Seeks Record Here Sunday—

Ivan Thompson, one of Topeka’s top drag race drivers, at one time collected about as many traffic tickets as he did racing trophies. As national champion in his class on both quarter mile and eighth-mile drig strips, Thompson in recent months has confined his speed strictly to the drag meets.

“IT’S BEEN two years since I’ve gotten a ticket,” Thompson says, “and I’m doing all I can to stay out of trouble.

“It seems that once you get a reputation like I had, you can’t do anthing without getting caught.”

The 25 – year – old mechanic quickly added, “Of course, I was never arrested for anything I didn’t do, but it just seemed that everyone had it in for me.”

Thompson discusses his former troubles without a trace of bitterness, and seems sincere in his efforts to avoid the pitfalls that formerly plagued him.

He and his father, Ivan Sr., operate a filling station and garage at 3rd and Jackson now, and hope for better things in the future.

“WE PUT IN a bid for some land in the Urban Renewal area,” Thompson reports, “and if we get it we hope to be able to take on more work. We just don’t have the space here.”

Thompson is the American Hot Rod assn. Champion at both distances in b-Street Roadster class, and since completing his car two years ago is unbeaten in his class.

He won the 1962 quarter-mile title at Green Valley, Texas, and added the street eliminator crown. The 1963 eighth-mile crown was won this summer at Springfield, Ill., and he again annexed the street eliminator title.

Thompson’s car is a replica of a 1922 Model T Ford, sigh z 301 cubic inch Chevrolet engine. It required five weeks of steady evening and early morning work to build

SUNDAY Thompson will shoot for the Midwestern Regional title at the Kaw Valley Dragway, as well as the national record for speed. He holds the record in the nation for elapsed time on the eighth-mile, 8.06 seconds. The speed record is 87 miles per hour.

“I’ve turned 90 with it,” he reports, “and I’ll go all out for the record Sunday.”

Who will he have to beat to win? “Well, I’m not sure who will be here. There might be some B-Gassers that will give me trouble.”

BILL NELSON, operator of the local drag strip, added, though, “There might not be many in his class Sunday. This is known as “Thompson country” and most of them stay away to avoid getting beat.”

Since the termination of Thompson’s troubles with traffic tickets and the completion of the roadster coincide so closely, he was asked if he felt drag racing has helped him avoid the tickets.

TAKING LONGER than usual to consider his answer, he replied, “Yes, I think it has helped. It seems that some of us have this desire to go fast, and it has to come out somehow.

“By the time you take your car to a race meet, race it, and then bring it home you have it out of your system.”

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