SCF1354-C #40 Tommy Thompson 1951 Chrysler on the beach in Daytona

Tommy Thompson had one of the more exciting days of the contestants. On the 29th lap of the 49-lap race, lost his left front wheel going through the south turn. He managed to ride on the rim down part of the beach until he could stop to get the wheel replaced. Then as the the race reached its conclusion, Thompson hooked his left front - the one he'd lost earlier - on the road's edge, and he was pitched into a spin. He narrowly missed starter Johnny Bruner who still managed to flag the race to an end. Even with all that, Thompson managed a 7th place finish.