Johnny Thomson

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Johnny Thomson (born April 9, 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts – died September 24, 1960 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) was an American racecar driver. Thomson was nicknamed "the Flying Scot."

Contents

[edit] Midget cars

Thomson won the 1948 UCOA New England title after winning 32 midget events. He won his second UCOA title in 1950.

He won the 1952 AAA Eastern division Midget championship.

[edit] Championship cars

He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1953-1960 seasons with 69 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in each season. He finished in the top ten 43 times, with 7 victories. His best Indy finish was third in 1959. Roy Sherman, the first National Midget Champion, was his chief mechanic for several Indy 500s.[1]

He was the first driver to win a 100 mile dirt track race in less than an hour at Langhorne, Pennsylvania. His champ car's average speed was 100.174 miles per hour.[1]

[edit] Sprint cars

Thomson was the 1958 USAC Sprint Car Series champion. He won the Eastern Sprint Car championship in 1954.

He died at a sprint car event at the 1960 edition of the Allentown Fair when his car crashed through the fence and flipped into the infield.[1] The track is no longer there and car racing has long since been discontinued.

[edit] Career awards

[edit] Trivia

  • Johnny was a contestant on Bud Collyer's "Beat The Clock".

[edit] Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1953 56 33 135.262 33 32 6 0 Ignition
1954 43 4 138.787 12 24 165 0 Stalled
1955 44 33 134.113 33 4 200 0 Running
1956 88 18 145.549 2 32 22 0 Spun FS
1957 10 11 143.529 4 12 199 5 Flagged
1958 7 22 142.908 20 23 52 0 Steering
1959 3 1 145.908 1 3 200 40 Running
1960 3 17 146.443 3 5 200 10 Running
Totals 1044 55
Starts 8
Poles 1
Front Row 1
Wins 0
Top 5 3
Top 10 3
Retired 4

[edit] World Championship career summary

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Johnny Thomson participated in 8 World Championship races. He started on the pole once, set 1 fastest lead lap, and finished on the podium once, accumulating a total of 10 World Championship points.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
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