Hi Danny, my name is Jay, my dad left his job as shop foreman for jahns pistons to make the pistons for the Challenger 1 and went to Bonneville when he broke the record he had nothing but respect for both your dad, and fritz.
I remember in the 70’s when the major funny car teams were sponsored by the military branches. Don “the Snake” Prudhomne had the Army, Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen had the Navy, Mickey Thompson had the Marines
Hey Danny I think you and I played together in the pits back in the 60's! ..Your pop and my Pop ( General Jerry Lee ) were friends, my pop bought a couple FORD 427 SOHC motors from your dad...Those motors had to many runs on them for your pops funny cars, But they worked Great in my pop's Wheelstander!..My pop added a bigger fuel tank and went to Bonniville and rode a 20 mile wheelie and that record stands to this day as far as I know!.. Those were the days Bro!
My mother was Judy Thompson best friend from elementary school through all those years until mom passed away, many visits to their home saw many of Micky's cars and the Challenger l ... just remember both of them as very nice and enjoyable people. Glad to see this program after so many years just as I remembered them. Its also nice to see Danny again, last time early 90s at Candlestick Park doing his offroad racing... Thompsons have racing in their blood.
DT... that was so freaking cool... it was really one of the honors of my life to get to know your dad (and tour his garage with you!) what a great tribute!!
There is more "innovated racing designs" that the late, great Mickey Thompson developed than the average car racing fan probably knows. I remember well his few attempts at Indianapolis Car racing in the 60's with '63 and the infamous '64 "500". I liked the 1964 design model...And yes...had it been with better design tires and the Firestone name on that year...the car may have done well enough for a Top Ten finish with sports car driver, Dave Macdonald at the helm. The drag racing years, let alone Mickey's attempts at Bonneville will always be among the good memories of a man who was an innovator in the field of auto racing greats. Good documentary to watch. Thanks!
Before the MTEG Series they also did the yearly SCORE Off Road World Championship, first at Riverside Raceway and later at PIR. Great races and Mickey was always hands on, even working to push water off a particular turn at Riverside one of the later years. I know the Off Road world misses Mickey. I was a new driving teen ager when he made the 406+mph one way at Bonneville and we all (at the time) were heavily into automobile sports. It was a real honor to meet him later in life when Sal Fish introduced me to him at Riverside.
Man just come across this video im a gear head myself and I didn't know anything about M/T just they made tires and some other automotive parts..Super kewl video!!!
the poster behind him , from the 57 chevy bel air funny car from tom ,, the goose,, mcewan from the hotrod magazine is cool ! kinda cool to see that even the big legends read the same newspapers as the little crazy ones !
I had no idea that he was anywhere near the innovator that he was and i knew that Mickey was a tremendous innovator. That's kind of how It and him was. The guys in that era refined the core ideas when drag racing and then off -road. I just had no idea that he is credited with so many inventive ideas and business savvy, drag racing prowess, Indy Car fame,and the way he had a variety of cars. Some with sawed off cylinder banks and run as slant 4 which he had in a dragster. Obviously a "true hot rodder" defines Mickey Thompson. Prominent in a massive way to the advancements in auto racing in so many ways from tires, safety, data gathering accuracy. I have to stop trying to credit him with so much and just be damn glad Mickey was there to show us not only how it's done but how to do it...and do it better.
As one who went to Lions Drag strip when Mickey Thompson was running it, I was really hoping to get some info and maybe even see a clip of the 4 pontiac 4 wheel drive dragster Mickey built. I saw that car run a few times and Wow! I can find nothing on it now. I am 77 and grew up in Long Beach, and would love to see a bit of video on that car!
All Mickey's accomplishments, innovations crammed in to half a lifetime then murdered!!! If his & Danny's life story don't have Hollywood major movie written all over......
I'll never understand why Danny always says "got four Pontiac engines out of a junkyard" . M/T was sponsored by Pontiac starting in 1959, and that contract continued through to around 1963 or 1964.
Danny forgot one Mickeys greatest accomplishments, I think, was setting almost every FIA standing start record, in almost every class - that is a real part of the Mickey Thompson Story ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1xglRa5WNrU.html
It is unfortunate that this man must be defined by his end. It is unconscionable that his killers go free. At least their employer is incarcerated. Stupid.
