The World’s Fastest Driver Was Murdered

On a spring morning in 1988, racing legend Mickey Thompson steps outside to start his day. But within a matter of seconds, he's laying dead on the concrete. Mickey was a beloved icon. So why would someone want this guy dead? My name's Jimmy, and today in the Lord Garage, we're opening one of motorsports most unsettling true crime cases. Just so you understand how big of a deal this dude was, I'm going to rattle off some of his achievements. He revolutionized drag racing in 1955 when he built the granddaddy of top fuel dragsters, the Slingshot. It became the go-to design for nearly 20 years. And when drag racing wasn't fast enough anymore for Mickey, he set out for the Bonavville salt fights in 1960 where he strapped himself into the Challenger 1, which was a 4ine 2800 horsepower tin can. Mickey drove it past 400 miles per hour, which was a record-breaking feat. And he was then crowned the speed king. If Mickey is the speed king, I'm the speed jester. In the 70s, he founded the Southern California Off-Road Enthusiast Group and the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group, which brought the first version of monster truck shows to stadiums across the United States. And then he just decided, I'm going to start a tire business. Talk about a well-rounded individual cuz it's attire round. — Oh my god, bro. — This guy was a national hero on top of the motorsports world. And even though he was being treated like royalty, he remained a great down to earth guy through it all. It seemed like nothing could stop his rise. But then he met the one man who cared more about winning than he did. Enter this schmuck, Michael Goodwin. This guy was a rock promoter who had worked with the Rolling Stones, Jimmyi Hendris, and the Doors before coming up with the idea of bringing that energy to massive motocross events. And what better place to host them than the same stadiums Mickey was using for his monster truck shows. In 1972, he threw the Super Bowl of motocross at the LA Coliseum, and it pretty much changed everything. How do I say this? In a way that the kids would understand. It did more than just turn a dirty unccore muddy outdoor hobby into a Tik Tok riz party on wheels. It created a whole business. Goodwin became rich overnight. But for him, that wasn't enough. He wanted total domination of the sport. He treated every contract like a declaration of war and was always looking for a way to take advantage of his partners. He was also infamous for using this legal tactic called the grind, which consists of constant threats, shifting costs, and other high-pressure tactics to wear his opposition down and extract every scent he could out of them. And in 1984, he tried to grind Mickey. — Um, phrasing. — At first, it looked like a dream team. Mickey and Goodwin merged their companies and they immediately dominated the stadium racing world. But the honeymoon wouldn't last too long. Within months, Goodwin, who owned 70% of the new business, started coming to Mickey to pay huge bills for their events and claimed that under the terms of their contract, he wasn't obligated to pay any expenses until an 18-month trial period had ended. But for a competitive guy like Mickey, this was the ultimate betrayal. He sued Goodwin. Goodwin counters sued him. The legal battle that followed was an absolute brawl. When the judge finally handed down his ruling, he forced Goodwin to pay Mickey $514,000, which is $1. 5 million in today's money. — Yes, it's complete. Man, it'd be sick if I could actually drive this thing. — Well, buddy, thanks to today's sponsors, Asphalt Legends and Lego Technic, you can — Oh, that's more like it. Drive your favorite Lego Technic hypercars in Asphalt Legends. Just download the game to participate in the in-game event March 18th to the 29th to unlock your car. — Oh, that was sick. I got to say this Lego Technob Bugatti Chiron Pure Sport has some serious power. — It looks so awesome. I wish I could build the car or play the game. — There. Do you want to play it? — I can't. I'm just a disembodied voice. — Right. Well, for the rest of us, Asphalt Legends is free to play on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and mobile. So, download the game and be sure to log in between March 18th and the 29th to unlock your Lego Technic hypercar. Click the link below to learn more. But Mickey didn't stop there. He couldn't. He just couldn't help himself. He didn't just want his money back. He wanted Goodwin exiled from the racing world altogether. According to Car and Driver, he once told a reporter, "When the opponent's a jerk, he really loved to sink the needle in and humiliate the man. " Mickey turned Goodwin's own aggressive tactics against him. He kept pressing even after multiple wins. After the court sees Goodwin's Mercedes, Mickey went for Goodwin's business. And while that was

