Publisher Description

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. 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 and successful businessman. You'd hear how he toured the country with Tommy Ivo and "The Hawaiian" Roland Leong, racing all the legends from "Big Daddy" Don Garlits to "The Golden Greek" [Chris] Karamesines. He'd say how he met Tom McEwen and recall how they became the Snake and the Mongoose, leading to a career in Funny Cars that netted him four championships in a row. He'd talk about the thrill of first wins and owning his own teams but also the struggles of bad seasons, crashes and fires, broken parts, and broken contracts. Along the way, he'd speak about the people in his life, such as engine-builder Keith Black and NHRA president Wally Parks, and those who were killed in the wild and unpredictable sport of nitro racing. It wouldn't be only racing, though. Prudhomme would share lessons he learned about business and life from such varied sources as a neighbor in Granada Hills to Ford GT40 driver Dan Gurney. He also would talk about the importance of family: how his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Donna, changed his world and how finding out about his African-American roots opened his eyes to a culture and inheritance he'd always wanted. This is the experience you'll get in Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320.

Back Cover

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme reveals for the first time ever his incredible life and career on and off 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. He'd tell you of how he went from being a high school dropout who was painting cars to a respected Top Fuel dragster driver and successful businessman. You'd hear how he toured the country with Tommy Ivo and "The Hawaiian" Roland Leong and raced all the legends from "Big Daddy" Don Garlits to "The Greek" Karamesines. He'd say how he met Tom McEwen and how they became "The Snake" and "The Mongoose," which led to a career in Funny Cars that netted him four championships in a row. He'd talk about the thrill of first wins and owning his own teams but also about the struggles of bad seasons, crashes, fi res, broken parts, and broken contracts. Along the way, he'd talk about the people in his life, such as engine-builder Keith Black and NHRA President Wally Parks, as well as those who were killed in the wild and unpredictable sport of nitro racing. It's not only about racing though. Prudhomme shares lessons that he learned about business and life from such varied sources as a neighbor in Granada Hills to Ford GT40 driver Dan Gurney. He also talks about the importance of family, how his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Donna, changed his world, and how finding out about his African-American roots opened his eyes to a culture and inheritance that he always wanted. This is the experience you'll receive when immersed in Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320.

Author Biography

Elana Scherr's first role in the automotive universe was as a fan in the stands at Pomona for the NHRA races. Once she earned a license, she participated at the sportsman level and eventually combined her love of cars and her love of writing in a job as a staff editor for Hot Rod magazine. From Hot Rod, she became editor-in-chief of Roadkill magazine, and now writes for a variety of automotive titles, including Car and Driver, Road & Track, Automobile, and Sports Car Market, and remains a contributor to Hot Rod, where it all began. Elana lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Tom, two dogs, and more than a dozen project cars.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FOREWORD by Rusty Wallace PREFACE CHAPTER 1: The Starting Line CHAPTER 2: The Lure of Speed CHAPTER 3: The 1960s CHAPTER 4: The 1970s CHAPTER 5: The 1980s CHAPTER 6: The 1990s CHAPTER 7: The 2000s

Review

"Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320 is a 'must' for the legions of Prudhomme fans and certain to be a welcome addition to community library automotive racing history and memoir collections."--James A. Cox "Midwest Book Review" (1/20/2021 12:00:00 AM)

Long Description

Don Prudhomme reveals his life story on and off the track.

Review Text

"Overall, this book did it all for me. I don't know that anyone could have done a better job at distilling the story of a 50-year career and enveloping it all into a comprehensive piece that will be inspiring, educational, informative, and just plain fun to read. Granted, I'm a huge "Snake" fan and I sat down and read it cover to cover until 2:30 in the morning because I just couldn't stop turning pages and wondering what came next, but if it can keep an "expert" like me doing that, I know it will do the same for you guys. It's a great book for "Snake" fans, especially those wanting to know as much about the man as his machines. It's packed with great photos and eye-opening anecdotes, and might even open some eyes of the non-"Snake" or even non-drag racing fans out there (they still exist, right?)."

Review Quote

"You don't have to be a drag racing fan to find this story a fascinating read."

Details