Miller reminded Segrini of the time during that valve problem where he actually picked a valve head up off the track with a red rag after it broke on the burnout, then stuck his head in the side window and unfurled the rag to show Segrini, whose crew had not caught on to the problem. It takes years for even the most gifted of individuals to achieve legendary status in his or her chosen field, but Don Prudhomme had already become a larger-than-life figure in drag racing when he was barely out of his teens. Both of us were overwhelmed by the turnout of those from both inside and outside the racing community who had been positively impacted by a man who genuinely was larger than life. But his greatest fame came when he teamed up with Tom Mongoose McEwen, and they match-raced their funny carsthe Mongoose Duster and the Snake Barracudain the late-60s. McCourry was a bigger, stronger guy than me so Tom would push me. As Miller quipped, When the Godfather calls, you come running.. Much later, I kept running into Lynn at the skating rink I was hanging out at. The things he said to her and the way he treated her weren't fit for a dog (figure of speech, I love dogs). I think I can get you into the Road Kings.' Ruttman's fortunes turned sour after his win at the Brickyard and he was never able continue his winning Championship Car ways. In 1840 there were 23 Prudhomme families living in Louisiana. He raced for me, of course. You try to take care of each other. Don was still finding his way when he was hired to drive in Top Fuel. Rasner was McEwens first racing partner on a Fiat Topolino gas altered with Joe Reath, but before that the two were members of the Marauders Car Club at Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic High School (where McEwen lettered in basketball) in a time when the future Mongoose as was known to his friends as Spotty, for his red hair and freckles. Do Not Sell. California-born former drag racer who won four straight Funny Car titles from 1975 to 1978. [8], Prudhomme's car on fire in 1991 against Kenny Bernstein. Tommy Ivo, Marvin Graham, Carl Olson, Mike Kuhl, Ed Iskenderian, Bob Brandt, Waterbed Fred Miller, Simon Menzies, Don Hampton, and many more that I cant remember or didn't see. They were more of a cruising car club. Ive been so touched by the love and outpouring of support from all of you, she said. Subjects > People & Society > Family & Relationships. When Don drove a dragster as beautiful as, say, the Greer-Black car he drove it as hard as necessary to win.". Big Mac recounted McEwens support for him and wife Louise after McClelland underwent bypass surgery in 1991. He didn't have a pickup truck like landscapers have today, he had an old LaSalle. Birthplace: San Fernando Valley, Calif. He was like a rockstar to me, said Baney. I thought he was broke! When sponsored by the 'chewin' tobacco' company, some called him 'The Maroon ****'. This final chapter brings readers full circle as far the "Valley Guys" who made drag racing history: Ed "The Old Master" Pink, "TV" Tommy Ivo, "Hand Grenade" Harry Hibler, and finally Don "The Snake" Prudhomme. He was really good at it. I was probably 17. I stuck in some of my own tracks as we went along. Both were effusive in their praise and admiration of Jungle Jim Libermans abilities. He'd tell you about how he rose from being a high school drop-out who was painting cars to a respected Top Fuel dragster driver . Put together by his close lifelong friends the Prudhomme family - Don, Lynn, and Donna -- along with Lynn Rose, Mike Thermos, Bud Rasner, Pete Ward, John Rab Kirchner, and the NHRA staff, most notably, Larry Fisher and Greg Sharp of the NHRA Motorsports Museum, the memorial packed the Sheraton Conference Center with nearly 1,000 well-wishers. Don Prudhomme was born on April 6, 1941, in San Fernando, CA. We weren't worried about getting robbed or beat up. "We were a racing club not a hot rod club. He was always upbeat; whatever went on, he looked at the glass as half full.. Prudhomme and co-driver/navigator Rich . God bless him., Pat Galvin echoed Couchs sentiments, calling himself the luckiest guy at the dragstrip," having idolized both the Snake and the Mongoose and then going on to work for both of them. He's retired. We had a real special relationship. He meant going full-blast drag racing all the way to the East Coast and back. