Marion Lee Thompson was a man who lived, breathed and created speed. He raced land-speed cars, ran at Indy, off-road machines, drag racers. He created his own entertainment system that showed off-road racing and motocross racing in arenas, and built his own automotive aftermarket corner, complete with tires that he had designed for Indy 500 racing. Mickey Thompson was one of those rare, legendary types that simply got shit done through the power of blunt-force hard work and a dogged drive that few individuals truly possess. By 1988, Thompson had been wildly successful and he and his wife, Trudy, had done well for themselves. But on the morning of March 16, 1988, that story ended. Mickey and Trudy were gunned down in a brutal hit in their driveway by two killers who to this day, have never been found. But that only begins to explain the story that has carried on through to a 2015 California 2nd District Court of Appeals ruling. From his racing highs, including being the first man to break 400 miles an hour in 1960, to the business fallout in the 1980s that many believe led to his untimely end, Thompson’s story never failed to be spectacular. In the latest edition of RCR Stories, “The Roman” takes on the story in five parts, from Thompson’s early days to the court proceedings that went on almost two decades after the murders themselves happened.