# Mark Thompson (racing driver)

Mark Thompson (born July 9, 1951) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, pilot, and businessman. He formerly competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 66 Ford Fusion for MBM Motorsports, and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 13 car for MBM Motorsports. At age 66, Thompson is the oldest driver to compete in the Daytona 500.

## Military career and Phoenix Air

Thompson started flying in 1969 as a Warrant Officer Candidate in the Army where he trained to fly helicopters. After an early release from the Army in 1972, he began teaching and transporting skydivers. Later in the decade, Thompson founded Phoenix Air as a parachuting school,"2016 Sparks Energy 300". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 27, 2016. which later evolved into an air transport company with ties to fifteen U.S. and foreign government agencies, carrying government workers who had been infected with diseases, including Americans who had contracted the Ebola virus disease from Liberia to the U.S. Phoenix Air also provides tactical electronic warfare training services to the Air Force, the Air National Guard and the Navy.
Phoenix Air currently sponsors MBM Motorsports' Nos. 13 and 40 cars in the Xfinity Series. In 2016, Phoenix served as a primary sponsor for MBM drivers Thompson, Carl Long and Timmy Hill.

## Racing career
### ARCA Racing Series

Thompson began racing in ARCA in 1991 where he ran 7 races scoring 1 top 5 at Talladega with a 4th place finish.
In ARCA's season opening race at Daytona on February 13, 1994, Thompson was racing in a single file pack when a car infront of Thompson in Michael Dokken lost control of his car off of turn 2 and spun. Dokken clipped Thompson in the right rear sending Thompson around and ended up tipping Thompson's car over on his roof. Thompson's car skidded on his roof until it reached the grass where his car began to go into a pair of violent sidewinder barrel rolls and flips. Thompson's car flipped 7 times in the grass before it landed right side up with the car's body nearly torn apart. Thompson had suffered broken ribs and a concussion but survived. He was able to return in time for the next race on April 30 at Talladega finishing in 3rd place.
In 1996, Thompson scored his first career ARCA Series pole at Michigan. He eventually scored another pole at the same track four races later. In 1997, Thompson would run his only full-time ARCA Series season. He scored his first career win at Charlotte in the 4th race of the year. Later that year, Thompson would score another win at the July Michigan race which would be his final in his ARCA Series career. Overall, Thompson scored two wins, 10 top fives, and 16 top tens with one pole at Michigan in June and finished 3rd in the standings behind Frank Kimmel and Series champion Tim Steele, who won 12 races and clinching the championship early despite missing the final race at Atlanta.
During qualifying for the season-opening Lucas Oil 200 in 2015, Thompson became the oldest pole-sitter in Daytona International Speedway history after recording a lap speed of 187.336 miles per hour (301.488 km/h) for his first pole in 18 years.
On November 28, 2016, MBM Motorsports announced plans for Thompson to race at the 2017 season-opening Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Racing Series race at Daytona; the race was Thompson's final planned ARCA start, though he would also compete at Talladega later in the season. Driving the No. 66 Phoenix Air Ford, Thompson qualified 15th, but finished 31st after he was collected in a nine-car accident on lap 49. In 2018, he returned and raced in the Lucas Oil 200, though he was taken out in a violent late-race crash.

### NASCAR

In 1993 and 1994, Thompson made three NASCAR Winston Cup Series attempts with Henley Gray, driving the No. 62 and No. 86, respectively. He failed to qualify in his first attempt at Darlington Raceway, but made the second race at Pocono Raceway after qualifying 38th. However, after eight laps, he retired from the race due to an engine failure, and finished 39th. In 1993, Thompson failed to qualify for the Pepsi 400 after not making an attempt. The next year, he joined Mike Brandt in the No. 66 Ford, but withdrew from the Daytona 500.
In 2015, Thompson made his Xfinity Series debut in the Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, driving the No. 13 for MBM Motorsports, and qualified 31st, while finishing 27th, two laps down.
In 2017, Thompson joined Premium Motorsports to drive the No. 15 Chevrolet for the Alabama 500 at Talladega, Thompson's first Cup event in 25 years.
In 2018, Thompson raced in the 2018 Daytona 500 becoming the oldest driver at 66 years of age to drive in the event. He finished 22nd in what would become his final race in any series.

