Mickey Thompson

Mickey Thompson PDF Author: Erik Arneson
Publisher: Motorbooks International
ISBN: 0760340153
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
On March 16, 1988, motorsport legend Mickey Thompson and his second wife, Trudy, were gunned down by hooded assassins in the driveway of their Bradbury, California, home. This shocking and brutal double-murder brought an abrupt end to one of the most extraordinary careers in the history of motorsports, a career that has never been completely profiled—until now. Author Erik Arneson delves into the life and career of one of racing’s greatest innovators and most successful businessmen, while also chronicling the story of his tragic murder and his family’s relentless quest to bring his killer to justice. This is a fascinating account of an amazing life that ended too soon.

Mickey Thompson

Mickey Thompson PDF Author: Erik Arneson
Publisher: Motorbooks International
ISBN: 0760340153
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Get Book Here

Book Description
On March 16, 1988, motorsport legend Mickey Thompson and his second wife, Trudy, were gunned down by hooded assassins in the driveway of their Bradbury, California, home. This shocking and brutal double-murder brought an abrupt end to one of the most extraordinary careers in the history of motorsports, a career that has never been completely profiled—until now. Author Erik Arneson delves into the life and career of one of racing’s greatest innovators and most successful businessmen, while also chronicling the story of his tragic murder and his family’s relentless quest to bring his killer to justice. This is a fascinating account of an amazing life that ended too soon.

Mickey Thompson

Mickey Thompson PDF Author: Tom Madigan
Publisher: Motorbooks
ISBN: 0760365997
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
Mickey Thompson offers a now-impossible (Thompson and his wife were murdered in 1988) first-person telling of the legendary racer and motorsport impresario’s high-speed life, from his earliest days through the height of his competition exploits on drag strips, at Bonneville, the Indy 500, Baja, and more—complemented by some 100 rare images culled from family archives, the NHRA museum, and the collections of friends and fellow racers. Four decades after his tragic death, Mickey Thompson’s name and accomplishments remain legendary among motorsports and automotive enthusiasts. Thompson did it all on four wheels: land-speed racing, drag racing, off-road, NASCAR, Indianapolis…anything involving speed. Armed with a restless mind and a keen business sense, Thompson moved from success to success. In the early 1970s, motorsports writer (and former drag racer) Tom Madigan and Thompson embarked on a project to write the latter’s autobiography. After two years, extensive interviews, and a near-finished manuscript the whole enterprise fell apart for a number of reasons. Type-written sheets, neatly stacked, were boxed, stored, and mostly forgotten. Mickey Thompson: The Lost Story of the Original Speed King in His Own Words is that never-published work—an amazing biographical artifact from what many consider the golden age of automotive racing.

Killing of a Legend

Killing of a Legend PDF Author: Ronald E. Bowers
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781732528154
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
Mickey Thompson was a true Legend in his time partly because he won over 500 speed and endurance records in auto racing. To others his fame was from being a promoter of Stadium Racing events. He was best known for being the fastest man on wheels when he traveled 406.6 mph in 1960. On March 16, 1988 he and his wife were executed on their driveway for no apparent reason by two young black men who afterwards escaped on bicycles. The nation was shocked at the cold-blooded manner the shootings Years went by with no arrests and investigators shaking their heads that they had no concrete evidence. The TV program America's Most Wanted aired an episode on this old double homicide. After 13 years a person called a TV station stating that he was a friend of a friend who thought he saw something about the shootings. This was enough for an eager detective to check it out. The result was that a witness picked out the photo of Mickey's ex-partner as the person he saw in the area two days before the shootings.This began a long legal process of trying to build a case against this suspect who appeared to have committed the perfect crime. It took 18 years for justice to be served in the KILLING Of A LEGEND.

The American Speed Shop

The American Speed Shop PDF Author: Bob McClurg
Publisher: CarTech Inc
ISBN: 1613253346
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
The history of hot rodding and performance cars has been well chronicled through the years. Books and magazines have covered the cars, builders, pioneers, engineers, early racers, muscle cars, street racers, etc. Most take a nostalgic and fun look at the cars that many have loved their entire lives. Some even cover the lifestyle, the hobby as it involves people, and the effort, time, and commitment people put into it. It is more than just a hobby to most, and to many, a certain wave of nostalgia comes over them when remembering what the car scene was like "back in the day." The local speed shop is an important element of the nostalgic feeling that people have when fondly remembering their hot rodding youth. Speed shops were not just parts stores, they were a communal gathering place for car guys wanting to talk smart, bench race, and catch up on the local scene, as well as to solicit the expert advice from the owner or staff behind the counter. Here, longtime hot rodder and industry veteran Bob McClurg brings you the story of the era and the culture of speed shops as told through individual shop's histories and compelling vintage photography. He covers the birth of the industry, racing versus hot rodding, mail-order, and advertising wars. You learn about the performance boom of the 1960s and 1970s, lost speed shops as well as survivors, and a overview of the giant mail-order speed shops of today.

