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deal using the Snake and
Mongoose characters, it shook the world of drag racing big time. He produced a sponsorship package that allowed him and Prudhomme to buy the best equipment, pay expenses, make money and sell their image all over the United States. I hate to admit it but McEwen and Prudhomme
505:
His “gorgeous” 1957 Chevy replica was built as a tribute to the iconic
Chevrolet. It was run as an NHRA exhibition vehicle and was responsible for creating Nostalgia Funny Car, even though the car would not (now) be legal in that class. The car ran just three years, and was popular with fans and
341:
McEwen won the race against
Prudhomme at Lions Drag Strip on September 12, 1964. He beat overcame Prudhomme's bright-orange edition of the famed Greer-Black-Prudhomme car two outings in a row, inspiring what may be the most famous match-race pairing in the history of drag racing.
459:
In 1972, McEwen won his first major event when he dominated the Top Fuel field at the
Bakersfield March Meet. A year later, he scored his first NHRA national event victory by topping the quickest Funny Car field in history at the SuperNationals at
372:
Because their first contest had received so much attention, two more races between McEwen and
Prudhomme were staged at Lions Drag Strip in 1965. McEwen drove the Yeakel Plymouth dragster past Prudhomme and his new ride, the Leong-owned
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sponsorship deal ran from 1970 through 1972. Wildlife Racing then signed with Care Free
Sugarless Gum as a sponsor in 1973. McEwen and Prudhomme dissolved their partnership at the end of the 1973 season.
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he unveiled in 1965 was featured in every major car magazine. He convinced the
Southern California Plymouth Dealers Association to support him and displayed the car all over the West Coast.
143:-chassied Donovan dragster sorted out, McEwen quit (replaced by Prudhomme, no less) to drive for Lou Beney, in the Yeakel Plymouth dragster. (Baney also conceived McEwen's mid-engined
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310:, which was one of the first dragsters to use a streamlined body with an enclosed parachute pack. This would turn out to be one of McEwen's best known rides.
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McEwen's strong promotional talent and
Prudhomme's success on the strip eventually led the two to form a national touring team, sponsored by the toy company
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McEwen won five NHRA national events, but his gift for gab and promotional ability made him one of the sport's most influential and controversial figures.
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92:
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McEwen had four children: Jamie, Joe, Tom Jr., and
Kathleen, and two grandchildren: Christian and Jonathan. Jamie and Joe are deceased.
115:. His racing career spanned 45 years. He is ranked at number 16 on a list of the 50 most significant drivers of NHRA’s first 50 years.
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He retired from racing in 1992, and later worked as motorsports director for "Drag Racer" magazine, based in
Southern California.
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showed us the way to the future. They were a lot smarter than most of us who didn't see past the end of the quarter-mile."
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Funny Car victory over Prudhomme in 1978. The win came only a few days after the death of his son Jamie, who had battled
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165:, "one of the most significant drag racing events" of that era; the Top Fuel Eliminator (TFE) trophy that year went to
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Because McEwen raced only on the West Coast, he and the touring Prudhomme faced each other only once in 1966, at the
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McEwen solved his Corvette funny car's stability problems by adding tip fences to the rear spoiler.
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In 1967, McEwen took the same approach with one of drag racing's great one-shot wonders, Ford's
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March Meet in California in the Broussard-Garrison-Purcell-Davis car. He also drove Donovan's
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264:. Among the cars he drove were the Stone-Woods-Cook '50 Olds fastback, the Bader and Ferrara
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234:
446:, and in mid-1969, McEwen and Prudhomme became co-owners of "Wildlife Racing." The Mattel
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28:
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McEwen continued his relationship with Adams for several years. In 1962, he drove Adams'
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542:. It tells the story of the rivalry between the two great Southern Californian racers.
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McEwen also continued to build on his reputation as a colorful promoter. The Plymouth
411:. He also recorded the lowest ever elapsed time to date with a blistering 6.64 at the
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McEwen gained his early experience in a variety of cars, beginning in 1953 with a '53
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a movie portraying the story of Prudhomme and McEwen, was released in the summer of
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In 1963, McEwen achieved his first major success when he a runner-up finish against
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McEwen died of Acute Cardiopulmonary arrest on June 10, 2018, at the age of 81.
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379:, two rounds to one in the first, then lost in two straight sets in the second.
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349:-sponsored dragster to victory at the 32-car UDRA meet at Fontana Raceway in
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Legendary Top Fuel and Funny Car racer Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen passes away
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in 1982, the prestigious Big Bud Shootout in 1984, and Top Fuel at the 1991
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434:. The car stole the show when it made its debut at the Winternationals.
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to McEwen's 7.69. They would not meet again for the rest of the decade.
37:
386:, site of their first national event meeting. There, Prudhomme in the
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editor. "The Super Mustang", written 27 April 2018, at
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He went on to win four more national events, including his dramatic
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329:
205:, "McEwen was the smartest of the bunch. When he came up with the
189:, McEwen joined the Bivens & Fisher team, driving their
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and then went on to win the 1968 Stardust National Open in
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Starting as an owner-driver, he received the nickname "the
126:, after McEwen signed up to drive Donovan's "vaunted"
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McClurg, Bob. “50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 2” in
132:. It was originally used as a device to entice
327:, and it was in this car he first raced Prudhomme.
294:'s Chrysler-powered supercharged gas dragster, and
103:(January 14, 1937 – June 10, 2018) was an American
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81:
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44:
21:
891:Burk, Jeff. “50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 3” in
559:"Tom McEwen Gallery | Trading Card Database"
574:"Drag legends still cherish high octane rivalry"
195:dragster, and soon set an NHRA national record.
