ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Sam Hunt Racing continues to see exactly what it needs from Dean Thompson. This time, the Rookie of the Year contender delivered a historic "base hit" for the team at Rockingham Speedway.
The driver of the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra scored the first stage win in team history at Rockingham Speedway, and he kept the car clean during a chaotic final stage. He ultimately crossed the finish line in 12th place while scoring the fourth-most points in the field.
This finish moved to 11th place after post-race inspection. The No. 2 of race-winner Jesse Love failed, so NASCAR disqualified him.
"That's awesome! I didn't know it was the first stage win. That was my first stage win," Thompson told AltDriver. "That's pretty cool, though. I'm really glad to do that with them and share that experience with them. It's what I'm here for."
Dean Thompson scored the first stage win for @Team_SHR26 as he continued to gain experience in @NASCAR_Xfinity.
He isn’t where he wants to be, but he is certainly moving in the right direction. pic.twitter.com/m3ibZQgenp— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) April 19, 2025
"Proud of the team," team owner Sam Hunt told AltDriver on pit road after the race. "Dean's learning. He's doing a good job. I don't think he's finished outside the top 20 in, like, eight weeks.
"So, he's being consistent, and that was the goal for this year."
Heading into Thompson's first season with the team, Hunt told AltDriver that he had a simple goal for the rookie. He didn't need to see the No. 26 Toyota in victory lane or necessarily in the playoffs. He just needed to see consistent progress.
The season started with an eighth-place finish at Daytona, but Thompson finished 35th or worse in two of the first four races. This dropped him outside the top 20 in points. He has since rebounded with six straight finishes of 18th or better. This includes top-10s at Martinsville and Bristol.
"Our motto for him right now is just, 'Base hit after base hit after base hit," Hunt continued. "And then come Bristol, he hit a double.
"And it's like if we just focus this year on him developing and focusing on hitting those base hits, all of a sudden base hits are going to become triples, and we're going to be in a good spot."
What made Rockingham Speedway's base hit more satisfying for Hunt and his Xfinity Series team? He saw Thompson capitalize on a major opportunity.
Following a caution for Sheldon Creed and Justin Bonsignore, the majority of drivers on the lead lap headed down pit road for fuel and tires. Thompson led a contingent of seven drivers who stayed out on track to fight for stage points.
As a rookie in the Xfinity Series, Thompson did not have experience in leading a field to the green flag for a restart. This created the potential for a mistake or an ill-timed wheelspin, but he calmly went about his business.
Thompson got a strong restart and put distance between himself and Jeb Burton in second. He led the final few laps and scored his first career stage win, as well as a playoff point.
"It was great," Hunt said about Thompson's restart. "I mean, he didn't spin the tires; he got through the gears good. I mean, he looked like he really knew what he was doing, coming up to speed.
"And whether he did or not, he can probably tell you, but we're not in that position a lot. So, I was just really impressed to see him execute. And we knew once we got our car out in clean air, we were going to be good to win the stage."
Winning a stage was significant, especially considering that it pushed Thompson to 15th in the Xfinity standings. Now, he is only three spots out of the playoffs after 10 races.
Continuing to grow as an Xfinity driver and reaching the playoffs would be a major achievement for the rookie, but what really matters to Sam Hunt Racing is that he just continues to deliver those solid base hits.