## Personal life

Thompson's brother, Dent, was a writer at Walt Disney World until 1983, when he joined his brother at Phoenix Air; Dent currently works as Phoenix Air's COO.
Thompson holds an ATP license and has five type ratings.

## Motorsports career results
### NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

#### Monster Energy Cup Series

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | MENCC | Pts |
| 1992 | Gray Racing | 62 | Ford | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | DAR DNQ | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | CLT | DOV | SON | POC 39 | MCH | DAY | POC | TAL | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | PHO | ATL | | | | | | | | 90th | 46 |
| 1993 | Gray Racing | 86 | Ford | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | DAR | BRI | NWS | MAR | TAL | SON | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | DAY DNQ | NHA | POC | TAL | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | MAR | NWS | CLT | CAR | PHO | ATL | | | | | | | NA | - |
| 2017 | Premium Motorsports | 15 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | MAR | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | KAN | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | KEN | NHA | IND | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | CHI | NHA | DOV | CLT | TAL 39 | KAN | MAR | TEX | PHO | HOM | 66th | 0$^1$ |
| 2018 | MBM Motorsports | 66 | Ford | DAY 22 | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | MAR | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | KAN | CLT | POC | MCH | SON | CHI | DAY | KEN | NHA | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | IND | LVS | RCH | CLT | DOV | TAL | KAN | MAR | TEX | PHO | HOM | 41st | 15 |

##### Daytona 500

| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
| 2018 | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 40 | 22 |

#### Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | NXSC | Pts |
| 2015 | MBM Motorsports | 13 | Dodge | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL 27 | IOW | CLT | DOV | MCH | CHI | DAY DNQ | KEN | NHA | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ROA | DAR | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | CLT | KAN | TEX | PHO | HOM | 73rd | 17 |
| 2016 | MBM Motorsports | 13 | Toyota | DAY DNQ | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | CLT | POC | MCH | IOW | DAY 31 | KEN | NHA | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ROA | DAR | RCH | CHI | KEN QL$^†$ | DOV | CLT | KAN | TEX | PHO | HOM | 74th | 11 |
| 2017 | MBM Motorsports | 13 | Toyota | DAY DNQ | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL 28 | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | IOW | DAY 29 | KEN | NHA | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ROA | DAR | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | CLT | KAN | TEX | PHO | HOM | 62nd | 17 |
| $^†$ – Qualified but replaced by Timmy Hill. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$^*$ Season still in progress $^1$ Ineligible for series points

