During the period of time that Thompson hosted an annual Pro Stock race drag racing doorslammer legends such as Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Ronnie Sox, "Dandy" Dick Landy, Gapp and Roush, and "Akron" Arlen Vanke, as well as local favorites Ron Hutter, Billy "the Kid" Lyons, and Gardner and Evans were featured in booked-in those  four-, six- and eight-car fields and they  raced in front of sellout crowds. Vanke returned to Thompson as the Grand Marshal for this year’s event.

”Akron” Arlen displayed his Mopar Pro Stocker

The race was conceived and put on by Dave Breedlove and Mike Loboda of the United Manual Transmission Racers and promoter John Shapiro of Cruisin' Times Magazine.  It required nine months of hard work but the group ultimately assembled a group of period correct, dual quad, tunnel ram, manual trans equipped cars for a Chicago-style Pro Stock race last July 3.