Johnny Thomson

Johnny Thomson (April 9, 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts – September 24, 1960 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) was an American racecar driver. Thomson was nicknamed "the Flying Scot."[1]

This article is about the American racecar driver. For the Danish footballer, see Johnny Thomsen. For the illusionist and comedian, see Johnny Thompson.

Johnny Thomson

Born	(1922-04-09)April 9, 1922 Lowell, Massachusetts
Died	September 24, 1960(1960-09-24) (aged 38) Allentown, Pennsylvania
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	American
Active years	1953–1960
Entries	8
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	1
Career points	10
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	1
First entry	1953 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1960 Indianapolis 500

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 car championship.

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.[2]

He was the first driver to win a 100-mile (160 km) dirt track race in less than an hour at Langhorne, Pennsylvania. His champ car's average speed was 100.174 miles per hour.[2]

Sprint cars

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

In 1960, Thomson died at a sprint car event at the Great Allentown Fair when his car crashed through the fence and flipped into the infield.[2]

Career awards

Thomson was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1997.

Trivia

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

Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Pos	Points
1953	INDY 32	MIL 13	SPR	DET	SPR	MIL	DUQ	PIK	SYR	ISF	SAC	PHX		-	0
1954	INDY 24	MIL DNS	LAN	DAR DNQ	SPR	MIL	DUQ	PIK	SYR 9	ISF	SAC	PHX	LVG	43rd	40
1955	INDY 4	MIL 1	LAN 15	SPR	MIL	DUQ	PIK	SYR 5	ISF 2	SAC 2	PHX 2			3rd	1.380
1956	INDY 32	MIL 2	LAN 18	DAR 9	ATL 3	SPR 10	MIL 14	DUQ 2	SYR 3	ISF 16	SAC DNP	PHX		10th	710
1957	INDY 12	LAN 1	MIL 2	DET 18	ATL 17	SPR 14	MIL 4	DUQ 2	SYR 3	ISF 17	TRE 2	SAC 14	PHX	7th	1.110
1958	TRE 3	INDY 23	MIL 4	LAN 18	ATL 3	SPR 1	MIL 22	DUQ 1	SYR 1	ISF 2	TRE 2	SAC 1	PHX 14	3rd	1.520
1959	DAY 7	TRE 20	INDY 3	MIL 1	LAN DNQ	SPR 4	MIL 2	DUQ 16	SYR 16	ISF Wth	TRE	SAC	PHX	3rd	1.400
1960	TRE 20	INDY 5	MIL 18	LAN DNQ	SPR 9	MIL 23	DUQ 9	SYR 4	ISF 5	TRE	SAC	PHX		7th	800

Indianapolis 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 3rd 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

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.

References

1. "Johnny Thomson - United States". Drivers. ESPN. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
2. Biography Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame

External links

• Johnny Thomson at Find a Grave