Mickey Thompson was a lot of things: a racer, car builder, inventor, organizer, and promoter. And it’s fair to say that, without his influence, the automotive performance world would likely not enjoy the popularity that it does today.
From land speed racing to short-course off-roading, Mickey Thompson left a lot of footprints—particularly in the form his eponymous company, Mickey Thompson tires. And considering Thompson’s birthday is December 7, we figured now would be a good time to show you this awesome mini documentary on his life and accomplishments.
Put together by the aforementioned Mickey Thompson company and narrated by Thompson’s son Danny, it’s only about 15 minutes long and packed with interesting historical details and vintage racing footage. Check it out:
Saw the Funny with the SOHC Ford run (Danny driving). It appeared to be virtually uncontrollable, yet it mowed down the field (Brainerd), stayed in its lane and won by 1/3 of the strip. The Cammer was the last production block and heads of ANY manufacturer to win in fuel supercharged classes. After that it was all aftermarket “hemi” engines with no Chrysler parts.
Mickey Thompson (and his wife) was stolen from us WAY too soon!
I remember Danny “On The Gas” as an Indy driver but never knew that he was also a drag racer or ran Baja.
I’ve run Mickey T ET Drag and ET Front Runners exclusively since I started racing (legally) in the late 80s. It’s too bad that the old Baja Belted tires aren’t available anymore. They were the best snow tires I’ve ever had for the Northwest Ohio winters that I drive through every year.