### ARCA Racing Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Racing Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | ARSC | Pts |
| 1991 | Gray Racing | 79 | Chevy | DAY 25 | ATL 14 | KIL | TAL 12 | TOL | FRS | POC | MCH | KIL | FRS | DEL | POC | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 29th | 915 |
| 1991 | Gray Racing | 62 | Olds | | | | | | | | | | | | | TAL 4 | HPT 32 | MCH 27 | ISF | TOL | DSF | TWS | ATL 34 | | | | | | | | | 29th | 915 | |
| 1992 | Gray Racing | 62 | Pontiac | DAY 11 | FIF 8 | | | | | | | | | NSH 6 | DEL | POC | HPT | FRS | ISF | TOL | DSF | | | | | | | | 24th | 1395 |
| 1992 | Gray Racing | 62 | Olds | | | TWS 27 | TAL | TOL | KIL | POC 16 | MCH 9 | FRS | KIL | | | | | | | | | TWS 35 | SLM | ATL | | | | | | | 24th | 1395 | |
| 1993 | Mike Brandt | 66 | Ford | DAY 40 | | TWS 15 | TAL 5 | | | | | POC 12 | MCH 21 | FRS | POC 8 | KIL | | | | | | ATL 6 | | | | | | | 20th | 1560 |
| 1993 | Mike Brandt | 66 | Olds | | FIF 2 | | | KIL DNQ | CMS | FRS | TOL | | | | | | ISF 40 | DSF | TOL | SLM 15 | WIN 32 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 20th | 1560 |
| 1994 | Mike Brandt | 66 | Ford | DAY 34 | TAL 3 | FIF | LVL | KIL | TOL | FRS | MCH 10 | | | POC 10 | KIL | FRS | INF | I70 | | | | | | ATL 18 | | | | | 25th | 1240 |
| 1994 | Mike Brandt | 0 | Olds | | | | | | | | | DMS 34 | POC | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 25th | 1240 |
| 1994 | Mike Brandt | 66 | Buick | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ISF 18 | DSF | TOL | SLM | WIN | | | | | | | | | 25th | 1240 | |
| 1995 | Mike Brandt | 66 | Ford | DAY 36 | ATL 6 | TAL 23 | FIF | KIL | FRS | | | | | POC 4 | POC 6 | KIL | FRS | SBS | LVL | ISF | DSF | SLM | WIN | ATL 21 | | | | | 26th | 1300 |
| 1995 | Mike Brandt | 99 | Ford | | | | | | | MCH 31 | I80 | MCS | FRS | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26th | 1300 |
| 1996 | Mike Brandt | 66 | Ford | DAY 9 | ATL 6 | SLM | TAL 2 | FIF 8 | LVL | CLT 37 | CLT 30 | KIL | FRS | POC 20 | MCH 3 | FRS | TOL | POC 5 | MCH 2 | INF | SBS | ISF | DSF | KIL | SLM | WIN | CLT 2 | ATL 2 | 12th | 2320 |
| 1997 | Mike Brandt | 66 | Ford | DAY 36 | ATL 2 | | CLT 1 | CLT 4 | POC 21 | MCH 3* | SBS 7 | TOL 4 | KIL 8 | FRS 6 | MIN 9 | POC 6 | MCH 1 | DSF 5 | GTW 33 | SLM 4 | WIN 17 | CLT 25 | TAL 2* | ISF 14 | ATL 6 | | | | 3rd | 5230 |
| 1997 | Mike Brandt | 86 | Ford | | | SLM 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3rd | 5230 |
| 1998 | Mike Brandt | 66 | Ford | DAY 4 | ATL 32 | SLM | CLT | MEM | MCH | POC | SBS | TOL | PPR | POC | KIL | FRS | ISF | ATL | DSF | SLM | TEX | WIN | CLT | TAL 4 | ATL | | | | NA | 0 |
| 2000 | Bowsher Motorsports | 21 | Ford | DAY | SLM | AND | CLT | KIL | FRS | MCH | POC | TOL | KEN | BLN | POC | WIN | ISF | KEN | DSF | SLM | CLT | TAL 26 | ATL | | | | | | 116th | 115 |
| 2003 | Mark Thompson | 48 | Ford | DAY | ATL | NSH | SLM | TOL | KEN | CLT | BLN | KAN | MCH | LER | POC | POC | NSH | ISF | WIN | DSF | CHI | SLM | TAL 6 | CLT | SBO | | | | 122nd | 200 |
