just won ’ t do it .” During his racing career , Thompson has owned around 100 cars , which have won more than 370 feature events at dirt tracks across the country , including Whynot Motorsports Park here in Lauderdale County . He also has two Mississippi state championship titles to his name .
“ When you win a bunch , people don ’ t like you ,” Thompson said . “ 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 .”
Of all of the drivers who have raced his cars
I ’ ve never been more proud of my son . Jim McDuffie won me a ton of races , but I ’ ve had more fun racing with my child .
Randy Thompson
over the years , Thompson said his son , Randy , is his favorite .
“ I ’ ve never been more proud of my son ,” Thompson said . “ Jim McDuffie won me a ton of races , but I ’ ve had more fun racing with my child .”
The younger Thompson started driving in his late teens and raced for his father for about eight years . Early in his career , he won an event at Magnolia Motor Speedway by a good margin , which is the elder Thompson ’ s favorite memory of his son on the track .
“ They had everybody in the world trying to outrun him because they knew that I would have everything ( in the car ) that that kid needed for him to win , and I taught him on the slickest race track you could run on ,” Thompson said .
Thompson still owns two cars , one of which has been driven by Daryl Hannigan for the past two years . However , dirt track racing is changing faster than ever .
“ We took ‘ 55 Chevrolets and 60-something Cameros , and we would put full frames up under them and just take the fenders out and have big old wide tires on the son of a guns , and we would just make stuff ,” Thompson said “ Now , you just pick up the phone and order it . If daddy ’ s got enough money , daddy can make you win . That ’ s just the way it is now .”
About five years ago , engineers entered the motorsport in greater numbers , which Thompson said has led to owners
One of Randy Thompson ’ s vintage race cars .
Randy Thompson works on one of his cars .
buying their car knowledge from these engineers so they can optimize their cars to win .
These engineers , however , are too costly for smaller racing businesses .
“ These powerhouses are taking over everything ,” Thompson said . “ They ain ’ t got no better parts than what we ’ ve got , but whenever you ’ ve got that engineer , he can speed up your learning curve a whole bunch .”
Thompson enjoys working with customers and new kinds of cars in his auto repair shop , but he just can ’ t shake his love for racing . He has sold all of his dirt track racing parts , including his cars and 18-wheeler submitted by Randy Thompson racing rigs , at least four times in the past 12 years , yet he keeps coming back to the sport .
“ I stayed away from the race track one time for four months ,” Thompson said . “ Didn ’ t go . The very weekend I went back , I bought somebody out and I was right back racing .
“ You don ’ t ever lose the fun of it ,” Thompson said . “ It ’ s like a business . You get frustrated with it sometimes , but you ’ ve just got to put your nose down and keep grinding and keep getting it , and it ’ ll come to you .” www . meridianstar . com
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