The World's Fastest Driver Was Murdered

TL;DR

Racing legend Mickey Thompson was executed by hitmen hired by bitter business rival Michael Goodwin after a lawsuit humiliated and financially destroyed him.

Key Points

• 1.Mickey Thompson was a motorsports icon with record-breaking achievements. He broke 400 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in 1960 in the Challenger 1, revolutionized drag racing with the Slingshot in 1955, and founded the first monster truck stadium shows.
• 2.Goodwin and Thompson's 1984 business merger quickly turned toxic. Goodwin, holding 70% of the venture, refused to pay expenses during an 18-month trial period, leading to a lawsuit that forced him to pay Mickey $514,000 (~$1.5M today).
• 3.Mickey aggressively humiliated Goodwin after winning in court. He seized Goodwin's Mercedes and drove it to court hearings, got Goodwin banned from his own Supercross events, and repeatedly had his events shut down — driving Goodwin to bankruptcy.
• 4.On March 16, 1988, two hitmen on bicycles ambushed and killed Mickey and his wife Trudy. Goodwin was the prime suspect; within 5 months of the murders he liquidated his assets, bought $275,000 in gold coins, wired $400,000 offshore, and fled on a yacht named the Bravo.
• 5.Goodwin was convicted in 2007 on two counts of first-degree murder despite no DNA, weapon, or hitmen. The case relied on 15 witnesses recounting his death threats and a clear financial paper trail; he received two consecutive life sentences without parole.