Most influential icon Shelby, Mickey, or Don?

[LMH]

Also Simpson. I think he has done a lot for the sport of racing and safety.
Larry

[CoBro]

There is no right or wrong answer to the question really! Thanks for the history lessons of all the American motorsport innovators, and they should be recognized. Please post more about these men and their accomplishments if you can.

*Shelby whooped Ferrari's butt in their own back yard. That's good enough for me.
*Mickey triumphed in road racing, Indy, Bonneville and my personal favorite, off-road racing. Didn't he campaign a Bronco?
*Garlits changed an entire motorsport segment and saved a lot of lives with the rear engined dragster. All the aero innovations he devised are still evident today.
*Special mention to drag race legend Shirley "Boom Boom" Muldowney who inspired many female drivers of all disciplines, and broke the stereotype that women can't or shouldn't go fast.

If I had to make a choice I'd have to say Mickey Thompson.
The sheer number of different types of motorsport he competed in and innovated is astounding. He had the career of 4 or 5 people combined!

[gsharapa]

10 years ago I'd probably say Don Garlits but with rebirth of Shelby in the 2006 with Ford, I'd say Shelby now is on top as he has the older generation (us old farts) plus a whole new generation of kids and young adults that love his cars.

[CoBro]

BTW, where is Micky Thompson's racing collection? Is it in a museum or is it spread throughout the country in private collections? Shelby's and Garlits' cars are well accounted for, for the most part.
I have to say I haven't seen many or any of M/T's surviving cars up for sale in the usual places.

[Buzz]

The material value of each of their contributions could be debated ad infinitum, and most arguments would be seasoned with a healthy dose of bias based upon era, motorsports category, brand loyalty and reaction to the individual personalities themselves.
My take is that Shelby has crossed disciplines, generations, brands and nations. His name recognition trumps anyone else in motorsports and he's still going strong with significant new products. Love Shelby or hate him (or both); in terms of sheer automotive iconic status, the other names are not even in the same league.

[rjbh20]

Originally Posted by CoBro

There is no right or wrong answer to the question really! Thanks for the history lessons of all the American motorsport innovators, and they should be recognized. Please post more about these men and their accomplishments if you can.

*Shelby whooped Ferrari's butt in their own back yard. That's good enough for me.
*Mickey triumphed in road racing, Indy, Bonneville and my personal favorite, off-road racing. Didn't he campaign a Bronco?
*Garlits changed an entire motorsport segment and saved a lot of lives with the rear engined dragster. All the aero innovations he devised are still evident today.
*Special mention to drag race legend Shirley "Boom Boom" Muldowney who inspired many female drivers of all disciplines, and broke the stereotype that women can't or shouldn't go fast.

If I had to make a choice I'd have to say Mickey Thompson.
The sheer number of different types of motorsport he competed in and innovated is astounding. He had the career of 4 or 5 people combined!

I believe Shirley Muldowney's nickname was Cha-Cha, not Boom Boom. I also understand that she hated it.

What were Mickey Thompson's triumphs at Indianapolis? My recollection is that his cars seldom (ever?) finished and he's best known for the disastrous Allstate Special in 1964 that Dave MacDonald used to kill himself and Eddie Sachs.

[Rodster]

Originally Posted by rjbh20

What were Mickey Thompson's triumphs at Indianapolis? My recollection is that his cars seldom (ever?) finished and he's best known for the disastrous Allstate Special in 1964 that Dave MacDonald used to kill himself and Eddie Sachs.

From what I've read, there were many contributors to that disaster, including the squirrelly car itself; the use of gasoline instead of methanol; use of older aircraft-style fuel bladders in the tank instead of safety fuel cells; and MacDonald's unfamiliarity with roundy-round racing (he was a talented road racer) and the Indy track and race; and possibly MacDonald's lack of caution. But a number of drivers did refuse to pilot Thompson's car that year, so the car is a known contributor.