Mark Thompson

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 U.S. 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, 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 U.S. Air Force, the Air National Guard and the U.S. Navy.

Phoenix Air formerly sponsored 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 seven races scoring one top-five at Talladega with a fourth 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 in front 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 seven 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 third 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 fourth 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, ten top-fives, and sixteen top-tens with one pole at Michigan in June and finished third in the standings behind Frank Kimmel and Series champion Tim Steele, who won twelve 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 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 fifteenth, 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. 1993 86 DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT DOV POC MCH

NHA POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL

NA 2017 nowrap| 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

KAN MAR TEX PHO HOM 66th 01 2018 MBM Motorsports 66 Ford

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 Pts Ref 2015 MBM Motorsports 13 Dodge DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL27 IOW CLT DOV MCH CHI DAYDNQ KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 73rd 17 2016 Toyota DAYDNQ ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV CLT POC MCH IOW DAY31 KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KENQL DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 74th 11 2017 DAYDNQ ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL28 CLT DOV POC MCH IOW DAY29 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 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 Pts Ref 1991 Gray Racing 79 Chevy DAY25 ATL14 KIL TAL12 TOL FRS POC MCH KIL FRS DEL POC 29th 915 62 Olds TAL4 HPT32 MCH27 ISF TOL DSF TWS ATL34 1992 Pontiac DAY11 FIF8 NSH6 DEL POC HPT FRS ISF TOL DSF 24th 1395 Olds TWS27 TAL TOL KIL POC16 MCH9 FRS KIL TWS35 SLM ATL 1993 Mike Brandt 66 Ford DAY40 TWS15 TAL5 POC12 MCH21 FRS POC8 KIL ATL6 20th 1560 Olds FIF2 KILDNQ CMS FRS TOL ISF40 DSF TOL SLM15 WIN32 1994 Ford DAY34 TAL3 FIF LVL KIL TOL FRS MCH10 POC10 KIL FRS INF I70 ATL18 25th 1240 0 Olds DMS34 POC 66 Buick ISF18 DSF TOL SLM WIN 1995 Ford DAY36 ATL6 TAL23 FIF KIL FRS POC4 POC6 KIL FRS SBS LVL ISF DSF SLM WIN ATL21 26th 1300 99 MCH31 I80 MCS FRS 1996 66 DAY9 ATL6 SLM TAL2 FIF8 LVL CLT37 CLT30 KIL FRS POC20 MCH3 FRS TOL POC5 MCH2 INF SBS ISF DSF KIL SLM WIN CLT2 ATL2 12th 2320 1997 DAY36 ATL2 CLT1 CLT4 POC21 MCH3* SBS7 TOL4 KIL8 FRS6 MIN9 POC6 MCH1 DSF5 GTW33 SLM4 WIN17 CLT25 TAL2* ISF14 ATL6 3rd 5230 86 SLM4 1998 66 DAY4 ATL32 SLM CLT MEM MCH POC SBS TOL PPR POC KIL FRS ISF ATL DSF SLM TEX WIN CLT TAL4 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 TAL26 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 TAL6 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 TAL28 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 TAL8 TOL 97th 190 2009 Venturini Motorsports 25 Toyota DAY SLM CAR TAL25 KEN TOL POC MCH MFD IOW KEN BLN POC ISF CHI TOL DSF NJE SLM KAN CAR 137th 105 2010 66 DAY2 PBE SLM TEX TAL25 TOL POC MCH IOW MFD POC BLN NJE ISF CHI DSF TOL SLM KAN CAR 67th 325 2011 DAY17 TAL SLM TOL NJE 105th 170 Chevy CHI34 POC MCH WIN BLN IOW IRP POC ISF MAD DSF SLM KAN TOL 2012 Toyota DAY5 MOB SLM TAL14 TOL ELK POC MCH WIN NJE IOW CHI24 IRP POC BLN ISF MAD SLM DSF KAN 43rd 475 2013 Turner Scott Motorsports 62 Chevy DAY8 MOB SLM 35th 810 66 TAL4 TOL ELK POC MCH ROA WIN CHI NJE POC BLN ISF MAD DSF IOW SLM KEN KAN14 2014 Venturini Motorsports Toyota DAY37 MOB SLM 81st 200 Turner Scott Motorsports 4 Chevy TAL15 TOL NJE POC MCH ELK WIN CHI IRP POC BLN ISF MAD DSF SLM KEN KAN 2015 Ken Schrader Racing 11 Toyota DAY14 MOB NSH SLM 72nd 330 66 TAL13 TOL NJE POC MCH CHI WIN IOW IRP POC BLN ISF DSF SLM KEN KAN 2016 Venturini Motorsports DAY33 NSH SLM TAL19 TOL NJE POC MCH MAD WIN IOW IRP POC BLN ISF DSF SLM CHI 66th 370 MBM Motorsports KEN10 KAN 2017 Ford DAY31 NSH SLM TAL31 TOL ELK POC MCH MAD IOW IRP POC WIN ISF ROA DSF SLM CHI KEN KAN 98th 145 2018 DAY27 NSH SLM TAL TOL CLT POC MCH MAD GTW CHI IOW ELK POC ISF BLN DSF SLM IRP KAN 101st 95