The storied, 47-year career of drag racing legend Don “The Snake” Prudhomme has drawn to a close. In an announcement that was made on Thursday, January 7, Prudhomme thanked his fans and supporters while departing in his typically cool demeanor. He stands among a select few drag racers that are included in conversations about the best American race car drivers (of any genre) of all time.
32 of Prudhomme’s years were spent driving. It was Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars for Prudhomme. Door slammers were never part of the picture. His career was really launched by Tommy Ivo, who took Prudhomme on his national tours, first as help, and then as the driver of the audacious twin-engine car and the quad-engine, four wheel drive, Showboat dragster.
It was all onward and upward from there. He drove the famous Greer, Black, and Prudhomme machine that amassed a win/loss record that basically made it unnecessary for competitors to even stage next to it. He later entered into the marketing deal with Mattel that propelled himself and Tom McEwen to national rock star status. Through the 1970s and 1980s he raced Funny Cars and eventually found his way back into a Top Fuel Dragster. His driving career ended in 1994 and from then on he served as a successful team owner. Lots of success came with a Miller sponsorship and Larry Dixon in the driver’s seat.
Strip away all that junk and you’ve still got one of the coolest guys who has ever walked the face of the Earth. The man is the embodiment of cool. He was always a very focused competitor and was not known to be the chattiest guy when he was racing at the track. When he was not knee deep in nitro, he was signing autographs and interacting with the fans who flocked to him for decades.
Not many people have had as classy a career or an exit from the direct day to day operations of the sport of drag racing as Snake has. We should have expected nothing less.
NHRA.com has a fantastic look at the storied career of one of the greatest drag racers who ever lived.
