Sam Hunt Racing and Dean Thompson Align with Oregon State University for Home-State Pacific Office Automation 147

Sam Hunt Racing and Dean Thompson Align with Oregon State University for Home-State Pacific Office Automation 147

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 25, 2025) – Sam Hunt Racing is proud to welcome Oregon State University (OSU) as the primary partner for Dean Thompson and the No. 26 OSU / Thompson Pipe Group GR Supra in the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) event at Portland International Raceway. Set for Saturday, August 30, the Pacific Office Automation 147 marks the fourth annual running of the race in the Pacific Northwest, and is the only standalone NXS event in the region—driving deep local engagement and university pride.

Oregon State’s distinctive Beavers branding will adorn Thompson’s car, reinforcing a message of academic excellence, innovation, and regional connection. As the only NXS stop in Oregon, the event offers an authentic intersection of motorsports, higher education, and local fandom.

“As Oregon’s statewide university, we’re proud to help welcome NASCAR back to Portland and share our pride with the many Beaver Nation NASCAR fans,” said Rob Odom, Vice President of University Relations & Marketing for Oregon State University. 

Thompson, who is making his track debut in front of OSU’s home crowd, is equally motivated.

“I’m excited to race at Portland for the first time and to give the hometown crowd someone to root for with the OSU Beavers on the hood of our GR Supra,” said Dean Thompson.”We’ve really advanced on road courses throughout the year, and I look forward to racing hard for the local fanbase and OSU supporters to bring home a great result. It’ll be a great experience visiting the university on Friday, bringing the NASCAR world to the doorstep of Beaver Nation.”

Trackside excitement builds through the weekend's practice and qualifying before the green flag waves on Saturday, August 30, with live coverage on The CW and radio broadcasts via MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90).

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About Oregon State University
As one of only three land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the nation, Oregon State serves Oregon and the world by working on today’s most pressing issues. Our nearly 38,000 students come from across the globe, and our programs operate in every Oregon county. Oregon State receives more research funding than all the state’s comprehensive public universities combined. At our campuses in Corvallis and Bend, marine research center in Newport, OSU Portland Center and award-winning Ecampus, we excel at shaping today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.

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