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.”
I was able to shadow Dean Thompson during one of his training sessions for a story. A small look at some of his drills. pic.twitter.com/mnip1uppQB
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) November 23, 2023
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 gas in like 30 seconds, right? So we worked on that. Pick and choose your shots. You don’t have to throw everything hard. And relax.
“So those are the things we’re working on now. It’s good for him, and again, those things will work in the car too — learning to relax when you’re under pressure. All of those things, they overlap.”
This kickboxing training is not a new love for Thompson. It’s one that he reignited this February.
“I’ve always watched UFC and boxing, so when I got the opportunity to do that at the gym, I was pretty pumped about it,” Thompson said. “I’ve done some in California, up at Beneil Dariush’s place, Kings MMA. But then I kind of stopped that when I moved (to North Carolina).”
Dariush is a lightweight in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) with a record of 22 wins, five losses and one draw.
Thompson has added the unique training back to his routine and has set aside two to three days each week for sessions with Kinchen as he prepares for his first kickboxing match. This was made possible through Toyota Racing’s partnership with Kinchen Martial Arts Academy, one that has been in place for multiple years.
The drivers in the pipeline have the ability to train with Kinchen. Some have shied away due to bad experiences fighting in the real world. Others have embraced kickboxing and the ability to test themselves.
Kickboxing presents a different method of conditioning so that the drivers aren’t solely running on the treadmill, rowing, or doing intense drills on the air bike. Kickboxing also provides other benefits outside of the race car.
“(This training) opened up this whole world of skills that they learned from (Cliff),” Caitlin Quinn, Director of Performance at the Toyota Performance Center, told NBC Sports.
“He teaches in a very real world, self-defense type way. With great power comes great responsibility. ‘Here’s the things I’m going to teach you and here’s what happens in the real world.’”
With great power comes great responsibility — a saying attributed to Winston Churchill, Stan Lee and Ben Parker from the Spider-Man comic books — is not used lightly when discussing Kinchen’s lessons.
These drivers have a responsibility to carry themselves professionally. Kinchen isn’t teaching them to go out and pick fights at the track, but he is showing them how to carry themselves out in the real world if something were to happen.
Quinn has seen drivers avoid altercations after working with Kinchen.
“Based on what (Cliff) teaches and what you learned and the confidence that you build, a lot of times it’ll turn into ‘we don’t need to go down this road because I know how to handle myself. We’re not doing this,’” Quinn said.
Thompson regularly posts videos of training sessions with Kinchen on social media. This also helps him prevent post-race altercations before heading to the track.
“(The videos) are for drivers to get an idea of, ‘okay, this guy trains,’” Thompson said. “I’m not in the business of fighting after the race. So if I can prevent a fight, I will.”
Preventing fights was not the only benefit. Thompson also saw the positive effects of this training during a frustrating Truck Series season where he had 10 DNFs in 23 races.
Thompson recognized the moments when training under fatigue at Kinchen helped him be more aware behind the wheel, even when exhausted. The training helped him remain calm when his heart was racing after a close call on the track.
“I think mentality is just as important as talent when it comes to driving,” Thompson said. “You see the best guys out there, they have the best mentality. I think mentality and what I get from kickboxing and what I get from the season before is just as important as simulator time or laps on the track.”
Thompson is not the only avid participant at Kinchen. Harrison Burton was during his time with Toyota. The list of drivers has also included Austin Hill, Daniel Suarez, Isabella Robusto, Toni Breidinger and Jade Avedisian among others.
The list fluctuates based on which drivers are in the Toyota pipeline each season. The Toyota Performance Center moving from Cornelius to Mooresville affected attendance because the drivers could no longer walk across the parking lot to take part in a session.
Several drivers still choose to make the longer trip. Thompson, in particular, sees the benefit on the track. He also enjoys having a hobby that correlates to his chosen career path instead of one that just helps him pass the time.
“I’m not really a golf guy,” Thompson said. “Golf is just too slow-paced for me. And my ADHD doesn’t allow me to love golf.”
Thompson’s current training focus is his first kickboxing match. Win or lose, he will continue to work with Kinchen after Dec. 9 and as he embraces a “second chance” to find success with Tricon Garage.
“The year we’ve had, it’s really kind of the elephant in the room,” Thompson said. "... I don’t feel like I was able to really fully prove myself and my abilities this year, so to get a second chance and for Tricon to still believe in me is pretty big.”