Speedy Thompson

Alfred Bruce "Speedy" Thompson (April 3, 1926, in Monroe, North Carolina – April 2, 1972, in Charlotte, North Carolina) was an American stock car racer in the NASCAR Grand National series from 1950 to 1971, capturing 20 wins along the way.

Alfred "Speedy" Thompson
Speedy Thompson is adoring his fans after winning the 1960 National 400 in Charlotte
Born(1926-04-03)April 3, 1926
Monroe, North Carolina
DiedApril 2, 1972(1972-04-02) (aged 45)
Charlotte, North Carolina
Cause of deathHeart attack resulting in racing crash
AwardsInducted in the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame and Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame
NASCAR Cup Series career
197 races run over 14 years
Best finish3rd (1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959)
First race1950 Vernon Fairgrounds race
Last race1971 World 600 (Charlotte)
First win1953 Central City Speedway race
Last win1960 Capital City 200 (Richmond)
Wins Top tens Poles
20 105 19

Racing career

He made his debut in 1950 and won two of the seven races he competed in 1953 in the #46 Buckshot Morris Oldsmobile (including the 1953 Wilkes 160). Thompson made 15 starts in 1955 and made a serious attack on the Championship the next year, competing in 42 races in Carl Kiekhaefer's factory-backed Chryslers and Dodges, winning eight times and finishing third in points. 1957 saw a switch to Hugh Babb's and his own Chevrolet's and another third-place result, capturing only two victories that year. Speedy drove his own Chevy for the entire 1958 season, and another third place was the reward for his four victories in 38 starts.

In 1957, he set the 500-mile speed record for stock cars with an average speed of 100.1 mph.[1] This record was quickly broken by other drivers and by Speedy himself. In 1959 he became a charter member of the "Pure Record Club" along with Fireball Roberts, Elmo Langley, and Richard Petty who set the fastest qualifying speed in each make of automobile competing.[2]

Another third place in points came in 1959 from 29 starts in a variety of different cars, this time with no wins. 1959 would be his last full-time effort in the series (participating in 24 different racing events including the 1959 Hickory 250) and he left Grand National after the 1962 season, choosing to race at late models at local North Carolina short tracks. He returned to NASCAR's top series, then called the Winston Cup, in 1971 for the World 600 where he finished 16th.

Death

During a late model race on Easter Sunday, April 2, 1972, at Metrolina Fairgrounds in Charlotte, Thompson had a seizure on the 21st lap, causing him to crash into a rail. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, one day before his 46th birthday.[3][4] The medical examiner said that he died of natural causes, an acute coronary occlusion.

Career results

Grand National Series
NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year Team/Owner No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 NGCS Pts. Ref.
1950 Bruce Thompson n/a Plymouth DAB CLT LAN MAR CAN VER DSP MCF CLT HBO DSP HAM DAR LAN NWS VER

21

 MAR WIN HBO n/a n/a
1951 Leland Colvin 25 Oldsmobile DAB

17

 75th 120
Plymouth CLT

30
n/a n/a Studebaker NMO GAR HBO ASF NWS MAR CAN CLS CLB DSP GAR GRS BAI HEI AWS

5

 MCF ALS MSF FMS MOR ABS DAR CLB CCS LAN CLT DSP WIL HBO TPN PGS MAR OAK NWS HMS JSP ATL GAR NMO
1952 Bruce Root 21 Ford PBS DAB JSP NWS MAR CLB ATL CCS LAN DAR

19

 37th 656
Sam Knox 51 DSP CAN HAY FMS HBO CLT MSF NIF OSW MON MOR PPS MCF AWS DAR

14

 CCS LAN DSP WIL HBO MAR NWS ATL PBS
1953 Buckshot Morris 12 Oldsmobile PBS DAB HAR NWS CLT RCH CCS LAN CLB HCY MAR PMS RSP

