Show #191 airdate 04-30-25- Stewart welcomes Bonneville Salt Flats World Speed Record racer and car builder #DannyThompson discussing his record speed of over 400mph, a crash there at over 200mph, nitro methane fuel plus #KeithMartin of Sports Car Market Magazine about Classic Car Repairs like A/C and over-spending to do them. This episode is "more gooder!" #MickeyThompson www.MickeyThompsonTires.com #ParnelliJones
Danny Thompson, race car driver, Motorsports Hall of Fame nominee, son of Mickey Thompson and one of only 12 people who have recorded a 400 mile per hour pass in a normally aspirated piston driven vehicle, which he accomplished in his father’s Challenger 2 car on the Salt Flats, joins Stewart on this week’s show.
Danny talks about his father racing at Bonneville, including in 1968 when he was driving for Ford and Mickey Thompson, Danny Ongais, Ray Brock and Bob Ottum were testing the new 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback. They sent 295 speed and endurance records including running for 24 hours with an average speed of 157 miles per hour.
He discusses both Challenger 1 and Challenger 2 being on display at The Motorsports Hall of Fame in Daytona, Florida and how Challenger 2 is half as wide as Challenger 1. He discusses the rules of Bonneville and the differences in sizes of length and width in the cars. Danny talks about how slippery it is driving on the. Salt Flats at Bonneville and how it’s similar to driving in snow. Danny and Stewart also discuss George Poteet holding the current land speed record for a piston driven car at 481 mph in his Speed Demon race car.
Danny Thompson discusses the Hemi V8 engine that powers the Challenger 2 and how it is very similar to a drag racing engine and runs on nitro methane. When they added 3 percent more Nitro they increased the power by about 600 horsepower.
The discuss Don Garlits and his horrible accident where he lost a foot and led him building rear engine dragsters that were much safer. When Big Daddy crashed, Mickey Thompson helped carry him off the drag strip
Danny talks about racing in the Baja 1000 and how they laid out the track with stakes or paint a rock or tie a ribbon around a tree. Sometimes Mickey would be in a plane looking at the land from above and would radio down to Danny to tell him what to mark next.
Keith talks about how nice it is to find car shows and events on social media and how easy it is for people to promote events and share the information. Or if he wants to know if an event is in the area, all he has to do is search the internet. He talks about going to a car show at a local high school and how it was in the midday, which was a great time for a car show. They talk about what makes cars and coffee great, but you have to be there earl
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Recorded in our Showcase Studio just inside the entrance of the Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown, PA, Host Stewart Howden, Classic Auto Mall President and Classic Car Specialist Steve Saffier talk about this unique and amazing place often with amazing guests.
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