April 9, 1922 - September 24, 1960
Johnny Thomson
(Photo;public.fotki.com)
Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA.
Thomson was nicknamed "the Flying Scot." He 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. He won the Eastern Sprint Car championship in 1954. He was the 1958 USAC Sprint Car Series champion.
Thomson 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, after starting on the pole and setting the fastest lap. Roy Sherman, the first National Midget Champion, was his chief mechanic for several Indy 500s.
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.
In 1960, Thomson died at a sprint car event at the Great Allentown Fair in Allentown, Pennsylvania when his car crashed through the fence and flipped into the infield.
Thomson was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1997.
This Day In Motorsport History - Home Page
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