Mickey Thompson

   As an American off-road legend, Mickey Thompson revolutionized the world of racing and the aftermarket industry. From Mickey's efforts to get S.C.O.R.E. off the ground, to his love affair with drag racing and land speed racing, he has been at the forefront of racing on many levels. Mickey just thought differently; where others saw road blocks, Mickey saw opportunity to change the game. If he couldn’t find the right speed parts for his application, he simply made a prototype, ran it on his cars and if it was successful, he would manufactured them, made them available for purchase to everyone and used the money to fuel his next endeavor.
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   Mickey had a very high IQ level that was only matched by his determination to succeed at whatever he did. Without his early efforts in racing many of the sports would not have progressed at the rate they did. Mickey was a great marketer, designer, visionary, innovator, husband and father wrapped up in one. With Trudy by his side almost every day, he would push himself and his family to greatness, until his partner in the business decided he wanted the business for himself and decided Mickey and his wife would have to be truly silent partners in the growing business. Mickey and Trudy were killed in March of 1988 by Michael Goodwin at their California home. Michael Goodwin was Mickey's partner in the business and didn’t stand trial until 13 years after they were shot and killed by him.

   Just a few of Mickey’s achievements before he was taken from us in 1988.

• He is credited with designing and building the first slingshot dragster in 1954
• Mickey became manager at Lions Drag Strip near Long Beach in 1955
• Mickey broke John Cobb's Bonneville Record at 406.60 MPH in 1960 in Challenger 1
• Mickey campaigned 3 cars at Indy 500 in 1962, built by John Crosthwaite campaigning the first rear engine cars at Indy with stock Buick engines driven by Dan Gurney.
• In 1963 Mickey returns to Indy with 3 new cars built by Harvey called the Harvey Aluminum Special “Roller Skate Car” and the two previous cars with new engines. These cars changed the rules forever at Indy after running!
• With huge success in tires, Mickey started Mickey Thompson Performance Tires in 1963.
• In 1964 he returned to Indy with the 3 Harvey Specials with only two finishing but the cars were an instant favorite of the fans.
• In 1965 Mickey’s book, “Challenger: Mickey Thompsons Life of Speed,” was published.
• Thompson redesigned the Funny Car in 1968 and went on to win the 1969 NHRA Spring Nationals

• Mickey founded SCORE International in 1973, a sanctioning body to oversee off-road racing across North America. Later Mickey and Trudy would form Mickey Thompson Entertainment.
• In 1990, Thompson was elected posthumously to both the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000, Thompson was ranked No. 11.
• Inducted posthumously to the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2009.

​   Mickey Thompson isn’t just an ordinary name in the automotive industry. Mickey was a businessman, a visionary, a promoter, engine builder, inventor, fabricator, driver, a husband and most importantly a dad. He pushed himself to be the best he could be at everything he tried. That legacy is rich in history and technology he shared with all of us through his vast array of racing adventures and car parts he designed and sold to help support his racing.
Thompson's racing experience began on the streets, but he quickly took his love of racing to the dry lakebeds nearby, and later to the Bonneville Salt Flats. In 1954, Thompson was the first to develop what is now known as a "sling-shot" dragster - a racing chassis that placed the driver behind the rear axle and coupled the engine and transmission directly to the differential of the vehicle.

• Now known as the Speed King after setting the land speed record at 400 mph in 1968, Thompson and a team of fabricators built the Challenger II with the goal of exceeding his existing land speed record.
• Thompson devoted himself to drag racing and it expanded to off-road racing in the 1970s.
• Thompson founded SCORE International in the early 70’s and began building his own versions of off-road sprint cars for his indoor stadium off-road racing series.
• Mickey Thompson held 485 national and international speed and endurance records at the time of his passing in 1988 along with his wife Trudy.
• Mickey Thompson was born Dec. 7, 1928. He bought his first car at age 14, and rebuilt several cars before he was old enough to drive.
• Mickey and his team developed lots of products for his company with many of them still in production today. His innovations in tire technology for on- and off-road are legendary. His Sportsman Pro tires are so famous they were inducted into Hot Rod Magazine's Speed Parts Hall of Fame in 2011.
• Mickey’s son Danny Thompson is rebuilding the Challenger 2 to create the Challenger 2.5 in hopes of exceeding his father's existing land speed record.
• Today, Mickey Thompson's tire division is owned by Cooper Tire and has introduced numerous award-winning new tires and wheels for street, strip, truck, off-road and motorcycle.