Conversation so far:
What was his first race on the Indy Circuit?
In 1962 Thompson entered three John Crosthwaite designed cars in the Indianapolis 500.
How did he do?
Unusually, they used a stock V8 Buick engine and it was in the rear unlike the front engined, race tuned, Offenhauser powered cars used by most competitors.
It.
How did  the change in design affect the performance?
Thompson's crew, led by Fritz Voigt, were young, smart and hard working.
Working 12-14 hour days, the car was designed and built in 120 days.

Question: Did the car place in the Race?
Self-contained rewrite: Did Mickey Thompson's car place in his first Indy Circuit race?