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    Alfred Speedy Thompson NASCAR Legend
    Alfred Speedy Thompson NASCAR Legend
    Alfred Speedy Thompson NASCAR Legend
    Ebook58 pages47 minutes

    Alfred Speedy Thompson NASCAR Legend

    By Robert Grey Reynolds, Jr

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    Alfred Speedy Thompson was one of the most popular and successful drivers of NASCAR's early days. This was a time when there were 40+ races annually and the majority of the events were raced on dirt tracks in Raleigh, Columbia, Montgomery, Langhorne, and the beach course in Daytona, Florida. Speedy, from Monroe, NC, was the son of a former driver and the brother of a racer who competed mostly in the convertible series of NASCAR. Speedy won 20 Grand National races and placed in the top 5 and 10 of many others during a career that spanned 1948-1962. Thompson drove mostly for Chrysler and Chevrolet, teaming with 3-time NASCAR champ Buck Baker as a Chevy factory driver until the General Motors' make quit manufacturing cars for the sport. After this Thompson and Baker took control of the factory cars and did nicely managing them on their own.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRobert Grey Reynolds, Jr
    Release dateJun 30, 2015
    ISBN9781311736208
    Alfred Speedy Thompson NASCAR Legend
    Author

    Robert Grey Reynolds, Jr

    I am a soon to be retired Duke Medical Center library researcher, who enjoys writing. I have been writing on Wikipedia for years and have begun to writeebooks. My pastimes include selling books on EBay, genealogical research, baseball (Pittsburgh Pirates), collecting antique furniture and coins, and spending time with Kingsley, my cocker spaniel.

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      Book preview

      Alfred Speedy Thompson NASCAR Legend - Robert Grey Reynolds, Jr

      Alfred Speedy Thompson

      Published by Robert Grey Reynolds Jr. at Smashwords

      Copyright 2015 by Robert Grey Reynolds Jr.

      Speedy Thompson was a popular and successful Grand National driver of NASCAR late model stock cars in the 1950s. He made 198 starts and won twenty races from 1950-1971. He had 78 top five finishes, 106 top tens, and won 19 pole positions for races. Driving for Carl Kiekhaefer, from 1956-1959, Thompson finished no lower than third in the final NASCAR standings.

      Speedy began racing roadsters in 1946 then switched to modified cars in 1948. He concentrated on Grand National Stock Car Racing starting in 1950.

      Speedy Thompson was the son of Franklin Bruce Thompson (1902-1961) and Colen Austin (1904-1984). His brother was James F. Jim Thompson (1924-1964). Speedy married Jewell Tysinger. When he was 18 Thompson worked with his dad at Monroe Welding Shop. He lived at 413 Wadesboro Avenue in Monroe.

      Alfred Bruce Speedy Thompson (April 3, 1926-April 2, 1972) raced at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, North Carolina on Sunday afternoon, June 11, 1950. The Monroe, Union County, NC native finished just a few feet in front of his brother Jim, 25, to take first place in the main event.

      Driving car number 25-A Thompson took the lead from Greensboro's Jimmy Llelewlyn when his car lost a wheel on lap 36. Llelewlyn was holding a one lap lead over the field at the time. The front wheel of Lelewlyn's car came off in the north turn, forcing him to exit the race.

      Ted Swain, 27, of Winston-Salem, finished third and Richard Tidmore of Charlotte, 22, placed fourth. 17 cars started the final event with seven of them having to leave because of crashes or engine trouble before forty laps had been completed.

      Bill Hemphill of Charleston, South Carolina drove his #88 into a car driven by Flash Edwards of Whiteville, NC. Hemphill's car jumped a rail before it plunged across a guy wire. It came to rest on top of a wrecker that was parked inside the rail. Hemphill's car was demolished but he was uninjured. In the first heat Jimmy Thompson came in ahead of his brother and Jimmy Llewelyn took third.

      Speedy Thompson finished two miles behind race winner Dick Rathmann (January 6, 1924-February 1, 2000) before a crowd of 18,000 at Langhorne Speedway in Pennsylvania on Sunday, September 20, 1953. Rathman drove what was described as possibly the greatest race of his career to win the 250-mile Grand National stock car championship race. The 27-year-old mechanic won with a record time of 3 hours, 43 minutes, 43.52 seconds. This eclipsed a record established by Lee Petty of 3 hours, 55 minutes, 40.16 seconds. Petty set it the year before.

      Rathmann beat second finisher Herb Thomas of Olivia, NC by one mile and thirteen seconds. Jim Reed (born February 21, 1926) of Peekskill, New York and James Roy Jim Paschal, Jr. (December 5, 1926-July 5, 2004) of High Point, NC were fourth and fifth respectively.

      The field of 41 cars was slowed four times on the mile dirt track. Rathmann, of Los Angeles, California, was the winner of the International 200-mile race held earlier at Langhorne. He took home a large share of the $10,000 prize money on September 20th.

      Herbert Watson Herb Thomas (April 6, 1923-August 9, 2000) almost assured himself of winning the NASCAR point championship with his second place finish. He led during the early part of the race, starting from pole position. Thomas held first place until lap 23 when Rathmann caught him. Rathmann led from there until lap 41 when he had to go into the pits. Thomas regained the lead on the following mile.

      Rathmann fell to 9th position following the pit stop with Speedy Thompson rising to 2nd place. Speedy finally caught Herb Thomas on the 61st lap. Thompson and Thomas had lapped the entire field by

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