Interview with “Junior” Thompson
Gasser & Funny Car Builder/Driver/Owner by Don Burdge
Memories,
there are too many to remember. After a moment’s reflection
Junior begins to pull out a multitude of photos, articles and tell it
like it was in the good old days! He first hands me a write up from Thompson, Ohio entitled, “Big John’s Opel & Jr. Thom[p]son –“For the first time in T.D.R.’s [Thompson Drag Raceway] racing history, Ohio George Montgomery did not, repeat Did Not win the AA/Gas Super Meet! It was Junior Thompson –“Big John” Mazmanian’s Candy Red hemi-powered Opel, putting on an awesome display for the 6000 standing drag fans, winning all the rounds. Staging next to the Opel in the second round, was ‘hisself’ “Ohio George” and the big Ford Cammer Gasser. The tree came down, and “Junior” pulled a super “2” holeshot on the big blue bomb. Could he hold it? Indeed!! To the time of 8.80/159.29, as “Ohio George” clocked the best of the day, trying to catch the flying Opel, of 8.78/153.40, but it was “Junior’s” day.”
After showing me tons of articles and a closet full of memories Junior stated, “A lot of guys raced and did well for a few years, but then they stopped. I’ve been at it since we started in the ‘50’s. I raced the Studebaker then the Willy’s and on to the early days of funny cars. I stayed behind the wheel until 1982 when I crashed my Corvette. I stopped driving then but I’ve continued to build Hemi Chrysler racing engines for guys all across the country up until the present day.”
When asked about current projects he noted that he and his son Tommy have just put the touches on the Opel Kadett AA/GS 1969-70 wheel standing red gasser that he and “Big John” Mazmanian teamed up to build. After finishing the car he said, “I’m going to sell the car after my Grand Marshalling at 17th Annual California Hot Rod Reunion and having Tommy doing some burn outs at the “Reunion.” I’ll be there with an old friend who is just putting the finishing touches on a replica of my Studebaker.”
As this article is being finished the NHRA is preparing articles and photographs in preparation of Junior being the Grand Marshall on October 10-12, 2008. For years he has stayed closely linked with all the dedicated workers at the Wally Park’s NHRA Museum in Pomona, CA where racing history is preserved for all of us old ‘fence watchers’ to benefit from viewing.
What’s next in your life? Junior excitedly discusses his plans to finish a new large engine building facility in the ‘unfamous’ town of Bodfish. You ask where is Bodfish? Well it is about an hour east of Bakersfield California in the Sierra Nevada Mountains nestled up next to Lake Isabella. The plans are for a fully equipped engine building garage.
He views this opportunity to be the Grand Marshall as a great joy and privilege. He adds, “Come out to Famoso Raceway and we’ll talk more about ¼ mile racing history.”
Below please find history written by Rhonda, Junior’s daughter!
“Jr. Thompson has been into racing for almost 50 years. He started when he was about 17 in 1953. He was living in Downey, California when he and his brothers got into racing. His first car was a 1940 Ford convertible. It had a chopped Carson top and a flathead engine. He then got a hold of a 1950 Ford.“Next he moved back down in years to a 1941 Studebaker with a small block Chevy. This had a McCullough supercharger. This car seems to be the one that got him hooked for good. With it he won Little Eliminator at the NHRA National in 1958. This race was the beginning of the famous Gasser matches which included such well-known names as Tim Woods (of Stone, Woods and Cook) K.S. Pittman, George Montgomery and others. Jr. preferred the appeal of the streetcars or "door slammers" as they were called, rather than the open cockpit dragsters.
“His next car was one of my favorites, the 1941 Willys. This little purple dynamo set the national record for C/GS in 1962 and still held this record when he went into B/GS division in 1964. In 1965 Jr. made the big move into A/GS. He got a 1950 Austin Sedan body and put Chrysler 57/58 engine in it. It ran 155 mph in 9.03 seconds. This was a revolutionary car in that it was built to the minimum allowable wheelbase, 92 inches. It was the shortest legal wheelbase and with it he set the NHRA and AHRA national records in A/GS.
“In 1969 Jr. came out with a gasser in a late model body. It was a 1969 Opel Kadett with a blown Chrysler engine. Then in 1970 he built a flip-top Opel GT. This was another of my favorites. Candy apple red and running 173 mph in the low 8.00s he won the A/GS class at the last race ever at Lion’s Dragstrip in 1972. This was the one of the first gassers to go over 170 mph.
“In the early 70's the popularity of the gassers began to wane. Not one to stay behind Jr. built a BB/Funny Car. His first was a Plymouth Satellite which he ran from 1974-1977. He ran this car on Methyl Ethyl Alcohol going at speeds in excess of 200 mph at E.Ts in the 6.60s. Jr.'s last Funny Car was definitely a favorite. A gorgeous candy apple red and burgundy fliptop Corvette. He ran this car from 1978 until 1982 when he crashed it in a near fatal accident at an Ohio drag strip. Someone had forgotten to remove 3 cinder blocks left in front of the timing lights in the center of the strip near the end. Against safety regulations they were put there so the bike racers wouldn't be able to kick out the timing lights. Well, they left there and Jr. hit them going Over 200 mph. The car flipped, end over end, at least ten times, completely destroying the fiberglass body. Thanks to the well built chassis Jr. miraculously sustained no broken bones. Though his helmet and the roll cage saved his life, the crash caused his head to beat severely against it causing a severe concussion and brain contusion. The effect was as if he had had a stroke. It took 5 long years, Jr. is fully recovered.”
*When you have a moment visit www.jrthompson.net Junior’s website which is created by his daughter Rhonda which constructs Junior’s history in racing.