In fact, when we spoke to the Snakea nickname he earned in high school growing up in Southern Californiahe was taking the shocks from the Can-Am to veteran off-road racer and tuner Walker Evans for some last-minute tweaks. "McCourry was 16 and I was 15 when he had a '36 Ford that was a beater. California-born former drag racer who won four straight Funny Car titles from 1975 to 1978. "John Force and I go back a long way," he said. (It is live-streamed at NORRA.com.) Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme's class win at the 2021 NORRA Mexican 1000 was his first in a racing event since an NHRA win in 1993. I thought he was broke! He pushed me the whole race. As I wrote about the last party I attended, it just blows my mind how this group has stayed in touch and remain so close. Is Don Prudhomme an African-American? | Yellow Bullet Forums Generation. Don Prudhomme Racing At the end of the 2009 racing season, sponsorship went away and Prudhomme retired from active racing. He was portrayed by Greys Anatomy actor Jesse Williams in Snake and Mongoose. Don Prudhommes age is 82. I remember the first time that the Snake and the Mongoose; raced for me. It was after my brother went across the finish line that Prudhomme said, Wow, you guys are self-sponsored and can build a car like that by the way, Im Don Prudhomme. He shook my hand and we walked of the line together. Don Prudhomme is probably one of the most revered snakes in the world.A life story which has been told time and time again, this episode of Legends: The Seri. "We had our shop in the trunk. Incredible sportsmanship.. Come join the discussion about racing, builds, pro mods, hot rods, events, turbos, nitrous, superchargers, and more! This planet symbolizes the principle of assertive drive and energy. "He and I both attended McEwens Celebration of Life. Tommy Ivo and the five-second Top Fuel run that ignited a controversy, Wheelie neat! It had primer spots on it and that was cool. Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320 My best friend (since we were 12), Tom McCourry, ran into Lynn and her girlfriend at a dance one night and we took them both home, dropped them to their houses, and that was pretty much it. We were like nobody. Tommy Ivo and the five-second Top Fuel run that ignited a controversy, Wheelie neat! Don Prudhomme was born on 6 April, 1941 in San Fernando, California, USA, is a Miscellaneous, Actor, Camera Department. "We could run great or we could run crappy, and he would just be shucking and jiving with everyone in the car no matter how we did." He is a celebrity race car driver. He was like a father to me, said Kirchner. [Budweiser-sponsored] Kenny Bernstein always bragged to Tom that Budweiser paid him an extra $25,000 if he won the race, so Tom asked me to get with [Coors marketing director] Rob Klugman to see if he could get a $25,000 bonus if he won the race," recalled Ross. When we left the hotel Monday morning headed to the track, we pass a hotel and theres Jungles car out in the parking lot, totally torn down. Birth Sign Aries. He meant going full-blast drag racing all the way to the East Coast and back. I would love to hear the other side of the story. But we did some doubles and one triplethe weekend we won the NASCAR Nationals. Don Prudhomme (born April 6, 1941 in San Fernando, California), nicknamed "The Snake", is an American drag racer. They contacted Jack Chrisman and some other racers but they couldn't get away because they had jobs. If Prock was McEwens closest racing friend, Bud Rasner may well have been his longest. Six-time NHRA champion Don Prudhomme made a living piloting eye-catching race cars down the quarter-mile. It only took me until the second stop when I saw all those crowds to realize there's something big happening here because they packed them places. We got into Push Races. Don Prudhomme - Net Worth and Salary We connect brands with social media talent to create quality sponsored content. (If you have Roku on your television, theres a 24-hour NHRA drag racing channel, and theyve been airing vintage black-and-white coverage of the first win for Prudhomme and his rail dragster.) When is Don Prudhommes birthday? ", Don's dragstrip seat time borders on the immeasurable, but keeping up with the assembly line as the cars rolled by was his immediate concern at the plant. We had a great run together. Why racetracks are giving hybrids and EVs the cold shoulder, Rearview cameras have been around longer than you think, At $720,000, this Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina is looking for its top, For roadster lovers, Mazdas Miata is (still) the answer, National Council of Corvette Clubs lifts competition ban on E-Ray, How fast is the Corvette E-Ray? 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. Hes doing business on the sidelines of the game! ), "When I got into the Road Kings I wanted to have a roadster," Don adds. Apparently, its a star-studded affair, as P.J. There was no line of decency, said Baney to knowing laughs around the room. Attending it is like dropping in on someone's class reunion, but the stories are way better than remembering who puked on whose shoes at the big dance (although some of those stories could probably cross over). Discover what happened on this day. He was always doing [stuff] like this and not telling me about it. Date of birth: April 6, 1941 Residence: Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. That enough for you? Don absorbed more in the months he and Ivo were on tour than he would ever experience racing at home; it was a learning experience for both of them. He was the chef proprietor of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans, and had formerly owned and run several other restaurants.He developed several culinary products, including . Don's no longer watching the clock or fretting the e.t. Most, if not all, of the Road Kings hung out at the Toluca Lake Bob's, not the Van Nuys Bob's where Don and McCourry practically lived. "All the Road Kings were at the March Meet in 1962," Muravez continues. Don Prudhomme Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family He was the first Funny Car driver to exceed 250mph (400km/h). The first NORRA Mexican 1000 ran in 1967, and eventually transitioned into what we know known as the Baja 1000. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? California-born former drag racer who won four straight Funny Car titles from 1975 to 1978. We had our suitcases in the back seat. Skip said, 'We got this guy Tom Ivo and he's got a dragster and we go to drag races at San Fernando.' Don "The Snake" Prudhomme reveals for the first time ever his incredible life and career on and off of the drag strip.Imagine spending a year with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, having coffee together and talking about his life, his racing, his friends, and his family. We ran qualifying on Friday and Saturday in Ohio, then back to the NASCAR National to win on Sunday in Montgomery, New York.". If we werent, wed have no business heading down there.. In the 1980's Prudhomme gained widespread recognition among late night television viewers when David Letterman told a recurring joke about a new "Prudhomme restaurant" opening, ostensibly referencing world famous chef Paul Prudhomme, but then saying "no, Don Prudhomme!" Ron Capps came from right around the corner. Wed raced against those guys almost our whole career, so you get to be more than just competitors; you become good friends, he explained. They lined up 10 races. We pull up there and stage and I got to about 300 feet and it exploded. He'd tell. Waterbed Fred Miller made the long trek from Florida. California-born former drag racer who won four straight Funny Car titles from 1975 to 1978. One of Prudhomme's early rides was the famed Greer-Black-Prudhomme car that recorded an impressive 230-7 win-loss record in 1963 and 1964. "I walked into my seventh grade art class and I saw this good-looking blonde named Lynn cleaning her brushes at the sink. The most Prudhomme families were found in Canada in 1911. I think I can get you into the Road Kings.' Lynn Prudhomme - International Drag Racing Hall of Fame - Facebook 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 .