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991. Thanks to the ramped-up vaccination efforts (and the vaccine-eligible age of the attendees), the Prudhommes were able to host the affair, and people came from near and far to honor the man, who doesn't act anything like he's 80 (he's going off-road racing for a weekin Mexico beginning tomorrow). The race starts Monday, May 2, and runs through the following Friday. San Fernando, aka 'the Pond', was the first place Prudhomme drove a dragster. Don, an open-wheel racing fan most of his life, once asked Dan Gurney about driving a Championship Car. While we don't know Don Prudhomme birth time, but we do know his mother gave birth to his on a Sunday. Don Prudhomme of Santa Fe, California, was born in L.A. in 1941. "We looked like a scene out of Grapes of Wrath," Ivo laughs. JUMP TO: Don Prudhommes biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos, net worth, and popularity. More information on Don Prudhomme can be found here. Waterbed Fred Miller made the long trek from Florida. I will end it there. I lied about my age to get the job. For all the gruff persona that Prudhomme fostered during his racing career, the last decade has revealed a caring and loving guy, and, as you could expect, this loss really hurts. "He was a badass who would stand there at Bob's and pick fights all the time. So I had racked skates that were cool. Ive been blessed. We took that Olds to Lions and to Santa Ana. I worked there part time while I was painting cars. "There was no turning back! He stuck his head in the car and said, "What are you tamale gobblers doing here?" He treated me like we were still the best of buddies, he continued. I know a lot of things about 'the Mongoose, he teased. According to our Database, He has no children. California-born former drag racer who won four straight Funny Car titles from 1975 to 1978. "John especially was blown away by the video presentation put together by Lynn Rose insomuch as it focused not just on drag racing but on aspects of the 'Gooses life of which the two of us were only marginally aware - like his career as a race horse owner and his interactions with his family. By the 14th century they had moved north to Maine and Normandy and in the latter region where seated in Boussinire. Dozens of longtime friends and racing pals flocked to the house of quarter-mile legend Don Prudhomme to help "the Snake" celebrate his 80th . I worked a gun that squirted dum-dum (a non-hardening rope caulking used by GM in the '50s to fill seams) into the cars as they went by. Richard Tharp flew in from Texas. Muravez later became known as the engineer (get it?) They had a dragster that they took to a track near where I lived, and I got to drive it. He was the first Funny Car driver to exceed 250mph (400km/h). He is a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. And good night to a good day remembering one of the good guys of NHRA. We have estimated Birthday April 6, 1941. Back in the day, when I was the only guy there, these two clowns come in with this proposal to make a racing team out of Hot Wheels, he said, his voice also quivering. Miller had also been effusive in his praise for Brandt and the work he did on Snakes cars that was key to their success. The last time I was at Casa Prudhomme was Christmas 2014, Tom McEwen, Bill Doner, Art Chrisman, Mike Kuhl, and Bill Simpson were there, but now theyre all gone, and very much missed, as was Prudhommes old pal Raymond Beadle, who had been the star of Prudhommes 70th birthday surprise party at the NHRA Museum. (Calling in sick Monday morning was not an option. If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. Don Prudhomme was born on the 6th of April, 1941. That era was the best time of our lives.". He was always promoting himself, still banging the circuit, working with NHRA, going to Bakersfield selling t-shirts. Its hard to imagine that started the relationship and ends up with me up here saying our farewells. Kent Fuller, who Don drove for, said the teamwhich consisted of Don the driver, Dave Zeuschel the mechanic, and Fuller the car owner/chassis builderwon $3,300. I told Emery, Looks like weve got a bye in the first round. He just told me, Hell be there, and sure enough, he not only made the call but beat us in the first round. He felt we were in the wrong neighborhood. Katie Sarna, McEwens daughter, who traveled from Kansas City to attend, along with her son [McEwens grandson] Christian, expressed her gratitude to the multitude. Age 82 years old. Don Prudhomme (born April 6, 1941 in San Fernando, California), nicknamed "The Snake", is an American drag racer. Later I got my mom's '48 Merc four-door, which was a family type car, not a hot rod type. "The track promoters back East got together and said, let's contact some guys on the West Coast who are in all the magazines and have them come back here and we'll give them $500 at each stop to do it. The Burbank guys didn't go to the Rainbow, just us Valley guys. We've been married 50 years. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Frey also read messages from many who could not attend, including Linda Vaughn, Snake-Mongoose biographer Tom Madigan, memorabilia expert Mike Goyda, and theAuto Clubs Tom McKernan, Frank Baney, son of 1960s drag racing entrepreneur and car owner Lou Baney, reminisced about McEwens involvement with his dads cars. Don Prudhomme. The Road Kings was a drag racing club that at one point had 36 members actively racing during the '50s. Don Prudhomme's age is 82. McEwen had driven Pinks dragster in the 1960s and Pink provided power for McEwens Funny Cars. Had Don had the resources to drive a Champ car or a Formula 1 car at the age he started as a Top Fuel drag racer he would certainly be in Gurney's league today. "My dad, Newman, and my mom, Ida, moved from Louisiana in . As for drag racing today, I wish I had a lot of good things to say. He never had any hard feelings. It was split three ways; Prudhomme still has the trophy. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. Once more details are available on who he is dating, we will update this section. Dryer especially remembered a Monday Night Football game at the L.A. clock. He is a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. "Back then, L.A. was a pretty nice place," Don begins. Don took himself from behind the wheel in 1994, taking on the heavy responsibility of team ownership, making driving champions of Larry Dixon and Ron Capps along the way. All logos and images are reserved. The great thing about these get-togethers is that everyone knows everyone, and we all have drag racing (and Prudhomme) in common. Segrini told great stories of working for the Castronovo family (of Custom Body Enterprises fame), especially Fred, with whom he started as a youngster polishing wheels. Don Prudhomme was born on April 6, 1941 in San Fernando, California, USA. Discover what happened on this day. ), "When I got into the Road Kings I wanted to have a roadster," Don adds. "My best friend until the day that he died was Tom McCourry. (But he wasn't off the hook because Don had to do the same thing at the Van Nuys Bob's.) For Force, few people had a greater impact on him personally or professionally than 'the Mongoose,' his friend and confidant for more than 40 years. We pull up there and stage and I got to about 300 feet and it exploded. Don Prudhomme was born on April 6, 1941 (age 82) in San Fernando, California, United States He is a celebrity race car driver, Reference: Wikipedia, FaceBook, Youtube, Twitter, Spotify, Instagram, Tiktok, IMDb. I had little bitty wheels in the front and big wheels on the back. The first time I met Tom I was 22 years old in 1962 when I was writing articles for Drag News for the old San Gabriel dragstrip. Don Prudhomme. Incredible sportsmanship.. The Prudhomme family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. Don Prudhomme's birth flower is Sweet Pea/Daisy. Yours truly, Al Segrini, and Richard Tharp, Segrini remembered being an aspiring Funny Car racer in the early 1970s, and studying the Snakes mannerisms whenever he came to Segrinis turf at New England Dragway. I'm fond of that one. When Ford discontinued the program, Prudhomme went into the "Mongoose and Snake" phase of his career.[7]. Don Prudhomme was born on April 6, 1941 (age 81) in San Fernando, California, United States.Don Prudhomme's Life Path Number is 7 as per numerology. [4], In 1965, Prudhomme faced Hot Wheels teammate McEwen at the Hot Rod Magazine Championship Drag Races, held at Riverside, "one of the most significant drag racing events" of that era;[5] ultimately, Top Fuel Eliminator (TFE) went to Jim Warren. (According to J.C. Agajanian Jr., Ruttman got 40 percent of that.) The cost has run a lot of the good people out. Prudhomme was recommended for the ride by Kent Fuller . Im so glad I raced when I did, says Prudhomme. If we werent, wed have no business heading down there.. ", He was portrayed by "Grey's Anatomy" actor Jesse Williams in "Snake and Mongoose. Mario Andretti, Jackie Stewart, and Frank Williams were also His acquaintances.

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