going on, Mickey started driving Goodwin's Mercedes to court. And for Michael Goodwin, a man whose entire identity was built amid the big man in the room, watching this guy putt around town farting in his car was the ultimate humiliation. Goodwin was eventually banned from using cars at his Supercross events. He tried to sneak some in a few times, but each time Mickey swooped in and had the events shut down and all the tickets had to be refunded. Goodwin didn't just go bankrupt, he went Chernobyl. He started telling anyone who had listened that Mickey was killing him and that he was going to take him out. I don't think he meant a nice dinner. Mickey knew Goodwin was out for blood and he literally started wearing a bulletproof vest wherever he went, even Applebees. But he was looking for a hitman in a Nissan Sentra. He wasn't looking for two dudes on 10-speed bikes. On that fateful March morning, Mickey and his wife Trudy were preparing to leave their house to start their day. Across the street, two men were crouched in the bushes waiting for the speed king. According to the police report, they rode there on bicycles and hung out for hours just snacking on oranges, which is super creepy to think about. At 6:00 a. m., the garage door creaked open and Mickey and Trudy stepped out to start their day. In a matter of seconds, Mickey and Trudy were dead. The assassins hopped on their bikes and disappeared into the San Gabriel Mountains. I'm not kidding when I say this. The details of this murder are extremely brutal. And without going into crazy detail, this wasn't just any random killing. It was a planned, methodical execution. Someone was trying to send a message. And these guys were professional hitmen. The most prime suspects in a double homicide will try to keep a low profile, but not this schmuck, Michael Goodwin. He did what he always did and he went big. 5 months after the murders, while the blood on Mickey's driveway was still visible, Goodwin started liquidating his entire existence. He sold his home. He cleared out his offices. He took the cash and bought $275,000 worth of gold coins and then wired another 400,000 to a bank on Grand Turk Island. All eyes were on Goodwin, but police were missing hard evidence. And before they found any, Goodwin and his wife boarded a luxury yacht named the Bravo and sailed south to what he assumed was freedom. For the next few years, this guy lived a life of leisure in the Caribbean and Central America. He moved from port to port. This guy probably went to Jeff's Island. He'd pop up an Aspen to go skiing and then vanish back into the water. He wasn't hiding in a hole like known coward Saddam Hussein. He was living large and bragging to anyone who would listen that he was too smart to get caught. He figured that as long as those two guys on bicycles didn't talk, he was in the clear. But he got a little cocky and in 2001, he moved back to the US thinking he'd gotten away with it. After all, it had been over a decade. But authorities had spent the last 13 years talking to witnesses and building a case against this guy. Goodwin bought a trailer with his dad and parked it near Dana Point, just 70 mi south of where Mickey was killed. And on a cool Thursday morning in December, the Orange County Sheriff's Department broke down this guy's door, and they stormed inside, dragged him out into the lawn with his handscuffed behind his back. It took 6 years, but Goodwin was finally put on trial in 2007. There was no DNA, no murder weapon, and no hitman. Those guys were long gone. It was a case built entirely out of words. 15 witnesses testified that they just heard Goodwin's threats and the jury saw the financial trail of a man who sold everything he had to buy a yacht and leave the United States. Talk about guilty. The jury didn't need evidence. They saw someone lying in weight. They saw an actual motive. Goodwin wanted revenge against Mickey for farting in his Mercedes. Goodwin was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole. Today, he's 80 years old and still sitting in prison in San Diego. And for years, he's been filing appeals and claiming he's an innocent victim of character assassination. Those appeals are always rejected. Mickey Thompson's legend lives on. His name is synonymous with American performance. And his name can be found on tires at drag strips nationwide. So next time you're at your local drag strip, take a moment to appreciate what he's done. He's a legend and he will be missed. Now before you guys go about your beautiful day, I'm going to actually read a few comments and show my appreciation to you guys. Uh, Douglas MC98 says, "This series rocks. Keep them coming, Jimmy. I watch these on my lunch break and they make my day. " Douglas, thank you so much, dude, for watching these. Uh, what are you having? I hope it's a ham Sammy. I would like a bite.

Lil Dirtnap 11198 says, "Jimbo really shines in this video format. " No BS. I mean, guys, I have been wanting to do this a long time at Donut. I love telling automotive stories and I love sharing this stuff with you guys. It makes my day. The Silvers says, "When are we getting project cars again? It's two months now where it's only talk. Is this the new donut? " No, guys, we're working on project cars every day. Literally maybe 45 minutes ago, I was working on a car in the garage. This stuff just takes time. We've got some really fun stuff in the works. I'm super excited. Ricky says, "Do an episode on the Midnight Club next. " Ricky, I want to do an episode on the Midnight Club so badly. It's at the top of our list, but we want to make it a longer special. And to do that, I want to feel really good about the subject we're talking about because we want to cover the entire history of it. So, please be patient. We'll get it to you eventually. All right, I think that's going to be it for now, guys. Thank you so much for watching. I just want to remind you guys, this is a small team working on this show here at Donut. It's pretty much me and a few friends. We're just trying to make something special, different, and teach you guys something at the end of the day. So, thank you so much. I have to get back to work on a special project in the garage, which you guys will see soon. Bye for now. Thanks for making it to the end of this video. If you have some spare time, check out this video right here.