Johnny Thomson

Johnny Thomson was an American racecar driver. Thomson was nicknamed "the Flying Scot."

Midget cars

Thomson won the 1948 UCOA New England title after winning 32 midget

Midget car racing

Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...

 events. He won his second UCOA title in 1950.

He won the 1952 AAA

American Automobile Association

AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...

 Eastern division Midget

Midget car racing

Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...

 championship.

Championship cars

He drove in the AAA and USAC

United States Automobile Club

The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...

 Championship Car series, racing in the 1953-1960 seasons with 69 starts, including the Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 races in each season. He finished in the top ten 43 times, with 7 victories. His best Indy finish was third in 1959

1959 Indianapolis 500

The 1959 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1959. The event was part of the 1959 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lead Lap: Johnny Thomson - 1:01.89...

. Roy Sherman, the first National Midget Champion, was his chief mechanic for several Indy 500s.

He was the first driver to win a 100 miles (160.9 km) dirt track race in less than an hour at Langhorne, Pennsylvania

Langhorne, Pennsylvania

Langhorne is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,622 at the 2010 census.The name "Langhorne" is used broadly to describe the majority of surrounding Middletown Township, which for the most part uses Langhorne's zip code of 19047...

. His champ car's average speed was 100.174 miles per hour.

Sprint cars

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

Sprint car racing

Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....

 championship in 1954.

In 1960, Thomson died at a sprint car event at the Great Allentown Fair

Great Allentown Fair

The Great Allentown Fair is an annual fair and agricultural show that is held at the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is operated by the Lehigh County Agricultural Society...

 when his car crashed through the fence and flipped into the infield.

Career awards

• Thomson was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
  National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum
  The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers, owners, mechanics, builders, manufacturers, promoters, sanctioning officials and media members....
  
   in 1996 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
  National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
  The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame and museum for midget cars. The Hall of Fame is located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and can be accessed during weekly Sunday races during the summer.-A-C:...
  
   in 1997.

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1953 1953 Indianapolis 500 The 1953 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Saturday, May 30, 1953 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1953 World Drivers' Championship.-Race:... 56 33 135.262 33 32 6 0 Ignition 1954 1954 Indianapolis 500 The 1954 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 31, 1954 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1954 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :... 43 4 138.787 12 24 165 0 Stalled 1955 1955 Indianapolis 500 The 1955 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Monday, May 30, 1955 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the third round of the 1955 World Drivers' Championship... 44 33 134.113 33 4 200 0 Running 1956 1956 Indianapolis 500 The 1956 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Wednesday, May 30, 1956 at Indianapolis. It was the third round of the 1956 World Drivers' Championship.... 88 18 145.549 2 32 22 0 Spun FS 1957 1957 Indianapolis 500 The 1957 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Thursday, May 30, 1957 at Indianapolis. The event was the third round of the 1957 World Drivers' Championship and the first round of the 1957 USAC Championship Car season.- Classification :- Notes :... 10 11 143.529 4 12 199 5 Flagged 1958 1958 Indianapolis 500 The 1958 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Friday, May 30, 1958 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the fourth round of the 1958 World Drivers' Championship.... 7 22 142.908 20 23 52 0 Steering 1959 1959 Indianapolis 500 The 1959 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1959. The event was part of the 1959 World Drivers' Championship.- Classification :- Notes :*Fastest Lead Lap: Johnny Thomson - 1:01.89... 3 1 145.908 1 3 200 40 Running 1960 1960 Indianapolis 500 The 1960 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1960. The event was part of the 1960 World Drivers' Championship; the last Indianapolis 500 to be included in the Championship.- Classification :... 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.

External links