The Art of Richard Thompson

The Art of Richard Thompson PDF Author: Bill Watterson
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1449453465
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
Richard Thompson is renowned among cartoonists as an "artist's" cartoonist. Little known to all but those close to him is the extent of his art talent. This is the book that will enlighten the rest of us and delight us with the sheer beauty of his work. Divided into six sections, each beginning with an introductory conversation between Thompson and six well-known peers, including Bill Watterson, the book will present Thompson's illustration work, caricatures, and his creation, Richard's Poor Almanack. Each section is highly illustrated, many works in color, most of them large and printed one-to-a-page. The diversity of work will help cast a wider net, well beyond Cul de Sac fans.

The Legend of Lieutenant Thompson

The Legend of Lieutenant Thompson PDF Author: Neil Burckart
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1514493764
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
This story is about a young man who joins the army air corp. in 1942. He became a bomber pilot and flew thirty missions over enemy territory, was wounded twice, and received thirteen medals for his exemplary service. After the war, he moved his young family to Alaska to find work. He worked as a stevedore on the docks. In his off hours, he started commercial fishing and hunting. Eventually he became a guide. As the years passed, he became one of the very best guides in all of Alaska and has guided thousands of hunters over the years in some of the most inhospitable countries in the whole world. He is one of the charter members of the prestigious Safari Club International. Lieutenant Thompsons story goes beyond the imagination, from being attacked by angry bears to surviving more than one bush pilot accident. With more than twenty-five thousand hours of flying in the bush, he escaped a revolution in the Republic of Central Africa, where one of his planes was shot down and one of his pilots was killed. This is his story, where he performs numerous life-and-death rescues, including the Coast Guard. This book is one adventure after another. A must read for those who admire the war heroes and the adventures between man and beast and the great outdoors.

American Auto Racing

American Auto Racing PDF Author: J.A. Martin
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 9780786483891
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
As soon as there were automobiles, there was racing. The first recorded race, an over road event from Paris to Rouen, France, was organized by the French newspaper Le Petit Journal in 1894. Seeing an opportunity for a similar event, Hermann H. Kohlsaat--publisher of the Chicago Times-Herald--sponsored what was hailed as the "Race of the Century," a 54-mile race from Chicago's Jackson Park to Evanston, Illinois, and back. Frank Duryea won in a time of 10 hours and 23 minutes, of which 7 hours and 53 minutes were actually spent on the road. Race cars and competition have progressed continuously since that time, and today's 200 mph races bear little resemblance to the event Duryea won. This work traces American auto racing through the 20th century, covering its significant milestones, developments and personalities. Subjects included are: Bill Elliott, dirt track racing, board track racing, Henry Ford, Grand Prix races, Dale Earnhardt, the Vanderbilt Cup, Bill France, Gordon Bennett, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Mercer, the Stutz, Duesenberg, Frank Lockhart, drag racing, the Trans Am, Paul Newman, vintage racing, land speed records, Al Unser, Wilbur Shaw, the Corvette, the Cobra, Richard Petty, NASCAR, Can Am, Mickey Thompson, Roger Penske, Mario Andretti, Jeff Gordon, and Formula One. Through interviews with participants and track records, this text shows where, when and how racing changed. It describes the growth of each different form of auto racing as well as the people and technologies that made it ever faster.

