Tommy Thompson (racing driver)

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.

Tommy Thompson
Nationality American
BornThomas V. Thompson
(1943-01-16)January 16, 1943
New York City, New York
DiedSeptember 28, 1978(1978-09-28) (aged 35)
Trenton, New Jersey
Retired1978
USAC Mini-Indy Seies
Years active1977-1978
TeamsBlack American Racers
Starts6
Wins0
Poles0
Best finish15th in 1978

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. The 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 SCCA National Championship Runoffs in the Formula Super Vee class. At Road Atlanta he failed to finish in his Lola T324. Thompson returned to the runoffs in 1977, finishing seventh.[2]

For 1977, Thompson raced 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 Thompson's right rear wheel became locked. Both cars hit the wall head-on. Thompson's 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]

Personal life

Thompson's main occupation was a financial systems analyst job.[5]

Racing record

SCCA National Championship Runoffs
YearTrackCarEngineClassFinishStartStatus
1976Road AtlantaLola T324VolkswagenFormula Super Vee1110Not running
1977Road AtlantaLola T324VolkswagenFormula Super Vee79Running

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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2014. 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.
  5. Moran, Bob. "Black driver sets his sights on Indy". Retrieved October 18, 2020.
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