John Ashley Thomson was an American racecar driver.
27 Facts About Johnny Thomson
1.
2.
Johnny Thomson won the pole position for the 1959 Indianapolis 500.
3.
Johnny Thomson was born on April 9,1922, to William and Marion Ross Johnny Thomson.
4.
Johnny Thomson graduated from Lowell High School then the New England Aircraft School.
5.
Johnny Thomson served in the United States Air Force as a crew chief during World War II in Corsica and Italy between 1942 and 1945 on a B-25 bomber.
6.
Johnny Thomson was awarded five service stars and the Distinguished Air Force Medal.
7.
Johnny Thomson moved from the Springfield, Massachusetts, area to a five-acre ranch that he built near Boyertown, Pennsylvania, in the mid 1950s.
8.
Johnny Thomson began watching races at a track across the street from his home in 1937 and 1938 in Lowell.
9.
Johnny Thomson began racing at the track in 1938 against his parents' wishes with a V8-engined car that he built himself.
10.
Johnny Thomson won the 1948 United Car Owners Association New England title after winning 32 midget events.
11.
Johnny Thomson won his second UCOA title in 1949; he race in some American Racing Drivers Club events.
12.
Johnny Thomson switched to the ARDC in 1950 to finish fifth in points and took second in points in 1951.
13.
Johnny Thomson finished in the top ten 43 times, with 7 victories.
14.
Johnny Thomson won his first champ car race at the Milwaukee Mile in 1955.
15.
Johnny Thomson ended up finishing third in season points after having to sit out the middle part of the season while healing from a end over end flip at the Langhorne Speedway circle.
16.
Johnny Thomson clipped Jerry Hoyt's car while in the lead; he broke five ribs, bruised his vertebrae, broke his shoulder in eight places.
17.
In 1957, Johnny Thomson won at Langhorne; he earned two pole positions.
18.
Johnny Thomson was the first driver to win a 100-mile dirt track race in less than an hour at Langhorne Speedway.
19.
Johnny Thomson made his first "Big Car" start in September 1952 at the Vermont State Fairgrounds.
20.
Johnny Thomson continued in the Eastern Division in 1956 and had wins at Williams Grove, Trenton Speedway, and Reading Fairgrounds Speedway; he finished second in points behind Tommy Hinnershitz.
21.
On September 24,1960, Johnny Thomson was racing in a USAC Sprint Car at the Great Allentown Fair at the Allentown Fairgrounds.
22.
Johnny Thomson was thrown out of the car and was pinned underneath the car after it stopped rolling.
23.
Johnny Thomson's leg was broken, and he died several hours later at Allentown General Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at age 38.
24.
Johnny Thomson was survived by his wife and four sons.
25.
Johnny Thomson was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1997.
26.
Johnny Thomson was a contestant on Bud Collyer's "Beat The Clock".
27.
Johnny Thomson started on the pole once, set 1 fastest lead lap, and finished on the podium once, accumulating a total of 10 World Championship points.