Mickey Thompson is a legend in American motorsport and hot rodding. The NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum is currently exhibiting a collection of Thompson’s lifelong achievement through photographs, memorabilia, and the very machines that broke the records. To get an idea of who Mickey Thompson the man was, consider that while holding down a full-time job as a Pressman at the Los Angeles Times, he also founded the iconic Lion’s Drag Strip, started a successful speed equipment manufacturing business, and ran flat out on drag strips and dry lakes to the tune of 400 MPH in racing machines he assembled in his own home garage. And those were just a few of his accomplishments. A five-year involvement in Indy racing with the likes of Dan Gurney and the creation of indoor stadium off-road racing as we know it today are a few more of Thompson’s innovations in motorsport.
We also have it on good authority that Mickey Thompson owned and drove a Chrysler Conquest (aka Mitsubishi Starion) with alarming regularity. According to our source on the inside Doug Stokes, the Conquest was one of Thompson’s favorite cars. Tragedy unfortunately put an end to more conquests. Thompson would have undoubtedly continued in achievement and broken more records if he had not been murdered along with his wife in 1988 by a former business partner. If you want to learn more about Mickey Thompson from his contemporaries, head on out to Pomona this weekend for a panel discussion on the man and the legend. Guest speakers include son Danny Thompson, SoCal Speed Shop and hot rod legend Alex Xydias, Tom Jobe of the Surfers Top Fuel Dragster team, Gale Banks of Banks Engineering, and Danny’s Mom Judy Thompson Creach. If you can’t make the museum or the panel discussion, here are a few photos from the exhibit to try to convince you otherwise.
The Mickey Thompson: First American to 400 MPH exhibit is on display at the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum through October 2010. Tickets to the Mickey Thompson Panel Discussion are $20, with all proceeds to benefit the Museum. The discussion runs from 2-4PM on Saturday, May 15th 2010. For more information contact the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum or call 909-622-2133.
Mickey Thompson Exhibit at the NHRA Wally Parks Motorsports Museum
