In 2017, Philip Thompson won a national rookie of the year title. Then, he stepped back. In 2022, Thompson returned to a more regular schedule. Now, he’s racing the house car for Ricky Weiss and Sniper Chassis. He’ll compete in this Saturday, July 8, at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee. He hopes to showcase the car’s prowess in the race for the Dirt2Media American All-Star Series presented by PPM Racing Products.
“It was getting more to the point where it was a job more than a hobby,” said Thompson, the 2017 Fastrak Touring Series rookie of the year. “I needed a reality check and to get the priorities in check.”
At the time, Thompson took over his father’s machining business, now called Two Four Machine. Two kids came on the way, too, which changed Thompson’s perspective.
“I’m extremely competitive,” Thompson said. “But, in the grand scheme of things, you can’t run yourself ragged.”
After finding a more comfortable balance between life, work, and racing, Thompson returned to regular competition last year. He raced roughly 20 races and won the Back the Gap Summer Series championship at Volunteer Speedway.
“It was fun and I enjoyed it,” said Thompson. “I really appreciated the aspect of doing it for a hobby and [with] not as much pressure.”
Since finding that balance, Thompson then connected with Shawn Gage, who once worked on the road with Ricky Weiss. Now, Thompson drives a house car for Weiss’ Sniper Chassis.
“[Shawn] lives down the road from me,” Thompson said. “He helped me some on the car I had before. I was going to get my car updated. We ended up talking with Ricky, and he was like, ‘Just come get my car and race it for now.’”
Many know Weiss from his time on the World of Outlaws Late Models circuit, where he won the 2019 rookie of the year. However, Weiss’ experience extends far beyond that. The Canadian native has several WISSOTA championships in the upper Midwest.
“[Ricky has] a lot of different experiences that you can learn from,” said Thompson. “[With a Sniper Chassis, you] got an open notebook [from Weiss]. Also, [the Sniper Chassis] is a quality piece, being built by Brucebilt — they’re second to none, as far as quality.”
Philip Thompson hopes to win at his home track and beat some of the best that the Dirt2Media American All-Star Series presented by PPM Racing Products will bring this Saturday, July 8.
Outside Groove Note of Transparency: Outside Groove is a sponsor of the American All-Star Series. The American All-Star Series paid for the production of this article. The content is not subject to the approval of the American All-Star Series.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
