Alfred "Speedy"
Thompson
Born: April 3, 1926
Died: April 2, 1972
(probable heart attack
during race or resulting broken neck from
accident)
Alfred "Speedy" Thompson
came from Monroe, NC. Speedy made 198
starts from 1950 - 1971.
One of the most successful drivers of late
50's, Thompson scored twenty wins, seventy-eight top fives, 106 top
tens, and nineteen poles.
He finished no lower than third in the final
standings from 1956 - 1959 while driving for Karl Kiekhaefer.
Thompson
died of a heart attack while competing in a race at Metrolina Speedway
in Charlotte, NC.
20
NASCAR Wins
19 NASCAR Poles
198 career starts
Won the Pole or Race 1
race in every 10 Races
Speedy Facts:
- Thompson also won the Southern
500 at Darlington in 1957 and had 20 wins for 29th on the all time
list.
- One of the drivers for Carl K's
Chrysler team of the mid-1950s, Thompson won a career-best eight
times in 1956, when he finished second in the points.
- To prove it wasn't just the power of the Kiekhaefer
cars that made him successful, Thompson drove his own equipment to
four of his 20 career victories in 1958. He finished third in points
in each year from 1957 to 1959.
Win congrats, 1960; Glen Woods second from right
Tim Flock, Speedy, Fonty Flock
Speedy and tire rep; That smile . . .
Daytona Beach Start, 1958
The famed Fish Carburetor
#M-1driven by Fireball Roberts. The Fish Carburetor cars were always
among the ones to beat in any Daytona Mod-Spts race back then and they
had a five car team in 1955. Actually this # M-1 car, a 1940 Ford, ran
both races in 1955, with Roberts driving it to 3rd in the Sportsman race
and Speedy Thompson finishing 6th in the Mod-Spts go on Saturday.
In that race Roberts drove the #M-3 car, a 37 Chevy but dropped out for
44th place. Thompson won the Friday race with the M-5 car and
Milt Hartlauf (M-2) and Herb Thomas (M-4) recorded top five finishes on
Saturday, the M-3 car the only one not to make a top five finish in one
of the two races. Thompson also won the Southern 500 at Darlington in
1957 and had 20 wins for 29th on the all time list. (The photo of the
M-1 was taken at the Fish Carburetor plant parking lot. The plant was on
the west side of the Halifax River just off one of the main bridges
between the beach and mainland. Smokey Yunick's "Best Damn Garage in
Town" was just up the road)
Courtesy RacewayMagazine.com
Speedy Thompson pitches his #M-5 Fish Carburetor
Ford into the North Turn en route to victory in the 1955 Sportsman race
at Daytona. Thompson took the lead from Curtis Turner with 15 laps
remaining in the 100-mile event and delivered the first Daytona triumph
for team owner Bob Fish
|
Win Summary |
Race
Win# |
Date |
Race Name |
Track |
Make |
| 1 |
9/13/1953 |
Central City 200 |
Central City
Speedway |
Olds |
| 2 |
10/11/1953 |
Wilkes 160 |
North Wilkesboro
Speedway |
Olds |
| 3 |
10/9/1955 |
Memphis-Arkansas
Speedway |
Memphis-Arkansas
Speedway |
|
| 4 |
10/16/1955 |
Martinsville |
Martinsville |
|
| 5 |
5/5/1956 |
Columbia Speedway |
Columbia Speedway |
|
| 6 |
5/6/1956 |
Harris Speedway |
Harris Speedway |
|
| 7 |
5/12/1956 |
Hickory Speedway |
Hickory Speedway |
|
| 8 |
5/27/1956 |
Charlotte Speedway |
Charlotte Speedway |
|
| 9 |
6/15/1956 |
Southern States
Fairgrounds |
Southern States
Fairgrounds-Charlotte |
|
| 10 |
6/22/1956 |
Monroe County
Fairgrounds |
Monroe County
Fairgrounds |
|
| 11 |
7/27/1956 |
Cleveland County
Fairgrounds |
Cleveland County
Fairgrounds |
|
| 12 |
11/11/1956 |
Hickory Speedway |
Hickory Speedway |
|
| 13 |
7/30/1957 |
Lancaster Speedway |
Lancaster Speedway |
|
| 14 |
9/2/1957 |
Darlington |
Darlington |
|
| 15 |
4/10/1958 |
Columbia Speedway |
Columbia Speedway |
|
| 16 |
4/12/1958 |
Hub City Speedway |
Hub City Speedway |
|
| 17 |
8/7/1958 |
Columbia Speedway |
Columbia Speedway |
|
| 18 |
9/14/1958 |
Atlantic Rural
Fairgrounds |
Atlantic Rural
Fairgrounds-Richmond |
|
| 19 |
10/16/1960 |
Charlotte |
Charlotte |
|
| 20 |
10/23/1960 |
Atlantic Rural
Fairgrounds |
Atlantic Rural
Fairgrounds-Richmond |
|
Grand National / Cup Statistics
| Year |
Age |
Races |
Win |
T5 |
T10 |
Pole |
Laps |
Led |
Earnings |
Rank |
AvSt |
AvFn |
| 1950 |
24 |
1 of 19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
21.0 |
| 1951 |
25 |
3 of 41 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
39 |
0 |
275 |
75 |
17.0 |
17.3 |
| 1952 |
26 |
2 of 34 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
409 |
0 |
305 |
37 |
32.5 |
16.5 |
| 1953 |
27 |
7 of 37 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
0 |
1257 |
99 |
6,546 |
11 |
11.3 |
3.1 |
| 1954 |
28 |
7 of 37 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
949 |
0 |
1,165 |
23 |
42.5 |
15.6 |
| 1955 |
29 |
15 of 45 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
1918 |
222 |
7,089 |
15 |
7.7 |
14.7 |
| 1956 |
30 |
42 of 56 |
8 |
24 |
29 |
7 |
6957 |
2023 |
27,169 |
3 |
5.1 |
9.7 |
| 1957 |
31 |
38 of 53 |
2 |
16 |
22 |
4 |
6201 |
648 |
26,841 |
3 |
7.1 |
10.2 |
| 1958 |
32 |
38 of 51 |
4 |
19 |
24 |
7 |
6808 |
230 |
15,215 |
3 |
7.7 |
10.3 |
| 1959 |
33 |
29 of 44 |
0 |
5 |
9 |
1 |
4785 |
228 |
6,816 |
3 |
10.6 |
14.2 |
| 1960 |
34 |
9 of 44 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
1646 |
217 |
18,035 |
25 |
15.1 |
17.6 |
| 1961 |
35 |
3 of 52 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
440 |
0 |
1,100 |
63 |
8.0 |
23.0 |
| 1962 |
36 |
3 of 53 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
443 |
0 |
1,400 |
42 |
20.7 |
16.3 |
| 1971 |
45 |
1 of 48 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
376 |
0 |
1,800 |
|
9.0 |
16.0 |
| 14 years |
198 |
20 |
78 |
106 |
19 |
32228 |
3667 |
113,756 |
|
8.8 |
11.8 |
11.4 |
|