2

 LOU FFS LAN TCS WIL

6

 MCF PIF MOR ATL RVS LCF DAV HBO AWS PAS HCY DAR CCS

1

 11th 2,958
Bob Pronger 46 DAR

7
Buckshot Morris LAN

3

 BLF WIL

2

 NWS

1

 MAR ATL
1954 12 PBS DAB

20

 JSP ATL OSP OAK NWS HBO CCS LAN WIL MAR SHA RSP

27

 CLT GAR CLB

4

 LND HCY

9

 MCF WGS PIF

21

 AWS

18

 SFS GRS MOR OAK CLT SAN COR 23rd 1,480
Buick DAR

10

 CCS CLT LAN MAS MAR NWS
1955 Bob Griffin 87 Oldsmobile TCS PBS JSP DAB OSP CLB HBO NWS MGY LAN CLT

17

 HCY MAS

2

 RSP

11

 DAR

45

 MGY LAN

23

 15th 2,452
Don Oliver 5 ASF

6

 TUS
Frank Christian 14 Chevrolet MAR

18

 RCH NCF

24

 FOR LIN MCF FON AIR
n/a 71 Oldsmobile CLT

15
Herb Thomas 92 Buick PIF

13

 CLB AWS MOR ALS NYF SAN CLT FOR
Ike Kiser 34 Ford RSP

17

 GPS
Pete DePaolo 297 MAS

1

 CLB
Carl Kiekhaefer 30 Chrysler MAR

1

 LVP
20 NWS

7
Pete DePaolo 297 Hudson HBO

21
1956 Mauri Rose 25 Chevrolet HCY

30

 CLT

17

 WSS PBS ASF 3rd 8,328
Carl Kiekhaefer 500 Dodge DAB

71

 PBS WIL

10

 CLB

1

 GPS

15

 MAR

2

 LIN

11

 RSP

2

 CHI

4

 CCF

1

 MGY

4

 OKL

11

 ROA

18

 OBS SAN NOR PIF POR
Chrysler ATL

2
501 Dodge NWS

18

 MYB

5
00 Chrysler LAN

37
300 Dodge RCH

3
300C Chrysler CON

1

 HCY

1

 HBO

2

 CLT

1

 POR EUR NYF

7

 MER MAS

19

 CLT

1

 MCF

1

 POR AWS

26

 PIF

7

 CSF
Pete DePaolo 296 Ford PIF

5
Carl Kiekhaefer 57 Chrysler DAR

2

 CSH

19
Dodge CLT

7
67 LAN

3

 POR
300 Chrysler HBO

3

 NWP

18

 CLT

6

 MAR

4

 HCY

1

 WIL

3
500B Dodge CCF

4
1957 Hugh Babb 46 Chevrolet WSS CON TIC DAB

8

 CON

3

 WIL

3

 HBO

2

 AWS

2

 NWS

16

 LAN

3

 CLT

20

 PIF

15

 GBF

14

 POR CCF

9

 RCH

17

 MAR

11

 POR EUR LIN

5

 LCS

5

 ASP 3rd 8,580
Speedy Thompson NWP

8

 CLB

5

 CPS PIF

4

 RSP

4

 CLT

4

 MAS

22

 POR HCY

23

 NOR

9

 LCS

1

 GLN KPC LIN

2

 OBS DAR

1

 NYF AWS

18

 CSF SCF LAN

31

 CLB

19

 CLT

17

 MAR

28

 NBR

6

 CON

6

 NWS

4

 GBF

2
Whitey Norman 1A Ford JAC

13
Bobby Keck 96 Chevrolet MYB

12
Dick Beaty 34 Ford CCF

15
1958 Speedy Thompson 46 Chevrolet FAY

9

 DAB

48

 CON

3

 FAY

19

 WIL

20

 HBO

3

 FAY

3

 CLB

1

 PIF

1

 ATL

19

 CLT MAR ODS OBS GPS

17

 GBF

4

 STR NWS

14

 BGS TRN

9

 RSD CLB

11

 NBS

6

 REF

5

 LIN

26

 HCY

3

 AWS

3

 RSP

5

 MCC SLS TOR BUF MCF

3

 BEL

7

 BRR

7

 CLB

1

 NSV

16

 AWS

4

 BGS MBS

15

 CLT

2

 BIR CSF GAF

5

 RCH

1

 HBO

19

 SAS

29

 MAR

2

 NWS

3

 ATL

29

 3rd 8,792
