NASCAR driver trains for first kickboxing match and ‘second chance’ season

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Sweat dripped from NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Dean Thompson’s head as he crouched on the padded floor with boxing gloves covering his hands. His phone showed his heart rate at 162 beats per minute.

The digital clock across the room beeped, marking the start of another round. His trainer, Kyoshi Cliff Kinchen, raised his arms and prepared for a barrage of punches and kicks.

Thompson threw a jab and then a cross, both connecting solidly with the pads on Kinchen’s hands. Thompson followed with a high kick to a pad covering Kinchen’s chest. This routine continued for a full minute, stopping once the timer beeped and marked the end of another round.

This was minute 33 of a roughly 45-minute session at Kinchen Martial Arts Academy in Cornelius, North Carolina. Kickboxing is not the most common form of training in NASCAR but for Thompson, it has become essential.

“It’s like an emotional release,” Thompson, who returns to Tricon Garage in 2024, told NBC Sports after finishing his training session. “Because it’s like when you hit something that’s clean and good contact, you feel good. You feel a release. You get to release that kind of pressure and anxiety you get from racing.”

This training is part of Thompson’s weekly routine. It also sets up his first kickboxing match on Dec. 9.

This bout isn’t focused on knockouts. Thompson and his foe will both wear headgear and shin pads. Instead, there will be points awarded for clean, technical strikes that highlight the skill involved.

Knockouts could lead to a suspension.

“It’s more protected than a regular fight,” Thompson said. “Just points. That’s partially why I also wanted to do it too, because I didn’t want to go in there and get knocked out and get a concussion.”

Thompson doesn’t know who his opponent will be, so he is taking a different approach during fight camp. He works on technique with Kinchen, an eighth-degree black belt with 30 years of coaching experience.

When it comes to sparring, Thompson has two regular partners. He works with fellow Truck Series drivers Lawless Alan and Tyler Ankrum.

These drivers present different challenges and test Thompson in different ways. Alan is smaller and faster with his strikes. Ankrum is bigger and slower but has more power.

Thompson doesn’t just show up at Kinchen Martial Arts Academy and start sparring. He actually doesn’t don gloves until the second half of the session. The first 20 minutes are focused on preparation.

Kinchen has Thompson go through a warmup session featuring stretching, jump roping, a variety of kicks and extensive core work. There are also agility ladder drills focusing on footwork.

Thompson has the power in his punches and kicks. It’s his technique and motor that are improved during his sessions.

“(Dean’s) a strong guy,” Kinchen told NBC Sports. “So he comes in, he starts swinging and then he’d be out of…