Three friends got together and decided one weekend to go visit the local dirt track. Once they saw the action and enjoyed the sights and sounds they were addicted. Along with the good times that a race track usually provides on a Saturday night, friendly little bets between the three only added to their fun. Those three men were Alan Neely, Mark Thompson and John Thompson.

The three soon realized that they could become a bigger part of this Saturday night tradition and decided to buy into the action. With the support of Long John Silver's of New Tazewell, Thompson purchased his first race car. The Oldsmobile Cutlass number five hit the track with the rookie Thompson along with over thirty other competitors. Thompson was bitten by the racing bug after he wheeled the Cutlass to a fourth-place finish. It did not take long for Thompson to realize that if they wanted to beat the few finishing ahead of them that they were going to have to play in the gray areas of the rulebook. The stock powerplant had to go and in the car went a more powerful engine.

It wasn't long before he was passing Wayne Overholt for his first win. Thompson kept moving on to race in other classes and his next move had him entering a newly formed Thunder and Lightning class. He now was running a new number on his race cars and the number 38, a tribute to his kid's birthdays, stuck with him until he quit driving. He won several races in that class defeating the likes of Gary Blanken, Tony Shannon and many others. His wife Lori saw the fun that he was having and decided to step it up and purchased a Super Late model from Jack Trammell. It was a well received Christmas gift that year. John did not take long before he won in it too. It took six races and a Larry Clark motor to get the job done. The motor made all the difference as he won the first night he raced after installing it.

Even though John was having a good time competing he just couldn't get the idea of buying the racetrack out of his head. Every week he could just see the potential that the little track had. In 1996 John had his first race as owner of the track he so loved. He was enjoying the ownership side of racing and wanted to step it up by trying to get a new upstart dirt series to visit his track.

At first getting the date was a little tough but when another local track did not get ready fast enough Hav A Tampa (HAT) gave him a call. Finally he had the date he so wanted but it was not without risk. It was going to take several thousand-dollars and he had only two weeks to get ready and promote the event. John used local papers and radio to get the word out as well as word of mouth. When the cars started rolling in and the crowd began filling the bleachers it was quickly evident that this risk was going to pay off.

The race itself ended up being perhaps the best race ever witnessed at the Taz and simply got the little speedway squarely on the big stage. Speedvision TV would later bring its cameras and tape the event two consecutive years giving Tazewell Speedway even more national attention. Thompson added, "When I look back at the HAT race and think about it I realize that the race had a huge impact on Tazewell Speedway. It helped get it to the way it is now."

Thompson is not afraid to admit something now that may have seemed overlooked by many in the past, "If the truth is to be told Lori ran the place. She did much more than people thought and knew each and every aspect of running the place."

As a driver he upset the best in dirt-racing during a Southern All Stars event in 2002. Thompson never had time to race during the bigger events due to track duties but on this night the head of the series offered to pay his entry fee just to have him involved. Thompson accepted this offer and won the thing over some great drivers including Scott Sexton and Duane Hommell.

When asking John about Blaine Frazier he without hesitation says, "Blaine is the wheel that has made Tazewell Speedway roll. He cared more about the track after he sold it to me than he did when he owned it. That's the kind of guy Blaine is. He always wanted the track to succeed."

Thompson points out that when he bought the track it was eight-dollars to get in the stands and when he sold it the price to get in remained the same. When asked about the newest owner Gary Hall, Thompson said,"Gary has been great for the Taz. He seems to be doing a great job with all the improvements and is undoubtably the best man for the job. He is in it for the long haul and people should respect him for the risks he takes to make the speedway a success."

Thompson says the only regret he has now is selling the track in the first place since his son Will is now showing interest in racing. Will is a sixteen year old basketball player at Oak Ridge High but has already expressed a desire to race. John also has a nineteen year old daughter Raegan who also plays basketball (Furman University) and also enjoys racing.

As a driver Thompson's worst moment happened with Prentice Harvey behind him one night. His car suddenly shook and over it went. It tumbled four or five times and all the while he thought Prentice had wrecked him. Come to find out the rear axle broke in his car causing the entire ordeal. His worst moment as an owner came during the STARS race. "The series didn't really bring enough cars with it and those that came were all from up north and didn't relate. That one just didn't pop for me," he added.

As a driver his favorite moment was winning the SAS race because he did not expect to even compete with the likes of Skip Arp, Scott Sexton and Duane Hommel. Strangely enough the race was a memorial race for his wife's father who had sadly passed away. The Ray Neely Memorial became an annual event for many years and winning it made John feel extremely proud.

John was raised by his aunt and uncle, Oscar and Darlene Hibbard. He gives special thanks to Marcus Greene, Mark Thompson, Alan Neely, Dorothy Neely, Blaine Frazier and Bill Lakins. "Bill Lakins was my main man and the most important person to my racing program." He would like to give attention to his former sponsors also; Long John Silvers, Appalachian Machine Shop, Giles and all those that took part of making his track ownership a success.

One of the best bits of advice ever offered concerning the speedway was given by Thompson to race director Rick Brooks and its working staff, "Don't worry about what the other tracks are doing or especially saying because we will open our gates and do our little thing and everything will work out fine." According to Brooks wiser words were never spoken by a track owner. John Thompson and wife Lori started the modern era of racing at Tazewell Speedway by bringing in the nationally known HAT series and as a driver he could wheel with the best. It will be left up to the fans to decide if he was a better driver or owner but with all he has done for the Tazewell Speedway legacy he will always be known as a Tazewell Speedway legend. Not to be forgotten; behind every successful man stands a loyal woman.n.

If you know of a local legend you would like to have featured in the Claiborne Progress contact Allen Earl at pitchadude@hotmail.com or call 423-526-3480.