Steve Pierce 1 DAR

14
1959 FAY DAY

16

 DAY

10

 HBO

13

 CON

5

 ATL

4

 WIL

21

 NWS

17

 REF

2

 HCY

19

 MAR

19

 TRN PIF

14

 GPS

15

 ATL

26

 CLB CLT NSV 3rd 7,684
Don Angel 3 Ford BGS

13
Bruce Thompson 2 Chevrolet CLB

13

 CLT

4

 NSV ASP RCH

10

 BGS AWS

14

 CLT

24

 MBS

22

 CON

8
n/a 12 WIL

24
Lyndon Tyson 88 DAY

Wth
Doc White 41 T-Bird DAY

11

 HEI
Gerald Duke 92 AWS

37

 BGS GPS CLB
W.J. Ridgeway 22 Chevrolet DAR

14

 HCY RCH CSF MAR

5
W.H. Watson 61 Pontiac HBO

18
Beau Morgan 15 Ford AWS

13

 NWS

15
1960 Bruce Thompson 2 Chevrolet CLT

5

 CLB 25th 5,658
Banjo Matthews 94 T-Bird DAY

9

 DAY
Ford DAY

62

 CLT NWS PHO CLB
Wood Brothers Racing 20 MAR

DNQ

 HCY WIL BGS GPS AWS DAR PIF HBO RCH HMS
Junie Donlavey 90 CLT

25

 BGS DAY HEI MAB MBS ATL

12

 BIR NSV AWS PIF CLB SBO BGS DAR

39

 HCY CSF GSP HBO MAR NWS CLT

DNQ
Wood Brothers Racing 21 CLT

1

 RCH

1

 ATL

4
1961 Beau Morgan 16 Ford CLT JSP DAY DAY DAY PIF AWS HMS ATL GPS HBO BGS MAR NWS CLB HCY RCH MAR DAR CLT CLT

17

 RSD ASP CLT

41

 PIF BIR GPS BGS NOR HAS STR DAY ATL CLB MBS BRI NSV BGS AWS RCH SBO DAR HCY RCH CSF ATL MAR NWS 62nd 1,564
Wood Brothers Racing 21 CLT

11

 BRI GPS HBO
1962 Holman-Moody 15 CON AWS DAY DAY

23

 DAY

17

 CON AWS SVH HBO RCH CLB NWS GPS MBS MAR BGS BRI RCH HCY CON DAR PIF CLT ATL BGS AUG RCH SBO DAY CLB ASH GPS AUG SVH MBS BRI CHT NSV HUN AWS STR BGS PIF VAL DAR HCY RCH DTS AUG MAR NWS 42nd 2,522
Petty Enterprises 41 Plymouth CLT

9

 ATL
1971 Junior Fields 91 Chevrolet RSD DAY DAY DAY ONT RCH CAR HCY BRI ATL CLB GPS SMR NWS MAR DAR SBO TAL ASH KPT CLT

16

 DOV MCH RSD HOU GPS DAY BRI AST ISP TRN NSV ATL BGS ONA MCH TAL CLB HCY DAR MAR CLT DOV CAR MGR RCH NWS TWS n/a n/a

Awards

He was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame and the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame.

References
  1. "18 Jul 1958, 6 - The Ruston Daily Leader at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  2. "Baker Tops Petty By 10 - Statesville Record And Landmark at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. 18 Aug 1960. Retrieved 2021-09-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "3 Apr 1972, 2 - The Odessa American at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  4. "4 Apr 1972, Page 7 - Florence Morning News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
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