Black Noon: The Year They Stopped the Indy 500

Black Noon: The Year They Stopped the Indy 500 PDF Author: Art Garner
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1250017785
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
Winner of the 2014 Dean Batchelor Award, Motor Press Guild "Book of the Year" Short-listed for 2015 PEN / ESPN Literary Award for Sports Writing Before noon on May 30th, 1964, the Indy 500 was stopped for the first time in history by an accident. Seven cars had crashed in a fiery wreck, killing two drivers, and threatening the very future of the 500. Black Noon chronicles one of the darkest and most important days in auto-racing history. As rookie Dave MacDonald came out of the fourth turn and onto the front stretch at the end of the second lap, he found his rear-engine car lifted by the turbulence kicked up from two cars he was attempting to pass. With limited steering input, MacDonald lost control of his car and careened off the inside wall of the track, exploding into a huge fireball and sliding back into oncoming traffic. Closing fast was affable fan favorite Eddie Sachs. "The Clown Prince of Racing" hit MacDonald's sliding car broadside, setting off a second explosion that killed Sachs instantly. MacDonald, pulled from the wreckage, died two hours later. After the track was cleared and the race restarted, it was legend A. J. Foyt who raced to a decisive, if hollow, victory. Torn between elation and horror, Foyt, along with others, championed stricter safety regulations, including mandatory pit stops, limiting the amount a fuel a car could carry, and minimum-weight standards. In this tight, fast-paced narrative, Art Garner brings to life the bygone era when drivers lived hard, raced hard, and at times died hard. Drawing from interviews, Garner expertly reconstructs the fateful events and decisions leading up to the sport's blackest day, and the incriminating aftermath that forever altered the sport. Black Noon remembers the race that changed everything and the men that paved the way for the Golden Age of Indy car racing.

Throw the Ball High

Throw the Ball High PDF Author: Mickey Crowley
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
ISBN: 1640273921
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 155

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Book Description
No doubt about it, there was a time when Mickey Crowley was the busiest man in basketball. A legendary, world-class referee with a reputation for humor, fairness, and getting the call right, Mickey always has been a man in motion. He officiated dozens of college games annually from 1962 until 1991. His last game was the NCAA championship battle between Duke and Kansas. A member of six halls of fame, Mickey was on the ground floor in the 1980s when the Big East emerged as the nation's premier basketball conference. His face was a fixture at Madison Square Garden. Known for his quick wit, Mickey for years has told stories of his biggest games and coaches like Lou Carnesecca, John Thompson, P. J. Carlesimo, John Chaney, Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, and Bob Knight. Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Mullin, and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) are among the more notable players Mickey has seen up close since he began his officiating career in 1957. Mickey also ran one of the nation's top basketball camps for referees for nearly forty years. He traveled the world officiating games, notably in Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia. Among his many stops was a stage in Las Vegas, where he once sang a duet with Suzanne Somers. Being a referee was Mickey's part-time job. For years, his full-time job was as a Nassau County administrator who assigned officials for hundreds of high school, college, and junior college sporting events. A native of Queens, New York, he served in the army, drove a truck, tended bar, managed a baseball team, and fathered a family. Now, he can proudly add author to his vast list of accomplishments with the publication of this autobiographical memoir, Throw the Ball High. NY Post Book Highlight The Brunswick Beacon: Crowley reflects on legendary officiating career Author's Facebook page Author's Press Reader Article Play The Game Interview on Monday Night Sports Talk A Christmas Message from Mickey Interview on ATMC Channel 3

Butch "The California Flash" Leal

Butch Author: Bob McClurg
Publisher: CarTech Inc
ISBN: 1613257104
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Check out the first ever biography on the popular drag racer, Butch “The California Flash” Leal. Born and raised in central California, Larry “Butch” Leal was obsessed with cars from a very early age. What began with field cars turned into hard work and new Chevrolets. This took place when the golden era of drag racing was in its infancy, and Leal joined with enthusiasm. He performed well at the track with his early Chevys and had an impressive number of wins before he was out of high school. His success brought him plenty of attention and collaboration with other big names in the sport. In 1963, GM pulled out of the sport on an official basis. As a result, Butch (at age 19) teamed up with Mickey Thompson and joined the Ford camp, securing a ride with the factory team and its new Thunderbolts for 1964. After his success that season, including winning the Super Stock (S/S) class at the 1964 NHRA US Nationals in Indianapolis, Chrysler came calling, and Butch signed on to race the new altered-wheelbase cars in match races for 1965, as the NHRA did not have a class for these new “funny” looking cars. While Leal dabbled again with Ford and Chevrolet later, his relationship with Chrysler lasted well into the following decades, running both Funny Cars and Super Stockers. Penned by talented automotive historian Bob McClurg, who was there for it all, and featuring full collaboration with the book’s subject, Butch “The California Flash” Leal covers the span of his fascinating career during arguably the most interesting era in drag racing history. Butch was an 11-time NHRA champion and 4-time recipient of Car Craft Magazine’s All-Star Driver of the Year award in a career that spanned the 1960s through the 1990s. It’s all here, the events, great vintage photography, and the stories from one of the best storytellers the NHRA has ever known. Add this entertaining volume to your drag racing library today.