| 2007 | Gerhart Racing | 5 | Chevy | DAY | USA | NSH | SLM | KAN | WIN | KEN | TOL | IOW | POC | MCH | BLN | KEN | POC | NSH | ISF | MIL | GTW | DSF | CHI | SLM | TAL 28 | TOL | | | 152nd | 90 |
| 2008 | Roulo Brothers Racing | 39 | Ford | DAY | SLM | IOW | KAN | CAR | KEN | TOL | POC | MCH | CAY | KEN | BLN | POC | NSH | ISF | DSF | CHI | SLM | NJE | TAL 8 | TOL | | | | | 97th | 190 |
| 2009 | Venturini Motorsports | 25 | Toyota | DAY | SLM | CAR | TAL 25 | KEN | TOL | POC | MCH | MFD | IOW | KEN | BLN | POC | ISF | CHI | TOL | DSF | NJE | SLM | KAN | CAR | | | | | 137th | 105 |
| 2010 | Venturini Motorsports | 66 | Toyota | DAY 2 | PBE | SLM | TEX | TAL 25 | TOL | POC | MCH | IOW | MFD | POC | BLN | NJE | ISF | CHI | DSF | TOL | SLM | KAN | CAR | | | | | | 67th | 325 |
| 2011 | Venturini Motorsports | 66 | Toyota | DAY 17 | TAL | SLM | TOL | NJE | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 105th | 170 |
| 2011 | Venturini Motorsports | 66 | Chevy | | | | | | CHI 34 | POC | MCH | WIN | BLN | IOW | IRP | POC | ISF | MAD | DSF | SLM | KAN | TOL | | | | | | | | | | | 105th | 170 | |
| 2012 | Venturini Motorsports | 66 | Toyota | DAY 5 | MOB | SLM | TAL 14 | TOL | ELK | POC | MCH | WIN | NJE | IOW | CHI 24 | IRP | POC | BLN | ISF | MAD | SLM | DSF | KAN | | | | | | 43rd | 475 |
| 2013 | Turner Scott Motorsports | 62 | Chevy | DAY 8 | MOB | SLM | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 35th | 810 |
| 2013 | Turner Scott Motorsports | 66 | Chevy | | | | TAL 4 | TOL | ELK | POC | MCH | ROA | WIN | CHI | NJE | POC | BLN | ISF | MAD | DSF | IOW | SLM | KEN | KAN 14 | | | | | | | 35th | 810 | |
| 2014 | Venturini Motorsports | 66 | Toyota | DAY 37 | MOB | SLM | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 81st | 200 |
| 2014 | Turner Scott Motorsports | 4 | Chevy | | | | TAL 15 | TOL | NJE | POC | MCH | ELK | WIN | CHI | IRP | POC | BLN | ISF | MAD | DSF | SLM | KEN | KAN | | | | | | | | | 81st | 200 | |
| 2015 | Ken Schrader Racing | 11 | Toyota | DAY 14 | MOB | NSH | SLM | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 72nd | 330 |
| 2015 | Ken Schrader Racing | 66 | Toyota | | | | | TAL 13 | TOL | NJE | POC | MCH | CHI | WIN | IOW | IRP | POC | BLN | ISF | DSF | SLM | KEN | KAN | | | | | | | | | 72nd | 330 | |
| 2016 | Venturini Motorsports | 66 | Toyota | DAY 33 | NSH | SLM | TAL 19 | TOL | NJE | POC | MCH | MAD | WIN | IOW | IRP | POC | BLN | ISF | DSF | SLM | CHI | | | | | | | | 66th | 370 |
| 2016 | MBM Motorsports | 66 | Toyota | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | KEN 10 | KAN | | | | | | | | | 66th | 370 | |
| 2017 | MBM Motorsports | 66 | Ford | DAY 31 | NSH | SLM | TAL 31 | TOL | ELK | POC | MCH | MAD | IOW | IRP | POC | WIN | ISF | ROA | DSF | SLM | CHI | KEN | KAN | | | | | | 98th | 145 |
| 2018 | MBM Motorsports | 66 | Ford | DAY 27 | NSH | SLM | TAL | TOL | CLT | POC | MCH | MAD | GTW | CHI | IOW | ELK | POC | ISF | BLN | DSF | SLM | IRP | KAN | | | | | | 101st | 95 |