Feature
Feature
DIRT TRACK RACING
Love of sport keeps Randy Thompson coming back
Randy Thompson , owner of Thompson Auto Repair , says dirt track racing has evolved since the days when pieced-together ‘ 55 Chevy race cars sped around slick dirt tracks .
Story by Christian Knox & Photos by Thomas Howard
When you win a bunch , people don ’ t like you . I promise you they don ’ t . They ’ ll think that you ’ re cheating and all that . I never cheated a day in racing , I just outthought them a little bit . Don ’ t make it complicated , this car will tell you what you need if you listen to it .
Randy Thompson
Dirt track racing has evolved since its early days when souped-up , pieced-together street cars , largely driven by bootleggers , raced around an oval track , usually a field in its former life . The iconic ’ 55 Chevys that Randy Thompson used to watch speed across the slick dirt have given way to aluminum bodies and custom-built engines and parts designed by engineers .
“ Ninety-nine percent of the people that raced this old stuff were moonshiners ,” the 67-year-old Meridian native said .
In those days , the cars were built by hand with no store-bought parts or equipment .
“ It ’ s just advanced a bunch from what it used to be back in the day ,” said Thompson , well known in Mississippi dirt track racing for his nearly four decades as a race car owner and crew chief manager .
Thompson began working on sprint cars at age 13 for mechanic Buddy Odom , which allowed him to meet lots of racers and car owners . He quickly fell in love with racing , and he ’ s loved it ever since . www . meridianstar . com
• 23