The 1962 Harvey Aluminium Special Indianapolis 500 car with Thompson (in car), a Harvey representative (on left), and John Crosthwaite (on right)
Born
Michael Lee Thompson
(1928-12-07)December 7, 1928
Alhambra, California, United States
Died
March 16, 1988(1988-03-16) (aged 59)
Bradbury, California, U.S.
Cause of death
Murder
Occupation
Race car driver
Known for
First American to break the 400 mph barrier
Spouse
Trudy Thompson
Children
Danny Thompson
Michael Lee "Mickey" Thompson (December 7, 1928 – March 16, 1988) was an American auto racing builder and promoter.
A hot rodder since his youth, Thompson increasingly pursued land speed records in his late 20s and early 30s.[1] He achieved international fame in 1960, when he became the first American to break the 400-mph barrier, driving his Challenger 1 to a one-way top speed of 406.60 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats and surpassing John Cobb's one-way world record mark of 402 mph.
Thompson then turned to racing, winning many track and dragster championships. In the 1960s, he also entered cars at the Indianapolis 500. Later, he formed off-road racing sanctioning bodies SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG).
In 1988, Thompson and his wife Trudy were gunned down at their home in Bradbury, California. The crime remained unsolved until 2007, when a former business partner was convicted of the murders.[2]
^"The Hottest Hot Rodder in the World." Popular Science, December 1959, pp. 95-98/218.
^"Guilty verdict in Thompson murder case - latimes". Articles.latimes.com. 2007-01-05. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
Lee "Mickey" Thompson (December 7, 1928 – March 16, 1988) was an American auto racing builder and promoter. A hot rodder since his youth, Thompson increasingly...
The MickeyThompson Entertainment Group (MTEG) was a sanctioning body for an American short course off-road racing series that took place inside stadiums...
a two-year contract with MickeyThompson to run the 1964 and 1965 Indianapolis 500s. MacDonald was to drive one of Thompson's radical low profile rear-engine...
Crosthwaite worked with Cooper Cars, Colin Chapman at Team Lotus and MickeyThompson as well as drivers Graham Hill, Dan Gurney and Jackie Stewart. He designed...
pitcher Mike Thompson (American football) (born 1971), former defensive tackle MickeyThompson (1928–1988), American off-road racer Mike Thompson (umpire)...
Granite Hills High School he competed in off-road series. He raced in MickeyThompson Entertainment Group (MTEG), Short-course Off-road Drivers Association...
MacDonald was driving a car owned and designed by MickeyThompson, the #83 "Sears-Allstate Special". Thompson had requested USAC officials to visit his shop...
cover the 1968 event. It attracted new participants like the late MickeyThompson, Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones, movie actor James Garner, and Mary...
boost, which produce more than 900 horsepower (671.1 kW), and runs on MickeyThompson tires. While pursuing the land-speed record, the Ack Attack experienced...
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behind the drive axle. (A similar design was built that same year by MickeyThompson.) This was the legendary slingshot dragster with which Big Daddy would...
seventh championship in 2009. Gordon also won two championships in the MickeyThompson stadium series, three Baja 500 in 1989, 1990, and 2005, and three Baja...
time. This would go under the Mustang Mach Is of Danny Ongais and MickeyThompson. Similar chassis would be built by Logghe, Scrima, Buttera, Woody Gilmore...
Ford before doing stadium off-road racing in the United States in the MickeyThompson Entertainment Group (MTEG). He then began sports car racing, winning...
racing sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing. Founded by MickeyThompson in 1973, SCORE International was purchased from Sal Fish in late 2012...
) Mid America Off Road Association (MAORA) Stadium Off Road Racing MickeyThompson Off-Road Grand Prix (1983–1995) Stadium Super Trucks (2013–) USHRA/...
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We Have a War. Burgess Publishing, 1993. Thompson, Mickey and Griffith Borgeson. Challenger: MickeyThompson's Own Story of His Life of Speed. Englewood...
Taka (1925–2023), actress Felicia Tang (1977–2009), actress and model MickeyThompson (1928–1988), racing driver Joseph Tommasi (1951–1975), American Nazi...
1990s, the short course was extended to racing inside stadiums in the MickeyThompson Entertainment Group; this format was revived by Robby Gordon in 2013...
Mexican 1000 Rally and was driven by Cliff Coleman, Johnny Diaz, and MickeyThompson and others during its racing career; said to be the first truck specifically...
Wilson (#8) Dave MacDonald was driving a car owned and designed by MickeyThompson, the #83 Sears-Allstate Special. It was a rear-engined car that first...
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