Career
A Washington, District of Columbia dentist by trade, he is known as "The Flying Dentist". Thompson brought credibility to the Corvette as a world-class sports car. Active from the late 1950s until the 1970s, Thompson raced for several notable racers, including the factory Corvette team for John Fitch and Briggs Cunningham.
Thompson started racing in 1952 in one of the first 12-hour races at Sebring International Raceway.
He drove to the track in his MG Territorial Decoration, and co-drove the car to an eighth-place finish. He caught Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov"s eye in 1956, when Thompson was the only driver to compete in a production Corvette.
In 1963, he drove a Corvette Grand Sport to victory at Watkins Glen International. Thompson used his knowledge of the Corvette to write The Corvette Guide in 1958.
He never made enough money to cover more than his expenses.
He had never quit his dentistry business, so he decided to concentrate on that business full-time. He has raced occasionally in events since his retirement. He lived in Wellington, Florida as of October 2007.
On September 14, 2014, he died of pneumonia at a hospice in West Palm Beach, Florida.