Mickey Thompson
Only one week remains until the kickoff of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. With the Circle K NHRA Winternationals almost upon us, this week’s look into the National Dragster photo archives continues last week's theme and brings us to another Winternationals champion from 1961: Middle Eliminator winner Mickey Thompson. Thompson made his mark in several competition arenas, including the Indianapolis 500, Bonneville, and off-road racing. In addition to being a driver, Thompson was a team owner, track operator, and race promoter. He founded SCORE International; Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group, which ran indoor off-road-vehicle racing in major stadiums; and Mickey Thompson Performance Tires, which began as a producer of special tires for racing. Here are a few photos from Thompson’s extensive racing career. 
Thompson achieved land-speed-record history in 1960 with a one-way top speed of 406.60 mph with his four-engine Challenger 1 at the Bonneville Salt Flats. His Challenger 1 is on display at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California.
In 1961, Thompson earned the first Winternationals Middle Eliminator title by defeating the Hirschfield & Buky entry in the final. That year he also broke eight FIA international records and six of 10 American national records.
At the 1962 NHRA Nationals, drag racing pioneer Jack Chrisman drove Thompson’s 432-cid aluminum Pontiac-equipped Dragmaster car to an 8.76, 171.75-mph win over Don Garlits in the Top Eliminator final.
Thompson is credited with designing and building the first slingshot dragster in 1954, which positioned the driver behind the rear axle to improve traction.
Thompson worked with Pat Foster to redesign the Funny Car chassis in 1968 to include such features as a dragster-style roll cage and narrower framerail dimensions. Thompson’s Danny Ongais-driven Mustang Mach 1 Funny Car dominated competition in 1969, and Ongais won the NHRA Springnationals and Nationals that year.
The last Funny Car with which Thompson was involved was the Revelleader Grand Am, which had a body that Thompson designed and commissioned. Thompson, left, with original 1973 driver Butch Maas, had several notable drivers in the car in the next couple of seasons, including Charlie Therwanger, Larry Arnold, Bob Pickett, and Dale Pulde, after Maas suffered burns in the car in a nasty fire in Gainesville. Pulde drove the car to a national record 6.16 at the 1974 World Finals.
The last Funny Car with which Thompson was involved was the Revelleader Grand Am, which had a body that Thompson designed and commissioned. Thompson, left, with original 1973 driver Butch Maas, had several notable drivers in the car in the next couple of seasons, including Charlie Therwanger, Larry Arnold, Bob Pickett, and Dale Pulde, after Maas suffered burns in the car in a nasty fire in Gainesville. Pulde drove the car to a national record 6.16 at the 1974 World Finals.