year, it was a meaningful win as they were without crew member Kelly Mercier who was at the bedside of his son Conrad Mercier, a graduating high school senior who is recovering from heart surgery. "We told Conrad we would go win this race for him and he said if we did he would drag the trophy up to the graduation stage. Now, he really gets to do it." Thompson said. Conrad is expected to be out of the hospital in time for the graduation ceremony. Thompson, qualified on the pole with a 5.62 ET at 257 MPH. In the first round, Thompson drew no. 8 qualifier Nathan Sitko from Edmonton. Sitko stepped it up in the first round and left on Thompson with a 0.069 light to Thompson's 0.081. But Thompson was able to make up the difference with a 5.63 at 257.06 MPH to Sitko's impressive 5.87 at 242 MPH.

In the semis it was a rematch of last year's final round as Thompson met up with Oregon rival Brian Hough. This time Clint was out of the gate first with a 0.072 reaction time to Hough's 0.103. At the stripe it was Thompson with a 5.63 at 257 MPH. Hough was closely behind with a 5.71 at 255 MPH. Thompson was then just one round away from a threepeat with only Sean O'Bannon in the Patron car standing in his way. The final round proved to be one of the most exciting races of the day as both cars left nearly together with Thompson getting a slight edge with a 0.090 reaction time to O'Bannon's 0.097. At the finish line it was Thompson by less than a fender with a 5.68 at 256 MPH to O'Bannon's close 5.69 at 257 MPH. "It was a very close race, it shook at the top of low gear and spun the tires. Both O'Bannon and I were all over the track" Thompson said.

Prior to visiting the winner's circle for pictures Thompson had a few minutes to reflect on the successful weekend. "What a great race for the Dutch Bros - Cascade Auto Group team. We were short handed as it was just Tyler (Thompson), Vic (Miller), Danette (Thompson), and I working on the car. Danette did a lot of the duties that Kelly usually does and it sure helped us get the car turned around between rounds. This is such a great day as the weather was good and there were a lot of spectators here". Thompson said. The team returns to Woodburn for the Fire and Thunder event June 7-8. Then the following weekend they head to Seattle for the NHRA divisional event which they won in 2005.

It's All Clint at Woodburn
Woodburn - Clint Thompson is normally a regular at Woodburn Dragstrip's "Chicago style" funny car races where the fastest two cars return for the final. Last year, Clint was on the road racing in Dallas and missed the Fall Classic but this year he returned with a new engine combination for the Season Opener which turned out to be a hot one with highs in the 90 degree range. In the first round, Clint recorded the best run of the day, a 5.95 at 245 MPH. The team missed the second round but because they had low ET of the event from the first run they came back to race Randy Parker for the title. In the final, Parker had problems so Clint went solo, but unfortunately exploded an engine in the process at about 1100 feet into the run.

Clint was glad to be back at Woodburn and credited the fans as the main reason he returns each year. "We love coming to Woodburn just to see all of our fans. I don't know all of their names but I sure remember all of their faces and it's good to be back here once again after being away since the NHRA points meet last July. Photo by NW dragracing.com.

Moving on to Mission for a Threepeat
Next, the team will be heading to Mission Raceway Park where Clint is looking for a threepeat. The team has won the BC Nationals two years in a row and hope to make it three this Memorial Day Weekend. "The people are great, the track is great but the weather is usually wet." Clint said. We have always done well there beginning with a match race win over Brian Hough many years ago" Clint said.

Thompson Suffers Tough First Round Elimination at Vegas
Las Vegas - On track to back up a sensational final round appearance at Phoenix, Clint Thompson rolled into Vegas for the Summit.com NHRA Nationals with plenty of optimism. His optimistic outlook even turned better after qualifying in the middle of the field with a 5.73 at 251 MPH. Considering there were 26 cars in attendance, qualifying eight was very respectable.

In the first round Thompson drew popular Stockton California driver Don Hudson who had qualified ninth with a 5.74 at 250 MPH, so Vegas fans were expecting a pretty close race. Unfortunately for Thompson and the fans, he red lights by -0.007, giving the win to Hudson, who moved on to the next round with a 5.76.

It was a difficult loss for the Klamath Falls, Oregon team but the always optimistic Thompson knows it's a long season and there will be more opportunities to win in 2008.

Thompson Makes First Final Round Appearance of New Year
Phoenix - After a disappointing first round loss at Pomona, Clint Thompson was determined to kicked it up a few notches. And not only did he make it to the final round at the Lucas Oil Divisional in Phoenix, but he also qualified on the pole with a blistering 5.66 at 253 MPH in the warm Arizona sun.

Earning the number one qualifying position set up a first round match up with number eight qualifier Rian Konno. At the hit both Thompson and Konno shook hard while spinning the tires. Fortunately for Thompson, he was able to recover and got his Dutch Bros Cascade Chevrolet Monte Carlo right down Broadway with a 5.95 at 250 MPH. Konno meanwhile idled down the race course.

In the semifinals, Thompson faced Sean O'Bannon. Now, this was a drag race worth the price of admission as both cars were nearly side by side all the way down the track with Thompson having a slight advantage with a better 0.085 reaction time to O'Bannon's 0.094. At the stripe it was Thompson by about 15 feet with a 5.65 at 257 MPH to O'Bannon's close 5.68 charge at 256 MPH.

Thompson's close win set up a final round showdown with California's Doug Gordon. Thompson once again had the better reaction time with a 0.066 to Gordon's close 0.068. But that didn't help as Thompson's car got lose 60 feet into the run and got sideways. Gordon was able to make it to 330 feet into the run before he experienced similar traction problems and was on and off the throttle all the way to the finish line. Thompson had no choice but to settle for a runner-up finish.

Clint Experiences Early Exit at Pomona
At the running of the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals, Clint Thompson had one of those kinds of weekends that every racer would just as soon forget. After qualifying in the ninth position with a fine 5.71 ET, Thompson was confident that he would get through Saturday's dreaded first round and make some noise on Sunday. Sadly for Thompson that wouldn't be the case at Pomona.

In the first round Thompson faced friendly rival Dennis Taylor. Taylor was running well at Pomona and qualified in the eight position with a fabulous 5.69. With both cars running close together on paper, all indications were that the win would be up for grabs. After the burnout both cars proceeded to pre-stage. Thompson began having difficulties staging as the clutch pedal got stuck behind the pedal stop and would not release. At the green Taylor was long gone and Thompson could only sit and watch the weekend come to a quick end. "It was a real bummer. There was nothing I could do but sit there and watch Dennis win with a 5.76. The crew did a great job this weekend, and I just feel bad for them and our sponsors Cascade Auto Group, Dutch Bros. Coffee, RPM Chassis, and RPMOil.com. We will get the problem corrected and will be in Phoenix for the Division 7 race in three weeks and then on to Las Vegas nationals in April " Thompson said. Photo by www.competitionplus.com

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