345:Later in 1964, McEwen drove Lou Baney's Yeakel
748:"Great Rivalries: Don Prudhomme vs Tom McEwen"
8:
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929:Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni
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233:. He then went on to race a '54 Olds at
159:Hot Rod Magazine Championship Drag Races
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774:"Son's illness tough foe for dragster"
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638:"Tom McEwen is also a good drag racer"
93:International Motorsports Hall of Fame
871:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1718898/
7:
924:Sportspeople from Pensacola, Florida
483:McEwen won the AHRA World Finals at
16:American dragster driver (1937–2018)
860:Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
723:"A fond farewell to 'the Mongoose'"
514:Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
700:"Steve Reyes on Tour - Tom McEwen"
580:. Spokane, Washington. p. C1.
14:
791:Gerheim, Earl (August 23, 1982).
636:Hairston, Jack (March 19, 1973).
136:into a high-exposure match race.
895:, November 2016, pp. 52–64.
888:, November 2016, pp. 35–50.
810:Bickhart, Terry (July 8, 1991).
654:Taylor, Thom. Untitled item in
572:Schenk, Tony (August 14, 1992).
172:McEwen also drove the ill-fated
27:
837:Burk, pp.58-9 and p.60 caption.
679:"Mongoose runs to feed his ego"
594:National Hot Rod Association,
357:honors at Lions Dragstrip and
122:" in 1964 from engine builder
1:
626:(retrieved 16 September 2018)
812:"'Mongoose' surprise winner"
793:"McEwen didn't horse around"
772:Bochat, Rel (July 1, 1977).
109:National Hot Rod Association
934:Racing drivers from Florida
818:. Pennsylvania. p. 16.
677:Cash, Phil (May 28, 1976).
598:, NHRA Staff, June 11, 2018
324:Donovan Engineering Special
129:Donovan Engineering Special
75:Fountain Valley, California
950:
600:, Retrieved Jun. 11, 2018.
403:Magazine Championships at
390:took the win, with a 7.59
388:B&M Torkmaster Special
157:teammate Prudhomme at the
139:After trouble getting the
799:. Washington. p. 18.
512:He was inducted into the
178:at its debut at the 1967
134:Don "the Snake" Prudhomme
91:
26:
107:who was a winner of the
368:McEwen's 1980 funny car
828:McClurg, p.50 caption.
658:, February 2017, p.11.
644:. Florida. p. 1B.
462:Ontario Motor Speedway
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338:
367:
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780:. p. 1, part 2.
685:. p. 1, part 2.
485:Spokane Raceway Park
397:McEwen won the 1966
846:Burk, p.60 caption.
141:Gilmore Engineering
778:Milwaukee Sentinel
683:Milwaukee Sentinel
534:Snake and Mongoose
415:PDA Meet in 1968.
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339:
298:' Albertson Olds.
153:In 1965, he faced
82:Top Fuel Funny Car
58:Pensacola, Florida
797:Spokane Chronicle
750:. August 24, 2009
620:National Dragster
405:Riverside Raceway
270:Crosseyed Crosley
256:, and eventually
244:He went from the
163:Riverside Raceway
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235:Lions Drag Strip
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55:January 14, 1937
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489:Summernationals
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384:Winternationals
353:. He also took
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227:Santa Ana Drags
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359:Pomona Raceway
334:McEwen's 1975
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113:U.S. Nationals
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72:(aged 81)
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33:McEwen's 1967
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816:Reading Eagle
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187:Super Mustang
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68:June 10, 2018
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730:. Retrieved
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419:The promoter
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307:
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290:Fiat coupe,
288:Gary Slusser
277:
274:Art Chrisman
269:
243:
220:
217:Early career
212:
203:Roland Leong
200:
197:
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186:
185:Leaving the
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70:(2018-06-10)
914:2018 deaths
909:1937 births
754:January 19,
706:January 19,
493:Englishtown
319:Bakersfield
903:Categories
893:Drag Racer
886:Drag Racer
856:Tom McEwen
546:References
497:New Jersey
479:Later life
448:Hot Wheels
315:Art Malone
296:Gene Adams
284:Bud Rasner
279:Hustler II
262:funny cars
239:Long Beach
223:Oldsmobile
207:Hot Wheels
180:Winternats
167:Jim Warren
161:, held at
155:Hot Wheels
145:Hemi 'Cuda
124:Ed Donovan
105:drag racer
101:Tom McEwen
51:1937-01-14
22:Tom McEwen
528:2013 film
516:in 2001.
425:Hemi Cuda
409:Las Vegas
336:funny car
268:-powered
258:dragsters
248:ranks to
192:Checkmate
148:funny car
35:slingshot
624:NHRA.com
473:leukemia
376:Hawaiian
355:Top Fuel
347:Plymouth
292:Dick Rea
266:Cadillac
254:Altereds
252:coupes,
120:Mongoose
879:Sources
858:at the
732:21 July
400:Hot Rod
351:Fontana
317:at the
111:(NHRA)
702:. 2008
444:Mattel
282:, the
231:Irvine
87:Awards
77:, U.S.
60:, U.S.
520:Death
455:1970s
308:Shark
302:1960s
246:stock
756:2010
734:2018
727:NHRA
708:2010
540:2013
392:e.t.
286:and
260:and
65:Died
45:Born
38:rail
491:at
276:'s
250:gas
237:in
229:in
225:at
150:.)
905::
814:.
795:.
776:.
764:^
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691:^
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49:(
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