Tommy Thompson (racing driver)

Tommy Thompson
Nationality	American
Born	Thomas V. Thompson January 16, 1943 New York City, New York
Died	September 28, 1978 (aged 35) Trenton, New Jersey
Retired	1978
USAC Mini-Indy Series
Years active	1977-1978
Teams	Black American Racers
Starts	6
Wins	0
Poles	0
Best finish	15th in 1978

Tommy Thompson (16 January 1943 - 28 September 1978) was an American racing driver of Afro-American descent. Thompson competed in various racing series most notably in the SCCA Formula Super Vee and USAC Mini-Indy Series.

History

Tommy Thompson, Leonard W. Miller and Ron Hines at the Milwaukee Mile, September 1978

Tommy Thompson first appeared in Formula Super Vee in 1976. De New Yorker competed in the SCCA US Formula Super Vee. Thompson was an engineer and driver for the Black American Racers Association. Thompson ended 25th in the championship scoring three points.^[1] In 1976 Thompson participated in the 1976 SCCA National Championship Runoffs in the Formula Super Vee class. At Road Atlanta the New Yorker failed to finish in his Lola T324. Thompson returned to the Runoffs in 1977 finishing seventh.^[2]

For 1977 Thompson race again in various Formula Super Vee championships. He won the SCCA NorthEast Division Formula Super Vee championship. In the USAC Mini-Indy Series Thompson competed at Trenton International Speedway failing to finish. He returned to the series in 1978. The Afro-American driver scored his best finish at Mosport Park where he was placed seventh. However the season came to a dramatic end for Thompson.

Thompson participated in the ninth round of the championship at Trenton International Speedway. On the final lap of the 42-lap race one of the other competitor slowed down. John Barringer had to swerve to avoid contact. However Barringer hit Thompson. Barringer's left front wheel and Thompsons right rear wheel became locked. Both cars hit the wall head-on. Thompsons car was launched over the wall. Both Barringer and Thompson were transported to St. Francis Medical Center. Thompson succumbed to his injuries on 28 September.^[3]

Thompson is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Rockland County, New York.^[4]

Racing record

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Year	Track	Car	Engine	Class	Finish	Start	Status
1976	Road Atlanta	Lola T324	Volkswagen	Formula Super Vee	11	10	Not running
1977	Road Atlanta	Lola T324	Volkswagen	Formula Super Vee	7	9	Running

Complete USAC Mini-Indy Series results

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pos	Points
1977	Black American Racers	TRE 21	MIL	MOS	PIR							-	-
1978	Black American Racers	PIR1 8	TRE1	MOS 7	MIL1 9	TEX	MIL2	OMS1 9	OMS2 8	TRE2 14	PIR2	15th	245

References

1. "1976 SCCA U. S. Formula Super Vee Championship". ChampCarStats.com. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
2. "SCCA RUNOFFS DRIVER HISTORIES" (PDF). SCCA. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
3. "Race driver succumbs to N.J. crash injuries". Baltimore Afro-American. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
4. "Thomas V. "Tommy" Thompson". Find A Grave. Retrieved 25 July 2015.